Official AFL Thread - Latest: Photos (Hart/Escobar)

[DHonks]

Hardy no longer coming to the league according to milb.com. Alcides Escobar replacing him

[madtownbrew]

How come we haven't seen Prince in the lineup yet? Has he not reported to the team yet, or is there some other reason? You would think he would be in the middle of the order every day for this team.

[DHonks]

Prince likely won't be making his debut till Saturday or maybe even Monday. Our squad had 2 big leaguers who just reported yesterday. I think last year Ryan Howard and Donny Murphy didn't report until the 4th or 5th game. Big leaguers are given 3-5 days to report after leaving their hotels, packing belongings, and driving to AZ

[Mass Haas]

Our squad had 2 big leaguers who just reported yesterday.

 

DHonks, since I look forward to your Arizona Fall League insights and this is the official thread, please fill everybody in on what team you'll be working with, which organizations make up that squad, what your role is, how you balance that with your "real" job, etc. I think most folks need more background so they can understand where your AFL insider news is coming from, thnaks.

[Mass Haas]

Considering he won't be 19 years old until December, Alcides Escobar must be one of the very youngest players to ever appear in an AFL uniform.

[dadofandrew]

Great experience for Escobar, but I have to wonder how he's not "tired", as unless he was injured, he must have more AB's than Hardy.

 

I must admit, I'm disappointed in how little Hardy and Eveland seem to care about working hard to improve their game.

[And That]

I must admit, I'm disappointed in how little Hardy and Eveland seem to care about working hard to improve their game.

 

What on earth are you talking about? Unfounded comments have just reached new depths.

[ja002h]

I must admit, I'm disappointed in how little Hardy and Eveland seem to care about working hard to improve their game.

 

 

Priceless.

[don1481]

Quote:

---

I must admit, I'm disappointed in how little Hardy and Eveland seem to care about working hard to improve their game.

---

 

Al... are you sure you're not Drew Olson in sheep's clothing...?

[Mass Haas]

I'm going to support Al here, to a degree --

 

From Adam McCalvy at MLB.com:

 

Hardy is not the only Brewer expressing reservations about playing on. Eveland has pitched a career-high 140 2/3 innings and said if it were his choice, he would shut it down after Sunday. Fielder said his agent, Scott Boras, had called Melvin to inquire about a fall reprieve.

 

I'm sorry, I don't expect Dana to slim down to Manute Bol's waist size, but the kid is big, probably always has been, and it's worked for him. But having watched nearly every game via MLB.com this season (OK, nine out of every ten), it appeared to me as though Dana got "bigger" between July and September. He just looked huge coming off the mound after these late September performances. You can't tell me his late-season and "AFL" stamina aren't affected by his build. He's 21 years old -- turn things around in the AFL and show the Brewers you're a fifth starter candidate for next spring.

[ja002h]

But what does playing in AZ have to do with working out more? They just need to get him a personal trainer.

[And That]

I don't think that an individual's percieved conditioning problems over the course of his rookie big league season (especially a rookie big league season in the bullpen) can really be construed as "not working hard." It is apparent that Eveland ran out of gas at the end of the year, but he pitched a lot this year, and he pitched in many pressure-packed situations on a pretty decent big league team.

 

He was very likely mentally fatigued at the end of the season, and I'd guess much more mentally fatigued than physically fatigued. I'm not disputing that it is possible he may need to lose a few pounds, but to correlate that with "not working hard" is at best, a stretch.

 

And I still have no idea where he's coming from with Hardy. Al is the first person I've heard that has insinuated that JJ is of weak mental fortitude.

[bat04]

The Arizona Fall League should be for minor league prospects, not guys who have made it to the bigs for anything more then a cup of coffee. I don't think Eveland, Fielder, Hardy and even Hart should be there. Get some other people a chance. Eveland and Hardy should certainly not be there, they both proved they are Big Leaguers already and both looked wore down by seasons end. Eveland had nothing left in his arm those last couple of outings.

[And That]

The Arizona Fall League should be for minor league prospects, not guys who have made it to the bigs for anything more then a cup of coffee.

 

And I concur with this to a large extent. If the Brewers want their young guys with a month+ of MLB experience to play some extra ball, they should set them up with winter league teams. The AFL is for guys like Krynzel or Brad Nelson, or even Nelson Cruz or Ben Hendrickson, guys who are almost there but need to refine their games to stick.

[DHonks]

DHonks, since I look forward to your Arizona Fall League insights and this is the official thread, please fill everybody in on what team you'll be working with, which organizations make up that squad, what your role is, how you balance that with your "real" job, etc.

