I don't hear much about Erik Miller, but surprisingly, he'd heard some about me. Before I could even ask him something, the 17th-round 2007 draftee started talking, and as you'll see, we talked for awhile. Of all the interviews I've done, I think this was my favorite so far, and not just for the mild ego-trip.

EM: I've read a couple of your articles.

BCB: Oh yeah? Which ones?

EM: I read the one on [Cutter] Dykstra and [Erik] Komatsu a couple days ago.

BCB: What'd you think?

EM: I liked 'em. I always like reading interviews of other players.

BCB: Thanks. You're the first guy to have heard of me. Did you google it, or did someone show you?

EM: No way, you're all over Brewerfan and Google. I stumbled upon Dykstra's from Google, I think.

BCB: You read Brewerfan?

EM: My dad does. He loves reading about what's going on, so every now and then I'll go and see what people are saying.

BCB: Does he post?

EM: No, he always talks about it but never does.

BCB: I'll have to make sure I only say good things about you in the future!

EM: (laughs) No worries, I'll just have to play well so you can't say anything bad. (laughs)

BCB: Actually, I can only ever remember reading positive things, mostly people waiting for you to make your debut this season.

EM: Yeah, I broke my hand right at the end of extended [spring training].

BCB: Is it still bothering you at all?

EM: No, not at all. My wrist is still a little weak from being in the cast, but it's getting better.

BCB: I bet you could have a long conversation with Rickie Weeks about weak wrists. Brad Nelson, too. He had his hamate out years ago and supposedly it's only just now feeling 100%.

EM: Oh man, that's not good. Hey, did you recently interview Eric Fryer?

BCB: Nope, I'd love to though. Are you friends with him?

EM: Yeah, he was in extended for a bit.

BCB: He's blown up this year, caught everyone by surprise.

EM: Yeah, tell me about it. He's doing awesome.

BCB: You might be remembering his name from Steffan Wilson's interview. They're roommates on the road.

EM: Ah, that's what it was. I just read that last night.

BCB: All the interviews are collected in one place on brewcrewball.com, if you want to read any more. On the left-hand sidebar, there's a heading labeled "Interviews".

EM: Sweet, I'll have to go check out the site. We get a lot of downtime after the games, so it's nice to have something to do. (laughs)

BCB: You guys had a hell of a game tonight.

EM: Yeah, we play really well against Ogden. I wish we could have played the same against Orem.

BCB: It would have been nice if you could have snapped their winning streak. They lost tonight, though.

EM: Dang, who beat 'em? I wanted us to be the team to take them down.

BCB: Missoula.

EM: No way! How the heck did that happen?

BCB: Somehow Missoula and their .238 winning percentage got it done.

EM: (laughs) Yeah, that's pretty wild.

BCB: So, how exactly did your hand get broken?

EM: We were playing the Mariners, and I was hitting against a side-armed righty, and he threw an inside fastball that tailed in and hit off my right two knuckles.

BCB: Which bones did you break?

EM: The fourth metacarpal. The one in the hand that goes to your ring finger.

BCB: People tabbed you as a sleeper coming out of the draft last year. I think your scouting report on Brewerfan said "an exciting blend of speed and power". How would you describe your game?

EM: Well, I pretty much just try to utilize my speed as much as I can. My goal is to get on base and get myself in scoring position as fast as I can so the guys behind can drive me in. Same as on defense; I play center field, so my speed plays well in tracking down balls in the gaps and covering all that ground.

BCB: So you don't consider yourself a power hitter?

EM: No, not yet at least. They always say power eventually comes with time.

BCB: You said your goal is to get on base. Do you get into statistical analysis at all? You know, "a walk is as good as a single", emphasizing on-base percentage over batting average?

EM: Not really. The situation will dictate what needs to happen. If I just need to get on base, I'll try and drop a bunt down, or if we know the pitcher is kind of wild, then I'll try to work the count and draw a walk, where that saying would come into play.

BCB: At what point in an at-bat does the idea of trying to coax a walk enter your mind?

EM: Sometimes before I even step to the plate. If I'm leading off an inning, I'll watch the pitcher and see if he's locating or if he's wild. If he can't throw a strike in his warm-up pitches then I'll make him prove to me he can throw one in the game.

