Milwaukee Brewers News Clips Monday, January 18, 2016

MLB.com  Crew avoids arbitration with all 3 eligibles  Arcia on MLB Pipeline’s All-Defense Prospect Team

Journal Sentinel  Brewers come to terms with Smith, Segura and Peralta  Brewers announce attendees for ‘On Deck’ event

http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/162024108/segura-peralta-smith-agree-to-brewers-deals Crew avoids arbitration with all 3 eligibles

By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | January 15, 2016

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers avoided arbitration with all three of their eligible players ahead of the Friday deadline by agreeing to one-year contracts with shortstop Jean Segura and and . Smith will earn $1.475 million in 2016, according to a Yahoo Sports report, and Segura settled at $2.6 million, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. Peralta's salary was not immediately known, but for the Brewers, the bottom line was this: For the fourth straight year, they will not need to take any players to an arbitration hearing.

"Sometimes hearings are necessary," said GM David Stearns, who has extensive experience in arbitration as an employee of both various clubs and the Commissioner's Office. "In this case, we were fortunate we were able to settle with all three. That's the preferable outcome, when you can get there."

Two of Stearns' deputies, director of operations Karl Mueller and manager of baseball operations Matt Kleine, handled negotiations with the players' representatives. Those discussions, Stearns said, never went beyond one-year proposals.

Asked whether extension talks are possible with any of the trio, Stearns said, "We're always exploring those types of opportunities. A one-year deal does not preclude going back later and talking about it if both sides are interested."

Had any of the three players remained unsigned as of noon CT on Friday, the sides would have formally exchanged one-year contract proposals and begun preparing for an arbitration hearing in February. The Brewers have only gone all the way to a hearing five times, most recently in 2012 with reliever Jose Veras.

Smith was arbitration eligible for the first time as a "Super 2" player because he ranked among the top 22 percent of players with between two and three years of Major League service. His salary nearly tripled thanks to that status, from the $512,500 he earned last season while posting a 2.70 ERA in 76 appearances.

Smith will have three more years of arbitration eligibility before he qualifies for free agency. Peralta and Segura will have two more arbitration years apiece.

Segura, who turns 26 on March 17, was expected to draw the highest salary all along by virtue of spending the past three seasons as Milwaukee's starting shortstop, including an All-Star appearance in 2013. His production has dropped off, however, in the past two seasons, during which he has a combined .252/.285/.331. He'll get competition as soon as this season from top prospect , who is expected to begin the season at - A Colorado Springs. Peralta, 26, was the Brewers' most valuable in 2014 but made only 20 starts in 2015 because of a ribcage strain. He is 35-37 with a 4.02 ERA in 90 career games, including 89 starts, and is a contender to start the Brewers' April 4 season opener against the Giants.

Smith, 26, is positioned to play a critical role in the Brewers' bullpen in the wake of a trade that sent Francisco Rodriguez to Detroit. With K-Rod out of the picture, Smith and right-hander are the Brewers' most likely closer options for 2016, with another right-hander, , also in the mix. Manager has not publicly committed to any of those players as a leading candidate.

http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/161989384/byron-buxton-headlines-prospects-defense-team Arcia on MLB Pipeline’s All-Defense Prospect Team Twins' Buxton garners most votes for best defensive prospect

By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com | January 18, 2015

Baseball is often a game of numbers. Especially with the explosion of advanced metrics, a player's performance can be quantified in many ways.

While strides have certainly been made in measuring defensive ability in the same manner, there is still more subjectivity when evaluating glove work. That doesn't mean defense and prevention aren't important. If the offseason deals for pitching and the large contract signed with the Cubs are any indication, keeping runs from crossing the plate has increased in value.

It's not just crucial in terms of free-agent signings. Teams want to develop homegrown players who not only impact the game offensively, but with their gloves as well. Trying to figure out who the best defensive prospect in the game was the focus of the most recent Pipeline Poll of general managers, scouting directors and executives. It was abundantly clear just how subjective defense still is when the array of answers came in.

There were a total of 21 responses that brought in 14 names. There was no clear-cut winner, but Twins outfielder did lead the way. The top three:

Name, Pos., Team, Votes Byron Buxton, OF, Twins, 5 Orlando Arcia, SS, Brewers, 4 J.P. Crawford, SS, Phillies, 3

See a pattern there? It actually was the one common theme in nearly all the responses. All but one of the baker's dozen of prospects mentioned a position up the middle. There were seven shortstops, three catchers and two center fielders. Opinions may greatly vary on the particular player, but it's obvious that finding good defenders up the middle is the key.

"Defense up the middle is so valued because of the impact it carries," one general manager said. "The shortstop is the general of the infield, and the catcher may be the most impactful defender on the field. Defense matters, and up- the-middle impact can make or break a club."

