June 1st Development Update, pt. 1
Nick Meskill and his crack team published their June 1st development update for the Brewers brain trust today.
Let's look at a few highlights and how they might impact the future decisions for the team.
The two veterans who head up the starting rotation and the bullpen received mixed reviews. Cheol-han Lee, the ace of the starting staff, is seen as exhibiting even greater control than previously, though his overall value is seen as falling slightly. At this stage of his career Lee has pretty average stuff and none of his five pitches rates as being elite, but he still has an above average fastball and changeup and a slightly above average splitter. And his movement and control both rate as nearly elite. He should remain a solid leader for the rotation for the near future, at least.
On the other hand, the 36-year old closer/stopper Jose de los Santos is exhibiting declining skills. His velocity has dropped a bit and with it his stuff and movement are both moving in the wrong direction. He should still be a valuable member of the bullpen but his dominant days are likely now in the past and the Brewers will need to find someone to take his spot in the highest leverage situations quite soon.
Another interesting question for the Brewers surrounds the catching position. Kevin Curtis remains a solid starter with his gold glove defense, good leadership skills, and a bit of pop in his bat combined with a great eye. But backup catcher Spencer Wilson is also profiling as a starter and he's well aware of it and not happy playing second fiddle to Curtis. Wilson has a slight edge over Curtis in terms of overall offensive potential but, while being a solid backstop, does not rise to Curtis level defensively.
One factor that might lead to Wilson changing uniforms is the continued development of 22-year old Zacharias Martell, currently down at AAA Chester. Indications are that Martell is very close to being big league ready and he could certainly take the backup role with the Brewers soon. Martell profiles quite similar to Curtis and Wilson at the plate and could end up being nearly the equal of Curtis defensively, though his arm is a bit under-powered. Likely Martell will be in a Brewers uniform in September, if not before, and it will be interesting to see if he proves himself to the point where Wilson is expendable.
