Your 2008 Huntsville Stars -- Latest: Jersey Sale; Omar Aguilar; Angel Salome

[Mass Haas]

You know, I had almost forgotten just how little amateur baseball Lorenzo Cain had played prior to his drafting by the Brewers, even though we discussed it regularly a couple of years ago -- one of the reasons he saw significant time in Maryvale his first pro season. His mom must have been so proud of his Hawaiian Fall League efforts in '07 in addition to his other accomplishments thus far. Nice story below...

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

Mother's faith helps keep Cain on track

Daily messages give Stars player encouragement

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

 

Dear God, I pray that you keep Lorenzo safe and give him the strength to walk in your word. ...

 

Every night, whether he gets to speak to his mother or not, Lorenzo Cain always hears her voice. That's because every day, Patricia Cain leaves a prayer like this on the Huntsville Stars outfielder's voice mail.

 

"That's the love of my life right there," Cain said, shaking his head. "She's been through a lot with me all my life. More than anything else, she wanted to raise me to be somebody."

 

As a 22-year-old rising prospect in the Milwaukee organization, Cain has a strong start to becoming a household name in professional baseball.

 

Beyond that, he's already more of a man off the field than many at his age.

 

"When you ask for volunteers to do something like going to the Huntsville Hospital cancer ward, Lo-Cain is always there," said Stars general manager Buck Rogers, who also worked with Cain at Single-A Brevard County. "He's one of the All-American guys."

 

Considering Cain grew up without playing baseball until his sophomore year of high school, it's amazing how far he's come. Considering his father died when he was four, Cain's maturity at such a young age is perhaps more remarkable.

 

Cain isn't surprised, though. Not with someone as strong as his mom in his corner.

 

Lord, please help Lorenzo know everything is in your hands. Have him trust you in the good days and the bad. ...

 

Cain remembered this prayer his mother left him recently. The words were simple but strong, and they took him back to the days of his upbringing.

 

Growing up in rural Madison, Fla., 30 minutes south of Valdosta, Ga., Cain couldn't play organized sports. With his mother working two jobs driving to Valdosta to be a store clerk at Dillard's by day and working at a printing company by night, she barely had time to spend with him and his older brother. She definitely didn't have time to take them to practice.

 

After getting cut in basketball tryouts, a friend of Cain's - current Angels Single-A player Jeremy Haynes - talked him into going out for baseball.

 

"I just felt like I needed to do something," Cain said. "I got sick of going home every day after school."

 

Saying Cain "went out" for baseball is stretching it, however, according to then-Madison County (Fla.) High School coach Barney Myers.

 

Basically, the team had eight junior varsity players and needed one more. Two weeks after practice started, Cain burst into Myers' classroom.

 

"Mr. Myers?" Cain started. "My name is Lorenzo Cain, and I want to try out for the baseball team."

 

Cain told the coach he'd never played but was asked to come to the practice field that afternoon, anyway. That day, the second biggest love in Cain's life got off to a humble beginning.

 

"He came out to the field with no glove, no uniform, no cleats, nothing," Myers said with a laugh. "We told him where he could go get a glove in our field house, and, no joke, he comes back with a left-hander's glove on his right hand.

 

"I hit him fungo, and he goes and catches it, takes his glove off and throws it in. Then he yells, 'Coach, I can do a lot better if I have one of those other gloves.' "

 

When Cain informed his mother he made the team, she reluctantly embraced it although he didn't have a ride. With the help of Myers and the Haynes family, somebody got Lorenzo to practice every day.

 

"It definitely was a struggle," Patricia Cain said. "I really struggled all the time, but in my struggle, I was praying, asking God to make a better way for Lorenzo.

 

"I had to be the mother and the father, just having to work and meet their needs."

 

That first year on junior varsity was rocky, but Cain soaked in instructions. He played sparingly on the varsity as a junior. Then, with a chance to finally shine, he had a breakout summer between his junior and senior years.

 

He built on that the next year, hitting around .350 as a senior, flashing his immense speed and highlight-reel defense. Though he was raw, he began drawing interest.

 

"He became a fanatic," Myers said. "And to think, if he'd have been at 100 million other places and came out, he'd have gotten cut."

 

When it came time for the colleges to call after that stellar senior year, nobody did at first.

 

"I remember him saying, 'Mama, I want to go to college, but nobody's asking me,' " Patricia Cain recalled. "I told him, 'son, the day ain't over.'

 

"That afternoon when he came home, the coach at Tallahassee Community College called and asked him how he'd like to play baseball on a full scholarship."

 

The Brewers had been watching Cain, too, eyeing his 6.6 time in the 60-yard dash and watching him develop. Scout Doug Reynolds informed Brewers director of scouting Jack Zduriencik about Cain, and they picked him in the 17th round of the 2004 amateur draft. After a year at Tallahassee CC, he was in the Milwaukee farm system.

 

"He was a young, athletic-looking kid, and he's come on. We're very happy with him," Zduriencik said. "He was a typical draft-and-follow kid for us."

 

Dear God, please be with the guys and help them stay healthy and come out on top, and no matter what happens, always help them keep their heads up. ...