That got the MLBPipeline.com crew thinking. Taking these votes into consideration and doing our own internal work, we've come up with the 2016 All-Defense Prospect Team.

Catcher: Reese McGuire, Pirates The 2013 first-round pick's bat hasn't come around just yet, but there's no question about his glove. McGuire is an outstanding receiver, with a strong and accurate arm to go along with rapidly developing game-calling skills. First base: Dom Smith, Mets While Smith, also from that 2013 first round, is a first baseman only, he has great hands and footwork around the bag to go along with an accurate arm. Infielders are going to love throwing to him at the big league level.

Second base: Jose Peraza, Reds Sure, he's been traded twice in the span of five months, but that doesn't take away from his skills in the field. Peraza was a shortstop initially with the Braves, but he moved mostly because of the presence of Andrelton Simmons. He brings shortstop ability over to second, where he has the chance to be a plus defender.

Third base: Matt Chapman, A's Finding guys who profile at the hot corner offensively while showing they can stick there defensively is tough. Chapman has the glove part down. He has one of the strongest infield arms in the Minors, and his hands and feet will work very well at third long-term.

Shortstop: Orlando Arcia, Brewers Arcia was known as a glove-first guy when he began his pro career, but he has since raised his overall prospect profile by improving his offensive game considerably. The defense hasn't taken a back seat. Anyone who saw him play in the Futures Game knows that.

Outfield: Byron Buxton, Twins Sure, he struggled offensively during his big league debut. But Buxton's defense didn't suffer and he can flat-out do it all in center field, with plus range and excellent instincts to go along with fearlessness and a cannon for an arm.

Outfield: Albert Almora, Cubs The Cubs have made so much noise with prospects lately, Almora has gone a bit under the radar. He has future Gold Glove potential as well, maximizing just average speed with terrific jumps and routes. Almora's arm is strong and accurate, too.

Outfield: Andrew Stevenson, Nationals A second-rounder in the 2015 Draft, scouts raved about his defense in center field while he was at LSU and during his pro debut. Some scouts put a 70 on the 20-80 scale for Stevenson's fielding. Buxton is the only one on this list with a 70 fielding grade.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/brewers-come-to-terms-with-smith-segura-and-peralta-b99652576z1- 365463261.html Brewers come to terms with Smith, Segura and Peralta

By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel January 15, 2016

In his first go-round as general manager, David Stearns will not have to worry about going to an arbitration hearing with any of his players.

The Brewers came to terms on one-year deals Friday with all three of their arbitration-eligible players — shortstop Jean Segura, right-hander Wily Peralta and left-handed reliever Will Smith. Teams and players had until noon to reach agreements or exchange numbers for possible hearings in February.

"Hearings are certainly warranted at times and can be a necessary part of the process, but when you can reach a settlement prior to exchanging figures, it allows everyone to focus on baseball, and that's what we want," Stearns said.

"We want them getting ready for and motivated and ready to go when everyone reports to Maryvale in five weeks."

All three players were arbitration-eligible for the first time, and as is usually the case in such situations, received significant boosts in pay. Each made barely over the minimum salary last season, with Smith at $512,500, Peralta at $525,500 and Segura at $534,000.

Smith's salary nearly tripled to $1,475,000 and Segura saw his increase five-fold to $2.6 million. Peralta did a bit better than Segura, settling for $2.8 million.

Stearns said discussions with all three players were limited to one-year deals instead of looking at longer-term contracts. That approach was not surprising considering the team is in the early stages of a massive rebuilding plan.

"First-time eligible players generally have a pretty-defined salary structure each year," said Stearns, who commended front-office members Matt Kleine and Karl Mueller for leading the negotiations.

"The fact we had three first-time eligibles that composed our entire arbitration class led us to fair numbers with all three. That's really what's important."

Players with three years of major-league service time automatically qualify for salary arbitration. But the top 22% of those with between two years and three years of service also qualify, and Smith, 26, fell into that category.

In his two seasons with the Brewers, Smith has compiled an 8-5 record and 3.21 average in 154 appearances. Last season, he was 7-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 76 games, with 91 in 631/3 innings.

Segura, 25, who turned down a $38 million, six-year extension offer in the spring of 2014, has been the starter at short for more than three years. In 479 games, he has batted .266 with a .301 on-base percentage and .662 OPS, with 54 doubles, 24 triples, 23 homers and 144 RBI.

Last season, Segura batted .257 with a .281 OBP and .616 OPS, with 16 doubles, five triples, six homers and 50 RBI in 142 games.