BCB: Last season, you only got a chance to play in a couple games—oh wait, I lied. I'm looking at your stats this year from Arizona.

EM: (laughs) Yeah, let's not look at those.

BCB: (laughs) Lots of zeroes. You've been hot lately, though. Is it because your wrist keeps getting stronger, or is there another reason?

EM: I'd have to say it's a mixture of getting stronger and just getting more at-bats and more work in before the games. Paco [Martin, Helena's hitting coach] and I have been working hard trying to get my bat speed going again and just ironing out all the little things in my swing and my approach that weren't quite right.

BCB: When you debuted last year, did you feel like having played in a wood-bat community college league gave you a leg up on other players that were used to metal bats?

EM: Yeah, I did. I felt really comfortable with a wood bat going into the season having just come off my college season. Unfortunately, my results weren't there, but I guess that's just part of the process of getting better.

BCB: Why did you decide to go to Scottsdale [Community College] rather than a four-year school?

EM: Well, out of high school I didn't have any offers from D-I schools and didn't get drafted, so I decided to try and walk on to a juco team, and everything kind of fell into place from there.

BCB: Were you hoping to get drafted out of high school?

EM: Yeah, I thought it would have been cool playing pro ball right after high school, but I honestly wasn't ready, and I'm glad I made the decision that I did.

BCB: Did you have any contact with any teams that year? I mean, did you expect to get taken?

EM: No, not at all. I was just a kid dreaming of the big leagues. (laughs)

BCB: Where did you expect to go in the draft last year?

EM: Anywhere from the 5th [round] to the 12th or so. Or at least that's where I wanted to go.

BCB: So you were a little disappointed then?

EM: At first I was a little disappointed, but my scout came over that night and talked with me, and we got everything figured out and done that night.

BCB: So I'm pretty sure you left out the most important reason you went to Scottsdale: You wanted to be a Fighting Artichoke.

EM: (laughs) Yeah, we called it the Artichoke Nation! I can't tell you how much crap I've gotten because of that mascot. (laughs)

BCB: Did anyone ever point out to them that it looks a little like a certain drug of abuse? Let's just say it's a good thing Jeremy Jeffress didn't go there.

EM: (laughs) Yeah, it's been known that Artie the Artichoke looks like he should be hanging out with Cheech and Chong.

BCB: Where can I get an Artie the Artichoke hat?

EM: I don't know, maybe eBay or something, 'cause I sure don't have one.

BCB: You didn't save yours? Oh man, I would have treasured my Fighting Artichokes hat. So where does that nickname come from? Seems like a bad idea for a sports team—tailor-made to be called the "Chokes" when you lose.

EM: Well, we made sure we didn't lose much. It's actually a funny, weird story, but I don't know if we want to go into all that. (laughs) Did you know the original colors were like pink and green, I think they were?

BCB: That's horrible. They must have been smoking Artie when they came up with that.

EM: Yeah, brutal, but that was back in the day.

BCB: So, when you're not playing ball, what do you like to do?

EM: I'm a pretty active guy. I go hunting with my dad and friends of the family, fishing, hiking, pretty much anything outdoors.

BCB: Playing in Helena is probably a dream for you then—I hear the fly fishing is great.

EM: Yeah, definitely. We're going on our next off day to go fishing, so I'm pretty excited for that.

BCB: Who do you fish with there?

EM: Chris Dennis and my roommate, Efrain Nieves.

BCB: Hey, did you ever play against Sandra Day O'Connor [High School] when you were in high school?

EM: Nope

BCB: The Brewers drafted a kid out of there this year.

EM: Yeah, Maverick [Lasker]. He's a good kid. I met him when I was rehabbing my hand.

BCB: Yeah, he's got a stress fracture in his back. Doesn't sound like an injury I'd like to have.

EM: Yeah, I talked to him a couple nights ago, and he said he was all better and supposed to throw this week.

BCB: Well that's good news. So, if you had to name one guy on the team that you were sure was going to make the big leagues, who would it be?

EM: That's tough. Komatsu is a great all-around player who is very consistent, so I'd say him and Wily Peralta. The kid throws absolute gas and has a good slider to boot, so if he stays healthy and keeps improving, no doubt he should be a big leaguer.

