The thing about the bottom falling out is that there’s usually no warning. So it was for Luke Barker on June 10, 2015, the final day of that year’s MLB First-Year Player Draft. Barker sported a 2.91 ERA over 72 collegiate appearances, stands 6’4” and weighed in at 210 pounds on draft day. He has […]
Tag: Luke Barker
Minor League Opening Day
On Tuesday morning, the Brewers’ affiliated minor league rosters were announced, showcasing the roster decisions made by GM David Stearns and the player development staff in perhaps their most important rebuilding season. 2017 is the year that talent acquired in former President Doug Melvin’s 2015 trades, Stearns’s round of moves, and the first Ray Montgomery […]
Diamonds in the Rough: Brewers Mine From Indy Leagues
One in ten: That’s the approximate number of players in the minor leagues who make it to the major leagues. And that includes plenty of players we commonly think of as “busts” – think Ángel Salomé or Ben Hendrickson, both of whom clawed their way to the major leagues before fizzling out. Their stories are […]
Assessing Roster Moves II: Trending Sideways
It was difficult to discern a roster building plan during the Brewers’ two week stretch of Rule 5 roster protection and waiver-and-designate, but that sense has disappeared completely this week. First, GM David Stearns effectively closed his waiver spree by signing Korean Baseball Organization superstar Eric Thames, adding a well-priced value play to the MLB […]