Prayers like that one helped Cain through difficult times, such as before this season when last year's first-round pick Matt LaPorta jumped him in the system to start in right field for the Stars.

 

Now that LaPorta has been traded, Cain - who was hitting .287 with seven homers, 41 RBIs and 19 steals at Brevard - has been called up.

 

"With (LaPorta) being a first-rounder, I kind of expected that," Cain said. "I just knew I had to go out and perform at the level they put me at. I just had to brush it off."

 

Manatees manager Mike Guerrero said he never saw any frustration carry over onto the field.

 

"The good thing is he puts so much into it, and he works so hard every day," he said. "To come as far as he has in such a short period of time, he deserves this."

 

Now Cain has to take advantage of the opportunity, working on his plate discipline and working on strength so his power will develop. The people who supported him through his early days have no doubts he will thrive even if they are stunned that he is where he is.

 

"He's an amazing story, no question about it," Myers said. "It's really miraculous when you think about it.

 

"But he just works so hard."

 

It's the same thing folks say about Patricia Cain. When people who know Lorenzo look at him, they see her. When he is away from home, he hears her voice. And more than anything, he wants her daily prayers to be answered.

 

"I just prayed and I prayed for that young man to be somebody," Patricia Cain said. "I never would have dreamed this would have happened to him. I just tell him, 'Look where you came from and look where you are now.' All I have to say is this is a blessing from God."

[battlekow]

The Rangers signed Alcides Escobar's cousin:

Finally, the Texas Rangers signed Venezuelan lefthander Vicente Escobar, a cousin of Brewers shortstop Alcides Escobar, for $350,000.

[Mass Haas]

BrewCrewBall Interview with Cole Gillespie

Personally, I was introduced to peanut butter and Frito sandwiches 35 years ago -- fantastic, potato chips won't work, they get too soggy; sorry for the note, you'll understand when you visit the link -- unfortunately, let's not turn this into a sandwich thread, Off-Topic Forum if you wish...

[battlekow]

Stars Realign In New York

Posted Jul. 24, 2008 11:49 am by Ben Badler

Former Double-A Huntsville Stars teammates Mat Gamel and Matt LaPorta were reunited on the U.S. roster at the Futures Game. LaPorta found out he was selected to participate in the Futures Game when he received a text message from Cardinals center field prospect Jon Jay, but that was before the Brewers traded LaPorta to the Indians, thus inundating LaPorta's phone with a slew of messages.

While LaPorta was swarmed by media and went 1-for-3 with a groundball single and a walk in the Futures Game, Gamel arguably had the most impressive offensive performance of any U.S. player, and that's without even recording a hit. The lefty-hitting Gamel didn't register an official at-bat, but he worked the count for a pair of walks

"He does a lot of things well," said Huntsville manager Don Money. "He uses all fields. He's got good power to left and right. He stays in there against lefties, does very good job against lefties. He's a line-drive hitter with power."

While Gamel struggled early last year keeping his hitting mechanics in check, he's had few problems at the plate this season en route to a .366/.425/.591 line in 399 at-bats.

"(My adjustments are) not really mechanical, just more mental stuff," Gamel said. "I was just thinking that my swing was screwed up when really it wasn't; I just needed to swing at better pitches. I was getting myself out, chasing pitches out of the zone. I need to grow up in that respect to where I realize that it's not always the swing that gets messed up; it's the head that gets messed up."

Gamel's defense at third base is below-average at best. Issues with his footwork have hampered his fielding and disrupted his throwing, though he did make a nice play coming in on the foul line on a slow grounder during the Futures Game. The ball was ruled to be just in foul territory.

"You can just do some first-step crossovers, just easy stuff, and sooner or later you have to start taking it into the game," Money said. "What you do in practice, you have take into the game. And for the most part, he is. But he still makes those foolish errors. He's made some big league plays-he's made some great plays to his right, great plays to his left, barehanded plays, and then he'll turn right around and you'll say to yourself, 'That's the same guy that made that play yesterday?' He just needs time. He's had a rough couple years defensively, and hopefully he's just maturing into what he's doing now."

[TheCrew07]

Salome is gracing BA's Main Page today!

 

The article is subscriber content, Lucroy is also featured as they talk about the new found strength of the C position in the Brewer organization. Here's a snip-it on Salome. Mods if I pasted too much info please adjust according.

Salome, 22, has an unorthodox style of hitting, to say the least. There is no load in his swing, he strides toward the third base line on every pitch and he relies on his tremendous strength to drive the ball. Even his size-5-foot-7, 200 pounds of solid muscle-is unorthodox, and his speed is well below average.

 

It's not classic by any means, but so far it's worked.

 

Through 322 plate appearances with Double-A Huntsville, Salome is batting .343/.398/.526, ranking among the Southern League leaders in batting average, OBP and slugging.

 

"He's hit everywhere he's played," Huntsville manager Don Money said. "He's unorthodox, he stands at the plate real closed (and) he basically spins on his axes. But he's got a very strong upper body (and) he can hit the ball out to right-center, right field. He won't hit a lot of balls to the left field corner unless he gets out on changeups or slow curveballs. He's a third of the middle hitter with power to right-center."

