Your 2008 B.C. Manatees -- Latest: Manatee Jersey Sale

[Mass Haas]

While not mentioned here, Alex Periard and Taylor Green are likely members of the Canadian Olympic Team this summer, discussed here.

[Mass Haas]

Chris Cody is going to make a few in-season blog entries for his alma mater, Manhattan College -- this is just the introductory start, we'll keep an eye on it for you:

The Manhattan College Athletic department has launched it inaugural web blog on GoJaspers.com entitled 'Jaspers on Deck' which tracks the progress of former baseball standouts in their quest to reach the Major League. Jasper alumni Chris Cody '06, Nick Derba '07, Matt Rizzotti '07 and Jesse Darcy '07 will be featured in this blog series, as each player will keep Manhattan fans updated with their progress throughout the 2008 season. Additionally, the blog will enlighten Jasper fans on the everyday life of a minor league baseball player.

Chris Cody - (June 12, 2008)

Dear Jasper fans,

This is Jasper alum, Milwaukee Brewers farmhand, and left handed starting pitcher, Chris Cody. I'm writing to you from Charleston, West Virginia, home of Brewers' single A affiliate, West Virginia Power of the South Atlantic League. I am in my third professional season, and my second season with the Milwaukee organization. I was originally drafted as a senior out of Manhattan College by the Detroit Tigers in June '06. After a season and a half with them, I was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on July 1, 2007. I've been with the Power for about three weeks now after spending the first two months of the season in Phoenix, AZ, getting my arm back to full health in extended spring training (not a pleasurable experience). I expect to make a few rehab starts here before returning to where I was last year: Advanced A level, Brevard County Manatees of the Florida State League. So far, my 2008 campaign has gone well. It's great to get back into action with a team and to get out on that mound every five days. I seem to have bounced back well from the elbow injury that set me back since the end of the '07 season. I'm scheduled to pitch tonight (Thursday 6-12-08) so hopefully I throw well and I continue to build up my pitch count and arm strength enough to earn that promotion back to Brevard County. Thanks for checking out our new blog and I hope you continue to check out future entries to see how all the former Jaspers are doing.

Thanks again and I'll talk to you soon.... Go Jaspers!

Sincerely,

Chris Cody

[Mass Haas]

As in years past, we'll go outside of the Link Report with your Florida State Leage All-Star Game coverage --

 

FSL stars coming to Viera

 

All-Stars, autographs, home runs and fireworks will be a part of today's Florida State League All-Star Game at Space Coast Stadium.

 

Center fielder Darren Ford and third baseman Taylor Green will represent the host Brevard County Manatees in the 7:30 PM contest (6:30 Central). Manatees manager Mike Guerrero will lead the East Division against the West Division in the midseason classic.

 

The day kicks off with an autograph crawl at The Avenue Viera. Space Coast Stadium gates open at 5 PM local time, followed by a Home Run Derby at 6. Fathers will have an opportunity to play catch with their children on the field at 6:45 p.m.

 

After the game, an awards ceremony and large fireworks show will wrap up the event.

 

***

 

Field set for Home Run Derby

By Lisa Winston / MLB.com

VIERA, Fla. - The rosters are pretty much set for the 47th annual Florida State League All-Star game, which will be played Saturday at Space Coast Stadium, home of the Brevard County Manatees.

But for those who are anxiously awaiting the announcement of the starting pitchers for the East and West Division squads, you're just going to have to wait a little longer.

"We should know by the Home Run Derby," joked Clearwater manager Razor Shines, who will be at the helm for the West, thanks to the Threshers' position as reigning FSL champions.

The starters are not expected to be named until Saturday afternoon, though it should be a little earlier than the 6 p.m. ET Home Run Derby.

Truth is, picking a starter for this kind of game is not as easy as handing the honor to whoever is the "top" pitcher in the league. For one thing, the rosters are as shifting as the sands of the Florida beaches, thanks -- or no thanks -- to injuries and promotions. So once the field staffs (in this case Clearwater in West and Brevard in the East) sit down with their (hopefully) final pitching staffs in front of them, their job is just starting.

At that point, they have to talk to each pitcher and find out the last time they pitched. In some cases, the All-Star Game falls on a day when they would be starting, or at least throwing on the side, making them candidates for the slot. In others, they may be limited to a few pitches later in the game.

