Brew Crew Report (7/6/03)

Last week, I got a special treat, I was able to get in touch with a very special person via mail, e-mail, and in person. This person is at the top of the chain as far as personel in the Milwaukee Brewers Organization goes. He is a respected lawyer in the greater Milwaukee area along with being a very talented basketball player at Marquette University during the Al Mcguire days. Last year, he became the first African American President in Major League Baseball when he took over for Wendy Selig-Prieb.

I would like to deeply thank Brewers President and Chief Executive Officer Ulice Payne Jr. for giving me the opportunity to answer a few of my questions via mail. He has been a huge help for me, allowing me to get his feedback and information via e-mail, mail, and in person. Again, thank you Ulice Payne Jr!

Q: (Gordon Lee) Ulice, I like the work that you, Doug, and Gord are putting into the Brewers. I feel that the recent trades to release Alex Sanchez, Curtis Leskanic, and the option to Glendon Rusch were the best things to do for the Milwaukee Brewers.

A: (Ulice Payne Jr.) Your words are encouraging, thank you. We are doing our best to ensure that the Milwaukee Brewers and their fans know that we are serious about rebuilding this franchise, and city.

Q: (Gordon Lee) We hear so much about Milwaukee being part of a rebuilding process, exactly how long do you think that will take?

A: (Ulice Payne Jr.) The rebuilding process will take 2-3 years, but we started in October of 2002. We need to produce a winner in order to put fans in the seats. If you have noticed, the mystique of the new (and gorgeous) Miller Park is no longer enough to keep fans coming.

Q: (Gordon Lee) The Brewers had a very nice June Free Agent Draft, the obvious gem was Rickie Weeks, when do you see him making an impact on the Major League Club?

A: (Ulice Payne Jr.) We expect our '03 draftees to be in Brewer Uniforms in Milwaukee between '05-'06. However, we look at him and the other draftees to make an instant impact on our farm system, which will make it possible for this team to be successful for a long time after the rebuilding process.

Trade Away?:

You can’t help but wonder what direction the Brewers are going in this season. Do you keep Geoff Jenkins and Richie Sexson, cornerstones to your franchise even though they are set to make a combined $16.25 million next season? Do you keep players like Eric Young, Royce Clayton, and Mike Dejean even though they either have a club option or an expiring contract following this season? What exactly do you do if you are Ulice Payne, Doug Melvin, or Gord Ashe?

As far as Eric Young, Royce Clayton, and Mike Dejean are concerned, the Brewers will and should entertain all offers that head their way regarding them. Scott Podsednik has stepped up to be the Brewers Leadoff hitter from now, into the future. This eliminates the need for Eric Young beyond this season, sure, you don’t want to lose your #2 hitter that gets on base in front of the boppers but can you really go wrong? Let’s face it, Eric Young isn’t quite the fan favorite of a Richie Sexson or a Geoff Jenkins, and he isn’t a part of the Brewers future. Eric could be a good part of a contenders batting order, he has shown exceptional power this year with a career high 11 homeruns, and his former career high was for a season, not for before the All-Star break. He could definitely bring in some good prospects. Royce Clayton started the year off hot, slumped in May, and has come up with timely hits since. However, we all know that he is keeping the position warm for Billy Hall to step in either after this season or the next. Mike Dejean pretty much is off the market since the Brewers shipped Curtis Leskanic to KC, and the surprisingly bad pitching of Luis Vizcaino. To make matters worse, the Brewers are being forced to start Matt Ford, another strong bullpen arm out of the Rule 5 Draft because of a terrible first half by Glendon Rusch who is currently in Indianapolis.

Mike Dejean is not a lights out closer, he has a rather high ERA and always puts Brewers fans into sinus tachycardia when he takes the ball in the ninth. So maybe, just maybe you should put him on the market. You can always give Leo Estrella a shot at being the clubs closer.

Now, the big boppers themselves, Richie Sexson and Geoff Jenkins. Would you rather have the player you aquired via a steal of a trade or homegrown talent? Would you rather have someone that plays injured all the time, or someone with a history of extensive DL time? You can’t really answer these questions. Looking at salaries, Richie will make $8 Mil next season, Geoff will make $8.25 Mil next season, you still have no answer. How about age? Both are 29. Defensively? Richie is one of the best defensive First Basemen in the League and Geoff is one of the best defensive Left Fielders in the League. Still no answer.