 

Even though Salome has 70 arm strength on the 20-80 scouting scale, teams haven't been afraid to run on Salome, who has struggled with his accuracy and records below-average pop times of 2.10 with a hitch in his throwing motion.

 

\

[colbyjack]

I'm going to include the picture of Salome since they quickly disappear as BA often has two features up per day:

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/asalome08428309sof.jpg

 

I was actually more impressed with what a scout said about Lucroy, praising his defensive skills and quick bat.

[Mass Haas]

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Errecart escapes bad break for Stars

First baseman returns after stint on DL with sprain

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

 

Chris Errecart's all-star experience didn't unfold the way he'd planned.

 

As his teammates participated in the Southern League All-Star Game in Zebulon, N.C., the Huntsville Stars first baseman watched on the Internet from a buddy's Phoenix apartment some 2,200 miles away.

 

A wrist injury suffered July 4 forced Errecart out of the game and into a three-week rehabilitation stint at the Brewers' Arizona baseball complex.

 

"I was pretty frustrated," Errecart said. "I felt like I had a great first half and I deserved to be there. Unfortunately, things happen, but you move on."

 

Looking back, Errecart feels fortunate that he missed only three weeks. Back in early July, the 23-year-old was hitting .291 with 13 homers and 33 RBIs when he came to the plate against Birmingham. Trying to dodge a tag from the first baseman, Errecart lost his balance and fell on his wrist, badly spraining it.

 

The original diagnosis was a broken scaphoid - the bone at the base of his right thumb on his glove hand. Almost always, a break of that bone requires surgery and at least two months of recovery. Instead, he went to Arizona and found out much better news.

 

"I'm pretty happy that I'm already back so soon considering the first thought was I'd have to have surgery," Errecart said. "Now, the thing is getting my timing down and getting my swing back. You take for granted when you play every day and then not play for three weeks, it sets you back a little bit."

 

Errecart returned to the lineup Monday night, and though he admitted to some soreness Tuesday morning, he said he's close to 100 percent.

 

He singled in two at-bats during the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader.

 

To keep the wrist loose, he is doing forearm exercises and warming up in the whirlpool to work out his range-of-motion. Even the things that bothered him most of all when he was injured - such as backhanding a ground ball at first - have improved.

 

With the Stars' offense is struggling, Errecart's return couldn't come at a better time.

 

"The way we're hitting right now, it helps a lot," Huntsville manager Don Money said. "He hit the ball well tonight, but if you don't face really good pitchers for a long time, you've got to get back your timing, strike zone and pitch recognition.

 

"We'll have to see how it goes after four of five games of playing every day."

[Never Outhustled]

Even though Salome has 70 arm strength on the 20-80 scouting scale, teams haven't been afraid to run on Salome, who has struggled with his accuracy and records below-average pop times of 2.10 with a hitch in his throwing motion.

Thats interesting. The most recent Lucroy article had his pop times topping out at 1.68. That explains how Salame is struggling to throw people out while Lucroy has thrown out 21 of his last 35. I wonder if the Brewers would jump Lucroy past Salome all the way to AAA next year?

[Mass Haas]

Donovan Hand Interview at BrewCrewBall

It's getting to the point that we should all feel like we should pay for these -- what a great resource, thanks again to our tireless interviewing friend, hope you have a super phone plan...

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Majors in mind, Gillespie keeps it steady on field

Ex-Oregon State star confident big leagues in future

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

 

Every once in a while, Huntsville Stars left fielder Cole Gillespie allows himself to escape the present and return to a time when he could do no wrong.

 

The year was 2006, and Beaver Mania was sweeping the nation after an Oregon State team led by Gillespie won the College World Series.

 

The redshirt junior became the most decorated player in school history, gaining first-team All-America honors and winning the Pac-10 Player of the Year award.

 

"That's something I think about a lot," Gillespie said. "It's pretty special to me, especially being from that conference where you've got so many top draft picks coming out of there and the team winning the World Series - that's something nobody can take from me."

 

The 24-year-old outfielder also knows nothing is going to be given to him professionally because of his collegiate success. He doesn't want his college days to define his career, and now, the only thing that matters is getting to the majors.

 

Any time he doubts his abilities - or he hears a scout project that his ceiling is a big-league fourth outfielder - all Gillespie has to do is summon those memories of 2006.

 

"I know what I'm capable of, and if I keep progressing and keep improving, I can very well be an everyday big leaguer at some point," he said. "I try not to let what people say affect me, but at the same time, I like to prove those people wrong because I want to play in the big leagues for a long time."

 

So far, he's on the right track. Though he isn't the fastest runner (Michael Brantley), the best pure hitter (Mat Gamel) or the best defensive player (Alcides Escobar) on the Stars roster, Gillespie does everything well.

 

Entering the weekend, the No. 5 prospect in the Brewers organization according to Baseball America was hitting .274 with 13 home runs, 65 RBIs, 12 steals in 13 attempts and led the Southern League with 34 doubles.

 

"He's done a solid job in the outfield and catches all the balls he gets to," Huntsville manager Don Money said. "On occasion, he shows good home run power and has a lot of extra-base hits.