BCB: Do you think he'll stay in the pen, or do you think the organization will move him to the rotation at some point to get the most out of his arm?

EM: I think he's a perfect closer. Comes in to throw it by three guys and win a game, but who knows what the organization has in store for him [Peralta started on Tuesday night].

BCB: Is Rookie ball cliquey, with so many foreign-born players, mostly Dominicans? Or does everyone mingle?

EM: Yeah, it kind of is for a while, then as the Latinos learn more English and everyone else learns more Spanish it gets easier to mingle and make friends.

BCB: Well all right, I think I've pumped you for enough info. Anything else you want people to know?

EM: There's nowhere to eat here after the games. (laughs) No, that's it man.

BCB: That's the incentive to get promoted! Or fish better.

EM: (laughs) I'll go with the first one. It was good talking to you.

BCB: Thanks, you too. Take care, and good luck.

EM: Thank you.

Haven't heard much about Steffan Wilson? That's a good sign for the Brewers' system. Not long ago, a guy capable of playing third putting up a .295/.357/.509 line at West Virginia would have received a lot more attention, but thanks to the system producing three huge third base prospects in the last three years, Wilson is flying under the radar. Regardless, I think you'll find the former Harvard player's answers thoughtful and self-effacing.

BCB: You guys had a tough loss [Tuesday night].

SW: Yeah we did.

BCB: You've been playing really well lately though—both you personally and the team in general. Are you happy with the season so far?

SW: Yeah, there are things that I would change, but things are going well. And this is the most important month.

BCB: What would you change?

SW: Well, the start that I got to the season, and the start that the team got off to. I guess it’s kind of expected a little bit. And everyone can look back and change something for the better, I’m sure. But we’re in a tight race right now, and though I think we all play our hardest every day, if we realized how close it would be, we may not have taken some of the losses that we knew we should have won a lot harder. At the same time, this team does a great job of bouncing back from tough losses, so it’s kind of useless to say what you may change, and as a whole, the season has been a success thus far. Sorry, that was a long answer.

BCB: No, don't worry—long answers are good! Did you make any adjustments after your poor start? Personally, I mean.

SW: Oh yeah, I made a ton of adjustments throughout the season. Adjustments are made daily. That’s the name of the game. I think I have come a long way as a player, and I can safely say that everyone on the team has improved throughout. A lot of my adjustments came in my hitting approach with the help of our hitting coach, Jim Lett: recognizing what pitchers are going to try to do to me as a hitter, creating a consistent approach and swing, protecting the outer half, especially when I am down in the count, and just coming up with a good mental approach for a long and roller coaster-like season.

BCB: So you've learned to take it the other way more?

SW: That’s still a work in progress, and I still find myself trying to pull balls that need to be hit the other way, but I think I’ve improved and adjusted my swing in a way to maximize those goals.

BCB: You said everyone on the team has improved Who has seen the most gains?

SW: Well, I think Lee Haydel has been an excellent player for us. He’s hitting the ball very well and is an important part of our offense. For the most part, everyone has seen improvements, shown in their improving numbers. It’s tough though, because everyone is working on something different, though all working for the same goal of consistency and success. Everyone has different weaknesses that they key on.

BCB: Would you say your biggest weakness is going the other way when it's given to you?

SW: Um, that’s just part of it. I think hitting my pitch and not missing it is another goal of mine. At-bats where you miss the pitch you know you should drive into a gap or out of the park are frustrating, and I think as you see with the higher levels, the good hitters don’t let pitchers get away with a hitter’s pitch. They hit it hard somewhere; they rarely take it for a strike. If I can hit my pitch early in the count, it will make my down-in-the-count approach easier, but at the same time, if I can hit a pitcher’s pitch the other way, the next at-bat, the pitcher may try to come in and leave one over the plate I can hit hard somewhere.

BCB: So, what about Haydel's improvement has impressed you so much?

SW: Well, his bat control and his ability to hit left-handed pitchers. I think just his overall grasp of the game has vastly improved, along with all of us in our first full season. He worked hard in the offseason, and it’s obvious that his hard work has paid off. He’s hitting the ball hard all over the field. He went through a stretch where he was flaring the outside pitch into left field with little success, but recently he’s been driving the ball that way, and in big situations.

