Offseason / Spring Training Transaction Thread -- Latest: Summary of DL Placements

[JJHardy7]

I do still wonder why Bray and Bateman never got more of a chance.

 

I've posted this here before, but I think Bray got screwed in '07. I think it's easy for a fan to disagree with that, but these players are people. He had as perfect a year a RP can have and didn't get a shot in September with the team. I think mentally that can be draining and I think for Steve it was. After that year, it was pretty much a sure thing he would never pitch in Milwaukee. I do think the Brewers need to focus more on these situations if they're really ever going to use the minors as a legit option for the bullpen. I know he may be a AAAA player, but with the numbers he had there's no reason he didn't get a shot. His case is exactly why I question how the Brewers treat their pitchers in AAA.

 

I think letting Bateman go is the wrong move. There were rumors he was going to be up in September last year and now he's out of the organization. While he may not have a long MLB career, IMO he would have provided some nice depth in AAA. I guess I'm failing to see what the Brewers are trying to do with their pitching at the higher levels. They lack a ton of pitching prospects in general and to me that means you need to keep these type of guys. Let's just hope we have a healthy year in the bullpen at the MLB level. Bateman IMO is the type of guy that could come up for a few weeks with an injury and do a decent job.

[Mass Haas]

Earlier in this thread, we posted this:

 

In this thread, we made note of the following six signings, thanks --

 

Here's a summary of the players the Brewers did sign:

 

Luis Chirinos - Venezuelan corner OF signed for $90,000. Turned 16 in late August.

Jaime King - 6'4", 210 pound 19-year old Dominican RHP. Touches low-90s with fastball, adds a curve and change.

Jose Ramos - another 19-year old Dominican RHP. Also touches the low-90s.

 

Baseball America reports that the Brewers have signed an outfielder named Juan Barrini.

 

LHP Manuel Ruiz is the latest Latin American youngster to be signed, according to Baseball America.

 

Baseball America reports the Brewers have signed RHP Heri Olivo.

 

*************************************************************************

 

4/4/09 Update:

With media guide in hand, we can now tell you the following about those newcomers and others -- we probably won't see any in action until June at Helena and/or Maryvale -- some of the comments above are repeated below (with adjustments):

 

Joan (we imagine pronounced Jo'- ahn) Abreu will be 19 years old in July. He's a 5'11", 180 lb. Dominican infielder; a right-handed bat.

 

Outfielder Juan Barrini turned 17 years old last New Year's day. The Dominican native is listed at 6'2", 175; a right-handed bat.

 

Luis Chirinos - Venezuelan corner OF signed for $90,000. Turned 16 in late August, as noted above. Another RH bat.

 

Jaime King - 6'4", 210 pound 19-year old Dominican RHP. Touches low-90s with fastball, adds a curve and change. (The media guide now lists him at 190). Throughout his career, we'll need to remember he's a Latin-based talent with that name.

 

Andres Martinez is a 6'2" 178 lb. infielder (corner, we would imagine) from the D.R. He turned 17 last January. RH bat.

 

LHP Eliezer Montano (we always cheer lefty's) is a 17-year-old Venezuelan who stands at 6'7" (Wow! And still growing, we imagine) and a lean 170. Immediately we're intrigued.

 

Jose Ramos - another 19-year old Dominican RHP, Ramos turns 20 in June. Also touches the low-90s. (Actually, the Brewer media guide lists him as a LHP. Cool!) 6'5", 215 -- nice.

 

LHP Manuel Ruiz (it's a run on southpaws!) is a 20-year-old Dominican. Another tall, thin youngster at 6'5", 175.

 

RHP Heri Olivo's signing came after the media guide went to press, apparently. We'll know more about his home, height and weight when he begins play in June (via MiLB.com).

 

Retired 29-year-old Venezuelan minor league and independent league LHP Rolando Valles has joined the Brewers organization this season as its new "Latin Liaison", assisting with the off-field needs and development of the non-English speaking minor leaguers.

 

The Canadian kids are on their own, though -- wink...

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers have released one of their offseason signings, INF Jonathan Ash.