 

"In my opinion, I think he should try to pull the ball a little more, but he's got some good numbers, so you can't complain about that."

 

Though Gillespie isn't flashy, he produces - and his Oregon State coach thinks he'll reach his ultimate goal because of it.

 

"I look forward to watching him play in the major leagues," Beavers coach Pat Casey said. "I think the majority of major league players are exactly what he is. He's a big-league player because of the consistency of the things he does every day. He maybe isn't going to wow you in one area, but he does everything well."

 

That has been the case since Casey recruited the three-sport star to OSU out of West Linn, Ore. He came in as a little-known shortstop/pitcher, but he was moved almost immediately to first base by Casey when he got to Corvallis.

 

Gillespie eventually settled in the outfield, but he wasn't initially pleased with switching from shortstop.

 

"That was definitely tough on me," he said. "I had certain expectations going in as a freshman knowing we had a junior shortstop who got drafted that I would play right away."

 

Injury was added to insult for Gillespie as well that year. He had to have the first of two shoulder surgeries on his right arm, which ended any hopes of pitching or playing shortstop.

 

He redshirted and rehabilitated the shoulder, and after playing sporadically as a freshman, he was a role player on the '05 team that made the CWS but was quickly eliminated.

 

On that team, his roommate and good friend, Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, was the star. When Ellsbury was drafted, he turned the reins over to Gillespie, who didn't disappoint.

 

"I don't know of anybody ever who had a better offensive year than the last year he had with us," Casey said. "He led this great conference in almost every offensive category we had."

 

Now Gillespie is making his way in professional baseball. Though he's not the star he was in college, he is determined to forge his way to the big leagues the same way he always has.

 

"I think it all goes back to hard work," Gillespie said. "Back in the offseason, my dad (Brad) and I are up in the cages, and he throws to me all the time at the age of 60.

 

"You know, there are so many people around the world who are trying to make it to the major leagues, you have to do everything possible to give yourself an opportunity to get there, and I'm determined to get there."

[Mass Haas]

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Slumping Gamel tries to shake off head games

Once the hottest hitter in Double-A, he's fighting a second-half letdown

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

For Mat Gamel, a game that started so promising Tuesday night ended with personal disappointment.

 

The Huntsville Stars third baseman hopes his season doesn't follow suit.

 

After stroking a solid single in the first inning of a 4-2 win over Mississippi, Gamel left three runners in scoring position with swinging strikeouts his next two at-bats before finishing 1-for-4. He also made two errors.

 

Though the hit was encouraging, Gamel will have to wait until another night to break out of a colossal slump that has him scratching his head.

 

Since July 1, he is hitting .227 and his batting average has fallen 43 points to .341. He still leads the league in hitting by one percentage point over teammate Angel Salome, but it doesn't feel like it to him.

 

"It's all pitch recognition," Gamel said. "You just start thinking about it too much, and it gets in your head and makes the problems worse.

 

"If you know how to get out of it, please tell me."

 

Two at-bats in the past two nights exemplify the MLB Futures Game participant's struggles.

 

On Monday, Gamel worked a count to 2-and-0 - a prime situation for hitters - but rather than zeroing in on a fastball, he looked fooled.

 

Instead of hitting it hard in play, the left-handed Gamel got crossed up, swung late and sent a line-drive over the Huntsville third base-side dugout.

 

"That's just not a 2-0 swing," Stars manager Don Money said. "He's swinging at fastballs when he's looking for curve balls and swinging at curve balls when he's looking for fastballs. It's the classic slump."

 

Then with Gamel at the plate on Tuesday, Money sent Alcides Escobar from first on a hit-and-run. Rather than stay on the outside pitch, Money said Gamel opened his stance on the curve ball and bailed on the pitch.

 

"Right now, he has got to look himself in the mirror and say something's got to change," Money said. "He hit .240 for the month (of July). You're the big gun. You've got to step up."

 

During Gamel's slump, the Stars have gone 14-18 after starting the year 48-35. With all the injuries - specifically to the all-star trio of Michael Brantley, Chris Errecart and Salome - and the trade of Matt LaPorta, it is unfair to blame the team's second-half struggles on Gamel. But his prolonged slump hasn't helped matters.

 

At times, the hitter who was so locked in early in the year has looked lost at the plate. During his past 31 games, Gamel has struck out 34 times after whiffing just 60 times in his first 70 games.

 

Still, Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash doesn't seem alarmed.

 

"He's still a good player, and probably the league is just making some adjustments," he said. "They try to pitch around him and don't give him anything to hit - or that's what I saw when I was there. He just has to be patient.

 

"Young players go through this sometimes."

 

This drought has been going on for six weeks, however, and there aren't any solid signs that Gamel is breaking out of it any time soon.

 

A deeper look at his numbers doesn't make things better. He hit .243 in July with one home run, 12 RBIs and just eight extra-base hits. In August those numbers have fallen to .125 (2-for-16) with no homers or RBIs. Since the All-Star break, the Jacksonville, Fla., native is hitting .157, and he finished the recent 10-game homestand with only three hits.

 

Gamel said he is over-analyzing every at-bat, and he just has to find a way to snap out of it.

 

"I've been through it before at the start of last year," said Gamel, who wound up the season at Brevard County hitting .300. "It's something everybody goes through at some point, I think. I just have to keep working. It's part of the game. You're not going to be perfect and go 2-for-4 every single game."

[Mass Haas]

Beyond the Box Score

Angel Salome, catcher, Milwaukee Brewers. Salome plays on a Huntsville Stars team that is loaded with…well, stars. Even after the recent trade of Matt LaPorta, Salome is still overshadowed by such prospects as Mat Gamel, Alcides Escobar, Cole Gillespie, Michael Brantley (and, of course, the recently-signed and promoted Jay Gibbons). Salome's eye-popping batting line of .339/.394/.521 is partly fueled by an unsustainably high BABIP of .388. He also hits twice as many ground balls as fly balls, which limits his power. However, Salome is 22 years old and has a chance to stick behind the plate, making him a solid prospect - and is particularly valuable in an organization currently relying on Jason Kendall behind the plate.

[AJhawk50]

Jeffress got promoted to Huntsville.

 

http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080806&content_id=3263103&vkey=news_mil&fext=.jsp&c_id=mil

[Mass Haas]

Thanks AJ, we covered it in some detail in our Transaction thread.

[battlekow]

Former BK star battles slump

By Jeff Elliott, The Times-Union

As fast as Mat Gamel rode up the Southern League charts the first three months of the season to lead the league in hitting, he's falling just as quickly.

In mid-June, when the Huntsville Stars visited the Baseball Grounds, Gamel was leading the league in with a .384 batting average. The former Bishop Kenny standout was spraying base hits to all parts of the outfield. He was, however, struggling with his fielding.

While his error total (27) continues to rise, the same can't be said about Gamel's batting. His average began to drop shortly after he left Jacksonville and it's been a downward spiral since.

During July, Gamel hit .243 with one home run, 12 RBI and just eight extra-base hits. He's been even worse in August, with two singles in 24 at-bats through Friday.

Since July 1, Gamel has hit .203 and his average has plummeted 47 points to .336. Two teammates now rank ahead of him in the league batting race.

"It's all pitch recognition," Gamel told the Huntsville Times. "You just start thinking about it too much and it gets in your head and makes the problems worse.

"If you know how to get out of it, please tell me."

Gamel has 38 strikeouts in 33 games. He struck out 60 times in his first 70 games.

"He's swinging at fastballs when he's looking for curveballs and swinging at curveballs when he's looking for fastballs," said Huntsville manager Don Money. "It's the classic slump. Right now he has got to look himself in the mirror and say something's got to change.

"You're the big gun. You've got to step up."

Gord Ash, assistant general manager of the parent Milwaukee Brewers, doesn't seem overly concerned about Gamel's decline.

"He's still a good player and probably the league is just making some adjustments," Ash said. "He just has to be patient."

The Stars have slumped along with Gamel. The team is 15-20 after going 48-35 through June.

http://www.jacksonville.com/images/mdControlled/cms/2008/08/10/316840727.jpgJON M. FLETCHER/Times-Union

Mat Gamel has struck out 38 times in 33 games.

[Mass Haas]

Southern League Player of the Week

Alcides Escobar, Huntsville

.444 (12-27), 5 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 5 SO, 4 SB, .667 SLG

 

There's a reason Milwaukee refused to part with Escobar around the trade deadline, and the shortstop illustrated it last week for Huntsville. He had at least one hit in all seven games he played, highlighted by a 4-for-6 game Sunday at West Tenn, and now leads all Minor League players with 164 hits. He had four two-hit contests, one of which included his eighth home run of the season Monday versus Mississippi. The 21-year-old also displayed his speed on the basepaths, swiping three bags Wednesday against the Diamond Jaxx without being caught. For the season, Escobar is hitting .343 with eight homers, 67 RBIs and 31 stolen bases.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Southern League: Howard not worried about demotion

By DAVID THOMAS

dgthomas@jacksonsun.com

 

Ben Howard, a former Jackson Central-Merry right-handed pitcher, is with the Double-A Huntsville Stars in the Southern League after beginning the season with Triple-A Nashville of the Pacific Coast League.

The Jackson Sun spoke with Howard recently when the Stars visited Pringles Park for a series against the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx.

Question: How many years is this for you in professional baseball?

Answer : "12."

Q: So that makes you how old?

A : "I'm 29, and believe it not, that is getting old."

Q: How frustrating was it when you were first sent from Nashville to Huntsville?

A : "It's not. I can't look at it that way. There is always a lot of shuffling in professional baseball, a lot of moves. I'm not the first person this has happened to."

Q: How many baseball organizations have you been with?

A : "Seven. San Diego, Florida, Cleveland, Toronto, Chicago (Cubs), Boston and Milwaukee."

Q: How many trips have you made to the major leagues?

A : "Three. 2002, '03 and '04. The first two with San Diego and then Florida."

Q: Do you have a home in another city?

A : "No, I live in an apartment and come home to Jackson."

Q: How many years do you have on your contract?

A : "One year."

Q: Tell me about compensation. Do you have a major league contract?