 

Sure Mass. I'm a student currently, working some part time jobs as I get my teacher's certification (already have my BA). One of those part time jobs is as a clubby in the Fall League for a High School friend of mine. Our club is the Phoenix Desert Dogs--the reigning champions.

Last year was my first year, and I had a blast. I came in thinking our team wouldn't be all that good. I knew a few names. For starters, the Phoenix club always has A's players (their spring training facility). Last year we had the Moneyball squad, with Steve Obenchain, Jeremy Brown, John Baker, Omar Quintanilla, Jason Perry, and Huston Street. We also had the Phillies (Ryan Howard, Catcher Carlos Ruiz), Royals (Mark Teahen, Donny Murphy, Wes Wilkerson), Orioles (just one guy on the team), Marlins (Trevor Hutchinson, Randy Messenger, Josh Wilson, Jeff Fulchino, Eric Reed, Jeremy Hermida), and the Angels (Mike Napoli). This squad was mainly older players, complete with a bunch of AAA vets. Through smart play, terrific execution, and great chemistry, this team was able to ride a quick start (5-0, I think) all the way to the championship, where the team got AFL championship rings. Like I said, I didn't think we'd be that good, but you might notice we had around 8 players in the big leagues this year, including the probably AL ROY.

 

This year our squad once again has the A's, along with the Braves, Devil Rays, Dbacks, and Dodgers. We have much bigger prospects, while also having a very young team. Some big names (to name a few) include Loney, Saltalamacchia, LaRoche, Steven Drew, Wade Townsend, Casey Daigle, Kurt Suzuki, Abreu, Miggy Montero, Daric Barton, and Komine. I'm not going to go into detail about our players at this point in time, as I really don't know that much about them as individuals yet. I haven't seen their work ethic, their character traits, heard their stories on Mondays (heard a lot of stories about parties on the weekends), and seen how they genuinely treat their teammates and others. What I can say at this point is that this group appears very courteous and respectful.....oh yeah, and they can rake.

 

Last year I had the chance to talk with Anthony Gwynn a bit, and he was a really nice person. He said he really appreciated all of us fans who want to see him do well, and he's out to justify our faith. Sarfate and Weeks seemed really serious in the clubhouse, while Costello and Housman appeared a barrel of laughs. Their squad had weird chemistry, as everyone kind of kept to themselves, then there were these few Brewers having a blast and lightening the mood. They also had a Brewers reliever (can't remember the name), but our guys were shaking their heads because they couldn't come close to his slider.

 

And of course there's the disclaimer. Remember that this league is very offense-based. Everyone is here to work on some things. Some guys are fighting to earn a 40-man roster spot (significant pay increase), some are fighting to stay in pro-ball, and others are here to continue their rise to prominence. Right now the temperatures are around 100 at the start of the game. The winds have been blowing out to dead right at all 4 parks so far (they're all orientated the same way). For instance last night Repko hit a homer that our RF (Kemp) looked like he had a beat on. Seemed routine until it kept carrying and left the yard. Some stud pitchers are in the league this year...probably more than last year. Just about everyone throws really hard. However, the lineups are a who's who of top hitters from recent drafts.

 

Throughout the league, I can always answer questions about the way the league works. I can answer questions about specific players, especially what I saw last year. In general, I'd like to refrain from critiquing my current players until after the season. And I'll share anything I can that is positive about the Brewers' boys. In the past (all archived here on brewerfan.net) I have described seeing Hardy, Krynzel, Hendrickson, Weeks and others for the first time during this league. For those who hadn't seen them in past years, I commented on Hardy apparently injuring his shoulder on a swing while playing for Team USA, Krynzel's stance, Weeks' defensive potential, Gwynn mashing the ball all over in BP, Hendrickson being almost unhittable due to movement, etc. I realize my opinions are just that...opinions. However, my goal is to give those fans who are thirsty for tidbits some sort of a report on the good things I see when I look at the ballplayers and their potential. It's my goal not to say what they can't do, but to say what they CAN do. But of course the real star of the Fall league isn't even a player in the league...it's a players' wife...Jenny Finch Daigle

[dadofandrew]

Mass, it was hard to not notice Dana getting bigger. His pitching was never good, and he fell apart at the end. Perhaps he was hiding an injury, but it is easy to imagine him simply being out of shape. Mentally, saying he'd just as soon call it a year, he seems a bit weak.

 

JJ may be banged up, but he showed no interest in taking a week or two off and then getting some AB's. Mentally fatigued?

 

He's a 22 year-old who got 372 AB's...almost anyone would give anything to be in that situation. I never knew what tired was until I was 25.

[filthyfrog]

Sending Hardy to the AFL would simply have been setting him up for failure. The decision made sense at the time, but he has since proven that he can handle Major League pitching. What are the possible outcomes of playing in the AFL?

