Another projection of the 2008 rosters

[And That]

Not sure how much of a lead-in this needs. This isn't meant to be any sort of major league prognostication. For the Brewers, I just put in what I thought fit best at the moment. The minor leagues are more intuitive based on what I know about the players and what I know about how the Brewers move players around. There are a number of players I didn't put on any of the rosters due to suspensions and injuries that occurred last year. If I'm not very sure that a player has recovered from his injury, I did not place him on a roster. It could be that the player is fully healthy and will make a team, however I am not clairvoyant in such matters.

 

If a player is healthy and not assigned to a club, it is my opinion that someone else has a leg up on roster spot they are vying for.

 

* = positional starter

^ = piggyback rotation starter

MLB

Catcher: Jason Kendall*, Eric Munson

Infield: Prince Fielder*, Rickie Weeks*, J.J. Hardy*, Bill Hall*, Craig Counsell, Joe Dillon

Outfield: Ryan Braun*, Corey Hart*, Gabe Gross*, Tony Gwynn Jr., Gabe Kapler

Starting pitchers: Ben Sheets, Yovanni Gallardo, Jeff Suppan, Carlos Villanueva, Chris Capuano

Relief pitchers: Dave Bush, Saloman Torres, Guillermo Mota, Derrick Turnbow, David Riske, Brian Shouse

Closer: Eric Gagne

 

Suspended: CF Mike Cameron

Not assigned to a club: C Mike Rivera, SP Claudio Vargas, MR Seth McClung

AAA

Catcher: Lou Palmisano*, Vinny Rottino

Infield: Brad Nelson*, Abraham Nunez*, Alcides Escobar*, Adam Heether*, Ozzie Chavez, Steve Sollmann

Outfield: Laynce Nix*, Hernan Iribarren*, Brendan Katin*, Steve Moss

Starting pitchers: Manny Parra, Zach Jackson, Steve Hammond, Derrick Miller, Mike DiFelice

Relief pitchers: Tim Dillard, Randy Choate, Scott Cassidy, Erasmo Ramirez, Steve Bray, Mitch Stetter

Closer: Luismar Pena

 

Not assigned to a club: C Brian Munhall, SP Mike Jones (injury), SP Lindsey Gulin, SP Nic Ungs, MR Franklin Nunez, MR Jason Karnuth, MR Juan Sandoval, MR Joe Bateman, MR Jason Shiell

 

AA

Catcher: Carlos Corporan*, J.R. Hopf

Infield: Mike Brantley*, Mike Bell*, Yohannis Perez*, Mat Gamel*, Guilder Rodriguez, Ryan Crew

Outfield: Matt LaPorta*, Lorenzo Cain*, Cole Gillespie*, Mel Stocker

Starting pitchers: Sam Narron, Rafael Lluberes, David Welch, Chris Cody, Chris Narveson

Relief pitchers: Josh Wahpepah, Ben Stanczyk, Brett Campbell, Jeff Housman, Rob Hinton, Patrick Ryan

Closer: Dave Johnson

 

Suspended: C Angel Salome

Not assigned to a club: MR Thomas Atlee, MR E.J. Shanks

 

A+

Catcher: Andy Bouchie*, Anderson Delarosa

Infield: John Alonso*, Ken Holmberg*, Brent Brewer*, Taylor Green*, Jimmy Mojica, Ryan Barba

Outfield: Steve Chapman*, Darren Ford*, Charlie Fermaint*, Chuck Caufield, Freddy Parejo

Starting pitchers: Mike McClendon, Brae Wright, Shawn Ferguson, Alexandre Periard, Mark Rogers^, Mike Ramlow^

Relief pitchers: Travis Wendte, Reid Dickert, D.J. Lidyard, Matt Kretzschmar, Jose Romero

Closer: Omar Aguilar

 

Not assigned to a club: 1B Chris Errecart (injury), 1B Ned Yost IV, MR Rusty Tucker

 

A

Catcher: Jon Lucroy*, Nestor Corredor

Infield: Eric Newton*, Eric Farris*, Brad Miller*, Steffan Wilson*, David Fonseca, Zelous Wheeler

Outfield: Kurt Crowell*, Lee Haydel*, Caleb Gindl*, Curt Rindal, Mike Goetz

Starting pitchers: Roque Mercedes, Amaury Rivas, Bobby Bramhall, Evan Anundsen^, Rob Bryson^, Jose Garcia^, R.J. Seidel^

Relief pitchers: Donovan Hand, Curtis Pasma, Nick Tyson, Casey Baron

Closer: Dan Merklinger

 

Suspended: SP Jeremy Jeffress

Not assigned to a club: C Martin Maldonado, SP Zach Braddock (injury), SP Luis Ramirez (injury), MR Jared Sutton

[DrWood]

To me, putting Brantley at 1b fulltime means the brewers have given up on him as a prospect, since he'll never hit well enough to play there in the Majors.