A : "I have a minor league contract. I've been a free agent the last two years."

Q: With the staff the Milwaukee Brewers have, is there hope to move up?

A : "You have to have a positive attitude and things have to work in your favor when you go from team to team."

Q: In 2002, you became the first Jacksonian, and still are, to play at Pringles Park when you were with the Mobile BayBears. Do you remember the experience?

A : "It was neat to get here and play in front of everybody. It was a unique experience and not everybody gets to do it."

Q: You said you are throwing the ball 90 to 94 miles per hour. Tell us about the time you did an Internet commercial in San Diego, which of course, dealt with speed.

A : "Time Warner somehow came up with my name and it was a national ad. That was a different experience."

Q: Have you ever thought that when you first moved up with the San Diego Padres, the first major league experience when you played at Pittsburgh was as a hitter, not a pitcher?

A : "No, I had not. I didn't get a hit, and I heard about it from a lot of family and friends who were in the crowd."

Q: You went from Double-A baseball to the major leagues without stopping in Triple-A. Was the rise too quick?

A : "I really thought I was throwing the ball well, but my second outing was not very successful, and I put pressure on myself."

Q: As a pitcher, would you rather start or come in as a reliever?

A : "I would definitely like another shot at starting, but for me personally, the best way is out of the (bull) pen."

Q: What advice would you give a pitcher who moves up in the Brewers organization?

A : "I would tell them to not get overwhelmed. We have some guys like that. You are called up for a reason."

Q: What does Ben Howard see himself doing in 10 years?

A : "Hopefully working at a good job in Jackson. I'm working on school right now online, and I want to stay here and live the American dream with my family. After having a child, baseball is not the No. 1 priority in my life."

Q: Who are your wife and child?

A : "My wife is Teryn and son Corben, he is one year old."

Q: When you play at Pringles Park, you are not too far from where you played on Hollywood Drive when you were at JCM. Do you have any thoughts on the direction of the Cougars' program?

A : "I don't know what happened, but (the program) took a turn for the worse. It's a shame. It was a great program, and those were the glory days. It was all about having fun."

Q: Are you still having fun?

A : "Yeah, I have the opportunity to pitch and I have a uniform. Some day my playing days will be over, but I hope to play as long as I can."

Q: How much longer?

A : "Another two to three years. I can contribute and help a team out."

 

 

Huntsville Stars pitcher Ben Howard, a former Jackson Central-Merry standout, was in Jackson last week for a series against the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx at Pringles Park. Howard was recently sent down to the Double-A Stars after spending the season with Triple-A Nashville. (DEVIN WAGNER /The Jackson Sun)

 

http://cmsimg.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DQ&Date=20080812&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=808120317&Ref=AR&Profile=1006&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

[Mass Haas]

In a cruel irony, the Brewers released RHP Ben Howard today, the same day the article above was posted in his hometown paper. Good luck, Ben.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Stars' Jeffress seeing clearly on, off mound

Post-rehab pitcher doesn't want to repeat mistakes

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The HuntsvilleTimes

 

Wednesday was a good day for Jeremy Jeffress.

 

Even though he struggled through 2 1/3 innings in his first Double-A start with Huntsville, the Milwaukee Brewers' top minor-league pitching prospect wasn't complaining.

 

It was a good day because it was Day No. 265 Jeffress has been clean. After spending a month in rehab for marijuana use following a 50-game suspension last year, Jeffress said he has a clear mind and a clear path to realizing his potential.

 

"I took it head-on," the 20-year-old prospect said. "Some people, when they fall down, it's hard for them to get back up. But rehab was the biggest experience of my life. It has opened my eyes wide."

 

As the 16th overall pick of the first round in 2006, the South Boston, Va., native was a coveted commodity with a fastball reaching 100 mph on the radar gun and a knee-buckling curve. But he was also an 18-year-old with a $1.55 million signing bonus and little guidance.

 

"Coming from a small town - and I'm not blaming my hometown for anything - but that's what I was around," Jeffress said of marijuana.

 

So, he smoked. And though his arm impressed everyone, his series of failed drug tests spelled caution. Since exiting an Arizona rehab facility last Thanksgiving, however, he has focused on pitching.

 

At Single-A Brevard County this season, Jeffress missed the first 40 games as part of the suspension. He posted a 3-6 record with a 4.63 ERA, but had 92 strikeouts and just 32 walks in 68 innings. He had a 2.96 ERA during the final 12 starts before his promotion to Huntsville.

 

Though Jeffress struggled Wednesday - striking out two while allowing two runs, two hits and three walks - his previous manager said Stars fans will enjoy the talented right-hander.

 

"Jeffress' fastball velocity - there's no one to compare to him," Brevard County manager Mike Guerrero said. "He has a really, really good curveball and his fastball can overmatch any hitter, to go along with a good change. He's done all we've asked him to do on the field and off the field in order to be a professional."

 

Brewers scouting director Jack Zduriencik wouldn't comment on the drug issues, but said Jeffress projects as a major league starter.

 

"He's got a very gifted arm," Zduriencik said. "He's got a chance to be a solid, three-pitch pitcher."