 

1. He could continue to hit well, which might help him out a little next year.

2. He could hit poorly, which would shake the confidence that he had just achieved.

3. He could turn one of his nagging injuries into a major one.

 

The tiny amount of reward is not worth the risk. I applaud the Brewers brass for changing their mind.

 

Regarding Eveland, the guy has pitched enough this year. Sending him to the AFL would be just asking for an injury, in my opinion. As already mentioned, he can get in shape without facing baseball's best hitting prospects in an unforgiving pitching environment.

 

But I'd like to add a word of warning to those who think Dana needs to slim down: Quevedo. Stewart whipped him into shape and Ruben instantly became batting practice.

[colbyjack]

His pitching was never good, and he fell apart at the end.

 

HIs pitching was never good? He may have slipped towards the end of the season, but I remember some fine pitching performances from Dana. To say he was never good is simply unfair, and incorrect.

 

He's a 22 year-old who got 372 AB's...almost anyone would give anything to be in that situation. I never knew what tired was until I was 25.

 

I think it's unfair to just think that just because he's young that there's no way he was tired or fatigued. We hear about this all the time in all sports, the MLB season, just like the NFL or NBA season is a big adjustment for young players, even if they're only playing half the time. I think it's unfair for us to assume that just because a player has X amount of plate appearances or innings pitched the such a player has no reason to be tired at the end of the season. Many of us wondered why Hardy and Eveland were going to play in the AFL in the first place.

 

Prince on the other hand I could see a legitimate beef about.

 

And DHonks, thanks for filling us in on your background in the AFL. I enjoyed your reports from a year ago, and I look forward to more this year.

[dadofandrew]

Dana barely pitched more than in '04. The Crew limited his innings very nicely.

[filthyfrog]

Fielder said his agent, Scott Boras, had called Melvin to inquire about a fall reprieve.

 

Did anyone else not know Boras was Prince's agent? I remember Cecil represented him at first, and was fired for allegedly stealing some of Prince's cash, but I don't remember hearing about him hiring the evil one.

[Brian the Automator]

[ Did anyone else not know Boras was Prince's agent? I remember Cecil represented him at first, and was fired for allegedly stealing some of Prince's cash, but I don't remember hearing about him hiring the evil one. ]

 

It was a recent switch... maybe a couple of weeks ago or so.

[dadofandrew]

Colby, I pointed out before Dana "fell apart" that his numbers were almost identical to DLR's, yet the misconception was Dana was doing well and DLR was struggling. To say he was doing a good job with a 4+ ERA while never facing a hitter more than once is wrong, in my opinion.

 

Link to my post that DLR and Dana were statistical twins back in mid-September.

[colbyjack]

I'm not saying Eveland had a good season, and I'm not comparing de la Rosa (I'm not sure where that came from, as I happen to like JDLR and hope he gets used more in years to come). All I said was that he had some good performances this year, which he did, after you said his pitching was never good. He did have some good games this year, even if his overall numbers don't look that great.

[DHonks]

Al, watching Dana in the early games was a thing of beauty. His first few weeks he might have allowed a baserunner, but he also got some huge strikeouts on his Zito-like curve, and his very good slider. He was a strike-throwing machine consistently hitting 93. But in his last 3 weeks with the Crew he suddenly stopped throwing strikes. He couldn't find the zone with any pitch. But his early stats in the bigs were very solid, with the secondary numbers skewed because of one or two bad outings.

 

De La Rosa looked fantastic. He looked amazing. His breaking balls were sharp and tight. His changeup looked like a thing of beauty. He commanded his 95 mph fastball with the best of them. Unfortunately, this all ended around April 20th. After that he labored heavily in nearly every outing. He had earned a prominant role in the bullpen, then gave it away. He stopped throwing strikes, he didn't come close at all w/his breaking pitches, and he lost his edge. I've heard some seriously think the kid has no desire. Some players like Brady Clark can will their way to a solid big league career. Others like Alex Sanchez pout there way through a career of unfulfilled potential. Right now, De La Rosa is supposedly in the Sanchez category. That can change, but he showed nothing after mid-April to show he belonged in the big leagues, and right now it seems unlikely he'll make our staff in 2006. Great potential, but like Jorge Sosa a few years back, he just might not be good enough to make our staff.

[huntsvillefan]

Looks like there's a decent chance that SP (2006 Brewers' Starting Pitcher) Robert speaks of may well be Dana Eveland, as he will again be used as a starter, per the JS this morning. Eveland has had a marvelous '05, dominating AA as a 21 year-old, and then pitching well out of the bullpen in the bigs.

 

Obviously Al, as per your quote above, you actually thought that Dana was doing rather more than 'a good job in early September