What we learned: January 12, 2015

Brewers News & Analysis

• The Baseball America prospect rankings for the Brewers came out on Friday, and Tyrone Taylor topped the list for the Brewers. Noah broke down the top ten prospects on their list, with Orlando Arcia and Clint Coulter rounding out the top three.
• How nice would it be to have a player that could pitch and hit, potentially giving the Brewers a roster advantage? Fred Hofstetter asked this question on Saturday, and looked back at some players who contributed as a pitcher and a hitter at the same time. While these players aren't as common as they used to be, finding one could give a team a slight advantage in roster construction.
• Our Brew Crew Blasts series continued on Friday with the seventh longest home run of 2014, a solo home run from Scooter Gennett that barely left Chase Field.
• Jean Segura has been playing in the Dominican League playoffs to get some work in before spring training, and has been doing well so far. On Friday, Jim Goulart noted that Jean Segura had a 5-for-5 day in Thursday's playoff game.
• Richard Justice of MLB.com notes that the Brewers want to finish what they couldn't in 2014 and make the playoffs. While they have the pieces to make a run in 2015, there's also a lot of questions pending as the season approaches.
• The Brewers had collapses in 2007 and 2014, but followed the collapse in 2007 with a playoff run in 2008. Does that mean we could see a run to the playoffs in 2015? Kyle Lesniewski of Reviewing the Brew looks at the similarities between the 2008 and 2015 teams and analyzes the Brewers chances of making a similar run.
• Hank the Ballpark Pup spent the weekend in Los Angeles as he attended the World Dog Awards. Cait Covers The Bases has some pictures of Hank's departure. The awards will be televised on the CW Network on Thursday at 7 pm, where we will find out if Hank was voted Dog of the Year.

Around Baseball

Roster Moves

• On Saturday, news of a five player trade between the Athletics and Rays came out. The Athletics receive Yunel Escobar and Ben Zobrist, and the Rays receive John Jaso, Boog Powell, and Daniel Robertson. Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs has an initial reaction to the trade.
• The Cubs designated Mike Kickham for assignment.
• The Dodgers signed David Huff and Ryan Buchter to minor-league contracts with invites to spring training.
• The Orioles designated Ryan Lavarnway for assignment.
• Kyle Lesnieswski of Reviewing the Brew notes that the Rays have signed former Brewer Juan Francisco to a minor-league contract.

Other News & Notes

• Charlie Wilmoth of MLB Trade Rumors reports that Dan Haren has changed his stance and will report to spring training with the Marlins, though still wants to be traded to the west coast.
• Adam Berry of MLB.com reports that the Pirates are close to signing Korean shortstop Jung-ho Kang to a four-year deal. He hit 40 home runs, had 117 RBI, and batted .356 with a 1.198 OPS in Korea last year, and could fit in anywhere in the Pirates' infield.
• Brad Johnson of MLB Trade Rumors has a few notes on the relief pitching market, which includes John Axford's desire to compete for the closer role and Burke Badenhop's opinion on the market.
• Is clutch-hitting a skill that players can build, or is it just normal hits in important situations? Anna McDonald of ESPN SweetSpot interviewed several players on the topic of clutch hitting and what they believe it is.
• How has the role of the slugger changed over the last several years? Nick Ashbourne of Beyond the Box Score takes a look at how the role has changed as offense has declined since 2000.