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SugaredLemonade · 08-11-2022, 04:47 PM

Top Prospects
The Milwaukee Millers enter this offseason with the 4th overall farm system, including 6 top-100 prospects. Not too shabby at all.

ORG (OVR) Name (POS, AGE, LVL)

1 (3) Chris Bowyer (RHP, 21, AA) - The first overall pick out of Don Bosco Prep in 2007 struggled mightily in his first season outside of rookie ball in 2010. Splitting time between Single-A Lakeland and Double-A Lubbock, Bowyer put up a 6.07 ERA in 109.2 innings (23 starts), allowing a .273 BAA, and a HR/9 of 1.56, and ended the 2009 campaign on the IL with a hamstring strain. Not what you want to see out of your top prospect. He has 5-pitch repertoire, though that really should be 4 with his changeup as bad as it is, that tops out around 97 with his 4 seamer. He does have high strikeout potential, and at just 21, he has time to figure things out. I’ll likely put him back down in Single-A Lakeland to start the 2011 season.

2 (43) Alexis Huecker (CF, 22, AAA) - Arguably our most major league ready prospect, Huecker really is an all around ballplayer, and has shown why he is number 2 in our organization (and if it weren’t for how highly regarded Bowyer was out of HS, he’d probably be number 1). A 2006 first round pick by Los Angeles, he was released early in 2009 due to very very underwhelming play in rookie ball and Single-A, and major injury issues. Milwaukee took a chance on him and definitely did not miss, as he has rocketed through the organization and established himself as one of the top minor leaguers in the game. He has a solid bat (hit .300 with an .833 OPS in time between Double-A and Triple-A), and sneaky pop (.479 SLG with 14 homers in 105 total games), but his best value comes in the field and on the basepaths. He was 25/32 stealing in those 105 games, and that speed gives him tremendous range in center, with his only downside being an average arm. He’ll probably begin next year in Triple-A, but the spring will definitely help determine how quick I’ll be willing to call him up.

3 (48) Chris Davis (C, 19, R) - The 4th overall pick in the 2010 draft out of Malvern Prep in New York, Davis spent his time post-draft with the Bend Pacifics of the rookie level Lewis and Clark League. He was anything but good there, hitting an abysmal .158/.210/.224 in 24 games (81 PAs), with just 1 HR and 5 driven in. He struck out 26 times and walked just 4 times. Though 24 games is a very small sample size for someone in their first year of professional ball, this was certainly not what Davis nor the organization had in mind. He’s going to have to put it together offensively because defensively he is average at best. He might see time in Lakeland this year because I don’t want him to miss half the year waiting on the LCL to start up in July.

4 (57) Gabe Machado (2B, 21, A) - Another solid free agency signing, after being released by St. Louis (who signed him out of Venezuela in ’05) at the beginning of the year, we picked him up and assigned him to Lakeland. He slashed .253/.329/.402 with 7 homers and 50 RBI in 77 games. Not too eye popping, but he has 70-grade speed and a slightly above average glove, to go along with about as many walks as strikeouts (33 - 38). He receives high praise from our scouting department, as they project him as an all around above average offensive player at the big league level. A tad suprised he’s ranked this high, but he seems solid nonetheless. Will most likely begin him in AA, but it will depend on his spring performance.

5 (81) Bemus Papadias (LF, 20, A) - Another top prospect of ours who struggled after a promotion, Papadias raked in 42 games in Bend, slashing .322/.388/.579, with 8 homers and 27 driven in. Once promoted to Lakeland, he struggled mightily, going 11-62 with one homer, 10 walks, and 6 punchouts. Though having absolutely zero speed, he has surprisingly decent range in the field, to go along with an above average arm. Unless the USBL adds a DH anytime soon, he should be a decent corner outfielder in a few years, and will begin 2011 in Lakeland where he left off.

6 (91) Israel Fierro (CF, 22, AA) - Who Bemus Papadoodledoo wishes he was, Israel Fierro is probably my favorite of our prospects. The 22 year old native of the Domincan Republic is an above average offensive player with very good speed and good outfield ability. He hit .302/.330/.427 with 4 homers and 65 RBI in 104 games split between Lakeland and Lubbock this year, along with 19 stolen bags in 23 attempts. His HR total was a letdown from his 12 in 85 games in 2009, but his average was up 40 points, and his OPS up 40 as well, so overall I’d say a net positive. He’ll certainly begin the year in Lubbock, and see some playing time this spring.

In our last look at the organization before taking a trip around the USBL, it’s time to meet our personnel.

