The Old Milwaukees

Friday’s Frosty Mug

January 29, 2010

Some things to read while checking your local listings.

Well, I guess I was wrong about Frank Catalanotto, but I got the "aged veteran" part right, as the Brewers signed Jim Edmonds to a minor league deal yesterday (FanShot). Edmonds will earn $850,000 this season if he makes the team, and can request his release if he's not on the major league roster by March 25. Here are some thoughts on the deal from around the web:

• Brew City Sports searched high and low for a current picture of Edmonds.
• The Bucky Channel sees it as another case of Doug Melvin giving a player well past his prime another opportunity.
• In-Between Hops wonders why the Brewers have loaded up with left handed bench players, but don't have any legit right handed options.
• Matthew Pouliot of Circling the Bases sees Edmonds as a potential challenge to Corey Hart.
• Right Field Bleachers is trying to withhold their disgust.
• The Grand National Championships set the bar pretty high in the competition for "least coherent take."
• Adam McCalvy quoted Doug Melvin as saying "I don’t know where else we would add right now."

All told, I'm doing my best not to get too excited about this move either way. I learned something last spring when I raised my blood pressure (and some of yours) with a rant about a minor league deal for Eric Gagne, only to have him come nowhere close to making the team and have the whole conversation become irrelevant. There are potential pros and cons to Edmonds as a Brewer, but he needs to come to camp and demonstrate some ability to perform before any of them become relevant. If he can't, he'll be gone before you can say "2010's version of Trot Nixon."

Besides, if you're looking for a reason to raise your blood pressure, there's a better option today. PECOTA and CAIRO's projected standings came out yesterday, and they have the Brewers winning 75 and 81.3 games and finishing tied for fourth and fourth in the division, respectively (h/t BBTF and FanShot). I know some of us are higher on the Brewers than others, but I think 75 wins is an unreasonably low projection, as is a fourth place finish. PECOTA also has two other strikes against them: They project the Brewers to allow 895 runs, which is 77 more than last year, and they project the Nationals to win 82 games.

Even if the 2010 Brewers are as bad as PECOTA seems to think they will be, they should be more exciting on the basepaths: Team Wisconsin notes the speed added to this year's team, and thinks they can steal at least 100 bases.

In the minors:

• Keith Law has released his Top 100 prospect list, top ten prospects by organization and organizational rankings this week, and they're not too positive for the Brewers. The Brewers only had two players in the top 100, with Brett Lawrie at #47 and Alcides Escobar at #54, and the organization ranked 26th overall.
• Beyond the Box Score has an interesting post comparing Law's rankings to John Sickels.
• I seem to recall a thread on this site at one point discussing our personal preferences for walkup music. Apparently Fang's choices needed some work: They're the subject of this week's episode of The Offseason.
• Speaking of the Timber Rattlers, here's an interesting note (complete with an original sketch) on the origin of their logo. Thanks to tristarscoop for the heads up.

There wasn't quite enough notable news to warrant a Winter League Update this morning, but there were these notes:

• Carlos Gomez entered the game as a defensive replacement and didn't bat in Escogido's 5-2 win over Cibao, clinching the DWL championship. 
• Martin Maldonado and Mayaguez missed their first shot at clinching the Puerto Rican championship, losing 9-2 to Caguas.

If you have MLB Network, you might get to see both Gomez and Maldonado play next week: The network is televising the Caribbean World Series this year, with the first game on Tuesday afternoon.

If you're looking for Brewer chats past and present, here are some opportunities: Tom Haudricourt was a guest on HotStove.com yesterday, Brian Anderson will be chatting with fans at 10 am today, and that last link includes a note on Gregg Zaun, Manny Parra and Carlos Villanueva chatting with fans on Sunday as part of Brewers On Deck.

Speaking of On Deck, John Steinmiller and Caitlyn Moyer have some numbers on the event.

Via Tom Haudricourt, we learned yesterday that the Brewers have agreed to deals with five more players on the 40 man roster: Tim Dillard, Mark Rogers, Amaury Rivas, Luis Cruz, and Angel Salome, along with Mat Gamel, who we've already mentioned.  Via Baseball America's Minor League Transactions, we learned yesterday that the Brewers have released three minor league pitchers:

• Mark Holliman, who made 26 starts in Huntsville last season, posting a 4.62 ERA in 137.2 innings.
• Greg Miller, a 2008 10th round pick who sat out all of 2009.
• Jose Romero, a Venezuelan lefty who made ten appearances for the AZL Brewers last season.

BA also notes new homes for former Brewers Brady Clark (White Sox) and Sam Narron (Tigers).

