Some things to read while opening a theme park.
As of yesterday afternoon it seemed like a lock the Brewers would sign first round pick Dylan Covey before the 11 pm deadline, and the only question was when. Instead, now we've all seen how fast things can change. Word got out around 9 pm last night that Covey had decided to go to college instead, with the full story coming out shortly thereafter: Covey's physical on Friday revealed he has Type 1 diabetes, and he and his family have decided that he'd be better off learning to handle this new challenge in college instead of rookie ball (BCB Thread).
Covey talked to Baseball Beginnings in an exclusive interview regarding the decision, and both he and his family show no signs of ill will towards the Brewers. For their part, the Brewers will receive a compensation pick in the first round of next year's draft, believed to be #17 overall. The pick is unprotected, however, meaning the Brewers will receive no compensation if they draft a player with that pick and fail to sign them.
Covey is the first Brewer first round pick not to sign since Kenny Henderson in 1991. The Brewers Bar says you can't blame anyone for the way this worked out, and I tend to agree with them.
The Brewers did manage to strike a deal with 13th round pick Michael White, a right-hander from Walters State Community College. For a roundup of all of yesterday's other draft happenings, check out this Jonathan Mayo story. I'll have a wrap-up of the draft signings later today.
With the Brewers off yesterday, there wasn't much else to do besides look to the future. MLB Trade Rumors is starting to look at potential arbitration eligible players for this winter, and lists Todd Coffey as a potential candidate to be non-tendered. Coffey is making slightly more than $2 million this season and will probably be due a raise, but not an exceptionally large one. Twinkie Town noted that J.J. Hardy is also listed as a candidate.
Elsewhere in tough decisions, Hang With 'em Brewers! wonders what the Brewers should do with Trevor Hoffman down the stretch.
Prince Fielder's lack of hits and power in clutch situations has been a frequent topic of conversation this season. Disciples of Uecker used the off day to consider it, and notes that a) Fielder has cost the team nearly a full win with his clutch struggles this season, but also b) the sample size is small enough that one clutch home run would raise his slugging percentage by around 100 points.
I'm not sure if this is news or not, but I'll go ahead and throw it out there: Craig Counsell has reportedly cleared waivers, meaning he can be traded to any team from this point forward. With that said, it's hard to imagine any team offering much in return for a .246/.317/.305 hitting infielder who turns 40 on Saturday and will be a free agent at season's end.
Elsewhere in "potentially not news," Jerry Crasnick is reporting that agent Gregg Clifton has left Gaylord Sports. Gaylord is the agency representing Casey McGehee, among others.
In the minors:
- The affiliates went 5-1 last night, and the performance of the night belonged to Mat Gamel: He went 3-for-4 with a walk, double and a grand slam in Nashville's 7-6 win over Salt Lake. You can read about that and more in today's Minor League Notes.
- As Battlekow noted, 2010 second round pick Jimmy Nelson is now the top pick acquired in this year's draft, and he pitched three scoreless innings for Helena last night.
If you've got some time to kill today, you don't mind giving blood and you like free Brewer tickets, then the Brewers' Big League Blood Drive appears to have been designed with you in mind. Follow that link for more information.
On power rankings:
- MLB FanHouse has the Brewers holding steady at 17.
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Craig Calcaterra moved the Brewers down four spots to 25.
If you haven't yet, please take a moment this morning to vote in this week's BCB Tracking Poll. Voting will remain open until sometime this afternoon and results will be posted tomorrow.
Mets: Placed closer Francisco Rodriguez on the DL with a torn ligament in his thumb.
Orioles: Placed pitcher Jason Berken on the DL with shoulder inflammation.
Rangers: Placed outfielder Nelson Cruz on the DL with sore hamstrings.
Rays: Placed outfielder Gabe Kapler on the DL with a sprained ankle.
On this day in 1983 Tom Candiotti made his first major league start, pitching a complete game and beating the Red Sox 5-1. Candiotti would have two relatively quiet seasons in Milwaukee before learning the knuckleball and winning 16 games for the Indians in 1986.
Happy birthday today to:
- Nashville Sound Chris Waters, who turns 30.
- 1971-73 Brewer Bill Parsons, who turns 62.
- Seattle Pilot and 1970-73 Brewer Skip Lockwood, who turns 64.
Oh, and I feel terrible about it, but I can't get this out of my head.
Drink up.