Meet the Owner:
71 year old Tom Hoodenpyle purchased the Milwaukee Millers after the conclusion of 1994 USBL season. The Hoodenpyle oversaw the team’s best stretch of play, and arguably its worst stretch of play, which it is mired in right now. Part of the struggle has certainly been his loyalty to staff, including former GM and current Assistant GM (soon to be former Assistant GM) Tony Guthrie. You’ll hear more on him soon. Hoodenpyle is iffy with his money, doesn’t put too much into the team as we now sit with the 22nd ranked budget. He is very hands off when it comes to involvement, which, along with his leniency, should allow me to work pretty freely with the club. He wants the team to win, prioritizing that over anything else. He also laid out some goals for me for next year and the future:

Play close to .500 ball in 2011 (nice one Hoodenpyle)
Upgrade from Stoltzfus at catcher (hopefully he does this himself)
Improve team Bullpen ERA from last in the NL at 4.82 (definitely possible, not hard to get better than last, especially if Hart can turn it on)
Increase attendance in 2011 from 19,510/gm to 23,300/gm (i don’t know man, attendance has been plummeting lately due to poor performance. Can’t force people to show up, and they won’t if we suck)
Build the team up to reach the playoffs by 2016 (finally a realistic one, with the roster we have I’m gonna need all the time I can get)

Under the table me and Tom have an agreement: if the team has not made a playoff run after 6 years, I’m resigning.

Meet the Staff
Asst. GM - Like I said, soon to be former Asst. GM, Tony Guthrie joined Milwaukee before the 2007 season, and since he took over, the Millers have averaged 94.5 losses per season. He was not much better in his 4 years in Washington. From 2001-2004, his Senators averaged 90.5 losses, with their best record being 79-83 in 2003. His draft picks have been underwhelming, and he has never had a winning record in 8 seasons. He gone.

Manager - The spot is currently vacant but previously filling it was Josh Schroeder. Much like Guthrie, Schroeder has absolutely zero history of winning. He was bench coach for the 82-80 Atlanta Hounds in 2000 before being hired as manager of the Phoenix Scorpions in 2001. He struggled in Phoenix, posting years of 68-94, 62-100, and 74-88 before being let go, then came here in ‘06. He seems to be a tank commander manager, because Phoenix has since been a perennial playoff contender. I would’ve fired him if Guthrie didn’t (arguably the only good thing he did as GM).

Bench Coach - John Thomas has been our bench coach since 2008, and before that he managed the Tucson Owls (Cleveland’s AAA affiliate in the West Coast League) in 2007. Though he doesn’t have much of a reputation, he appears to be a very solid, laid back coach, who is good at developing players, especially catchers.

Pitching Coach - Juan Reynoso is terrible. Under him the team has not posted an ERA below 4.71. Another example of Hoodenpyle being way too loyal, which allowed Guthrie to keep his goonies around. Reynoso is not good at anything, except he is well liked around the clubhouse. Oh well. He’s gone too.

Hitting Coach - Chris Williams is actually a solid hire. I was worried after looking at Guthrie, Schroeder, and Reynoso, but this one seems to be alright. The team has zero talent, so while overall offensive statistics are bad, he is loved around the clubhouse and everybody says he is very good at developing hitters. This was his first year coaching professional ball after being the hitting coach at Boston College for 5 years before we hired him.

1B Coach - Jose Picazo was brought over from Phoenix by Schroeder in 2007. I don’t know man, something about Schroeder’s people doesn’t sit right with me. He’s arguably more loved than Williams in the clubhouse, but just knowing he’s one of Schroeder’s guys, along with a below average reputation is enough for me to be willing to part ways with him.

3B Coach - Matthew Spencer joined the squad in 2009. A former pitcher for Minneapolis/St. Paul, he has a below average reputation and is very aggressive on the basebaths. Unfortunately, we still ranked 8th in the NL in stolen bases. His one positive attribute didn’t even get us into the top-5 in the category.

Scouting Director - Willie Perez has been scouting director in Milwaukee since 1994. The 71 year old has been through it all with this team, and is very highly regarded around the league. I’m not sure whether I’ll stick with him, maybe it’ll be good to get a new face in here after all this losing. Plus, like I mentioned earlier, not a fan of the latest draft picks.

Trainer - Willie Cardwell has been our trainer since 2007. He is a prevention focused trainer who is very good at preventing and rehabbing miscellaneous injuries, and pretty average everywhere else. I think he’s gonna do, for no reason other than he’s not special and we need change across the board.

