Your 2009 Timber Rattlers -- Latest: OF Erik Miller interview & RHP Trey Watten update

[Mass Haas]

Link to Brett Christopherson Appleton Post-Crescent blog entry, text follows:

 

Baseball America doesn't rate Juan Sanchez as one of the top prospects in the Milwaukee Brewers' system.

 

But the 22-year-old infielder/outfielder has definitely caught the attention of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers coaching staff.

 

"He loves playing the game, and it shows when he's out on the field," Rattlers manager Jeff Isom said. "I knew coming in he was going to be our utility guy up the middle."

 

But Isom wasn't expecting the Venezuelan to provide a key lift in an outfield that has been battered with injuries.

 

Over his last eight games, Sanchez has been penciled in at five positions: second base, shortstop, third base, center field and right field. He split time between third base and right field in the Rattlers' 11-1 Midwest League loss at Great Lakes on Wednesday.

 

"It ends up we needed an outfielder with (Erik) Miller (being injured), so we put him out there in center field, never seen him out there, he's never played out there," Isom said. "Probably now one of our better outfielders.

 

"He's got a great arm. Just the way he attacks the game is fun to watch. It's kind of like a toy for me now. 'OK, let's try him at third base. Let's try him at second.' I'm even attempted to put him behind the plate. I bet he could do that. Maybe we'll try him in the stands so he can sell peanuts, 50/50 raffle tickets. Who knows?"

Sanchez spent the previous four seasons as part of the Twins organization after signing with Minnesota as a non-drafted free agent in August of 2004.

 

Last year, he hit .314 with two homers and 17 RBI in 42 games with the rookie level Gulf Coast League Twins before being selected by the Crew in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft.

 

While Sanchez's defensive versatility has been a godsend -- the Rattlers currently have three outfielders on the DL and earlier this season shipped outfielder Cutter Dykstra to the rookie level Helena Brewers as part of a position switch to second base -- he has also continued to show a steady stroke at the plate.

 

Sanchez is hitting .251 with one homer, 19 doubles and 21 RBI in 80 games.

 

So while Baseball America might not deem Sanchez an up-and-comer with the Brewers, Isom can't imagine playing on without the kid.

 

"For us, we need somebody like that," Isom said. "It's big if you've got a few injuries here and there. You've got (second baseman) Brett (Lawrie) going to that Futures Game (earlier this week) and guys moving around, so we need somebody to have some versatility.

 

"He's been a catalyst, also, offensively at times. Just has very good baseball instincts. As I was saying earlier, he's a baseball player. And we need more guys like that."

[Mass Haas]

Three instructional videos featuring Wisconsin Timber Rattlers field staff (Manager Jeff Isom and Pitching Coach Chris Hook), and area youth baseball/softball players have been posted on The Post-Crescent's Web site.

 

Pretty cool if you need ideas on working with your kids.

 

Find the three videos via here, you may need to scroll a bit to see the baseball videos among the other site videos, as Brett Christopherson notes.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

La Crosse's Seidel looks to give Timber Rattlers a boost

Brett Christopherson, Appleton Post-Crescent

Grand Chute -- It's about an hour before first pitch, and R.J. Seidel leans his 6-foot-5 frame against a large trunk inside the indoor batting cage at Fox Cities Stadium.

 

That he's actually there, decked out in his Wisconsin Timber Rattlers black warm-up top and talking about taking the bump in today's Midwest League series finale against the Dayton Dragons is as unlikely as it is remarkable.

 

"With the advancement of surgery, the rehab - nowadays, you can come back a lot quicker than you used to," the right-hander said. "They kept telling me I was ahead of schedule the whole time. I just kept working hard and really wanted to get some innings in this year."

 

The Milwaukee Brewers grabbed the La Crosse native in the 16th round of the 2006 June draft, wowing area scout Harvey Kuenn Jr. with a stat line that included an 8-2 record, 90 strikeouts and a 0.99 ERA during a standout senior season at Central High School.

 

Of course, there was also that lottery ticket just waiting to be cashed in the form of a full scholarship offer to play college ball at the University of Arkansas, but Seidel bypassed the calls of "Pig Suey!" for the chance to chill with the home state Crew and has since pitched well in his two minor-league seasons.

