Where do I go if I want to see Jeffress Pitch?

[Kevbo74]

I want to see him pitch, seeing as I'm throwing all kinds of money into his baseball cards..

will he be pitching in arizona this year?

[Mass Haas]

Look for him in Helena in June.

[Kevbo74]

darn. I live in Phoenix, so I guess I'm out of luck there..

guess I better find a new guy to get excited about that I can actually watch.

[Mass Haas]

Jeffress will be in extended spring training until Helena's season begins. Heck, you should be able to just hang around Maryvale's park anytime, get to know the folks around there, and actually visit with any of the 50 or so youngsters who will be participating in unofficial games, both intrasquad and against other organizations, until then. You might be one of only ten people in the stands, but enjoy.

[colbyjack]

This hasn't been talked about much, if at all, this spring, but I'm very happy to see that Jeffress wasn't pushed up to the WV roster. He may be called up should an injury occur, but overall I like the intent for keeping him in EST.

 

The history speaks for itself. Mike Jones, a first round pick, opened his first full season in low-A Beloit. Now it should be noted that he deserved to, as he dominated the Pioneer League the summer after he was drafted and signed.

 

Mark Rogers, not so much, whose career has been wildly inconsistent, even at rookie level Arizona. He skipped Helena to open his first full season at WV just two short years ago.

 

There are other examples, including Tom Wilhelmsen, who signed late during the summer after he signed his pro contract and made his debut with Beloit. Of course his career took a turn for the worse for reasons outside of baseball, but I think the point is pretty clear. Even as a first-round draft pick there is no reason to rush Jeffress. There shouldn't be any pre-conceived expectations of what he can do at what level at what age, and I hope the Brewers are actively thinking about these things, especially since they continue to take gambles on prep arms in the first round of the draft.

 

Jeffress has the stuff, no doubt, but it was pretty obvious that he has a ways to go with his ability to pitch, and I hope keeping him in EST and having him start the year in Helena helps him realize this. Neither place is kind to pitchers, as he's going to have to learn to pitch more efficiently while keeping the ball down low to succeed, particularly for Helena.

 

End of commentary...I'm excited to see what Jeffress does this year, and when I first heard that Brewer would be playing for WV I feared Jeffress would be joining him. I'm very excited to learn that won't be the case, and I am a lot more excited about Jeffress' future because of the Brewers patience.

 

And just to make this post related to the original point, Kevbo, if you get to see any of the Brewers farmhands pitch, please share your observations. Everyone can be an autograph hound http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .