Age Not A Factor: Youthful Stearns Prepared to Bring World Series Title to Milwaukee

When 30-year-old David Stearns accepted the job as Milwaukee Brewers new General Manager September 20, he knew that he’d be in for a new type of challenge. Undaunted, Stearns and the Brewers will lean on his experience and over-look his relative youth. Brewers’ owner Mark Attanasio was not at all fazed by Stearns youth when making his selection.

"His experience is quite impressive.” Attanasio said. “The fact that he was able to achieve all of that at a comparatively young age is only a benefit and testament to his work ethic and his drive.”

Looking to Stearns rap-sheet, one can understand what Attanasio saw in him. Immediately prior to the Brewers, Stearns was the assistant GM for the Houston Astros. In his three years in Houston, Stearns oversaw an Astros resurgence that took them from a laughingstock to American League contender. In 2015, riding a wave of young talent led by American League ROY Carlos Correa, the Astros won 86 games, won a Wild Card game at Yankee Stadium and took the eventual champion Kansas City Royals to six games. All that, from the same Astros that won 70 games in 2014 and a league-worst 51 games in 2013.

In Stearns, the Brewers are getting an intelligent and excited GM who’s ready to take the Brewers to the next level. The Harvard grad cannot wait to get going with his new franchise. He has a plan in place, but he’s emphasizing the need for patience.

“That doesn’t mean an exceptionally long time,” Stearns said, “but it does mean that we need a level of patience and understanding of where our attention needs to be.”

Already he has begun turning over the roster, cutting ties with old expensive talent in search of young, controllable, prospects with upside, recently trading proven closer Francisco Rodriguez for infield prospect Javier Betancourt - ranked as the 11th best prospect in the Detroit Tigers farm system. Not only was this a solid first deal for Stearns in terms of prospect return, but he also managed to convince Detroit to assume all of K-Rod’s remaining salary, giving the Brewers the financial flexibility they need to undergo a smooth rebuild.

If his first deal is any indication, the Brewers appear to be on the right track. Patience shouldn’t be an issue for Brewers fans, as Stearns pedigree and youthful energy will surely bring success back to Miller Park in the near future.

All quotes attributed to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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The Great Equalizer 

IKE writer Chris Trafton looks at the correlation between a stacked farm system and major league success.

Baseball exists in a duality. Market size ranges from the booming cities of New York and Los Angeles to small markets like Kansas City, Tampa Bay, and Milwaukee. Being an uncapped sport, teams located in a large metropolis have a significant advantage in terms of the overall capital they are able to spend. Luckily, small market teams can use their farm system as the great equalizer. Prospects are valued and coveted like never before - they are their lifeblood of small market teams, allowing teams to grow future stars for a fraction of what it would take to buy them in free agency, or make a deal to acquire the stud name on the trade market. Unfortunately, prospects in baseball are the toughest to project of any sport, and relying on the farm system can leave teams in a flux that can last for years.

Teams in the rebuilding phase are always looking to stockpile young talent in their farm systems in hopes of building and better competing in the future. A prominent example of this is the Chicago Cubs.  Although they are in the fruitful market of Chicago, “buying” a world series doesn’t work like it used to, as impactful free agents demand 8-10 year contracts that cripple a team.  Ultra-Exec Theo Epstein has yet to tap into his large-market-pocketbook , instead choosing to infuse talent into the farm via Cuba (Jorge Soler), the Draft (Albert Almora, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez), and trade (Addison Russell).  The Cubs now possess a plethora of cost-effective young players with ceilings high enough to award them the unofficial award of Top Farm System as of July 2014. The Cubs vision of stockpiling young talent is mirrored by teams such as the Astros and Twins.  All three systems contain tremendous depth and upside, but is completely leaning on prospects the right way to go?

