AZ Fall League Thread -- Season Complete for Brewers' Kids

[dadofandrew]

I think braun should stay in Nashville until June simply to push arby back an extra year

 

What's this, roster planning?

 

Who would ever suggest such a thing?

 

;)

[colbyjack]

Ryan Braun was rated the #2 prospect in the Arizona Fall League according to Baseball America. The story is subscriber-based, so I'm not including a link.

 

Only SS Troy Tulowitzki (who the Brewers also considered drafting with the 5th overall pick in '05) was ranked ahead of him.

[filthyfrog]

Without revealing too much subscriber info, did BA explain why they favor Tulo over Braun? Is it because he plays an above average SS while Braun plays a below average 3B? Or do they like Tulo better as a hitter, as well?

[colbyjack]

Frog, you pretty much nailed it already. Tulo is the more well-rounded player, with no doubts about his ability to play SS. Braun's bat seems to be thought of as the best in the league, and while no one seems to really discredit him because of his defense, knowing what he can do at the plate, Tulo gets the nod for the reasons already stated.

 

The '05 draft could be one we look back at and marvel at the number of impact college hitters taken early (Gordon, Zimmerman, Braun and Tulo of those taken in the top 10).

[Mass Haas]

Scottsdale loses 1-0, to complete their season

 

Ryan Braun gets to enjoy a day without baseball on his 23rd birthday Friday. He went 1-for-3 to end a fantastic AFL season.

 

Peo Javelinas Bottom 5th

 

- Pitcher Change: Alec Zumwalt replaces Corwin Malone.

- Javi Herrera grounds out, shortstop Kevin Frandsen to first baseman Travis Ishikawa.

- Matt Tuiasosopo grounds out, third baseman Ryan Braun to first baseman Travis Ishikawa.

- Jacoby Ellsbury doubles (4) on a fly ball to left fielder Fred Lewis. Jacoby Ellsbury out at 2nd, left fielder Fred Lewis to third baseman Ryan Braun to first baseman Travis Ishikawa.

 

Peo Javelinas Bottom 6th

 

- Pitcher Change: Steve Bray replaces Alec Zumwalt.

- Chad Spann grounds out, shortstop Mark Reynolds to first baseman Travis Ishikawa.

- Josh Burrus pops out to shortstop Mark Reynolds.

- Kevin Kouzmanoff singles on a fly ball to left fielder Fred Lewis.

- Gaby Sanchez flies out to center fielder Bradley Coon.

 

Sortable season-ending stats are available via the league's home page:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p?sid=l119

 

I suppose we could assign letter grades, but let's just say Braun was an AFL stud, Dennis Sarfate and Steve Bray had nice fall seasons, Manny Parra was inconsistent but very good at times (and was AWOL late in the season), Vinny Rottino saw valuable time behind the plate, Steve Moss still hasn't flashed any measurable production given his supposed "tools", and Alec Zumwalt had a rough fall (Sam Narron incomplete).

 

Thanks for following the thread this fall...

[BillScottCanRake]

Ryan Braun was rated the #2 prospect in the Arizona Fall League according to Baseball America. The story is subscriber-based, so I'm not including a link.

 

Patrick, is that rating based upon their play in the AFL, or their entire body of work, including the AFL?

[colbyjack]

The ratings for the most part are based on what scouts observed from the player's performance and the tools they exhibited in the AFL.

[SoCalBrewfan]

Two quotes on Braun, one from the article and one from the chat:

 

Quote:

---

Braun lacks solid footwork at third base and while he has a plus arm, he tends to lead his throws with his elbow, which caused the majority of his 16 errors in Double-A. He best profiles as a corner outfielder with plus-plus power.

---

 

And from the chat:

 

Quote:

---

If you talk to Braun about it, he's still committed to getting better at third base. But the reality is the bat is way ahead of the defense, and the way the bat played in Double-A and in the AFL is making it tougher to ignore. I can't really see him breaking in as a third baseman, unless he makes some huge improvements with his footwork and his throws. The arm strength is there, but everything else isn't pretty. It's not Billy Butler at third base ugly, but he's got a ways to go if he's going to be a corner guy in the majors.

---

 

That's a pretty consistent signal...not that Braun couldn't be a decent defender at third in time, but that while his bat is ready in the very near future, his glove is not close. I think that it's very unlikely that Braun is a 3b in Milwaukee in 2007...but it does suggest that he could probably hit in the bigs some time in 07 were he to play LF or CF. So what do they do...stick with him at third and give him the whole year in AAA, or start giving him reps in the outfield? Sticking at third might mean a more valuable player down the road, but it might also mean additional delays in his big league appearance.

[Mass Haas]

Latest from the Brewers' site -- no insider info, pretty much a statistcial summary. For instance, we really should be told why Manny Parra missed his last two starts:

 

milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com...p;c_id=mil