How about from an offensive standpoint? It can be argued who is better. Richie has been the Brewers for two years while Geoff was serving his time on the DL. Since Geoff seems to be healthy, do you still have the same view? Richie is having a tough season as far as batting average goes, you would like him to be somewhere in the .270-85 range, but he is currently batting .262. He has sent 23 homeruns into the seats and has drove in 60 runs. A healthy Geoff Jenkins is in the .300 range, he is currently at .286 so if he can avoid one of his long slumps, he will end up around there. He has 20 homeruns, 66 steaks and has improved his batting stance to get rid of the uppercut that has killed him at points throughout his career.

I don’t know, but looking at these two, they are the mirror images of each other as far as talent goes. Both are players that opposing teams do not want to pitch to. Both can handle their own at the plate and in the field. I have to dig way down to get an answer to this. The Brewers don’t have many prospects to look forward to in the Outfield. At First, they will be watching Brad Nelson and Prince Fielder. Mark one for Richie to be the one that should be traded.

With that said, if Richie is the one to be traded, prospects only will not do. They would need at least one serviceable major-leaguer, preferably a pitcher, in what would have to be a multi-player return. Otherwise, there would be a revolt at the gate, which beats apathy in the parking lot any day of the week. The move cannot solely be for the future, you need fans in the seats and star for prospects will not do. That goes for trading Richie Sexson, Geoff Jenkins, or Ben Sheets.

Questions from Brewers Fans:

Why does it seem that the Brewers bullpen is one of the weakest parts of the team when in fact it was supposed to be a strong point coming into the season?

I don't know. I guess you could point to the fact that the bullpen has suffered a fair share of injuries, not only to themselves but to the Starting Rotation causing them to become skim. Jayson Durocher has been injured off and on all season, Curtis Leskanic was a big question mark coming into the season because of surgery. He showed to be the strongest reliever, and is now a part of the Kansas City Royals bullpen because of it. Shane Nance has done a decent job after being called up. I don't know what in the world is wrong with Luis Vizcaino, and Matt Ford has shown great stuff, allowing him to be put in the rotation for Glendon Rusch. We should all be glad to see the sole gem in the bullpen that is still in the bullpen, Leo Estrella pitching so well.

Scott Podsednik came out of nowhere, I for one, thought that Alex Sanchez would be the future in the Outfield for the Brewers. Why was Scott a diamond in the rough?

Scott is, and has been the mirror image of Alex Sanchez except that Scott is better defensively, and he is a bit more of an aware player. He knows more about what is going on at any given time than Alex ever did. That's not a knock on Alex either, that is just a pat on the back for Scott, he is a step ahead of the rest.

Coming in, Scott was projected as a utility Outfielder at best, he knew he could start but every team was skeptical to give him the opportunity. Being a rebuilding team, and already being tired of Sanchez's play, the Brewers decided to give him a chance and I am sure they are glad they did.

How do you see the Brewers after the trading deadline?

Well, I am not sure what you mean by that, if you mean what will their lineup be like I can't answer that. I do have a good idea of what they are planning but, again, that is just my idea. Don't be surprised if Eric Young, Royce Clayton, Mike Dejean, and Richie Sexson are gone. I don't think there are any locks as far as the current Brewers go to be there after the deadline. I think the closest to a lock is Geoff Jenkins, I still don't think teams will give the Brewers what they want for him, simply because of his injury prone past.

1982 Brewers logo or current Brewers logo?

Easy, the 1982 Brewers logo. I have the retro hat and everything, sometimes i'll even sport my 1982 Brewers cowboy hat to games. That logo is truly one of the best logos I have ever seen in sports. It is a shame that they had to update it in the mid 90's. However, the road jerseys with the powder blue shirt and pants were kind of queerish if you ask me. But, I love 'em all the same, I'm just not about to buy a Richie Sexson Retro Jersey for $200.00 at the mall.