The catch had already earned him $10,000 in a fishing tournament and placed his name in the state record book. Now it has labeled Roger Hellen of Franksville as something else – world record holder.

Jonathan Lucroy is perhaps the current favorite to start behind the plate for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2010.  The young man hit .267/.380/.418 for the Huntsville Stars and just finished representing the Brewers in the Arizona Fall League.
Jonathan was kind enough to be interviewed via email over the past couple of days.
Be sure to check out more Brewers news and analysis from Jim Breen at Bernie’s Crew.

Tom Haudricourt works with Baseball America on their annual Top 10 Prospect rankings.
He was courteous enough to post an advanced copy of the composite rankings on his blog:
1. SS Alcides Escobar
2. 2B Brett Lawrie
3. 3B Mat Gamel (doesn’t qualify as rookie for MLB in 2010)
4. RHP Eric Arnett
5. C Jonathan Lucroy
6. OF Kentrail Davis
7. LHP Zach Braddock
8. OF Lorenzo Cain
9. RHP Jake Odorizzi
10. RHP Kyle Heckathorn
Take note that Milwaukee’s Top 10 includes three prospects that were drafted in the 2009 First-Year …

When reading the Royals acquired second baseman Chris Getz and third baseman Josh Fields from the White Sox for utilityman Mark Teahan, my expectations for what Doug Melvin could demand in return for J.J. Hardy increased significantly.
Hardy for underachieving center fielder Carlos Gomez of the Minnesota Twins does not qualify as meeting my expectations.

Be sure to check out more Brewers news and analysis from Jim Breen at Bernie’s Crew.

A single day following the conclusion of the 2009 World Series, the J.J. Hardy rumor mill has already begun churning.
Charley Walters of The Pioneer Press speculates that the Twins could come calling if the organization fails to resignOrlando Cabrera in the coming weeks.  Walters also speculates that starting pitcher Glen Perkins would be a logical starting point in the negotiations.
Brewers fans then have to ask is Glen Perkins a sufficient return for J.J. Hardy?

Be …

Jon Heyman and Tom Haudricourt both see the Milwaukee Brewers as serious suitors for Jarrod Washburn this offseason.
Doug Melvin and the Brewers seriously pursued Washburn this past summer as a trade candidate, so the organization obviously believes he can augment the starting rotation (as if that would be overly difficult).  The lefty also is a Wisconsin native.  The argument is that Washburn may wish to pitch close to home to end his …

The NL Rookie of the Year award has been hotly debated throughout the summer, as Casey McGehee has been clamoring for recognition outside the Brew City.
How did he rank?

Be sure to check out more Brewers news and analysis from Jim Breen at Bernie’s Crew.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel recapped and graded the individual performances of every Brewer that saw significant playing time throughout the season.
Grading is extremely subjective, so no “true” grade for any one player exists.  Still, some of the grades doled out by the Milwaukee JS were a tad bit misguided and need to be addressed.
Be sure to check out more Brewers news and analysis from Jim Breen at Bernie’s Crew.

As a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, one of my duties is to vote on a plethora of awards as the season comes to a close.
We start with the Manager of the Year in the National League.  Still to come:  NL Rookie of the Year, NL Cy Young, NL MVP.
NL Manager of the Year
3)  Charlie Manuel, Philadelphia
2)  Tony La Russa, St. Louis
1)  Jim Tracy, Colorado
Be sure to check out …

In perhaps one of the most organization-defining offseasons Doug Melvin has ever faced, the team attempted to solidify the back-end of the bullpen by resigning Trevor Hoffman to a one-year, $8MM deal.
The contract also has a mutual option for 2011.
Hoffman was previously unwilling to include an option on his previous contract with Milwaukee, as he was unsure how he would like the team and the surrounding city.  That changed after he …

Now that the Milwaukee Brewers have officially completed their 2009 season, news of more and more players with minor injuries continue to come to light.
Casey McGehee will undergo surgery this afternoon to clean out some “loose bodies” from his right knee.  The potential NL Rookie of the Year has been playing through the pain since the All-Star Break, but the knee problems significantly lessened his range at third and his …

Casey McGehee has been the surprise of the season for Milwaukee. But can he sustain his production into the 2010 season?

After the Brewers’ starters failed to pitch more than two innings in each of the previous two games, rookie Chris Narveson took the mound on Wednesday evening and twirled an absolute gem against the Cubs.