I suspect LaPorta will be more ready to hit AAA pitching than will Katin or Moss, but it would be fast-tracking him to move him there. I'm not sure they don't find an old AAAA guy to sign.

I could see Chapman repeating at WV, at least to start the season.

Do we know that Irribarren is going to be a full-time OF?

I don't know why Wheeler wouldn't be starting at 3b.

Shanks should have a home somewhere; same with some of the FA minor league signings.

There were a few other guys I could see being higher or lower, but those stood out to me.

[And That]

If there's anyone I forgot, feel free to let me know. I didn't mention any guys currently assigned to rookie clubs not on a full-season club because that would have taken forever to type out.

 

I'm struck by the amount of home-grown talent in AAA. While Nix and DiFelice can't be considered home-grown, they both have been around for more than a season now. Not the break-out talent we've all been spoiled by in recent years, but there is a lot of help there. Who knew The Hurricane could be the guy to replace Cameron in 2009?

 

The AA pitching staff, as I have it, has four lefties in the rotation and one lefty in the pen (I put Housman there against my inclination to put a number of righties there). That could be a fun club to watch... LaPorta is LaPorta, Gamel is a stud, and I believe Bell and Gillespie are poised for breakout years. Adding Salome later on will make them even better. I initially had Dave Johnson in AAA, but with all the arms there, I could see them giving him some time at the end of AA games.

 

The Brevard club may be the most boring of the bunch. The offense is always suppressed there, no matter what milb.com studies will have you believe. If Errecart is healthy, I could see Alonso repeating West Virginia. Mark Rogers coming back is big news, and Alex Periard could push his stock forward quite a bit. Brae Wright quietly had a good year in 2007. Matt Kretzschmar and Omar Aguilar both have superb arms.

 

Jon Lucroy is my favorite new full season prospect outside of LaPorta. Can't wait to see how he does. And Caleb Gindl is a bat splinter behind Lucroy. There's any number of guys that could fill the Miller and Fonseca roles, including including Scotty McKnight, Zach McAngus, Matt Cline, Miguel Vasquez and Carlos Hereud. Boatloads of pitching talent here and that's without considering Braddock, Ramirez, Jeffress, Chad Robinson, Wes Etheridge, Efrain Nieves, Cody Scarpetta and Rolando Pascual.

[And That]

As I've said before, I think Brantley will get plenty of time in OF, but he'll also get plenty of time at 1B because the Brewers have higher priorities/better athletes ticketed in the OF in AA right now. Chapman has nothing left to prove in WV... didn't he set a HR record there? Wheeler will split time with Wilson at 3B, and Wilson will also play 1B with Newton and Rindal.

[DrWood]

Wilson played more 1b than 3b in rookie ball. Is Newton really a prospect at this point? That's why I had trouble figuring out how they'd be starters and Wheeler wouldn't. Chapman could prove that he isn't a SO king...or that he can bat higher than .262...

[And That]

The Brewers are backed up with 1B prospects at the lower levels. If Wilson can play 3B, he'll play 3B plenty. Wheeler will also play 3B, and I imagine some 2B too. Newton is plus on the power side. He was injured in '06, hence his late arrival to the party. And once again, Chapman has nothing to prove in West Virginia. There's almost no doubt he'll be in Brevard.

[Scooter1027]

I'll be really interested to watch the Huntsville lineup, and the Nashville bullpen. I think the Huntsville part goes without saying -- what an exciting mix there with LaPorta, Gamel, Brantley, Cain, and Gillespie, along with the intriguing Mike Bell. I'll also be curious to see how that Nashville pen does -- with Dillard, Cassidy, Bray, Stetter, and Pena, I feel there a bunch of guys who could step up and force their way into our bullpen if injuries or underperformance at the big league level strikes.

[brewmann04]

I want to see if they let Pena Close @ 3 a