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The exact pathway to the new blog may still be under construction, but here is where you can find the new blog.

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Jim

The new site is technically up and running, but there are some kinks that still need to be worked out before I post a link and send you all over there.

Thank you for your patience.  Hopefully, I can post a link here tomorrow morning.

Until then:

Doug Melvin and the Brewers claimed right-handed pitcher Marco Estrada from the Washington Nationals yesterday and designated right-hander Tim Dillard for assignment.  Both pitchers are 26-years old, but the organization feels as if Estrada has more upside -- based on a recommendation from new Triple-A Nashville pitching coach Rich Gale.

"You take players based on their up side, not what they have done thus far in the majors," said Ash. "Rich Gale really liked him and made a strong recommendation to (scouting special assistant) Dick Groch. We went on that, plus our own scouting reports."

Before getting too excited about the term "upside" with Mr. Estrada, it should be noted that very few scouting reports believe the young man will develop into anything other than a back-end starter in the big leagues.  His velocity is a bit underwhelming, sitting in the 88-91 MPH range, and he has had problems keeping the ball in the park during his two brief stints with the Nationals in 2008 and 2009.

That fastball, however, has some nice sink, and Baseball America noted in their 2009 Prospect Handbook that Estrada can ramp it up as high as 94 MPH on occasion.  If he ever makes the big league squad as a reliever, it seems Estrada could add a couple ticks to his fastball when only working in short stints.  Pure speculation, though.

The intriguing aspect of Estrada's repertoire is that his changeup is his best offering.  He has a great feel for the pitch and uses great arm action.  With a sinking fastball, a plus-changeup and a curveball that can, at times, be an above-average offering, one can easily understand why Baseball America ranked him as the #21 prospect in 2008 and John Sickels ranked him at #19 this season, saying:

I have no actual evidence to support this, but I keep thinking he could have a surprisingly good season in 2010. Nothing left to prove in Triple-A.

Many folks have written off this move for the Crew due to a below-average strikeout rate of 6.47 K/9 in Triple-A last season.  While those numbers may be nothing to write home about, he balanced that nicely with a low 2.18 BB/9 walk rate -- good for a 2.97 K/BB ratio.  Strikeout rates should never be looked at in a vacuum, as even a modest strikeout rate in the 5-6 range can be effective if the walks are low enough and the young man is a groundball pitcher -- it is unclear whether or not Estrada can induce groundballs consistently in the big leagues, though.

The point of this post is not to pimp Marco Estrada as the future savior of the Brewers' starting rotation, nor is it even to guarantee Estrada will be a #3 starter in the years to come.  Marco Estrada does have a fine chance, however, to stick as a #4 or #5 starter either in 2011 or perhaps even later in 2010, depending on injuries and ineffectiveness, of course.

And it is important to remember that even an effective #5 starter at the league minimum is valuable for a small-market organization, such as the Brewers.

The Milwaukee Brewers continue to make waiver claims this offseason, this time picking up right-hander Marco Estrada off waivers from the Washington Nationals.

Estrada, 26, spent most of the 2009 season at Class AAA Syracuse, whre he went 9-5 with a 3.63 ERA in 27 games (25 starts). In 136 innings, he allowed 133 hits and 33 walks with 98 strikeouts.

Estrada, a sixth-round draft pick in 2005 by the Nats, made four appearances (one start) last season in the majors, going 0-1 with a 6.14 ERA. In 15 games with Washington (one start), he is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA.

Dillard, 26, spent most of last season at Class AAA Nashville, going 11-7 with a 4.51 ERA in 24 starts. He made two relief appearances with the Brewers (0-1, 12.46), allowing seven hits, five walks and six runs in four innings.

Tim Dillard's stock fell off the map last season, showing an inability to strike people out and not impressing coaches when given the chance in the big leagues.  His "useful reliever" tag has probably all but disappeared at this point.

I will have more information on Marco Estrada either later tonight or early tomorrow morning (either on the new site, if ready, or here once again).

With Dillard no longer on the 40-man roster, that leaves Luis Cruz as the only member who does not deserve to be there, in my eyes.  Perhaps the Brewers can make yet another waiver claim on a player with minor league options remaining and DFA Cruz.

Given the fact that Milwaukee specifically grabbed Cruz off waivers earlier this offseason, it seems unlikely.  Too bad.

David Riske does not miss ex-Brewer pitching coach Mike Maddux:

"I wish I would have never, ever tried to learn those breaking balls because that's really what triggered it," Riske said. "What do you do? You want to do what they want, and it gradually got worse and worse. ... My whole career, I threw 95 percent fastballs, and I've had a pretty good career up until last year. I wish I would have just said no."

Riske said he objected, but tried to pitch through the pain. He posted a 5.31 ERA in 45 appearances in 2008 and was shut down after Sept. 7.