Around baseball:

Dodgers: Signed outfielder Timo Perez and pitcher John Koronka to minor league deals.
Nationals: Designated reliever Marco Estrada for assignment.
Phillies: Signed Jose Contreras to a one year deal worth $1.5 million.
Rays: Signed pitcher Matt Bush to a minor league deal.
Rockies: Signed pitchers Justin Speier and Jimmy Gobble to minor league deals with invitations to spring training.

There's only one other former Brewer note on the Hot Stove today: Apparently the Orioles are interested in Braden Looper. Can you imagine his numbers in the AL East?

Odds are someone reading this site has some time on their hands and would be a pretty good fit for this job: Amy K. Nelson notes that the Indians are looking to hire someone for a Social Media Communications position.

Happy birthday today to:

• Rule 5 Draft selection Chuck Lofgren, who turns 24.
• 2005 Brewer (for a day, at least) Julio Mosquera, who turns 38.

A quick side note: Tomorrow is SABR Day, and there's a meeting in Milwaukee to commemorate the occasion. I'm not sure if I'll make it (Mrs. Snow isn't too excited about it), but are any BCB'ers planning on attending?

Oh, and if your baseball career doesn't work out, I guess there's always professional poker.

Drink up.

MLB pitching in for devastated Haiti

January 29, 2010

Baseball, its clubs, its players and its fans are participating in rapid relief efforts for the devastated nation of Haiti, which is in a state of chaos amid widespread fatalities and destruction following an earthquake.

ESPN’s Law Ranks Prospects for the Brewers

January 28, 2010

This is Keith Law’s prospect rankings for the Brewers Organization

1. Brett Lawrie, 2B
2. Alcides Escobar, SS
3. Eric Arnett, RHP
4. Kyle Heckathorn, RHP
5. Jon Lucroy, C
6. Wily Peralta, RHP
7. Lorenzo Cain, CF
8. Jake Odorizzi, RHP
9. Kentrail Davis, LF
10. Zach Braddock, LHP

A couple things I find interesting:

1. Brett Lawrie is ranked ahead of Alcides. This was surprising and when reading why he chose this order, he seemed to downgrade Escobar because of the lack of pop in his bat. This might be why more people choose Baseball America
2. No Chronic-Crazed RHP by the name of Jeremy Jeffress on the list…man, how his stock has fallen.
3. Speaking of falling stock, no Angel Salome either
4. I’m excited for the possibility of a Heckathorn and Arnett in the rotation
5. I think it’s funny how some people LOVE Kentrail Davis and some people think he’s overrated. This year will be more telling.
6. Wait…wait…fans of the T-Rats will be wondering where Cody Scarpetta is…You have to love the Appleton fans love of Scarpface.

The Brewer Advent Calendar #23: Joe Inglett

January 28, 2010

Behind the second door of the 2010 Brewer Advent Calendar we find...Joe Inglett!

As the (second) newest Brewer, Inglett immediately becomes an interesting candidate for the final infield spot on the bench. In 2008, his only "full" season in the majors, Inglett hit .297/.355/.407 in 385 plate appearances while splitting time between second base (66 games), left field (22 games), right field (12 games), third base (six times), shortstop (twice) and center field (once).

He also showed a little bit of speed that season, legging out seven triples and stealing nine bases in eleven attempts. Since 2000, only five Brewers have matched that feat:

Player	Season	3B	SB
Corey Hart	2007	9	23
Scott Podsednik	2003	8	43
Ryan Braun	2008	7	14
Rickie Weeks	2008	7	19
Scott Podsednik	2004	7	70
Alex Sanchez	2002	7	37

Jim Edmonds? Ehh, Whatever…

January 28, 2010

I dismissed the rumor out of St. Louis when travwood81 posted it on Brew Crew Ball this morning.

But it’s true. The Brewers have signed Jim Edmonds…

My initial reaction was something like: “Jim Freaking Edmonds? Why? The guy didn’t even play last year. He’s 40. And I hate him. He’s a Cardinal. Or at least an older, less-talented version of a dude that was once a Cardinal.”

But an hour or so has passed and I’ve convinced myself to try to withhold my disgust for the move. At least for now.

First of all, I thought Doug Melvin was drunk when he signed an aging Gabe Kapler away from a managing gig in the Red Sox minor-league system a couple of offseasons ago. And that worked out better than even Melvin could’ve dreamed. So, I’ll cut him some slack.

