2018 Minor League Roster Forecast

[clancyphile]

It will be interesting to see what happens with the fifth spot in the A+ rotation assuming Medeiros is bumped to AA. Do Owenby or Roegner start (I'd figured both would be looked at out of the bullpen, with Owenby potentially getting a bump all the way to the AA pen depending on the numbers)? Does Webb start the season in Carolina?

 

Owenby may be someone to try as a starter. He had very good K/9, WHIP, and ERA totals. I just gave him a big jump after an off-season of reflection.

[And That]

 

Houser and Medeiros will indeed by piggybacking in Biloxi. Similar to what Williams and Perrin did last year, and it worked out well for both of them.

[KeithStone53151]

 

Houser and Medeiros will indeed by piggybacking in Biloxi. Similar to what Williams and Perrin did last year, and it worked out well for both of them.

 

Kodi posted a 5.98 ERA starting games and a 2.31 in relief last year. His relief stints were generally 3-6 inning stints, not all that much different from his starts. I wonder if he feels more comfortable coming in in relief.

[DHonks]

 

Houser and Medeiros will indeed by piggybacking in Biloxi. Similar to what Williams and Perrin did last year, and it worked out well for both of them.

 

Kodi posted a 5.98 ERA starting games and a 2.31 in relief last year. His relief stints were generally 3-6 inning stints, not all that much different from his starts. I wonder if he feels more comfortable coming in in relief.

 

Yes, because we can tell so much from boxscores. Kodi had a nice 2nd half last year, working much deeper into games. I'm looking for a breakout year as he learns to trust his stuff.

[And That]

Medeiros' slider shape and command got noticeably better in the second half last year, and the pitch was dominant at times.

 

I think it's easy to forget that Kodi is still just 21 years old, and will be in AA to begin the year. If anyone's given up on him, I would urge them to reconsider.

[And That]

Chris Mehring's blog post on Friday's Rattlers game

From the Minor League Spring Training thread, pitching coach Steve Cline notes that the Rattlers are looking to break camp with 2 sets of tandem starters and 3 standalone starters, which is a big change from years past.

 

My guess would be Webb/Bettinger/Herrera for the standalone guys, but we'll see. Joaquin De La Cruz has pitched a lot for the Rattlers as well, and Bettinger might go straight to Carolina.

[CheeseheadInQC]

From the Minor League Spring Training thread, pitching coach Steve Cline notes that the Rattlers are looking to break camp with 2 sets of tandem starters and 3 standalone starters, which is a big change from years past.

 

My guess would be Webb/Bettinger/Herrera for the standalone guys, but we'll see. Joaquin De La Cruz has pitched a lot for the Rattlers as well, and Bettinger might go straight to Carolina.

 

The two radio interviews have me really confused about the Wisconsin roster. I figured the Rattlers would be returning four or five position players from last year's squad max (Hairston, Lara, Orimoloye, Clark and maybe Gideon or Segovia for the final bench spot), but Erickson said six or seven. On the pitching side, Cline seemed to indicate that it would be entirely new from last year, which was equally surprising.

 

I was expecting going into the season for the Wisconsin rotation to be anchored by Webb, Herrera, Kirby, Pennington and Rose. It sounds as if Pennington is definitely starting in extended spring, Herrera and Rose also haven't appeared on any of the lineups I've seen (although maybe I missed them, and they've been less thorough with the pitchers), and if the staff is going to be all new to start, Webb might be ticketed for Carolina.

 

The guys who would be new who have either started or have been listed in the descriptive tweets as going as least three innings: Kirby, Bettinger, De La Cruz, Rubick, Francis, Hernandez and Taugner. 1) Not exactly the Rattlers rotation I was expecting (although there could be other guys who have been going more innings in relief and would slot in) and 2) I'd guess from that group Kirby and Francis would be the guys on a pitch count in the tandems.

[Eye Black]

Some more good information from these interviews posted in the Minor League audio thread. It sounds like additional decisions regarding minor league roster placements are expected to be made on Tuesday.

 

AUDIO via the Rattler Radio Soundcloud Sun. 3/25: "A double shot of interviews today. First, Tom Flanagan, the Brewers Farm Director, talks about some of the decisions about to be made, players who have stood out at camp, and how players are evaluated with limited game time. Second, Hainley Statia, the Rattlers hitting coach, discusses Demi Orimoloye's swing change, his new tablet, and what he will do with an off day on Monday."

 

***

NOTES: High praise for RHP Alec Bettinger from Flanagan, who also indicates that slick-fielding SS Antonio Pinero will likely not begin with Wisconsin, and now bats RH-only, no longer switch-hitting.