Organizations rely on prospects with the belief that success will come with follow them in the future. However, precedent shows that simply having a top farm system doesn’t guarantee success. Looking back into Baseball America’s past Organizational Talent Rankings, the top rated farm systems since 2005 to 2013 have yet to win a World Series. Looking further into these rankings, only 3 of the past 9 World Series champions had their organization ranked in the top five by Baseball America from 2005 to 2013. While that demonstrates a certain level of success, a top farm system should, in a perfect world, guarantee success. If World Series’ aren’t guaranteed by having a top farm system, then perhaps playoff appearances are. Data shows that consistently having a strong farm system translates to a certain level of playoff success. According to Baseball America, the Tampa Bay Rays had the top farm system in 2007, 2008, 2010, and the number two system in 2011, with the number four farm system in 2009 and 2013. In that time period the Rays have made 4 of the 7 postseasons, a remarkable success for a team with the third smallest market in the MLB competing in the same division against some of the largest markets in the game in Boston and New York. Another team known to have consistently talented farm systems is the Texas Rangers. From 2008 to 2012 the Rangers were ranked in the top five farm systems four times. In those years, the Rangers made the playoffs 3 of the 5 years, balancing home-grow stars while also incorporating prospect-for-star trades such as Cliff Lee. There is no correct way to predict success from a system. In 2010, Kansas City had the consensus top farm system across the sport (one of two years they appeared in the top 5 from 2005-2013). While they were able to turn UberProspect Wil Meyers into James Shields, The Royals have zero playoff appearances to show for it. San Diego had a top 3 system in 2012, but have yet to make the playoffs, and look unlikely to do so this year.

This brings the Cubs method back into the picture. Their system hasn’t ranked in the top five since 2005, yet now resembles a minor league All-Star team with all their highly ranked prospects. That leads into our next question: What are these “SuperProspects” worth? Each year, the number one prospect across baseball is regarded as a low-cost, can’t-miss, future superstar.  A list of the top prospects in baseball from recent years includes Matt Wieters, Jason Heyward, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, and Jurickson Profar.  While these players have all broken into the big leagues, their levels of “success” vary, and based upon their prospect status, they could even be looked at as disappointments. Players like Jason Heyward, Bryce Harper, and Matt Wieters haven’t lived up to the hype, earning the status of “All-Star” but failing to put together a legitimate two way season worthy of a player of their talent. Stephen Strasburg, based on his repertoire and pedigree is an “Ace” and number 1 starter, but missed an entire season due to Tommy John, and has been largely outperformed by teammates Gio Gonzales and Jordan Zimmerman.  Jurickson Profar, lauded for his ability to play anywhere on the diamond, has failed to make an impact for the last place Texas Rangers. On the other hand, SuperProspect and future face of the sport Mike Trout has strung together back to back MVP caliber seasons, but he has yet to make the playoffs in his career. As recent history clearly dictates, phenom players by no means guarantee success. Perhaps Theo has discovered this, as the Cubs have stocked their farm system to the point where a few call ups or busts won’t deplete the entire organization. It appears the new trend is becoming quality and quantity.  Theo Epstein may be just the guy that can turn a deep and talented farm system into championships.

In the end, it comes down to teams asking themselves how they plan on finding success. The safest bet for continued success comes down to having a loaded farm system with a multitude of prospects, because for every Mike Trout who turns out to be an actual stud, there are plenty of Mike Moustakas and Matt LaPortas who crash and burn. In addition to quality, quantity is becoming increasingly important. If you acquire enough lottery tickets, you might just hit on one. Cubs GM Theo Epstein has a track record of success, so there is good reason to believe in his plan. Though as Joaquin Andujar once said, “Baseball can be described in one word: You never know.

Follow Chris on Twitter - @BeastModeCT24

Viva La Revolución

IKE writer Keaton Walkowski takes a look at the success of Cuban athletes in baseball and offers his personal lineup for the 2017 WBC Final. Part II of IKE's in depth look at baseball's hottest import.

Take out the likes of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara; this isn’t your granddads Cuban Revolution.  Instead insert the likes of Yasiel Puig, Yoenis Cespedes, and Jose Fernandez.  This revolution has been sweeping the MLB the last couple of summers.

Whilst saying that, Cuban players have been within the ranks of the major leagues since Esteban Bellan debuted for the Troy Haymakers in the spring of 1871. But as the Communists began to squeeze the Cuban borders, the flow of its ball players to the big leagues began to dry up as well.   As quantity decreased, its quality remained steadfast. Names like Luis Tiant, Tony Perez, and Jose Canseco come to mind. With the path paved by those previously mentioned as well as the likes of Jose Contreras, Luis Gonzalez, and the Hernandez brothers, the stage was set for the next generation of Cubans in the MLB.

In the majors today there are currently 44 players either born in Cuba, or of Cuban decent.  The nation breeds talent. Being tasked as the hypothetical manager of Cuba in the 2017 World Baseball Classic Final, I didn’t lose any sleep figuring out my lineup card.

Leading off in Center Field - Jon Jay, of the St. Louis Cardinals is a career .296 hitter and a World Series champ. He also went 245 games without an error between August 2011 and July 2013 setting a National League record for Center Fielders.

Checking in at Shortstop and batting second - Alexei Ramirez of the Chicago WhiteSox. He was the 2010 Silver Slugger winner at SS, 2012 Wilson Defensive Player of the Year, as well as a 2014 All Star.  I like offense from my SS position, and that’s exactly what Alexei provides.

