Feb 26, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Wily Peralta (60) during photo day at Maryvale Baseball Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Don’t be scared.  When I say cut, I just mean re-assigned to the Brewers various minor-league teams.  Of the 9 total players, 5 of them are pitchers and 4 of them position players.  Most of these moves were expected, but there are two players in particular that I was surprised to see on this list.  Those two players will be my focus this Sunday afternoon.

First, let’s go over the position players.  None of these are surprising to me, so let’s get them out of the way.  Jeff Bianchi, Eric Farris, Zelous Wheeler, and Patrick Arlis were the four position players excused from big league camp.  Zelous Wheeler showed some flashes of talent, but he is just not ready for the big show.  Eric Farris will be joining him on the Triple-A Nashville squad for 2012.  Both Wheeler and Farris are good infielders who will benefit from a full season in Nashville.  Jeff Bianchi will fill in the infield at Double-A Huntsville.  While young catcher, Patrick Arlis has been returned to minor league camp for seasoning.  There is some talent in this group, so none of these guys should be disappointed.  There time will come. 

As for the pitchers, some of them were obvious, while a couple of them were a bit premature I think.  Mike Fiers, Amaury Rivas, and Santo Manzanillo were all optioned to Triple-A Nashvilee.  They all belong there for now.  They were all given opportunities and in my opinion, these three young men just need more game experience.  I expect big things from Fiers and Rivas in the coming years. 

Let’s start with Mark Rogers.  This organization has wasted far too much time on this guy.  After his little drug suspension episode from last season, I fully expected the team to cut ties and let him go.  They didn’t.  He was drafted in 2004 and we have seen him in 4 major league games.  At some point, you have to cut your loses.  How long can you expect to keep this guy in the organization?  I appreciate that he was the 5th pick overall, but if he is not competing to be on the big-league roster…what is he still doing here?  We have plenty of young arms to be in the Triple-A starting rotation.  At this point in his “growth”, I can not see the benefit of having him on the organization.  Either watch him throw through all of Spring and add him to the roster, or cut him and be done with it.  This guy is a waste of time and I am officially done with him.

Wily Peralta was not given enough opportunities.  This kid is going to be something special, but you needed to give him more exposure to major league batters.  Yes, in his limited experience he got throttled, but we need a clearer view of this guy.  My only real question on his removal from the roster is, what was the rush?  In his last ST appearance, Peralta threw two scoreless innings against the Padres.  I am just surprised that he was not given more of an opportunity to excel.  Wily is so young that he could probably use another full season at Triple-A, that is not what bothers me about this.  Peralta is one of our top prospects and I wanted to see more of him.  I know that is selfish, but I don’t care. 

Today’s fat trimming has basically cemented Nashville’s pitching rotation: Rogers, Peralta, Fiers, and Rivas.  All four of these guys will benefit from pitching in Triple-A, but I just wish we could have seen more this spring.  But, they are gone and in all likelihood not going to be with the Brewers in 2012. 

On an unrelated note, the Brewers will be the focus of MLB networks “30 in 30″ series on Monday at 7pm CST.  For me that will be 5pm, so I will have to speed home from work in order to catch it.  Set your DVR’s, VCR timers, computers, and so on.  Don’t miss it.

Go Brewers!!

Since Spring Training is underway, I thought we would check up on a few players who maybe are not at the forefront of our minds right now.  It is easy to write about Braun, Hart, Greinke…etc.  They get plenty of print and do not need my help.  There are some guys playing pretty good ball right now who are not superstars.  There are also some guys who are not looking so fresh. 

If you are seeking a visual stimulant of the superstar variety, I posted a video in the HUB of some Yo highlights from his start on Tuesday.  Our boy is looking…nasty.  As in filthy.  Check that out.

Brewers Junk Drawer:

Tyler Thornburg and Michael Fiers got roughed up -   Thorny is 21 years old, on the verge of breaking into the big leagues.  Fiers was the organizations minor-league pitcher of the year in 2011.  Both guy got beat up this week.  Fiers got tagged for 4 hits, 3 runs (all earned), a home run, and a 13.50 ERA….in one inning against the White Sox.  It was not great.  Then on Tuesday, Ty Thor never had a chance.  Granted, all 3 of his runs were un-earned, but he did not do himself any favors.  Lead of single, sac fly, double, strikeout, throwing error…two runs score.  That was the end of his day.  While that was not his fault, I still classify that as “getting roughed up”.  No pitcher wants to be responsible for 3 runs, even if they are all unearned.  There is a lot of spring training left.  Both of these guys are going to learn a lot from watching Gallardo, Greinke, Marcum, Wolf…etc.  That is why this is in the junk drawer.  Both guys will turn it around.