That said, here are a few candidates:

In the East, the obvious choice would be Vero Beach Devil Rays ace Jeremy Hellickson. At 6-1 with a 2.26 ERA, he has the best ERA of any starting pitcher in Saturday's game, and his five walks against 76 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings isn't too shabby, either. He last pitched on June 5, so his arm is ready to go. But is his finger?

In his last start, Hellickson tossed five hitless innings but left after aggravating a chronic blister. That will likely be the determining factor if and when he pitches Saturday.

Other East candidates include his teammate, Ryan Morse, who has a 2.90 ERA and pitched five innings of three-hit shutout ball on Wednesday and Jupiter Hammerheads (Marlins) right-hander Kyle Winters, who pitched on Tuesday and has a 3.00 ERA. Jupiter southpaw Graham Taylor, with a 3.38 ERA and 68 strikeouts and only 14 walks in 85 1/3 innings, is another possibility.

For the West, if Shines wants to go with his marquee name, he'd turn to Lakeland Flying Tigers right-hander Rick Porcello. The former first-round pick boasts a 2.94 ERA and has walked 19 while striking out 41 over 67 1/3 innings in his pro debut since signing out of high school in New Jersey. Porcello is ready to roll, having made his last start on June 7.

The other likely candidate is Fort Myers Miracle ace Jeff Manship (Twins), who is 7-3 with a 2.86 ERA and last started on June 8.

No matter who gets the honor of starting, both pitching coaches will try to get every eligible hurler into Saturday's game.

Home Run Derby participants: The FSL may be known as a pitchers' league, but eight hitters will try to disprove that theory in the traditional pregame exhibition.

Each division will send four sluggers into battle. Trying to go deep for the East will be Brevard County's Taylor Green, Jupiter's Logan Morrison, Palm Beach's Tony Cruz (Cardinals) and Vero Beach's J.T. Hall. The West will be repped by Dunedin teammates J.P. Arencibia and Brian Dopirak (Blue Jays), Sarasota's Juan Francisco (Reds) and Lakeland's Cale Iorg.

If crowd support make a difference, look for Green to take the title. The hometown favorite is the starting third baseman for the Manatees and comes into the game with a .316 average, six homers and 42 RBIs. The Canadian-born prospect is also the Brewers' reigning Minor League Player of the Year.

Morrison, a 2005 22nd-round pick who signed with the Marlins as a draft-and-follow, brings in the most homers among East representatives with seven to go with a .318 average and 40 RBIs.

Cruz, a catcher/third baseman, is hitting .259 with five homers and 37 RBIs. Hall is batting .298 with five homers and 27 RBIs.

Arencibia is the leading home run hitter among the West contingent. The former first-rounder out of Tennessee has been enjoying a monster first full season, hitting .315 with 13 homers and a league-leading 62 RBIs. Dopirak is batting .278 with eight homers and 25 RBIs.

Francisco, the lone switch-hitter in the field, is batting .286 with nine homers and 41 RBIs after leading the Midwest League with 25 roundtrippers in 2007.

Iorg, the son of former Toronto Blue Jay Garth Iorg, rounds out the octet with a .264 average, eight homers and 33 RBIs.

Taylor Green is third in the FSL with 42 RBIs and fourth with a .316 average. (Photo by Jerry Hale/MLB.com)

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2008/06/14/mZKhkmPW.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Click here for your box score, game log, and audio link -- 6:15 Central Time Saturday the 14th.

Florida State League All-Star Game with Taylor Green and Darren Ford

[Mass Haas]

Following the links just above, you'll see Darren Ford was 1-for-3 (infield hit) with a run scored and Taylor Green 0-for-2 with an RBI groundout.

 

Their team (the East) lost, 9-3.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Stars shine in Viera

 

The stars came out Saturday night at Space Coast Stadium.

 

Whether they'll one day be superstars . . . well, that remains to be seen.

 

But you got to see them, providing you took advantage of last night's opportunity to perch yourself between a postcard sky and baseball.

 

Not just any baseball either.

 

This was the best of the best. The Florida State League All-Star Game. Sure, it's Class A ball, which is still a bit of a jump to the major leagues. But a career has to be launched somewhere. And if you were there when it was launched, all the better.

 

That's where the word when comes in, as in, you got to see so-and-so when he was a minor leaguer.

 

Many of major league baseball's greats passed through the Florida State League. Some of them at Space Coast Stadium, too. Before he started leaving giant footprints on stages like the World Series, many of us remember seeing pitcher Josh Beckett take his baby steps right here in our backyard.

 

Yeah, the Florida State League has a rich history, the latest page of it written in Saturday night's game, a 9-3 victory for the West over the East.