BCB: Speaking of improving, Brent Brewer had a big night for Brevard County, did you see?

SW: I didn’t get a chance.

BCB: Walk-off three-run homer in the 13th inning. His first home run of the year.

SW: Wow. That is a big night.

BCB: What did you think of him as a ballplayer? Obviously he has the tools...

SW: Yeah, he definitely has tools. I thought he was a good young ballplayer. When I played with him, we had similar obstacles in the way of confidence. Early in the season, almost everyone on the team was struggling, and no one had a whole lot of confidence, which is such a big part of this game. But his range in the field was very impressive, and he was hitting the ball hard for a while early in the season. But we are all a work in progress.

BCB: Does it frustrate you at all that you have Taylor Green and Mat Gamel ahead of you at third? Knowing that you might well have earned a promotion in a different system by now?

SW: That’s one of those things that is out of my control. Both of those guys are great ballplayers and set the bar pretty high for guys like me and Zelous [Wheeler]. It gives me a level of success to shoot for. But like I said, it’s one of those things I can’t control. I figure if I play well enough, I’ll get to keep playing. And those guys are certainly up for promotions themselves.

BCB: Have you talked to Eric Fryer at all about being blocked like that? It seems like the two of you are in similar situations, with him having Jonathan Lucroy and Angel Salome in front of him.

SW: No. He and I room on the road, but we don’t talk about things like that. The talent in this system is great. It provides a healthy level of competition. I think and hope that the guys that can play, and show they can play every day, will be rewarded. Fryer and myself are in our first full season. The guys ahead of us have proved themselves year-in and year-out. When I do that, we’ll see where I am, but I have a long way to go to see myself at that caliber, and I can only play my game and hope I play well and that it gets noticed.

BCB: You and Fryer and Wheeler have all played a bunch of positions this year. Have you got a sense for where the organization views you long-term?

SW: I think I speak for all of us when I say we have no idea. I don’t think it hurts to be able to play multiple positions, but I know I’d like to be able to call one of those positions my own, and have a lot of confidence in one specific position. I know though that I have to hit, and if I can do that, maybe I’ll fall into a position.

BCB: How do you feel about your defense at third?

SW: I think it’s a lot better this year than last, and when I played there every day, early in the season, I felt good about it. But I see the great plays Zelous makes and know that I am not where he is, and it’s tough when you don’t get a chance to improve everyday at third. But it was something I worked hard on in the off season, and something I intend to continue to work hard at.

BCB: What kind of feedback have you gotten about your strengths and weaknesses defensively?

SW: I haven’t gotten a whole lot this year. I think it’s one of those end-of-season things. But last year I was told I needed to improve my range. A lot of my offseason stuff was aimed at that kind of improvement, but I think reps is a big part of it. That would improve my footwork, hands, and throwing position. Consistency in my throws was something else I worked a lot on.

BCB: Wow's your arm strength?

SW: My arm feels great, which is nice to say this late in the season. It’s never really been the strength of my throws that is the problem; I wanted to work hard on the accuracy of those throws.

BCB: There were a couple pitchers I wanted to ask you about, as well.

SW: Okay.

BCB: Roque Mercedes seems like he's a completely different pitcher in the bullpen. What's changed?

SW: Well, the bullpen is certainly different than being one of the starters. You come into a game that’s not yours and hitters you haven’t faced yet, in many cases. I think he has adjusted to his new role though, and comes into games now ready to throw strikes, and aware of what the hitters he is facing have done in their previous at-bats. I think he pitches to contact more now, and is more efficient in that sense.

BCB: How hard has he been throwing out of the pen?

SW: I’m not sure. Right around 90 I think. It’s hard to find and accurate radar gun in the league.

At this point, Steffan had to get some sleep, but I think you'll agree that the breadth of his answers more than makes up for the fewer than usual questions.

Last Saturday I had the good fortune of seeing the Power play and getting to talk to a few people around the organization.  The Power started the game in an eight run hole but a nine run uprising in the 7th gave the Power the victory.  I'd like to share some thoughts on some of the players I saw here and more will be coming on this trip later.