 

In an organization lacking pitching depth, Jeffress stands out - especially if his drug woes are licked.

 

"If I ever got the opportunity to speak to anybody, (drugs) might be the first thing I talked about," Jeffress said. "If you trust in God, He'll make you strong. Everybody tells me if I stay clean, the sky's the limit.

 

"Now, I play the game and stay focused and sober till midnight and go to sleep. Baseball is stressful enough. I heard someone to say this game is all about sacrifices, and smoking is one thing I could sacrifice. I found out I don't need it at all."

[battlekow]

Michael Brantley shows up in Kevin Goldstein's Monday Ten Pack at BP:

Sleeper alert! Brantley has been buried all year on a Huntsville roster loaded with high-profile prospects, but all he does is keep hitting at the top of the Stars' lineup, going 7-for-12 over the weekend and extending his streak of scoring at least one run to seven games. Brantley's skills would have been valued highly twenty years ago, but in today's game they can cause confusion. A 21-year-old outfielder batting .330/.409/.416 at Double-A should be some kind of prospect, and Brantley has one of the best combinations of approach and contact skills around, drawing 46 walks this year while striking out just 22 times in 361 at-bats. He's also a well above-average runner, as evidenced by 25 stolen bases in 31 attempts. The only problem is his defense; he just doesn't have a good feel in center field, and every time the Brewers play him there, he quickly ends up moving back to left, as both his range and his arm are disappointing. Still, those offense skills have to be worth something no matter where you end up putting him.

Ha, it's funny to see Brantley called a sleeper now; Sickels tagged him as one over two years ago, and this is clearly a breakout season for him. I don't think he qualifies as a sleeper anymore, Kevin.

[battlekow]

Quotes from Goldstein's chat last week:

Olinkapo (Brevard County): What are your feelings on Jeremy Jeffress? Specifically: He's not allowing many homers or hits at all, striking out a ton of guys, and generally getting groundballs. Do you look past the walks in light of all that, or is the wildness too discouraging? [Pitching wildness, I mean...not the puff puff pass stuff.]

Kevin Goldstein: Obviously, the walks are a concern, but it's not like he has a case of the yips or anything. In the low minors, on a statstical level, I focus primarily on ip, h, k; and I'm still very high on Jeffress because those numbers are good and he has monster stuff.

HuntsvilleFan ('bama): Mat Gamel's recent slump - nothing to be concerned about or was his first half more of a fluke?

Kevin Goldstein: I wouldn't be too concerned, but at the same time, I do think Gamel was over his head in the first half, and I think he's a very good, but not elite prospect.

TomG (Salem): What's the deal with Lorenzo Cain? He seems to be hitting a lot better now that he's out of Brevard County; is he a legit sleeper at this point or will his K rate doom him?

Kevin Goldstein: The guy is a pretty crazy athlete, so that allows for a little more optimism. I'm certainly keeping an eye on him and he's more than a ligit sleeper, he's a prospect.

Ben Franklin (Philly): Tell me something I have not heard about A Escobar? Everyone says his glove is great, is it? How great? Or is it just good?

Kevin Goldstein: It's great. Makes the easy plays consistently, and makes the spectacular plays others can't dream of making. One of the best defenders in the minors.

[battlekow]

On Saturday, the Stars will try to break the record for most first pitches, currently held by Brevard County (h/t Right Field Bleachers)

[Mass Haas]

Southern League Hitter of the Week

ANGEL SALOME, C, HUNTSVILLE STARS

Salome collected a league-high 13 hits in just five games during the week to build a big lead in the Southern League batting race. Bidding to become the first catcher to win a batting title in the Southern League since Chattanooga's Jason LaRue did it in 1998, Salome hit .684 during the week to raise his overall mark to .364. His closest competition with 15 games remaining, teammate Alcides Escobar, ended the week with a .341 average.

 

The 22-year-old Salome caught both ends of a doubleheader sweep against Chattanooga on Wednesday, recording three hits and scoring three runs. He added four hits and two RBI the next day before launching a three-run homer in the first inning of a 3-1 victory on Friday. The resident of New York capped the week with three hits, including a solo homer, and a stolen base in an 8-7 loss on Saturday. Salome needs just one more homer and five RBI to match his career highs of 12 and 85, respectively.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Jones vows 'I can't give up'

In his seventh minor-league season, former No. 1 pick copes with a career beset by injuries and failures

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

 

Mike Jones had just surrendered another home run. As the Huntsville Stars pitcher roamed the mound, the crowd at Joe Davis Stadium fell nearly silent enough to hear the ball land beyond the outfield wall.

 

Then came a voice from the bleachers.

 

"Hey Don!" the fan yelled toward Stars manager Don Money. "When are you going to figure out that Mike Jones sucks?!"

 

The heckling actually brought applause. After Jones was pulled from the game, he sat in an empty clubhouse, five years of frustration flowing to the surface. Later that night, his fiance, Nicole Zaloumis, could sense that Jones had emotionally crashed.

 

"He just broke down in his locker," Zaloumis said. "To hear that (heckling), I think he questioned in his own mind: 'Will I ever get it back?'

 

"Mike's not an emotional person. To have so much failure and so many heartbreaks over the years and to not ever let it out, I think he needed that."

