I recently participated in the Brewers’ Mid-Season Roundtable at Al’s Ramblings. I respect the opinions of the other roundtable participants very deeply and would encourage you to click over and check out what they had to say. Here are my own contributions to the discussion.

    <p><i>1. How happy are you with the first half record of 45-41?  Surprised?  Shocked?</i></p>
    <p>I'm amazed at how well the Brewers have played this year.  My pre-season predictions were admittedly optimistic, but even I did not see this coming.  Surprised and shocked are both accurate descriptors.</p>
    <p><i>2.  Tell me what you think of the job Doug Melvin has done?</i></p>
    <p>Doug Melvin has done an exceptional job of piecing together a roster with minimal funds.  Given the fact that the team's highest-paid player, Geoff Jenkins, has also been one of their biggest weaknesses, I can't imagine giving Melvin anything but an "A" grade.  He has made his share of mistakes - Gary Bennett comes to mind immediately - but on the whole, he has been superb.  I can't say enough about the job he and the rest of Team Canada has done since taking over prior to last season.</p>
    <p><i>3. Ditto for Ned Yost?</i></p>
    <p>While I am not one to overvalue a team's manager, Ned Yost definitely deserves a great deal of credit for helping his club exceed expectations.  His personnel moves are sometimes questionable, his handling of the bullpen hasn't been perfect, and he is still a work in progress as an in-game manager.  But in the most important 90% of his job - keeping his players motivated and confident - Yost deserves an "A+".  That's good enough for me.</p>
    <p><i>4. Biggest surprise thus far, positive and negative.</i></p>
    <p>Pitching, obviously.  To pick a more specific surprise, the ascension of Ben Sheets to the upper echelon of big league pitchers.  Big Ben was the best starting pitcher in baseball over the first half, and it certainly doesn't seem like a fluke.  He has been a very frustrating player to watch over the past three seasons in large part because he always seemed so close to breaking out, always teasing us with periodic brilliance, only to return disappointingly to Earth.  Ben is now the kind of pitcher every franchise dreams about, and for the first time in a long time, our franchise has seen its dream become a reality.  Keeping him in a Brewers' uniform for the next several seasons should be a primary focus of Team Canada.</p>
    <p>There have been a number of negatives, too, with the underwhelming production of Scott Podsednik and Geoff Jenkins topping the list.  The former's return to mediocrity was not entirely unexpected, but the *manner* in which Scotty has fallen from grace has been disappointing.  Rather than take advantage of his speed and solid bat control by slapping grounders to left and laying down bunts, Podsednik has adopted a power hitter's approach, one that has clearly been to his detriment.  In fact, Scotty's struggles have been eerily similar to Jenkins' in that both have adopted counterproductive approaches at the plate, and both are plagued by a lack of discipline and an inconsistent uppercut.</p>
    <p><i>5. What would you do for the second half if you were the GM... buyers, sellers, wait until July 25th, etc. Feel free to talk long-term.</i></p>
    <p>The Brewers don't have any obvious holes... their three biggest weaknesses are also three of their "franchise players."  If Podsednik, Jenkins, and Wes Helms can return to their 2003 forms, it will be as if Melvin had made three key deadline acquisitions.  For that reason, I would be very hesitant to make any trades that net us veterans or "rentals," instead concentrating on building the club for 2005 and beyond.  If Luis Vizcaino or Junior Spivey can be traded for pieces that fit into our long-term plan, then I wouldn't hesitate to pull the proverbial trigger.  Young pitching, a young catcher, and a young third-baseman should all be targeted.  If opportunities to upgrade the 2004 club as well as improve our future ballclubs present themselves, then go ahead.  If not, I would adopt a "let things be" approach... if this team is going to make a run at the Wild Card, it will need to do so with the current roster of players.</p>
    <p><i>6. Using Toby's Power 50, tell me who the highest ranked prospect is that you'd trade, or discuss in a deal.</i></p>
    <p>I would trade anyone if the return was right; for me, there is no "magic number."  If my talent evaluators felt that a certain player was overvalued in the marketplace, I wouldn't hesitate to deal him, even if that player was Prince Fielder or Rickie Weeks.  The player(s) acquired in return would need to be very good, obviously, but there are a number of prospects that I might value more highly than even the aforementioned duo.</p>
    <p>At the same time, however, I would be very hesitant to make any deals that include any of the organization's top 10 or so prospects that did not return us another young player.  By selling from an area of strength (for example, second-tier starting pitchers or center-fielders), we might be able to patch important holes in the system (catcher and third-base being the most glaring two).  I would *not*, however, deal any of the top 25 if the return was a veteran rental.  If that is the kind of player involved, I would much prefer to trade a package of lower-level prospects, MLB backups, and/or Triple-A veterans.</p>
    <p><i>7. Final W/L mark for the Brewers in '04.</i></p>  
    <p>I predicted before the season that the Brewers would go 76-86, and that still seems like a reasonable number.  At this point, however, I am ready to make the leap of faith and predict that the Brewers will finish with their first winning season since 1992.  Final record?  83-79.</p>
    <p><i>8. Any "off the beaten path" ideas you'd like to see implemented?  [An example before the season may have been to forget about having a token LH reliever in the bullpen.]</i></p>
    <p>Its not an "off the beaten path" idea anywhere but in Milwaukee, but I would definitely cut the pitching staff down to 12 or even 11.  It would be hard to determine which of our relievers would need to go, but the lack of consistent work that comes from maintaining a 13-man staff has really hurt a few of our arms.  A trade that included Luis Vizcaino, Dave Burba, and/or Matt Kinney would make the decision much easier.</p>
    <p>A real "off the beaten path" idea?  Trade Scott Podsednik.  His speed and base stealing numbers as well as his reputation as a great leadoff man might very well cause other organizations to overvalue him.  If that is indeed the case and we were able to acquire a talented young catcher and/or third-baseman and a young pitcher, I wouldn't think twice about dealing Scotty.  He is certainly a fan favorite, and favorite of mine as well, but his 2003 season was almost certainly a "fluke" and the Scotty of 2004 is likely going to be the Scotty of 2005 and 2006 as well.</p>