Article: Forum Friday: There is more to BF than just the Brewers

[BillScottCanRake]

Greetings, forum!  After a rough week, the Brewers bounced back nicely, winning four-of-six last week and stretching their lead in the NL Central to four games over the second-place Cards.  Milwaukee won Wednesday in thrilling fashion, getting key contributions from players who were not on the big league roster when the forum week started on May 13.  Trevor Kelly's first major league win and Keston Hiura's walk-off blast are a great reminder there is more to the Brewers than Milwaukee and there is more to Brewer Fanatic than our major league forum.

In this week's Forum Friday, we are going to take a closer look at some of the other forums which make our community a great place for Brewer fans of all types.

With the big club off, Thursday was the perfect day to spend with the kids, with all four full season affiliates in action.  I have said on many occasions our minor league coverage is the best around, and tonight's was no exception.  @Mass Haas and @damuelle got us ready for the games, posting organizational links, affiliate audio, and lineups for each game prior to first pitch. @Julio Muchacho kept us updated all evening, with reports from Biloxi (Jackson Reetz's 5th home run in six games, TJ Shook's AA debut, and Joey Wiemer's 10th home run being the highlights in a 9-4 loss).  @markedman5 asked what may of us are thinking: Is Reetz a prospect?  While not yet included at press time for Forum Friday, links to game stories and box scores will be added this evening and tomorrow, rounding out our teams coverage for May 19.

One of the big changes for our community in the past couple of months has been the re-introduction of original content to the Brewer Fanatic community.  For the first time since the Shea Vuninich administration we have a group of talented writers producing dynamite daily content.  The Brewer Fanatic Front Page News forum is a bit like a newsfeed for this original content, and well worth checking out. Among my favorites from this past week is an article from @GormansTapRoom on Wednesday's hero Keston Hiura.  Baseball is indeed a "funny" and "weird game", and the rise and fall of Hiura exemplifies it.  @Tim Muma's piece about the unlucky Brandon Woodruff reminds us small samples sizes and a bit of bad luck shouldn't be too much cause for concern yet, especially for a player who has has so much success since 2018.  And be sure to check out @Brew City Couch Committee's not-quite-end-of-the-first-quarter podcast, including their biggest concerns for the remainder of the season.  Yes, we have a podcast!

The Transaction Rumors & Proposals forum is another hidden gem.  @Brewcrew82 posted a link to an Athletic article by Ken Rosenthal which talks about Andrew Benintendi being a top trade target for the Crew.  @Robocaller questioned Benintendi's defense (and gold gloves for left fielders), and @Brock Beauchamp reminded us the Brewers could really use a "legit centerfielder."  There may not be a ton of action in this forum at the moment, but as spring turns to summer and the trade deadline approaches, action will heat up.

Finally for this week, with the baseball draft less than two months away, the MLB Draft & International Signings forum is a great place to discuss all things draft-related.  For those old enough to remember, Milwaukee used the draft in the early 2000s to select a group of players who became the core for the franchise's first playoff run in 25 years.  This year, Milwaukee drafts 27th and will be looking for players to help continue their recent run of success, and maybe push them over that final hurdle to a championship. @Eye Blackkicked off our pre-draft coverage way back in October.  @nate82 reported recently Jim Callis projects the Brewers will select prep pitcher Andrew Dutkanych, leading to a great discussion with @Madhawk23about prep versus college arms.  A second mock draft, this one by Keith Law, had the Crew picking Iowa righty Adam Mazur, which immediately gave me Eric Arnett flashbacks.

On that somewhat disturbing note, that's a wrap for this week.  Until next Friday... Go Crew!

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