 

It was a big night all the way around for the 3.402 fans and especially for the players, who certainly don't diminish the importance of an all-star game, no matter what level it might be at.

 

"Oh, yeah, I was definitely excited when I heard I'd made the all-star team," said Brevard County Manatees speedy outfielder Darren Ford, who scored the first run for the East.

 

Like many other ballplayers who showed their skills last night, Ford has been working his way up the minor-league food chain for years. This is his fourth year, to be exact.

 

"Some of my teammates told me I'd made the all-star team," he said. "But I didn't believe them until I actually saw it in writing."

 

And what was the first thing Ford did when he knew that the honor was certain?

 

"I called my mother in New Jersey. She went into a little screaming action."

 

He smiled.

 

"This is a real blessing to play in this game."

 

And a showcase, too.

 

Not that the pro scouts -- and a good handful were in attendance last night -- don't already know who you are. If you're any good, and even if you're not, the scouts are routinely filing reports on you. But it's one thing to display your wares in regular league action. Quite another to do so against the crème de la crème that is an all-star game.

 

Besides, you don't have to be in the big leagues to make big-league plays.

 

In the second inning, West shortstop Cale Iorg leaped, extended himself fully, going airborne, to snag a certain line-drive single and turning it into the third out.

 

"These are the best players in our league," said East outfielder J.T. Hall, who plays for the Vero Beach Devil Rays.

 

Earlier in the evening, Hall hit 11 home runs, six in the final round, to win the Home Run Derby.

 

"This was one of my goals, to make the All-Star team this year," said Hall, who is in his fourth year in the minor leagues and played in the FSL last year. "Toward the end of last season, I started to figure out pitching patterns, the mental part of the game. It was kind of a breakthrough for me. I felt like I was turning the corner. It's all about getting better, trying to get to the next level. Making it to the All-Star game was a part of that."

 

Hall is especially excited to be in the Tampa Bay Rays' organization.

 

"It's a young, up-and-coming organization," he said.

 

Hall stays in touch with a few major league players, most notably current Tampa Bay Ray Carl Crawford and former Ray, and current Washington National, Elijah Dukes.

 

"I'm always talking to them, picking their brain," he said. "They're there. They're where I want to be."

 

Not that he minds being in Class A. For now.

 

Sure, it's one of baseball's lower rungs, but last night J.T. Hall and the rest of the FSL all-stars stood tall.

 

Sarasota Herald Tribune:

The Vero Beach Devil Rays' 24-year-old J.T. Hall won the Home Run Derby competition, smacking six over the right-field wall to defeat Taylor Green of the host Manatees by one. Tony Cruz of the Palm Beach Cardinals was third with four.

[Mass Haas]

Your Florida State League Pitcher of the Week:

Zach Braddock, Brevard County

1-0, 1.80 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 10 SO

Braddock had one of his best efforts of the season Tuesday at Lakeland, notching his first road win by going five innings and limiting the Flying Tigers to one run on two hits with 10 strikeouts. The southpaw now has 26 punchouts in his last three games, giving him 43 on the season in just 35 innings for the Manatees.

[Mass Haas]

Scouting Report: Jeremy Jeffress

So much more than you'd ever expect here -- incredible detail, and recent -- enjoy!

[brewmann04]

great read Mass Thanks

[Mass Haas]

Chris Cody Blog Entry - (June 20)

 

Hello again, I'm writing to you from Viera, Florida, home of the Brevard County Manatees. It's great to be back where I left off last year in High A ball and the Florida State League.

 

I was promoted about five days ago and made my first appearance Tuesday night in relief of Randy Choate, who was making a rehab start in the minors. Choate is a lefty specialist reliever for the Brewers. For those who don't remember, he also pitched for the Yankees during their championship run a few years back. It was neat to be in the same clubhouse with him and to watch how he prepared for the game. I even had a chance to chat with him a little about his time in New York and being in the big leagues. Not surprising to me, he admitted that his time in New York were his fondest years of his career. As for my '08 Manatees debut, it didn't go the way I planned. I had a rough first inning of relief and my night was shortened due to heavy rain -- welcome back to Florida. Actually, we have had rain every day since I've been here.

 

I'm scheduled to start Sunday and I expect to get back on track. These first few days back in Florida have been quite hectic. Getting settled in a new place to live, getting to know my new teammates and getting re-adjusted to the Florida heat definitely takes some time.