Holding down the 3-spot and playing Right Field – Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig. Puig-Mania has exploded on to the scene over the past thirteen months, with daily updates on every sports press syndicate since last summer. Oh, did I forget to mention it had its own line of t-shirts? The media presence has been well-deserved as Puig’s put up gaudy numbers. In his first calendar year in the MLB he hit .326 with 30 HR 92 RBI slugging .559. Exposing his 5 tools, he fielded at a very strong .981 with an assist to error ratio greater than 2 to 1. He also notched 16 steals.  A lot of this immense buzz surrounding Puig comes from outside the stadium as well. Whether it’s kickin’ it with Snoop Dogg, or whippin his brand new Mercedes faster than an Aroldis Chapman fastball, he knows how to keep it real. Some of those off field antics have surfaced on the field in the form of majestic bat flips, usually saved exclusively for towering homeruns. Who am I to tell him what he can or can’t do? Keep it up, Yasiel.

Batting cleanup and playing Left Field – Newly acquired Boston Bopper Yoenis Cespedes. Surfacing in the bigs in 2012, he wasted no time getting acclimated. Cespedes hit .292 his rookie season with 23 HR and 82 RBI, finishing second to $100million-dollar-arm Yu Darvish in American League Rookie of the Year voting.  At mid-season this year, he’s rockin’ out with 14 bombs with 56 RBI. In addition to winning back to back HR-Derbies, Cespedes has astounded audiences with his defense as well, most recently gunning a 300+ ft. bullet from deep left field to home on the fly, making a meal of the Angels Howie Kendrick at the dish. Two-way players never go out of style.

In the five spot and manning First Base – ChiSox Slugger Jose Abreu. The rookie First Baseman finished the first half with gaudy numbers, netting a .281 batting average while yakin’ 27 bombs and plating 69 RBIs and earning him an All-Star appearance.  His 27 homers and 69 RBIs at the break are good for second and third in the MLB respectively.

Batting sixth and at Second Base - Tampa Bay Ray Yunel Escobar. A career .272 hitter, his offense and versatility in the middle infield have allowed him to consistently find starting gigs on competitive teams.

Hitting seventh and gracing the hot corner - Nolan Arenando. The Rockies Third Baseman was the 2013 NL Gold Glove winner, also owning the longest hit streak in Rockies history hitting in 28 straight games.

In the 8th spot and behind the dish – Alex Avila of the Detroit Tigers.  He was the 2011 AL Silver Slugger award winner and a 2014 All Star. 

Hitting last and on the mound – Miami Marlins RHP Jose Fernandez. Born in Santa Clara, Cuba, the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year displayed downright filthy stuff, going 12-6 with an ERA of 2.19 over 172.2 innings for the Miami Marlins as a 21-year-old.

To recap, my lineup of Cubans would look like this:

1.     CF – Jon Jay

2.     SS – Alexei Ramirez

3.     RF – Yasiel Puig

4.     LF – Yoenis Cespedes

5.     1B – Jose Abreu

6.     2B – Yunel Escobar

7.     3B – Nolan Arenado

8.     C – Alex Avila

9.     RHP – Jose Fernandez

Assuming Jose will go eight innings for us, we’ll throw Cincinnati Red LHP Aroldis Chapman in for the 9th, where his triple digits and wipeout slider from the left side will close the game out in timely fashion.

 In total, this “Best of Hits Collection” of Cuban major leaguers contains 6 All Star appearances, 2 Silver Sluggers, Gold Glove, Rookie of the Year, 3 Players of the Month, 6 Rookies of the Month, and one World Series Championship.  Not bad for a lineup containing only one player over 30. The players will continue to grow into their tools, and trust me - this revolución is just beginning

Follow Keaton on Twitter - @keatonwalkowski

The Cuban Missile Surplus

Part 1 of IKE Sport Report's in depth look at baseball's hottest import.

Cuba. The land that American’s either don’t care about or choose to ignore.  For the longest time, major league baseball shared this same philosophy.  “Why invest time and resources in a country we don’t have diplomatic relations with? After all, we have the rest of Latin-America to mine for talent…”

This is true – MLB teams have long scouted the talented pipeline of Central America, even establishing their own baseball academies in the region to better reel in and mold the young talent. However, one stone has been largely left unturned…until recently.  As with a farmer planting crops on the same patch of land every year, the soil needs time to build back up the minerals and nutrients needed to produce the best results.   Cuba is the richest topsoil of any Latin American baseball pipeline.  The MLB’s decision to neglect the country has turned it into a place bursting with talent, waiting to sprout.  Cuba is the new AAAA… the MLB’s best farm system.