Pitchers

The good news was I was able to see Seidel, Frederickson, and Wooten pitch in one night.  The bad news was Siedel, Frederickson and Wooten all had to pitch that night.

R.J. Seidel

Seidel is the local kid made good out of Damian Miller's hometown of La Crosse.  Seidel was a 16th round pick last year but pitched well in Rookie ball last year and had been doing well for the Power much of the year though he has struggled lately.  His change-up was supposed to be his best pitch but pitching coach John Curtis mentioned he was having a lot of trouble locating it this year and that was certainly the case this outing. 

After giving up a hot shot through the box to the lead off hitter he served up a change-up middle/in to the next batter and he went deep to dead center.  He did come back to break what I am guessing was a maple bat on a change-up in his second inning of work and when he got that pitch down in the zone it did look like it could be effective. 

His fastball touched 90 but was mostly in the 86-88 region and he also threw a curveball, which was his best off speed pitch that night, in the low 70's.  Seidel got hit hard in the two innings he worked and didn't get a single swing and a miss the entire night.

Evan Frederickson

Frederickson listed five pitches in his BCB interview (Thanks Battlekow) that he said he threw but when I talked to Curtis he only mentioned the fastball, slider, and change up.  There had been rumors that his velocity was down and sadly when I was watching him he was working in the mid 80's and touched 89 on the gun.  That wouldn't be so bad if he was dialing it back to get some more control but he was all over the place and threw 12 strikes in 32 pitches. 

He had little control of his fastball and all of his off speed pitches were up in the zone.  Even his strikeout came on a hanging change up.  His slider really looked sluvy to me and I would guess that my pitch identification algorithm would call it a curveball.  He throws it in the low 70's and it seems to have some downward movement but every time he threw it it ended up above the strike zone.  He clearly was trying to use the pitch as a "get ahead" type of pitch as he threw it on the first or second pitch every time.

Robert Wooten

Wooten has kind of moved into the closers role for the Power but pitched in the 7th inning on Saturday.  I believe that was his first professional win so that was kind of cool as he came into the game with the score 8-1.  Wooten came into the game and threw a nasty slider at the knees on the black for strike one and proceeded to make the Delmarva hitters look foolish with that pitch for the inning he worked getting two strike outs and a weak little grounder.  His slider may be a big league pitch right now as it has tremendous movement and he really locates the pitch well.  He can either throw it for a strike or start it on the corner and have it fall off down and away.  It really is a good pitch for him. 

The bad news was his fastball was in the mid 80's and touched 87 once.  He threw one split which got the strikeout on the last batter, the only lefty he faced.  He is extremely polished and probably could handle A+ right now and maybe could be skipped to AA next year.  If he can get his velocity back to the high 80's and touching low 90's, like he said in his interview, he can probably be an effective reliever but you just don't see too many right handed pitchers throwing a 85 MPH heater out of the pen in the show for a good reason.

Pedro Lambertus

I know, you are thinking who is this guy?  I had no idea either until I saw him pitch.  He is a 19 year old Dominican with a blazing fastball that has some serious movement to it.  He touched 96 on the gun and was working in the 93-94 range all night.  Control has obviously been an issue for him this season but he had it working on Saturday getting nothing but strike outs and ground balls. 

It is very irregular for a guy who throws mid 90's to be a groundball specialist but Lambertus is definitely that.  Maybe think of a younger Salomon Torres.  He came in and stranded two runners with only one out and then got through two more innings of clean work getting two double plays in the process.  With his decent strikeout numbers and large groundball splits he could be effective getting out of jams in the future as well.  Lambertus' off speed pitches are nothing to write home about.  I mean if he had even a decent slider to go with the fastball that would be probably all he would need but if he had that we would have heard of him by now. 

He is only 19 so he is pretty young for the league and has been pitching better of late.  With the down and in movement on his fastball to right handed batters he likely is going to have control issues all his career but he has the stuff to walk a few batters and get away with it.  Obviously a decent off speed pitch would be a boon but Torres for instance, throws his sinker more than 70% of the time so that one pitch could take him pretty far.