I'll be sure to keep you all updated as the season goes on. Thanks for reading!

 

See ya, Chris...

[Mass Haas]

BrewCrewBall with a wonderfully detailed and entertaining invteview with Stephen Chapman, discussing both himself and much of the Manatee roster --

I'm guessing BCB.com's "battlekow" recently freed up a lot of time (lottery winner, maybe?), because we can vouch that coordinating, conducting, and then transcribing these interviews as well as he has is a time-consuming challenge...

[Mass Haas]

Florida State League Pitcher of the Week
Jeremy Jeffress, Brevard County
1-0, 0.69 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 13.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 17 SO
After allowing six runs in 4 1/3 innings on June 11, Jeffress did not lose a game, picking up a win and a no-decision. Tuesday, against Dunedin, he pitched a seven-inning shutout, allowing three hits while striking out eight and walking two. Dunedin's starter, Edward Rodriguez, performed well also (6 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 SO), but Jeffress was too dominant. On Sunday, the 6-foot, 197-pounder tossed six innings allowing one run on three hits and striking out nine Fort Myers batters.

[Mass Haas]

His Maryland newspaper with a note about LHP Casey Baron, who has pitched very well:

 

Paint Branch graduate Casey Baron's career in the Milwaukee Brewers organization has also been on a fast track, since he was selected out of the University of Maryland in the 34th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

A year ago, Baron, 23, appeared in 13 games with Rookie-level Helena, going 1-1 with a 3.26 earned-run average, and three at Single-A West Virginia, where he compiled a 1.80 ERA in five innings of relief work.

That strong start, plus a solid spring this year, earned the left-hander a ticket to the advanced Single-A Brevard County Manatees, where he had posted a 2-2 record with a 2.51 ERA and two saves in 43 innings of work through Sunday.

His role consists of late-inning appearances as a set-up man or as the team's closer.

''It's going great," said Baron. ''I'm loving it. I like this role a lot. I kind of have a general idea when I'm going to pitch and I'm only pitching one or two innings so I'm available every day."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Brevard's graveyard

Winds make Space Coast Stadium a tough place to hit home runs

BY JIM CAWLEY

FLORIDA TODAY

 

It's been called a graveyard; a place where baseballs go to die.

 

Hitters hate it. Pitchers love it. And the wind dominates it.

 

The place is Space Coast Stadium, Viera's breezy ballpark and home of the Florida State League's Brevard County Manatees. And on most nights, it's a power hitter's nightmare.

 

"This is by far the toughest field I've ever played on for a hitter," said Manatees outfielder Lorenzo Cain, who is third on the team with seven home runs. "The wind mostly blows in. You just try to hit groundballs, hit line drives -- just keep the ball out of the air because left field, left-center, it's not going anywhere."

 

Brevard County second baseman Kenny Holmberg hit 15 home runs for the South Atlantic League's West Virginia Power last season, but has yet to go deep in 47 games with the Manatees in 2008.

 

"You gotta show up and work, and try to get better on the things that can happen (at Space Coast Stadium), which is hitting groundballs and line drives," Holmberg said. "If you get one, you're gonna get one, but man, you gotta run into it.

 

"It's definitely a graveyard, but what can you do?"

 

Space Coast Stadium has a reputation around the league as being one of the toughest parks to hit home runs. Opposing players not only know this, but talk about it on road trips to Viera, according to Dunedin Blue Jays first baseman Brian Dopirak.

 

Reputation turned to reality for the 6-foot-4, 235-pound slugging Dopirak in the FSL All-Star Game's Home Run Derby at Space Coast Stadium on June 14.

 

"The wind was blowing in really good that day," said Dopirak, who hit 39 home runs for the Class A Lansing Lugnuts in 2004, and belted a combined 34 homers in two seasons for the FSL's Daytona Cubs and Class AA Tennessee Smokies. "I hit some balls -- they didn't go anywhere. And that was everything I had in me."

 

Pitching perspective

What often times results in frustration and disbelief for hitters at Space Coast Stadium produces the opposite reaction for the guy standing about 60 feet away. Simply put, pitchers love taking the mound in Viera.

 

"It's fun, especially when the wind blows in," Manatees reliever Casey Baron said with a smile. "Sometimes you just kind of go, 'Well, here you go, hit it as far as you can -- see if you can get it outta here.' If they're able to hit it out of here with the wind blowing in, then it will pretty much go out anywhere."