While the trail was originally blazed by Cuban pitcher Orlando Hernandez (the infamous, “El Duque”) It wasn’t until a few years ago when a smart GM by the name of Billy Beane signed Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes to a four year $36 million deal.  It was rare for the cash-strapped Oakland A’s to throw this kind of money at a free agent player, let alone an unproven one.  Beane, being the visionary he is, looked at the upside in his against-the-grain move: Cespedes played a premium position (CF), and displayed premium baseball athleticism and tools.  What he wasn’t banking on was the possibility that Cespedes would be major league ready and that the move in hindsight would be viewed as cost-effective.  Cespedes made his MLB debut right away and instantly became a key cog in the cash-strapped Oakland Athletics dominance of the AL West.  Fast forward three years, and Cespedes has become something of an icon.  After winning back to back Home-Run Derby’s he has become known around ESPN for his light-tower power and highlight reel plays in the field. Cespedes was arguably the best player on the A’s, the team with the best record in baseball. He is not alone in his meteoric rise to stardom.

*Cespedes has since been traded to Boston for Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes*

Nearly all Cuban players share the same traits to some degree in the eyes of scouts and GM’s.

1.     They display baseball athleticism and tools unmatched by most players

2.     They are MLB-ready

3.     They are cost-effective

4.     They are hungry to succeed – after all, they risked their lives on a boat to even get here

While they are no doubt a minority in the sport, the talent speaks for itself. Looking around at other Cuban’s in the MLB, Cincinatti Red’s Pitcher Aroldis Chapman possesses the liveliest left handed arm on the planet (Respect to Kershaw as a more complete pitcher) with easy velocity into the triple digits, including the fastest recorded pitch ever thrown (105.9mph).  In combination with his wipeout slider - faster than the opposing pitcher’s fastball most nights – Chapman is damn near unhittable.  What did it cost the Red’s for a consensus top 3 closer in baseball? $30 million over six years. No Tommy John surgeries, just a Cuban lefty throwing missiles that shorten the game to 8 innings.

Looking around the sport for other Cuban bargains and you see Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, who at 21 years old is already among the ten best pitchers in the sport. He will surely command a contract well over $100 million one day.  Athletic, toolsy shortstops Yunel Escobar, Alexei Ramirez, and Jose Iglesias are all considered assets at a position of scarcity.  How many effective middle infielders still come from the US? Not as many as they used to.  Then there are the big boppers: Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu.  These defectors have taken the league by storm in the last calendar year – all without wasting time in the minors.  Puig is a human highlight reel – his fiery competitive spirit makes him the face of the Los Angeles Dodgers over other marketable American stars such as Kershaw, Adrian Gonzales, Zach Greinke and Matt Kemp.  Puig is a 5 tool player, and already one of the best in baseball, just a year after his debut.  The appalling thing? The Dodger’s have him for 7 years and $42 million.  The Los Angeles Dodgers, the team with the MLB’s highest payroll who have been spending like the Yankees, have one of the best players in the sport for just $6 million a year.  If Robinson Cano and Prince Fielder can get $200million, Puig’s MegaDeal is on the horizon.  Jose Abreu on the other hand is a 1st Basemen who just made his debut this year without any minor league seasoning.  All he’s done since leaving Cuba for the WhiteSox is lead the league in Home Runs as a rookie at the All Star Break.  With 29 in 82 games, he’s on pace to hit well over 50. Similar players who provide/put up that kind of production include Mark Teixeira (paid $180 million), Prince Fielder (paid $214 million) and Giancarlo Stanton (soon to be paid lord-knows-what).  Abreu signed a modest 6 year deal work $68 million. What can we say? Chicks dig the long ball.

As scouts and GM’s scour the globe in an effort to find elite baseball talent, more and more Cuban players are being brought to the forefront of things.  Professional leagues in Cuba provide tremendous seasoning and development, as Cuban’s in the MLB seem to reach their potential much faster than the average prospect.  From the get-go, these players providing highlight reel plays and show the ability to carry a team: All for around 1/3 of normal positional market value.  In the age of the internet, information travels at the speed of light, and it is only a matter of time before more Cuban phenoms are discovered and find their way to the States.  In the meantime, if your team has a proactive GM and seems to be in the hunt for one of these Cuban Lottery Tickets, take a deep breath and bellow out: “SIGN HIM!

Follow KJ on Twitter - @kjeichstaedt