08-11-2022, 04:47 PM	#2
SugaredLemonade Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Aug 2022 Posts: 23	Top Prospects The Milwaukee Millers enter this offseason with the 4th overall farm system, including 6 top-100 prospects. Not too shabby at all. ORG (OVR) Name (POS, AGE, LVL) 1 (3) Chris Bowyer (RHP, 21, AA) - The first overall pick out of Don Bosco Prep in 2007 struggled mightily in his first season outside of rookie ball in 2010. Splitting time between Single-A Lakeland and Double-A Lubbock, Bowyer put up a 6.07 ERA in 109.2 innings (23 starts), allowing a .273 BAA, and a HR/9 of 1.56, and ended the 2009 campaign on the IL with a hamstring strain. Not what you want to see out of your top prospect. He has 5-pitch repertoire, though that really should be 4 with his changeup as bad as it is, that tops out around 97 with his 4 seamer. He does have high strikeout potential, and at just 21, he has time to figure things out. I’ll likely put him back down in Single-A Lakeland to start the 2011 season. 2 (43) Alexis Huecker (CF, 22, AAA) - Arguably our most major league ready prospect, Huecker really is an all around ballplayer, and has shown why he is number 2 in our organization (and if it weren’t for how highly regarded Bowyer was out of HS, he’d probably be number 1). A 2006 first round pick by Los Angeles, he was released early in 2009 due to very very underwhelming play in rookie ball and Single-A, and major injury issues. Milwaukee took a chance on him and definitely did not miss, as he has rocketed through the organization and established himself as one of the top minor leaguers in the game. He has a solid bat (hit .300 with an .833 OPS in time between Double-A and Triple-A), and sneaky pop (.479 SLG with 14 homers in 105 total games), but his best value comes in the field and on the basepaths. He was 25/32 stealing in those 105 games, and that speed gives him tremendous range in center, with his only downside being an average arm. He’ll probably begin next year in Triple-A, but the spring will definitely help determine how quick I’ll be willing to call him up. 3 (48) Chris Davis (C, 19, R) - The 4th overall pick in the 2010 draft out of Malvern Prep in New York, Davis spent his time post-draft with the Bend Pacifics of the rookie level Lewis and Clark League. He was anything but good there, hitting an abysmal .158/.210/.224 in 24 games (81 PAs), with just 1 HR and 5 driven in. He struck out 26 times and walked just 4 times. Though 24 games is a very small sample size for someone in their first year of professional ball, this was certainly not what Davis nor the organization had in mind. He’s going to have to put it together offensively because defensively he is average at best. He might see time in Lakeland this year because I don’t want him to miss half the year waiting on the LCL to start up in July. 4 (57) Gabe Machado (2B, 21, A) - Another solid free agency signing, after being released by St. Louis (who signed him out of Venezuela in ’05) at the beginning of the year, we picked him up and assigned him to Lakeland. He slashed .253/.329/.402 with 7 homers and 50 RBI in 77 games. Not too eye popping, but he has 70-grade speed and a slightly above average glove, to go along with about as many walks as strikeouts (33 - 38). He receives high praise from our scouting department, as they project him as an all around above average offensive player at the big league level. A tad suprised he’s ranked this high, but he seems solid nonetheless. Will most likely begin him in AA, but it will depend on his spring performance. 5 (81) Bemus Papadias (LF, 20, A) - Another top prospect of ours who struggled after a promotion, Papadias raked in 42 games in Bend, slashing .322/.388/.579, with 8 homers and 27 driven in. Once promoted to Lakeland, he struggled mightily, going 11-62 with one homer, 10 walks, and 6 punchouts. Though having absolutely zero speed, he has surprisingly decent range in the field, to go along with an above average arm. Unless the USBL adds a DH anytime soon, he should be a decent corner outfielder in a few years, and will begin 2011 in Lakeland where he left off. 6 (91) Israel Fierro (CF, 22, AA) - Who Bemus Papadoodledoo wishes he was, Israel Fierro is probably my favorite of our prospects. The 22 year old native of the Domincan Republic is an above average offensive player with very good speed and good outfield ability. He hit .302/.330/.427 with 4 homers and 65 RBI in 104 games split between Lakeland and Lubbock this year, along with 19 stolen bags in 23 attempts. His HR total was a letdown from his 12 in 85 games in 2009, but his average was up 40 points, and his OPS up 40 as well, so overall I’d say a net positive. He’ll certainly begin the year in Lubbock, and see some playing time this spring. In our last look at the organization before taking a trip around the USBL, it’s time to meet our personnel. Meet the