 

Of the Manatees starters, hard-throwing righty Jeremy Jeffress has the most dramatic difference between games pitched at home and on the road. In five starts at Space Coast Stadium, Jeffress has a 1.88 earned-run average. In his four starts away from Viera, his ERA is 8.05.

 

Two-time FSL All-Star reliever Josh Wahpepah has an 0.87 ERA in 10 appearances at home for the Manatees this season, while posting a 3.50 ERA in nine road games. Reliever Travis Wendte has comparable numbers -- 2.08 ERA in seven games at home, 6.00 ERA in seven road games.

 

"We should have success pitching in this park. It's a pitcher's park; it's always been a pitcher's park," Manatees pitching coach Fred Dabney said.

 

"You get a ball out over the plate, a guy gets a good hack on it, maybe the ball would have gone out most places, but it stays in here. It's a great pitcher's park, and we should take advantage of that."

 

Forces of nature

 

Featuring dimensions similar to other FSL ballparks (340 feet to left and right field, 404 to center field) Space Coast Stadium likely has the wind to blame as its main power outage culprit.

 

According to Manatees general manager Kyle Smith, the wind is blowing in from left field and/or blowing from left to right about 75 percent of the time during home games. That makes hitting home runs particularly tough for right-handers.

 

"Typically, it comes right in from the scoreboard," Smith said. "It's like a seabreeze that's constant."

 

Smith recalled a three-game home series in early May when the wind actually was blowing out.

 

"We hit a couple of home runs each game -- now we hit one out a homestand," Smith said. "The ball just doesn't fly here. It's almost like it's a weighted ball."

 

Matt Volkmer, a forecaster/meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne, offers an explanation that supports the wind's negative effect on hitters. During this time of year, a seabreeze develops on the coast in mid-afternoon and pushes inland at about 5 or 6 p.m., Volkmer said. It normally comes from an easterly or southeasterly direction, averaging 15-20 mph, but sometimes stronger, he added.

 

Most Manatees home games start at 7 p.m., which is prime time for the seabreeze winds.

 

"If there is a southeast wind, it would pretty much be blowing in. And if it was easterly, it would be blowing from left to right, like a crosswind," Volkmer said. "The seabreeze winds aren't ideal for your power hitters looking for the home run."

 

Since 2005, only William H. Hammond Stadium -- home of the Fort Myers Miracle -- has allowed fewer home runs than Space Coast Stadium. During that period, 209 homers have been recorded at Hammond Stadium, while 251 have left the yard at Space Coast Stadium.

 

To put the numbers in perspective, 504 home runs have been hit at Vero Beach's Holman Stadium in the same timeframe. Six other stadiums have allowed at least 340 homers during that span.

 

This season, the Mantees are second-to-last in homers, and last in hits. Stephen Chapman and Taylor Green lead the team with 10 home runs apiece. Chapman has hit six of his ten at Space Coast, Green four of ten.

 

Past experiences

 

Dabney recalled one current major-league star's lack of affection for Space Coast Stadium: "I know Ryan Braun wasn't a big fan of hitting in this park," he said.

 

Braun, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, played in 59 games for the Manatees in 2006, batting .274 with seven home runs. He was promoted to the Class AA Huntsville Stars halfway through the year and had noticeably better results. Playing in the same number of games, Braun hit almost 30 points higher (.303) and had more than twice as many homers (15).

 

Braun went on to hit 10 home runs in just 34 games with the Class AAA Nashville Sounds the next season, and hasn't stopped sending them out of major-league ballparks since.

 

Then there's Mat Gamel. Playing the entire season in Brevard County in 2007, the third baseman batted .300 with nine homers. That was in 128 games. In 47 fewer games this season in Huntsville, he has 15 homers to go along with a .384 average.

 

Stars GM Buck Rogers is quite familiar with the power struggles at Space Coast Stadium. Rogers was the Manatees GM for four seasons before taking over in Huntsville during the offseason.

 

"That's a really crazy ballpark. With all the breezes . . . The wind was always kickin'," Rogers said. "You never, ever look up and see the American flag limp -- it's always blowing. For a hitter to hit a bunch of home runs out of Space Coast Stadium, it would be a miracle."

 

The record for home runs in a season by a Brevard County Manatee is 18 by Jose Santos of the Expos system in 2001. That's the lowest output for a single-season leader in FSL history.

 

According to Milwaukee Brewers scout Doug Reynolds, who covers Georgia, South Carolina and parts of Florida, Space Coast Stadium's lack of power production is something taken into consideration when evaluating players' offensive numbers.