 

So well that he entered 2009 rated by Baseball America as the 18th-best prospect in the Brewers' system after producing minor-league totals of 13 wins, 117 strikeouts and a 4.15 ERA in 38 appearances, 33 of which were starts, over the past two seasons.

 

That included a 9-5 showing, 81 strikeouts and a 4.51 ERA in his first full season last year at West Virginia, the Brewers' previous Class-A affiliate.

 

"He's a quality arm and has pretty good sink and command of three pitches," said Rattlers skipper Jeff Isom, who managed Seidel the past two years at rookie level Helena, Mont., and West Virginia. "He's got size. He's a guy whose fastball will continue to get better and will continue to get better the older he gets."

 

But first came a crushing injury. And, with it, a tricky road back.

 

It's December, two days after Christmas, and Seidel is jogging along a trail somewhere in La Crosse when his right leg slips on a patch of ice, causing him to land awkwardly on his left leg.

 

He crumples to the ground but manages to hobble back to his car and call his father. A trip to the hospital doesn't seem to indicate any substantial damage, but an MRI reveals a nightmare: a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

 

Surgery follows in late January. Then comes a lingering bout with sickness because of the medication, which results in a 15-pound weight loss and leaves him weakened at 185 pounds. And then comes an arduous rehab program that taxes the mind and body but leaves nary a dent on his soul.

 

"I couldn't even walk a week after surgery, and usually, you're supposed to," said the 21-year-old Seidel, who called some of his early rehab work, like being forced to fully extend his reconstructed knee, the worst pain he has ever experienced.

 

"It was grueling," he added. "I was sweating beads, dripping. To think I'm here right now and ready to pitch in a game …"

 

His voice trails off at the thought of being handed the ball against the Dragons, who earned a 4-1 victory over the Rattlers on Thursday and will be looking to sweep the three-game series with a win today.

 

Seidel, who arrived in town on Wednesday following a rehab stint with the rookie level Arizona Brewers, is considering his start his official season-debut, one with an allotted pitch count of 85 pitches.

 

Family and friends are expected to be on hand. But so, too, is an opportunity to prove he's fully recovered - just six months after major knee surgery - and ready to reclaim his status as an up-and-comer within the Brewers' system.

 

Admittedly, his fastball is still about four miles shy from reaching last season's high of 93 mph. And yeah, he got knocked around a bit in Arizona, surrendering 21 earned runs and 43 hits and failing to win a decision in three tries over six starts spanning 28 1/3 innings.

 

But he was using the stint as something of an abbreviated spring training to refine his mechanics, sharpen his command and stretch out his arm.

 

Everything feels fine - physically and mentally.

 

"I think the injury made him stronger," said Seidel's father, Dick, who spent two seasons (1982 and '83) as a pitcher in the New York Yankees system. "Once something is taken away from you, you realize you really want it, and he has worked pretty hard to get to this point.

 

" I know R.J. is a pretty focused individual and a pretty tough kid - resilient. I figured he'd be out there quicker than this, but I know the Brewers like to take their time. And they did the right thing, making sure he was 100 percent."

 

It's about 21 hours before Seidel will scrape his foot against the rubber, kick and fire. He rises from his Fox Cities Stadium box seat seven rows behind home plate after charting pitches during Thursday's loss. He scoots toward the Rattlers' clubhouse and then drives off to wherever he calls home these days.

 

The time has come to prepare for his first meaningful start in what seems like forever. Finally.

 

"Back in January, looking ahead and seeing how much rehab I had in front of me, it was going to be a long time," Seidel said. "It's hard to believe I'm already back in the game."

 

R.J. Seidel of La Crosse will make his first start for the Timber Rattlers Friday night. Photo for The Post-Crescent by Wm. Glasheen

 

http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20090724&Category=APC021102&ArtNo=907240488&Ref=AR&Profile=1009&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

[molitor fan]

Considering the somewhat comical lengths some forum members will go to in order to be critical of the Brewers for their handling of prospect injuries, I wanted to highlite this mention by Seidel's dad.