Peralta, 26, has been in the starting rotation for three-plus seasons, posting a 35-37 record and 4.02 ERA in 90 games. Last season, he missed more than two months with an oblique strain and was ineffective otherwise, going 5- 10 with a 4.72 ERA in 20 games, with only 60 strikeouts in 1082/3 innings and a 1.537 WHIP.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/365652261.html Brewers announce attendees for ‘On Deck’ event

By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel January 18, 2016

The Brewers on Monday announced the attendees for their annual “Brewers On Deck” fan event on Jan. 31 at the Wisconsin Center.

As might be expected for a team in vast rebuilding mode, the group of players includes many of the team’s top prospects, including shortstop Orlando Arcia, centerfielders Brett Phillips and Trent Clark, pitchers Jorge Lopez, and Adrian Houser, and rightfielder Clint Coulter.

The group of established players attending includes all-star rightfielder but catcher , leftfielder Khris Davis, shortstop Jean Segura and right-hander Matt Garza are not on the list. I am told Lucroy can't attend because of a previous family commitment.

Second baseman Scooter Gennett, pitchers and , and newly acquired first baseman Chris Carter are coming to the event.

Here is the list of attendees (in alphabetical order):

Players

Orlando Arcia Jacob Barnes Yhonathan Barrios Ryan Braun Keon Broxton Chris Carter Garin Cecchini Trent Clark Clint Coulter Zach Davies Ramon Flores Scooter Gennett David Goforth Josh Hader Adrian Houser Jeremy Jeffress Taylor Jungmann Corey Knebel Jorge Lopez Damien Magnifico Martin Maldonado Jimmy Nelson Shane Peterson Brett Phillips Michael Reed Will Smith Tyler Thornburg Tyler Wagner Colin Walsh

Alumni

Don August Jerry Augustine Rollie Fingers Jim Gantner Larry Hisle Davey Nelson Greg Vaughn

Manager and coaches

Craig Counsel Darnell Coles Joe Crawford Derek Johnson Marcus Hanel Pat Murphy Ed Sedar Carlos Subero Lee Tunnell Matt Erickson ( Wisconsin mgr)

"Brewers On Deck" will begin at 10 a.m. and go to 5 p.m. Advance tickets are $15 for adults and $9 for children 14 and under. Tickets on the day of the event are $20 for adults and $15 for children 14 and under. On the day of the event, cash is the only accepted form of payment for admittance.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Brewers Community Foundation. Tickets may be purchased at the Miller Park ticket office by calling the Brewers ticket office at (414) 902-4000 or online at Brewers.com/ondeck through Friday, January 29.

Once again, food donations will be accepted at the event through Hunger Task Force. Donations can be dropped off at two main entrances to the Wisconsin Center, located at 4th St. and Wisconsin Ave. and 4th St. and Wells St.

The event will feature a number of activities for the entire family. Autographs and photos from Brewers players, coaches and alumni; interactive games in the Kids Area; Q&A sessions and Klement’s Main Stage game shows with Brewers players, coaches and broadcasters; vendor booths with baseball memorabilia; Brewers Community Foundation’s Treasure Hunt, a 50/50 raffle and live auction.

During the event, the Brewers will unveil a new book - Explore MKE: Your Neighborhood, Our City. The Book is published by SHARP Literacy, Inc. and is sponsored by Brewers Community Foundation and Braun. It tells the story of two children who share their differing experiences of Milwaukee and are attempting to figure out how they fit in. It also features informational sections that weave together iconic Milwaukee institutions and neighborhood- based landmarks with important themes in common.

Details regarding autographs: Recipients of “Premier” autographs (players to be announced at a later date) will be chosen through a random selection process. Each fan in attendance will receive one Premier entry sheet, which may be redeemed at the Random Selection area outside the Main Exhibit Hall of the Wisconsin Center. The Premier entry sheet will be exchanged for a numbered coupon to be entered into the random selection process for any one of the select Brewers players.

Coupon distribution will be available at 8 a.m. the day of the event and will continue up to an hour before each designated autograph session. There is no cost for coupons to enter the random selection process. However, those holding winning coupons must pay $25 at the respective autograph stage to collect their player signature. There will be 250 winners for each of the autograph sessions. The winning ticket numbers will be posted at the designated autograph stage no less than 30 minutes prior to each player’s session.

Players and staff not included in the Premier autograph list will not use the random selection process. Each of these players will sign 250 autographs at prices ranging from free to $10. A schedule of players, their session times, and distribution info will be posted later. The autograph opportunities are for signatures on photo cards provided by the team. For additional information, visit Brewers.com/ondeck.

Autograph proceeds benefit Brewers Community Foundation. Cash is the only acceptable form of payment. The Brewers cannot guarantee that any player will sign other memorabilia, and personalization of items is solely up to the discretion of each player.

A detailed schedule of all Brewers On Deck events will be released later.