 

"I've seen balls absolutely crushed that don't even get to the warning track," Reynolds said. "As a hitter -- especially if you're a power guy -- (the idea) is don't let the home run totals bother you."

 

No excuses

 

Brevard County manager Mike Guerrero agrees it is difficult to hit for power at Space Coast Stadium, but points out, "the other team has to hit in this ballpark, too." Making adjustments, he said, is the key to success.

"To me, it's an excuse just in case we fail," the straightforward, 40-year-old manager said. "We need to just keep working and get the best out of it."

 

However, Guerrero paused and smiled before reflecting on what it would be like to take the mound for a home game.

 

"If I was a pitcher, I would love it," he said.

 

For the guys digging into the Space Coast Stadium batters box -- in particular, the power hitters -- Dopirak offers this suggestion: Don't stand there and admire your shot.

 

"As a home run hitter, you get a feel for it when you get ahold of one," Dopirak said. "But there are going to be no no-doubters here. You're going to have to run the ball out."

 

Brevard County Manatees manager Mike Guerrero believes players must make adjustments to be successful hitting at Space Coast Stadium. (Photo by Craig Rubadoux, FLORIDA TODAY)

 

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[Mass Haas]

Jeffress, Lucroy named Manatees of the Month

BY FLORIDA TODAY

• Name: RHP Jeremy Jeffress
• Height/weight: 6-0, 197
• Age: 20
• Birthplace: South Boston, Va.
• College: None
• June stats: 2-1, 2.29 ERA. Struck out 43 and walked 12 in six starts. Was the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week for June 23-29.
• Quotable: "I just feel like I'm in a groove right now. I'm just trying to stay focused and keep it going -- that's the key."

 

• Name: C Jonathan Lucroy
• Height/weight: 6-0, 195
• Age: 22
• Birthplace: Lafayette, La.
• College: Louisiana-Lafayette
• June stats: Called up from the West Virginia Power and promptly hit .317 in 11 games. Drove in 10 runs in just 41 at-bats. Average now up to .340.
• Quotable: "I just try to go up and be consistent and hit the ball hard. I'm trying to keep it as simple as I can."

[Mass Haas]

This article (thanks, battlekow) also means that Taylor Green and Alex Periard will not be in Beijing for the Olympics as part of the Canadian National Team. Each had played on the qualifying team.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Simply put, Lucroy a hit

Manatees' catcher shows signs of consistent slugger

BY JIM CAWLEY

FLORIDA TODAY

 

The Brevard County Manatees' coaching staff heard a lot of good things about catching prospect Jonathan Lucroy before he joined the team last month.

 

So far, Lucroy is showing his reputation is well-deserved.

 

Since being called up from the South Atlantic League's West Virginia Power on June 19, Lucroy has been impressive at the plate, batting .338 with four home runs and 18 RBIs in just 21 games. The 22-year-old catcher is slugging a whopping .558.

 

"We knew he could hit, and he hasn't let us down," Manatees hitting coach Corey Hart said. "He came in with everything we've heard, and showed us exactly what everybody's always said about him."

 

Lucroy already has posted a number of multiple-hit games, including Sunday, when he belted a pair of home runs in a 7-4 loss to the Daytona Cubs.

 

"He's got a good approach at the plate. When he gets a good pitch to hit, he doesn't miss it," Brevard County manager Mike Guerrero said.

 

"He's a pretty mature kid. He trusts his ability, and he knows what he wants to do. He's not going out there and trying to do too much."

 

According to Lucroy, keeping it simple has been his simple formula for success.

 

"I just came here and expected to compete -- that's really about it," Lucroy said. "I'm not a big ego guy, I don't think I'm anything special. I just try to be consistent and hit the ball hard. I try to keep it as simple as I can."

 

Lucroy was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the third round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. That season, he played for the Helena Brewers of the Pioneer League, posting a .342 average.

 

He started this season with the Power, where he batted .310 with 10 homers and 33 RBIs in 65 games. He had 16 doubles and stole eight bases, while being caught just once.

 

Upon joining the Manatees, Lucroy was inserted into the No. 3 spot -- and has more than held his own in what is considered a key position in any batting order.

 

"You'd expect a younger kid that comes in at the halfway point from a lower level to maybe be a little timid," Hart said. "But he came right in with some confidence and he has really made our lineup better.

 

"A lot of hitting is confidence -- and he's got it."

 

Milwaukee Brewers Scout Doug Reynolds identified Lucroy as a player to watch in the organization.