 

" I know R.J. is a pretty focused individual and a pretty tough kid - resilient. I figured he'd be out there quicker than this, but I know the Brewers like to take their time. And they did the right thing, making sure he was 100 percent."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Versatile Sanchez has found a home with Timber Rattlers

By Ricardo Arguello

Post-Crescent staff writer

 

GRAND CHUTE - Fox Cities Stadium has been Juan Sanchez's home away from home.

 

And the 22-year-old's strong work ethic has followed him more than 2,600 miles from his home town in Bejuma, Venezuela.

 

Whether it's taking extra fielding or batting practice or working on his footwork, Sanchez's desire to improve himself every day has caught the attention of Timber Rattlers manager Jeff Isom.

 

Sanchez had a single, stolen base, walk and was hit by a pitch in the Timber Rattlers' 3-1 loss to Kane County on Wednesday in front of 3,830 at Fox Cities Stadium.

 

"He works hard. It's the way he plays the game," Isom said of Sanchez. "And he has fun doing it.

 

"He's the first one to the stadium and the last one to leave."

 

Finding a place for Sanchez to play hasn't been difficult. The 5-foot-11, 167-pound Sanchez has played six different positions this season and his extreme versatility has conjured up images of former St. Louis Cardinals utility player Jose Oquendo.

 

Oquendo, who had a 12-year career in the big leagues, once played all nine positions in a game.

 

Sanchez entered Wednesday's game against Kane County batting .251 with a home run and 27 RBI.

 

Sanchez can play all outfield positions, third base and the "premium" infield positions of second base and shortstop.

 

And there's no dropoff in performance at any of them, according to Isom.

 

"When I got here they asked what position I would like to play," Sanchez said. "And I told them I like to play them all. And I try to make adjustments at each position."

 

Defense is something Sanchez takes pride in and he points to major league shortstop Omar Vizquel, a fellow Venezuelan, as someone he would like to follow career wise.

 

"He has 11 gold gloves," Sanchez said. "I like defense and I want to stay in the game and play for (a long time)."

 

Sanchez had three personal goals before the season started, according to Isom: improve as a person, get 400 at-bats and try to become fluent in English.

 

Sanchez, who spoke no English before joining the Rattlers, has picked up the language steadily this season.

 

It's yet another area that Sanchez puts a lot of effort and time into perfecting.

 

"Every day I'm learning more," he said. "I'm so much better now than when I came here in April. Now I can talk with my American friends in the infield and with coach Isom."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Rattlers pitcher Meadows hoping to climb the ladder in Brewers chain

By Ryan Wilson

Post-Crescent staff writer

 

GRAND CHUTE - Daniel Meadows isn't into chasing records. Chasing improvement on the other hand? He's all over that.

 

Fortunately for Meadows, he finds himself at a place where records and improvement meet. His 13th win of the season on Sunday leaves him two shy of tying the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers franchise record of 15 set by Bobby Livingston in 2003.

 

The Rattlers carried on the momentum of Meadows' victory on Sunday into Monday night, beating Beloit 8-2 in front of 3,350 fans at Fox Cities Stadium.

 

The Rattlers broke the game open early, scoring four times in the second and adding three more in the third behind three RBI from Corey Kemp, a two-run RBI double by Sean McCraw, and an RBI triple by Derrick McPhearson.

 

Liam Ohlmann earned the win, while Evan Frederickson gave up just one hit over the final four innings to collect the first save of his career.

 

However, there was no such time to relax during Meadows' good outing on Sunday, when he allowed just one unearned run over seven innings in Wisconsin's 3-1 win. But that's all part of the learning process for the 21-year-old.

 

"From where I started at and where I am now is a big difference," said Meadows. "I've been in the bullpen. I've started. I'm just trying to get better each time I go out there. This is 'A' ball, and that's what we're trying to do - to get better so we can move on to the next level."

 

Wisconsin pitching coach Chris Hook says he's seen the difference in Meadows from the time he arrived in Appleton.