 Zelous Wheeler hits first Brewers Home Run of 2012 -   Wheeler unloaded on Jeremy Affeldt in the game on Monday night.  Affeldt is a really good pitcher, and Wheeler took him deep to the opposite field.  What’s that, you want to see the video…oh, I have it:

So, mark it down.  Z-Dub setting the tone.  That was an impressive home run, against a major league reliever.  Well played.

Caleb Gindl benefiting from Hart injury -  Caleb Gindl has gotten a fair amount of playing time so far this spring.  Logan Schafer is also getting his fair share.  Gindl had a monster day at the plate today, with a huge 3-run blast in the 6th inning.  Sorry, no video for this one. He also had a single.  Caleb has always been fascinating to me, not because of his skill, but because of his size.  At a generous 5″9′ and 205 lbs., Gindl is not your prototypical outfielder.  That does not seem to slow him down though.  With Hart out for the duration of Spring Training, I think we will be hearing a lot more about this kid.  I believe that he has the potential to earn a roster spot.  Swings a solid stick, takes pitches (a rarity in these parts), and he is pretty handy with the glove.  His bat will earn him a roster spot. 

August 19, 2011; Flushing, NY, USA; Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Frankie De La Cruz (63) and catcher Jonathan Lucroy (20) celebrate after the game against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Brewers defeated the Mets 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Frankie De La Cruz does a Jekyll and Hyde -  De La Cruz is a guy who is getting a little old to be a prospect, but he seems to be putting it together…sometimes.  Frankie made his season debut and threw two scoreless inning, only giving up one hit.  Also recorded the 2nd strikeout of the Brewers season (1st – Wily Peralta).  Then today, they gave Frank the ball and he threw up 4′s: 4 hits, 4 runs, and only 4 outs.  This guy is more confusing than Dave Bush.  You’re good, you’re bad, you’re ok, you are the worst, and now you’re in the junk drawer.  Maybe he was working on a new pitch today, who knows.  But after his performance on Sunday, I doubt that ol’ Rick Kranitz told him to make any adjustments.  Let’s hope he figures out how to keep Frank at bay.  Frankie is a way better pitcher. 

 They have only played four games, so a little too soon to really be writing a full report.  Thus, the junk drawer.  The Crew is .500 on the fake season. 

Go Brewers!!

Having Braun back can make all the difference in the world. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Let’s face it, we all want the momentum from 2011 again. Ryan Braun’s back, we’ve got new faces in Aramis Ramirez and Alex Gonzalez alongside others and the pitching is still solid. So why exactly is 2012 critical? I know even though Prince is gone, we still have guys who want to play for Milwaukee and not for the money. I’m hoping that a selective few are a part of that and not just money-hungry athletes, I’m looking at you Zack Greinke. There’s a lot of concerns the Brewers face, such as the obvious how does life go on without Prince, will the pitching stay consistent and how can we fare against the Cardinals who won the World Series?  There’s a lot more than that, but focusing on the positives,  two good years in a row would be great for our ball club and here’s to hoping that doesn’t fade!

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Oct 5, 2011; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez (right) celebrates with teammate George Kottaras after hitting a two run home run in the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks during game four of the 2011 NLDS at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

In 2011, the Brewers went to great lengths to fill their bench with aging veterans to help the team.  From what I saw this off-season, the team ran out of money, so they could only afford one or two old guys.  From my personal standpoint, this is excellent news.  Veterans should be starters, not bench warmers.  You need to have the young guys getting some opportunities to play in the big leagues, thus your bench should be littered with promising young talent. 

Over the past few seasons, the Brewers have gotten away from that.  Thanks to K-Rod and some well deserved raises, the team did not have the funds to add three to four players worthless players to fill the bench.  Since that is the case, lets meet the some potential bench candidates for the 2012 Crew.

So, here are our options and who I think will be on the opening day roster.

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