 

"An offensive catcher makes you pretty attractive," Reynolds said.

 

Batting in front of FSL All-Star third baseman Taylor Green, Lucroy has been leading the way with a .400 on-base percentage. In 77 at-bats, he has just nine strikeouts, while also walking nine times.

 

"He's got really quick hands. And when he lets the ball travel, he's as good as anybody out there," Hart said. "He's shown some signs of pop, too -- some power."

 

Guerrero said he also likes the way his young catcher has looked behind the plate -- a position that requires a player to be a leader, regardless of his tenure with the team.

 

"Defensively, this is a lot tougher league because the pitchers are better; the pitches break harder," Lucroy said. "The baserunners are faster; they're smarter, they don't do stupid stuff on the bases. You just gotta be consistent behind the plate, too. That's really all this game is about -- being consistent."

 

If Lucroy can keep up that consistency, he may not be in Brevard County long.

 

"He is a kid with tremendous ability offensively, and defensively he looks pretty good," Guerrero said. "I think he's got a bright future in front of him."

 

Jonathon Lucroy is batting .338 with four home runs in 21 Manatees games. (Photo by Craig Rubadoux, FLORIDA TODAY)

 

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[Mass Haas]

Latest blog entry:

 

Chris Cody -- 7-12-08

 

Hey everybody,

 

I'm just hanging out here in Sarasota, Florida playing the Reds in a four-game set, I've been pretty busy for the last week or so with some friends and family coming down from New York to visit me. It was great to see them and it's always a great way to get away from the monotony of going to the field everyday and seeing the same faces day in and day out.

 

We just got through a series with the Lakeland Flying Tigers, which happens to be the team I played for last year before I was traded. Of the 25 guys on the team, I had played with about 16 of them. It was a lot of fun to see them and hang out with them for the first time in over a year. We grabbed dinner a couple times while they were in town and I even got a chance to pitch against them in the third game of the series, something I was looking forward to. I ended up pitching very well and I thought it was my best outing of the year so far.

 

It's amazing to me that July is almost halfway over. In another couple weeks, we'll be playing the Palm Beach Cardinals and my college catcher Nick Derba. I'm really looking forward to seeing him and catching up. Hopefully I won't have to face him in a game.

 

I'll talk to everyone soon, keep on reading!

 

-Cody

[Mass Haas]

Taylor Green interview via battlekow at BrewCrewBall

Do I even need to tell you it's a fun read? We bow in your general direction, bk -- and Taylor seems as classy a guy as we're read previously...

[Mass Haas]

The Brevard County affiliate (non-player specific) is featured this week at MiLB.com.

[battlekow]

Article about Lucroy from about a week ago that I didn't see posted elsewhere:

Jonathan Lucroy makes strides as Brewers minor-leaguer

Jonathan Lucroy is off to a sizzling start at Class A Brevard.

Dave Heeren |Special To The Sentinel

July 9, 2008

VIERA - Now in his second season of minor-league baseball, Jonathan Lucroy understands the rigors of road trips.

 

On a lot of days, he spends more time on the team bus than on the field.

 

But he has it easy compared with his parents.

 

"One night, we drove over to Viera to see Jonathan play," said Lucroy's mother, Karen. "We got home at 1:30 a.m. and went to work the next day."

"When I get up there, I'll be able to hang with them," he said.

 

Already, Lucroy has four baseball cards and has done signings for three of them. He signs autograph labels by the thousands.

 

"You can make a little money," he said.

 

Lucroy was intrigued to find out that his dad at one time had done turf management on the property in Viera where the minor-league stadium is located.

"Dad took care of the cows," he said.

 

As rapidly as he has risen, he hasn't let it go to his head. He is enjoying the stops along the way.

 

"A couple of times in Charleston, we had crowds of 9,000 people," he said. "That was fun because down here [in the Florida State League], we only get 200 or 300 people for a game."

 

One of the memorable moments of his brief professional baseball career occurred during a game in Greensboro, N.C.

 

"The guy in front of me got a hit and I saw this dog run on the field and grab the bat the guy used to get the hit," Lucroy said. "The dog took the bat to the on-deck circle and sat down next to it. He was a trained bat dog."

 

Lucroy said he has been more relaxed as a professional player than he was as a collegian.

 

"In college, they expected you to get a hit or a home run every time at bat," he said.

 

Lucroy is looking forward to the day, in the not-too-distant future, when he crouches behind home plate on opening day, glances around and sees his family sitting in the stands at Miller Park in Milwaukee.