Secondly, it sounds like it’s a minor-league contract with a chance to win a major-league job at a contract under $1 million plus incentives. There’s really no risk. If he sucks in spring training, the team cuts ties and the team is no worse off. If he legitimately wins a spot and can still play, the team will be better off.

But does Edmonds have anything left in the tank? Hard to say. He was actually a good reserve on the Cubs in his last go-around, hitting .256 with 19 home runs and 49 RBIs in 85 games. But that was 2008. He sat out all of last season. So, who knows how good of shape he’s in or if his body can withstand another season of baseball? At the least though, we do know Edmonds will be motivated to earn an opportunity to stack up some at bats. He’s just 18 home runs shy of 400 for his career and 119 hits short of 2,000. And if he can stick it to the Cardinals a few times for not giving him another shot, all the better, right? *Still holding back disgust while thinking of Edmonds in a Brewers uniform*

It wasn’t like the Brewers passed up great free-agent options to get him. Aside from Gabe Gross, who I would’ve like to have seen back in Milwaukee, the remaining back-up outfield options are pretty uninspiring. Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye (who teams seem to be looking at as more of a DH than an outfielder) are looking for starting roles. Eric Byrnes, Reed Johnson and Marcus Thames would be options, but none of them stand out as head and shoulders above Edmonds. And Edmonds bats lefthanded and plays centerfield, two qualities that I’m sure weren’t lost on Melvin.

So, I withhold the right to hate this move in a couple months, but for now, I’ll live with it.

Jim Edmonds? Ehh, whatever…

Jim Edmonds on verge of deal w/crew.

January 28, 2010

Jim Edmonds on verge of deal w/crew.

Edmonds inks Minors deal with Brewers

January 28, 2010

The Brewers added depth to their outfield mix Thursday, inking 39-yrear-old Jim Edmonds, who sat out last season, to a Minor League contract with an invite to Spring Training.

The Thursday Thinker: On the farm

January 28, 2010

The Brewer minor league affiliates are experiencing a period of somewhat rare stability: With one exception, each of the current Brewer affiliates have been with the Crew for at least the last five seasons.

It wasn't always that way, though: In fact, eighteen cities have hosted a Brewer minor league affiliate since 1990. How many can you name in three minutes?

Again, here are the rules: Post your score in the comments, but do not comment on any specific answer until after 6 pm Central time, so everyone gets a chance to try it out without having it spoiled for them. And, of course, there's no reason to cheat here, because there's no prizes.

There are a lot of hardcore minor league followers here, and this isn't an exceptionally challenging quiz, so odds are some of you will get them all. When you do, post your time along with your score in the comments.

Have fun, and don't forget to post your score in the comments!

Thursday’s Frosty Mug

January 28, 2010

Some things to read while needing to say something.

The race for the final spot on the bench added one more contestant on Wednesday, as the Brewers claimed "Voodoo" Joe Inglett off waivers from the Rangers (FanShot), and designated Chris Smith for assignment to make room on the roster. Inglett is 31 years old and a career .293/.349/.396 hitter, having appeared in 211 games over the last four seasons. He also hit .360/.422/.516 in 40 games in AAA last season.

Between Toronto and Las Vegas last season, Inglett played all three outfield spots, second base and shortstop. With that said, his career numbers would suggest he's more of an "emergency backup" at short and in center field, and less of a "viable option." Inglett will join Hernan Iribarren, Adam Heether and possibly Luis Cruz in the battle for the last infield spot. His skill set seems pretty similar to Iribarren's, and to Frank Calanotto's, for that matter. Adam McCalvy has some notes regarding Inglett's history at Miller Park and the origin of his nickname.

Speaking of Catalanotto, Doug Melvin says he's still working on one more minor league deal, and don't be surprised if Catalanotto gets the call and an opportunity to win the fifth spot in the outfield. Just a hunch.

The decision to DFA Chris Smith, meanwhile, is a curious one. There's a pretty good chance Smith will pass through waivers and accept an assignment to the minors, but there are certainly others on the 40 man roster (Luis Cruz or Tim Dillard) that would have been more likely to go unnoticed. Nearly all of my recent roster projections had Smith making the team if David Riske opened the season on the DL: Dumping Smith might open a roster spot for Jeff Suppan to waste some space in the bullpen to open the season. Or, on the positive side, it might give a guy like Chuck Lofgren or Chris Narveson a better shot at making the team.

Elsewhere in transaction minutiae:

• Adam McCalvy has the details on the incentives in Dave Bush's new deal: Bush can earn $25,000, $25,000, $30,000 and $30,000 for pitching 170, 180, 195 and 205 innings, respectively. Before last season, Bush had pitched at least 185 innings for three straight seasons, including a career high 210 in 2006.
• McCalvy also has Mat Gamel's 2010 contract. He'll earn $406,500 if he manages to spend the full season in the majors.