Position Players

The Power were held to one run on a wild pitch in the first six innings against the Delmarva started but when the bullpen came in the flood gates opened.  Delmarva's starter was lefty Zachary Britton who has pitched well this year.  He features a upper 80's fastball, slider, and a nasty change up that really had the Power batters on their heels.

Caleb Gindl

When I saw Mat Gamel facing a lefty it was clear why he was having success against lefties as he stays in and went the other way.  Gindl, not so much.  He was pull happy all game as all three of the balls he put in play went to the right of the second baseman (as he was looking at it).  He did end up with two hits on the night after the lefty starter left the game on a seeing eye grounder and a liner in to shallow right but while Britton was in the game he looked rather overmatched.  This is something not too surprising from a 20 year old in A ball. 

Defensively though is where he really had issues.  When the game started the sun was setting in his eyes and badly misplayed two balls both over his head.  The first was back and to his left and the sun really shouldn't have been a problem there but he took a horrible route of left then back and wasn't in the same area code as the ball slammed off the wall.  The Delmarva hitter stood in the box admiring his work a little too long or he might have had a shot at three bases.  The second came an inning later and a similarly hit ball was back and to his right.  This time you could see him visibly shielding his eye (no sunglasses!) as he tried to get to make his way over.  This ball short hopped the wall and probably could have been corralled if he had gotten over their quickly enough.  There was a runner on first in this case so Gindl did gather the ball quickly and threw a strike to the cut off man from the warning track keeping the runner at third.  Obviously Gindl is holding his own in this league and should easily be promoted to A+ next year but skipping a level is probably not in his future.

Eric Fryer

Fryer had caught the game before and after a long bus ride home from New Jersey he was DH'ing on Saturday.  So I didn't get a chance to see him behind the plate but he impressed at the plate.  He drew two walks and had an opposite field double off the wall in left.  He got ahead in all five of his at bats and even the pitches he made outs on where pitches he should have been swinging at.  He didn't swing and miss during the night either. 

Fryer is a pretty big guy and from the sound of it didn't take to the outfield too well so I am guessing behind the plate or first base are his real options.  It is nice that he has turned things around after a poor showing in rookie ball last year but you wonder what his future is in the organization.  There likely are three catchers ahead of him and oodles of players who either are at first or might end up at first.  Still, it never hurts to have catching depth and one who controls the plate well might make the A's or Padres salivate.

Logan Schafer

Schafer does not control the strike zone well as you might expect from looking at his stats.  He was fooled badly by some breaking balls and came up empty four times with three of them on balls that were out of the zone.  He did go 2 for 5 and punished two fastballs including one of only two hits against Britton (Schafer is a lefty so that is kind of meaningful).  

The Sally league is a fastball league like the Midwest league.  Batters are going to see a ton of fastballs as pitchers are learning to command that pitch so I suspect that Schafer is feasting on fastballs right now.  That said, his line drive rate is insanely high right now and he is showing really good doubles power so the tools are there.  He had a easy night in right so I won't make any comments on his defense.

Zelous Wheeler

Wheeler is kind of a shorter player who reminds me of Calix Crabbe for those of you who saw him play at Beloit or someplace else.  Wheeler too is just 21 so he has some room to grow and there are already some nice things in his game.  First, he ranged way to his left in the hole to get to a ball and then made a nice throw from his knees to just get a runner.  He also showed good plate discipline getting ahead in the count several times.  One led to a walk and one lead to a monster home run when a reliever came inside.  He isn't very big but the ball really flies off his bat. 

He did have some trouble against off speed pitches and it was rather clear the game plan was away, away, away and still all three balls he put in play he pulled.  Also, he was a bit slow turning the double play and boy did he have a lot of opportunities that night.  His arm also doesn't look the strongest but it probably is good enough to stick at second.

Steffan Wilson

Wilson was rather aggressive at the plate seeing only nine pitches in four at bats.  He did make some nice contact when he did hit the ball but did swing and miss several times as well.  Wilson was playing first not third and didn't have to make any out of the ordinary plays in the field.  He is a little older than Gindl and Wheeler so he should be playing well at this level at 22.  The next couple of years will be make or break for him and honestly I'd rather have a guy like Wheeler who might turn into a decent player at a premium defensive position than Wilson whose ceiling probably isn't a starter as a corner infielder.