 

Lucroy has climbed through three affiliates to arrive at the Milwaukee Brewers' Brevard County team in the high Class A Florida State League.

 

When he was at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, his parents, Steve and Karen, flew to Louisiana to watch him play. They flew to Montana to see him play rookie-league ball and to Arizona for spring training.

 

They made two trips earlier this season to see him play for a South Atlantic League team in Charleston, W.Va.

 

It came as welcome news when Jonathan was promoted and assigned to the Brewers' team in Brevard County. But now that he's closer to home, his family makes more frequent trips to see him play.

 

On top of that, they've seen his 15-year-old brother, David, play in recent travel baseball tournaments in Jupiter and Fort Myers.

 

"It never seems to stop," Steve Lucroy said.

 

It probably won't stop any time soon.

 

Jonathan Lucroy, 22, has come a long way from his days of playing for Umatilla High. On the brewerfan.net Web site, he is listed as the No. 8 prospect in the Brewers' minor-league system.

 

He rose one notch from last month.

 

Lucroy is rising in an organization that does not have a strong young player at his position, catcher, at the major-league level.

 

Defensively, he is outstanding.

 

His throw from home plate to second base has been timed at 1.68 seconds.

 

A time of 2.0 seconds is considered good. If you can do it in 1.8 seconds, you are regarded as a major-league-caliber catcher.

 

And the bonus is, Lucroy can hit. He has not batted under .300 at any of his minor-league stops.

 

After playing in the South Atlantic League All-Star Game, he was promoted to Brevard. In the first 16 games after his promotion, he batted .351 with four home runs and 15 RBIs in 16 games. He leads the team in batting, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.

 

In spring training, Lucroy met two of the Brewers' top young players, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. He felt right at home and speaks of his big-league future in positive terms.

[bretsky07]

Lucroy shows up on BP's Future Shock: Monday Ten Pack (subscription required). Of course, they list him as MATT Lucroy, but still, he's there.

 

To sum up: he raked in Helena last year, but college guys are expected to. To start this year, he raked in WV, but was old for the league. Now, he's raking in Brevard, and has thrown out 20 of 34 basestealers.

 

The last sentence of the paragraph only tells the masses what we already knew: "He's now one of the better catching prospects in the game, so pay attention."

[battlekow]

Door County's own Erik Cordier also showed up in Goldstein's Ten Pack:

Speaking of first impressions, Cordier took more than a year to make one with Atlanta. Acquired from the Royals last year for shortstop Tony Pena Jr., Cordier missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and despite previously showing loads of promise, he was entering the season with just 87 1/3 professional innings under his belt. Sent to Rome after a trio of warm-up outings in the Gulf Coast League, Cordier is once again showing promise, allowing just three hits and one run over 5 2/3 innings on Friday night, which actually raised his ERA to 1.56 in four starts. His velocity is already clicking in the low 90s and touching 96, and his above-average changeup has hard, late fade. He's struggling to command his curveball, a common problem for those coming back from TJ surgery, but it projects as an average offering at least. If he can stay healthy, he's a very solid pitching prospect.

[Mass Haas]

Lisa Winston of MiLB.com with an excellent article on Taylor Green -- extra kudos to amateur scout Bruce Seid...

[Mass Haas]

Chris Cody's Manhattan College Blog:

 

July 30, 2008

 

Jasper fans,

 

Just wanted to touch base with everyone and fill you in on what has been happening. My team, The Manatees, just got back after a week long road trip from Tampa (Yankees), and Palm Beach (Cardinals). It was neat to go to Tampa and play on Legends Field (now named George M. Steinbrenner Field). I remember being fifteen years old in Florida on vacation with my dad and brother, going to as many spring training games as we could fit in. In Palm Beach, I got to meet up with Jasper teammate, Nick Derba. It was very weird seeing him in the batters box wearing bright red and white colors rather than the normal Jasper, kelly green. Then again, he probably said the same thing about me. Our teams actually play each other a few more times before the end of the season, so I will get to hang out with him again starting tomorrow when his Cardinals come to Brevard County.

 

I'm getting ready to pitch tonight against the St. Lucie Mets. Hopefully, the weather holds up. July and August are usually the worst months for rainouts in the Florida State League.

 

I will talk to you all soon. Don't be afraid to check out Milb.com or the Manatees' website to see how we're doing. (www.manateesbaseball.com)

 

Take Care,

 

Chris