Is it time to restructure the scouting department

[RollieTime]

I do think some type of shake up is needed. It is pretty sad when you actually sit down and try to think of what position players have actually had any type of decent multi year success for the Brewers since Braun graduated from the minors in 2007. I’ll give them some credit on the pitching front in recent years as doing a much better job of identifying and bringing in some pretty intriguing guys. I’m not sure how to find it, but could somebody compile a list of players that came up through the Brewers’ system that have even put up 5 WAR for Milwaukee? Is there even a single player that has?

Lucroy definitely. Cain depending on how you phrase the question. There was a significant stretch after the Greinke/Marcum trades where I think it was Gennett and Davis and that’s it as far as multi-year starters

 

Lucroy slipped my mind somehow. Thank you for the list. That’s quite a short list when you’re talking about 15 years of drafting and developing to only churn out that many guys. I see improvement on this the next few seasons starting with Mitchell who I think could fly through the minors.

[PinaMadness]

Not making excuses, but of the four major sports' drafts, MLB is the hardest to succeed at, and it's really not even close.

[JimH5]

The draft is only the first step in an organization's process to create major league players. There is a cloud of secrecy between the draft and a player's MLB debut. What kind of instruction did he have? Nutrition? How was he worked? What skills were emphasized?

 

Cleveland seems to be able to unlock greatness in pitchers. Not sure if they drafted any better than the Brewers...maybe it's their development efforts.

[Eye Black]

Cleveland seems to be able to unlock greatness in pitchers. Not sure if they drafted any better than the Brewers...maybe it's their development efforts.

That’s the most difficult thing we won’t ever fully know. Let’s use 2016 4th round pick Shane Bieber as an example. Would Bieber be the pitcher he is right now if he hadn’t come through the Indians system? It would be fascinating if we were able to know how his development would’ve played out differently in other systems.

[MadThinker88]

Cleveland seems to be able to unlock greatness in pitchers. Not sure if they drafted any better than the Brewers...maybe it's their development efforts.

That’s the most difficult thing we won’t ever fully know. Let’s use 2016 4th round pick Shane Bieber as an example. Would Bieber be the pitcher he is right now if he hadn’t come through the Indians system? It would be fascinating if we were able to know how his development would’ve played out differently in other systems.

 

Not entirely sure which Spring Training this was (either 2017 or 2018) but those guys are watching Kluber on one of the backfields.. Obviously watching is not all it takes (as we see Brady Aiken among the group pictured). BTW- that is Aaron Civale sitting in front of Justin Garza (#50)

[balsamlaker]

Civale, Bieber, and Plesac were all college arms taken by the Indians in the 2016 draft. Brewers bullpen coach, Steve Karsay, coached Bieber for about 50 innings in AAA prior to moving on to Milwaukee. In all sports (but maybe even more evident in baseball) great coaching makes scouts look good and vice versa.

[MadThinker88]

Civale, Bieber, and Plesac were all college arms taken by the Indians in the 2016 draft. Brewers bullpen coach, Steve Karsay, coached Bieber for about 50 innings in AAA prior to moving on to Milwaukee. In all sports (but maybe even more evident in baseball) great coaching makes scouts look good and vice versa.

 

Tribe has mined more than just those 3 from the 2016..

Nolan Jones was taken as a Comp balance pick 2016 draft..

Tribe has also traded for a couple of others already on the 40 man from the 2016 draft (LHP Scott Moss by Reds & OF Daniel Johnson by Washington)..

 

Yes both sides (scouting & coaching) need to work in concert to produce talent for the major league club

[CheeseheadInQC]

I wonder how much a team's own views on its development strengths and weaknesses influence drafting decisions. Do the Brewers seem to take one catching conversion per year simply because they view it as a value play in general or rather because they are supremely confident in their staff's ability to improve catchers defensively?

[balsamlaker]

Likewise if you feel real confident in your developmental staff, you may be willing to draft more high school players.

[brewcrewdue80]

I think it will even out here when a guy lime Hader or Kneble is fljpped for a top half tier prospect. We spent our bullets in trades, and while Grisham is off to a start, remember we took Lauer&Urias. Urias to replace a woeful Arcia(former top 10 prospect) What Grisham may have the team simply replaced with Garcia's signing. Can you name the SS the Brewers passed on for the Arcia replacement at Garcia's type of contract?

The gripe I had for the offseason was Josh Donaldson. A clear 3b beast. But I never imagined we were going to sign Yelich to the contract we did.

I agree with a poster above, the scouting department is doing a better job. If we have Hiura and Mitchell in 2 drafts what more do you want? The picks are lower. Producing homegrown pitching talent seems easier since failed Starters can fill out a bullpen role and have high trade values, Thornburg for example. Whereas a failed position player just becomes a AAAA player as highest value. Again we've been in this winning cycle and have spent resources versus gained back to do so. How Stearns deals with Hader in trade or not future and the return he gets, well then I'd look where the team on field stands with how the minors talent stands.

[adambr2]

I think it will even out here when a guy lime Hader or Kneble is fljpped for a top half tier prospect.

 

Knebel is probably not worth much right now honestly. Teams would take a flyer on him for sure but no team would invest in him at a top tier reliever price until he proves he's all the way back from TJ.

[balsamlaker]

Sounds like Stearns might have shaken up the scouting department today.