BCB Mailbag 20: The Expansion Draft

Happy Friday everyone! Let’s dive right in:

Spaul149 asks:

Kirby

How is Nathan Kirby’s rehab going and what is a reasonable expectation for a good season in 2017?

It sounds like Kirby’s rehab is going well. He’s more than a year and a half removed from surgery now and has been throwing without restrictions this spring. He should be ready to start the year with a full-season affiliate, I’d guess either Appleton or Carolina. A good season for him in 2017 will be one that sees him stay healthy throughout and start to build an innings base, since he’s only tossed 12.2 frames as a professional. I’m not too worried about the results just yet in the 2015 1st-rounder’s development.

arjee asks:

I am going to be able to regularly watch games on TV for the first time in years.

I’ve seen a game here or there, but I’m surprised every time how guys look nothing like how I’ve been picturing them. So, which Brewer looks the least like his name would suggest he would?

When I picture someone named Kirk, it’s either the Star Trek captain or someone with a clean-cut sort of look. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, on the other hand, looks like my buddy who got arrested some years ago for smoking some tree at the frolf course in New Berlin. Are his eyes even open in this picture?

Lance123 asks:

Give me your best Nostradamus impression

At the end of the 2017 season, who will have had the better season (only big league stats count)?

Shaw or Thames?

Broxton or Santana?

Pina or Bandy or Susac or Arcia?

Braun or Villar? (Maybe obvious, but I had to match Braun up with someone)

Guerra or Davies?

Peralta or Nelson?

If we’re going overall value by WAR, then:

Shaw or Thames? - Shaw
Broxton or Santana? - Broxton
Pina or Bandy or Susac or Arcia? - Pina
Braun or Villar? - Braun
Guerra or Davies? - Guerra
Peralta or Nelson? - Nelson

Gator Bytes asks:

No Questions

No questions from me, because mine are never answered. I thought it was due to my level of BCB membership, but last week Spambot got its question answered. So no more questions from me. No questions about Bernie Brewer and the racy candid photos floating around on the Internet; nor questions about Hank 3.0 and his "special" relationship with a Great Dane (giving new meaning to "go big or go home"). You will have to wait and see about who is "furious" and when we get discounts on Mudcat gear.

(For those reading this post from a device that does not show it clearly, the above comments are in sarcasm font)

Thanks to nullacct from posting OOTP information regarding the future Brewers (aka next year’s team). I believe this was a response to my "furious" question from last week.

Finally, the real reason for this post. I just wanted to give everyone a "heads-up" that T-Mobile customers can get a free MLB.TV subscription for the upcoming season. You will have to have the T-Mobile Tuesday app installed and request the service through it. Especially handy if you live out of the Brewers TV market.

Man, I could have sworn that I’ve answered at least one of your questions one of the previous 19 editions of the mailbag, but I was too lazy to look through all of them. I don’t have T-Mobile, but I’m sure there are at least a few readers who will find this information useful!

icelandreliant asks:

Do you have any suggestions for how I can use this new book if someone gives it to me as a gift?

The forecast for Opening Day on Monday is in the 40’s with a strong chance of rain, so if you’re planning on bringing a fire pit along to your tailgate to stay warm then I’m sure the book would make for some wonderful kindling.

Itstimetowin asks:

So Kyle, if you had to pick a BCB poster to get their own bobble head who would it be and what would it be based on?

I’d pick drezdn. It’s be a batter standing at home plate, swinging and making contact with a pitch at eye-level for a meek ground ball, because the Brewers need more hitters who put the ball in play.

Noah Jarosh asks:

Big news! The Montreal Expos are back in the NL, and the Monterrey Jacks are joining the AL!

And now the MLB is holding an expansion draft now, with just days to the season! How they will make this work, I’ll never know. Here are the pertinent rules for an expansion draft:

Players from the previous two amateur/first-year player drafts are automatically protected. So this covers the 2014 and 2015 drafts.

Any high school players signed three years prior, when they were age 18 or younger, is automatically protected. This also covers international players signed in 2013 and everyone in the 2014 International Free Agent spending spree.

For the first round, teams can choose 15 players from their entire organization they want to protect from being drafted. (Three more are added each additional round)

So, which 15 players in the Brewers organization are you protecting in the first round?

Ryan Braun, Keon Broxton, Jonathan Villar, Orlando Arcia, Zach Davies, Junior Guerra, Lewis Brinson, Josh Hader, Mauricio Dubon, Brett Phillips, Jorge Lopez, Jacob Barnes, Hernan Perez, Corey Knebel, and Jacob Nottingham. The way the rules are set up, I think pretty much all the other “top prospects” would be protected based on when they were drafted or signed.

tomreagan707 asks:

Was there any way Milone couldn't make the team?

Sure there was. His contract was non-guaranteed, so the only thing the team might’ve been on the hook for if they cut him was some termination pay. I’m not really surprised he made the team, however. He’s a lefty, something the club is very short on, and has a solid track record of being about a league-average arm throughout his career. He had a rough spring and a tough season last year, sure, but he does own a 4.14 ERA (95 ERA+) and 4.36 FIP in 688.1 MLB innings. His contract is relatively minor and the club isn’t taking on any substantial risk or “blocking” anyone by seeing if he can work as a lefty reliever for the first couple months of the season, plus he provides some veteran insurance for a potentially unstable starting rotation. If he takes the chance that he was given and stinks up the joint to start the year, DFA him in May and call up someone else.

Thanks for all the fun questions this week everyone! Now a question for you:

Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and Baseball Prospectus