 

After seven minor-league seasons, two shoulder operations and a Tommy John elbow surgery, Jones carries plenty of pent-up emotion. The promise of being the 12th overall pick in the 2001 draft has mostly evaporated. Whereas Jones once blew away batters, the 25-year-old now gets a muted thrill from simply throwing 75 pitches without pain.

 

"I've had a lot more support than I would have ever thought, especially considering how my performance has been on the mound," Jones said.

 

"You get, from time to time, the guy who paid his money to come watch a game, who yells I'm terrible and I'm no good anymore.

 

"That's fine because I know that I'm not good right now. There's nobody who's going to be harder on myself than I am."

 

That's why he decided against playing winter baseball after this season - wanting to give his body and mind time to recuperate.

 

"I'm tired," Jones said

 

He's also embarking on another important chapter of his life.

 

Getting married

 

Jones is thinking about Bora Bora.

 

Sitting in the Stars' dugout, his mind stretches to a beach where the Tahitian priest marries him and Nicole.

 

There's no 1-5 record and 6.15 earned run average. No home runs or walks. No arm fatigue, no pain, no doctors or trainers, no hecklers.

 

"I just think it's reached a point where I need to get away from baseball for a while," Jones said.

 

He also believes he needs to take the next step in his life with Zaloumis, a television reporter who covers the Seattle Mariners and Seahawks for Fox Sports Northwest.

 

During what he called last year's "rock bottom" after learning he faced elbow surgery, Jones didn't turn to his old vices - hiding in an alcohol bottle or all-night parties with teammates. Instead, he leaned on Zaloumis, whom he had met a few months previously in Phoenix thanks to an introduction from Milwaukee pitcher Manny Parra.

 

"She provided a light at the end of the tunnel for me," Jones said. "Even if baseball didn't work out, when I met her, I knew there would be something else."

 

On Sept. 19, they'll officially get married in a Seattle courthouse in front of family before eloping to the French Polynesian islands for the beach ceremony.

 

"God knows both of us need that," Zaloumis said.

 

Getting hurt

 

Jones' signing bonus topped $2 million in 2001, a Brewers club record at the time.

 

He was chosen in the first round of a draft alongside players such as Joe Mauer, Mark Teixeira, Mark Prior and Casey Kotchman.

 

His smooth right-handed delivery led many scouts to declare Jones would be less susceptible to injuries. Yet he served multiple stints on the disabled list his first three seasons with elbow and shoulder troubles.

 

In October 2004 he underwent major shoulder surgery. Six months of rehabilitation followed, and when he was re-evaluated in April 2005, Jones was told that part of his labrum was still torn away from the bone, so he had another surgery and another six months of rehab.

 

"There's no rhyme or reason to some of these things," Milwaukee assistant general manager Gord Ash said. "Mike had about as perfect a delivery as you can have - a nice, clean delivery and good arm motion. From a scouting perspective, there was no way to predict that happening."

 

During June 2007, Jones felt he was healthy and progressing when he felt elbow pain during a game. His fastball plummeted below 80 mph, and he was immediately removed. Tommy John surgery followed. Some 14 months later, he's still recovering.

 

"This entire year has been a real roller coaster," Jones said. "I've gotten up to like 92 (mph) and been as low as 86. The inconsistency is a prime example of how the past five years have been."

 

Getting healthy

 

Jones' path to recovery led him to Huntsville - again. Pardon him if he's a little skittish returning to the site of so many of his problems. He has pitched here during parts of five seasons, starting in 2003.

 

"I've seen this place grow up a little," Jones said. "I don't have anything against the city itself. It's the fact that I've been stuck in Double-A for five years and that for some reason, every time I come back here, I get hurt."

 

More disappointing numbers have followed his midseason return to Huntsville. He has allowed 10 homers in 52 2/3 innings, along with 42 walks against only 29 strikeouts.

 

"I don't like going out there and walking people," Jones said. "I don't like going out there and giving up home runs. One hitter, I'll go out there and have a good sequence of pitches, and the next hitter, I won't have any idea where the ball's going."

 

He is still re-learning his mechanics, under close inspection from Stars pitching coach Chris Hook.

 

"His hand sometimes is just not in the same slot from pitch to pitch," Hook said. "Sometimes, his body won't allow himself to repeat."

 

It's a daily struggle, but beyond the frustration and fatigue, there is a silver lining of an injury-free season.

 

"My ultimate goal is to get through an entire season healthy," he said. "I haven't done that since 2002. I know it may sound insignificant."

 

A healthy season and a clean break for a while could provide a fresh start. Jones is a free agent after this season, and though he said he would love to stay with Milwaukee, he realizes it's a business decision - one that the organization won't discuss now.

 

Regardless, Jones said he plans on pitching next spring.

 

"Here I am today getting ready to get married, coming back from Tommy John surgery, and I've been healthy all year," he said. "There have been plenty enough things to keep me going, and that's worth looking forward to.

 

"I can't give up. It would be an injustice for everything I've worked for the past five years to just quit."

[Mass Haas]

Let the bidding begin on Huntsville 2008 jerseys