 

The Nashville site had described his signing as follows--

 

INF Jonathan Ash - The 26-year-old second baseman was selected by the Brewers in the Triple-A phase of December's Rule 5 draft off the Double-A Corpus Christi roster of the Houston Astros. Ash batted .240 (66-for-275) with 11 RBIs in 105 games between Corpus Christi and Triple-A Round Rock last season, when he gained his first career Class AAA experience. Ash carries a career .299 batting average in 483 games over his five professional seasons after being selected by the Astros in the 11th round of the 2004 draft.

 

Also getting released was:

 

Big (6'3", 218) 19-year-old first baseman Pedro Ramos, the left-handed Puerto Rican native, hit .211 in 142 AB's with the rookie Arizona Brewers in '08 (13 BB, 52 K's).

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers have filled the final open spot on the Huntsville roster by signing infielder Kevin Melillo. Career stats at link.

Melillo, a LH bat, will turn 27 in May. He was the 2004 5th round pick of the Oakland A's out of the University of South Carolina, and split last season at AAA in the A's and Blue Jays systems.

He has a career .841 OPS, playing in primarily offensive parks, but that still works.

Like a true Athletic, he walked in his only career big league plate appearance, for a career MLB OBP of 1.000.

He has been a second baseman the majority of his career, with some time at the corner infield spots as well.

That's a pretty diverse and very veteran middle infield group at Huntsville. You've got Yohannis Perez, Shane Justis, Johnny Raburn, and Melillo, with Michael Garciaparra on the DL. As noted elsewhere on this forum, until the younger kids get healthy, this is an older, somewhat non-descript AA roster.

[Mass Haas]

In order to get down to the 25-man Midwest League roster limit, two of the Timber Rattler roster players previously announced, RHP Daniel Meadows and catcher Corey Kemp, are opening the season on the seven-day disabled list with undisclosed injuries.

[Mass Haas]

In order to free up a needed roster spot at Nashville to get to the AAA roster limit of 24, newcomer RHP Ryan Houston was placed on the seven-day DL with an as-of-this-time undisclosed injury.

[Mass Haas]

This will probably be our final post in this thread before starting a regular season transaction thread --

 

From Baseball America:

 

Placed on restricted list: SS Matt Cline

 

Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Omar Aguilar, RHP Corey Frerichs, RHP Ryan Houston, RHP Alex Periard, RHP R.J. Seidel, LHP Zach Braddock, LHP Chris Capuano, LHP Daniel Meadows, LHP Jose Romero, LHP Brae Wright, C Corey Kemp, C Brett Whiteside, SS Michael Garciaparra, OF Lorenzo Cain

 

Cline may have "retired" without filing final paperwork -- speculation only.

 

Let's see: Aguilar (oblique), Frerichs (ACL), Periard (shoulder), Seidel (ACL), Braddock (coming back from some type of arm surgery, not Tommy John, rotator cuff, or labrum), Capuano (Tommy John), Wright (Tommy John), Cain (hamstring)

 

Others unknown -- gee, Whiteside can't stay on the field.

[MTBrew]

Boy, I think its a shame if Matt Cline "retires".

While he may not have MLB talent, he's the kind of player that makes those around him and the team better.

He plays hard, with enthusiasm and did the little things needed to win. I think he would be a good coach.

Also, any info on Fonseca? Or did I miss something.

[TheCrew07]

No mention of Romanski anywhere, rotoworld, BA, and MiLB doesn't even have a player page for him anymore.

 

Disappointing news on Cline, I thought he did enough to warrant a full season at A+ this year.

[Mass Haas]

Regarding players like Josh Romanski and David Fonseca, because they finished up 2008 on Helena's roster, the Brewers don't have to make any formal disabled list announcement for them until June. So if they are nursing minor injuries in Maryvale, or even trying to overcome more serious ones, there is no mention of a disabled list placement at this time.

[aintbize]

Mass-

 

Zach Braddock had his ulnar nerve decompressed. (see link) http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00069

It was getting irritated moving through the groove in the humerus bone so the surgeon transposed it into his muscle tissue to protect it. All accounts say he is throwing well and without any pain.