Owner: 71 year old Tom Hoodenpyle purchased the Milwaukee Millers after the conclusion of 1994 USBL season. The Hoodenpyle oversaw the team’s best stretch of play, and arguably its worst stretch of play, which it is mired in right now. Part of the struggle has certainly been his loyalty to staff, including former GM and current Assistant GM (soon to be former Assistant GM) Tony Guthrie. You’ll hear more on him soon. Hoodenpyle is iffy with his money, doesn’t put too much into the team as we now sit with the 22nd ranked budget. He is very hands off when it comes to involvement, which, along with his leniency, should allow me to work pretty freely with the club. He wants the team to win, prioritizing that over anything else. He also laid out some goals for me for next year and the future: Play close to .500 ball in 2011 (nice one Hoodenpyle) Upgrade from Stoltzfus at catcher (hopefully he does this himself) Improve team Bullpen ERA from last in the NL at 4.82 (definitely possible, not hard to get better than last, especially if Hart can turn it on) Increase attendance in 2011 from 19,510/gm to 23,300/gm (i don’t know man, attendance has been plummeting lately due to poor performance. Can’t force people to show up, and they won’t if we suck) Build the team up to reach the playoffs by 2016 (finally a realistic one, with the roster we have I’m gonna need all the time I can get) Under the table me and Tom have an agreement: if the team has not made a playoff run after 6 years, I’m resigning. Meet the Staff Asst. GM - Like I said, soon to be former Asst. GM, Tony Guthrie joined Milwaukee before the 2007 season, and since he took over, the Millers have averaged 94.5 losses per season. He was not much better in his 4 years in Washington. From 2001-2004, his Senators averaged 90.5 losses, with their best record being 79-83 in 2003. His draft picks have been underwhelming, and he has never had a winning record in 8 seasons. He gone. Manager - The spot is currently vacant but previously filling it was Josh Schroeder. Much like Guthrie, Schroeder has absolutely zero history of winning. He was bench coach for the 82-80 Atlanta Hounds in 2000 before being hired as manager of the Phoenix Scorpions in 2001. He struggled in Phoenix, posting years of 68-94, 62-100, and 74-88 before being let go, then came here in ‘06. He seems to be a tank commander manager, because Phoenix has since been a perennial playoff contender. I would’ve fired him if Guthrie didn’t (arguably the only good thing he did as GM). Bench Coach - John Thomas has been our bench coach since 2008, and before that he managed the Tucson Owls (Cleveland’s AAA affiliate in the West Coast League) in 2007. Though he doesn’t have much of a reputation, he appears to be a very solid, laid back coach, who is good at developing players, especially catchers. Pitching Coach - Juan Reynoso is terrible. Under him the team has not posted an ERA below 4.71. Another example of Hoodenpyle being way too loyal, which allowed Guthrie to keep his goonies around. Reynoso is not good at anything, except he is well liked around the clubhouse. Oh well. He’s gone too. Hitting Coach - Chris Williams is actually a solid hire. I was worried after looking at Guthrie, Schroeder, and Reynoso, but this one seems to be alright. The team has zero talent, so while overall offensive statistics are bad, he is loved around the clubhouse and everybody says he is very good at developing hitters. This was his first year coaching professional ball after being the hitting coach at Boston College for 5 years before we hired him. 1B Coach - Jose Picazo was brought over from Phoenix by Schroeder in 2007. I don’t know man, something about Schroeder’s people doesn’t sit right with me. He’s arguably more loved than Williams in the clubhouse, but just knowing he’s one of Schroeder’s guys, along with a below average reputation is enough for me to be willing to part ways with him. 3B Coach - Matthew Spencer joined the squad in 2009. A former pitcher for Minneapolis/St. Paul, he has a below average reputation and is very aggressive on the basebaths. Unfortunately, we still ranked 8th in the NL in stolen bases. His one positive attribute didn’t even get us into the top-5 in the category. Scouting Director - Willie Perez has been scouting director in Milwaukee since 1994. The 71 year old has been through it all with this team, and is very highly regarded around the league. I’m not sure whether I’ll stick with him, maybe it’ll be good to get a new face in here after all this losing. Plus, like I mentioned earlier, not a fan of the latest draft picks. Trainer - Willie Cardwell has been our trainer since 2007. He is a prevention focused trainer who is very good at preventing and rehabbing miscellaneous injuries, and pretty average everywhere else. I think he’s gonna do, for no reason other than he’s not special and we need change across the board.