We're 23 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training and Rick Peterson getting his first chance to wave his magic wand over the Brewer pitching staff. Right Field Bleachers has a recap of Peterson's recent appearance on WSSP, and he doesn't seem to be shying away from high expectations.

Here's a quick sample of what he's up against: The Brewers allowed five or more runs in seven straight games at one point last June, tying them for the fifth longest streak in baseball. Somehow, they won three of those seven games anyway. By the way, that streak is nowhere near the franchise record: The 2002 Brewers did it in twelve straight.

Also at the B-Ref blog, they have a look at the last six active position players born in the 1960's. Four of them (Brad Ausmus, Ken Griffey, Matt Stairs and Omar Vizquel) are under contract for 2010. Sixteen pitchers born in the 1960's pitched in the majors last season, including Trevor Hoffman and David Weathers.

Brian Anderson is starting to get excited for spring. If you'd like to share in his excitement, he'll be chatting with fans tomorrow morning.

In the minors:

• Jonathan Mayo unveiled his top 50 prospects last night on MLB Network, with Alcides Escobar 12th and Brett Lawrie 26th. If you missed it live, you can see video highlights of the top 50 at MLB.com. 
• Also at his blog, Mayo unveiled Seth Speaks' top 20 prospects. The list doesn't include any Brewers.

Around baseball:

Cubs: Avoided arbitration with pitcher Sean Marshall, who will earn $950,000 in 2010.
Orioles: Designated reliever Dennis Sarfate for assignment.
Reds: Signed infielder Miguel Cairo to a minor league deal.
Rockies: Signed pitcher Tim Redding to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.
Yankees: Signed Randy Winn to a one year, $2 million deal.

I have three Ben Sheets notes today:

• The Wausau Daily Herald has a look at photos of Ben Sheets from his last season as a Brewer. They did a nice job of capturing all aspects of Sheets' game: throwing pitches, celebrating success, looking like he's never held a bat before, and meeting with trainers (h/t Keep Turning Up the Heat!).
• Geoff Young of The Hardball Times lists Sheets' 2004 season as one of the unluckiest of all time.
• View From Bernie's Chalet thanks Sheets for the memories.

Here's a great contract incentive note: As noted in the comments of yesterday's Mug, Ronnie Belliard's new deal with the Dodgers is only guaranteed if he weighs in at or under 209 lbs sometime during spring training. Belliard reportedly weighed 209 at the end of the season.

In response to the ongoing complaints about Jason Kendall's consistent playing time over the last two seasons, we've heard a lot about catchers who "call a good game," and viewed much of it as nonsense. With that said, Lookout Landing has an interesting post that draws an important distinction: Differences in game calling ability aren't necessarily nonexistent, they're just very difficult to quantify.

He's been retired for decades, but not forgotten. Gorman Thomas was one of the early additions to Rowland's Office's BMF team.

On this day in 1993 the Brewers signed veteran outfielder Tom Brunansky. He would appear in 96 games as a Brewer over parts of the next two seasons, hitting .187/.263/.317 before being traded to the Red Sox for catcher Dave Valle. The fact that Brunansky isn't commonly mentioned as one of Sal Bando's worst moves should tell you something about how bad his other moves were.

Happy birthday today to:

• 2008-2009 Nashville Sound Brendan Katin, who turns 27.
• 2004-2005 Brewer Lyle Overbay, who turns 33.
• Fellow 2004-2005 Brewer Junior Spivey, who turns 35.

Oh, and as if we needed them, here are five more ways to eat cheese curds.

Drink up.

Winter League Update for 1/28/2010

January 28, 2010

In the Dominican Republic: Carlos Gomez entered the game as a pinch runner and went 0-for-1 in Escogido's 4-3, 11 inning win over Cibao. The win tied the series at four, setting up a decisive Game 9 tonight.

In Puerto Rico: Martin Maldonado entered the game as a defensive replacement and went 0-for-2 in Mayaguez's 3-2, 14 inning win over Caguas. With the win, Mayaguez has taken a 3-0 series lead, with Game 4 scheduled for tonight.

While Caguas doesn't have any Brewer prospects on the team, they do have three former Brewers:

• Raul Casanova started last night's game at catcher and went 0-for-2.
• Carlos Corporan took his place in the ninth inning and also went 0-for-2.
• Wes Littleton faced one batter in the eighth, allowed a hit and was removed.