 

"When he first got here it was all about the changeup," said Hook. "But what has happened since then is that he's got better command of his fastball, and he's added a cutter-slider to the mix. So while his main pitch when he got here was the changeup, he kind of went away from it to establish his other pitches. Now, he's bringing it back and it's become more effective."

 

While the wins this year have been nice, Meadows' main focus continues to be on the development of those pitches. That doesn't mean he holds his positive results in low regard.

 

"At spring training, if you would have told me I would be 13-5 with 100 innings pitched and an all-star, I would have laughed at you," said Meadows, who could have four more chances as a starter this season to break the single-season win record. "I'm so happy to be where I'm at right now, it's just great."

 

And lately, being in Appleton has been a good spot for a young pitcher to see what the future can hold. In the past few weeks, the Timber Rattlers have welcomed major leaguers Dave Bush - who will pitch again for Wisconsin tonight - and Jeff Suppan in for rehab starts.

 

"You watch Suppan throw his bullpen, he's not missing spots," said Hook. "I think they have to understand that to get to the big league level, you're going to have to throw good stuff. But you're also going to have impeccable command. That's a big lesson for this club because they've struggled with that all year. And it's a good lesson."

 

Lesson learned, according to Meadows.

 

"You just keep your mouth shut, watch and learn," he said. "You see those guys and how they work. Obviously they're not that much different than you, but they've made it to that top level."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

As Midwest League season wraps up, some Rattlers will go straight to instructional league

By Brett Christopherson

Post-Crescent staff writer

 

GRAND CHUTE - Sure, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers concluded the home portion of their Midwest League slate on Friday.

 

And yes, the calendar says they'll put a bow on their entire season following Monday's finale at Beloit.

 

But the baseball is far from over for some.

 

"The 2009 season might be ending here in Wisconsin," Rattlers manager Jeff Isom said prior to Friday's 5-2 loss to Cedar Rapids at Fox Cities Stadium. "But 2010 starts."

 

Like soon.

 

Next on the docket for a select few wearing Rattlers duds is instructional league, which will send players, coaches and minor league coordinators within the Milwaukee Brewers' organization to their spring training complex in Phoenix for further, well, instruction.

 

"I love it," said Brewers roving infield instructor Garth Iorg, in town for Friday's game. "That's kind of the rovers' thing. And to get invited to go to instructional league for the players is a nice thing. (It means) we think highly of them because there are limited spaces. It helps them get prepared to perform at a higher level for the next season."

 

Isom said instructional league often involves an organization's upper-tier prospects and allows for more one-on-one tutelage than would be possible during a season.

 

For example, Rattlers shortstop Josh Prince, selected by the Crew in the third round of June's annual draft, will be on hand and asked to work on transferring the ball to a slightly higher position while also tweaking his overall fielding mechanics.

 

"There's a lot of minor things you can't do during the season because if they start focusing on these changes in games, it's not going to work," Isom said. "It's more individual work with the players. It's not necessarily team fundamental type stuff like bunt defense or cutoffs and relays."

 

Prince said he's looking forward to the added knowledge he'll gain in working with Iorg under a more detailed setting.

 

"I've probably spent a total of a couple hours with him on defense, and the things that I've learned just from that amount of time is as much as I've learned in a lifetime," Prince said. "I'm really, really excited about going to instructs and working with Garth and trying to learn as much as I can so I can get better and try to make the next level."

 

The only downer is the month-long session is scheduled to begin shortly after the season comes to a close, leaving little time for those involved to catch much of a breather from the weeks of baseball they've already logged.

 

Isom was selected to serve as the Brewers' bench coach during instructional league games and has been told he needs to report to Arizona on Sept. 13. So that means little time with family between the end of a long Midwest League season and the beginning of instructs.

 

Prince, meanwhile, said he'll have just two days at home in Louisiana before he heads out to Arizona. But he also understands the sacrifices that come in working towards achieving a dream.

 

"It's a yearlong process," he said. "Yeah, you get better from playing games, but the offseason is the most important time to gain weight, get bigger, get stronger and get more physical so you can produce the next year."

 

Hitting coach and Appleton native Matt Erickson agreed.

 

"With the money involved in the game now and the athletes, you have to be prepared, ready to go," said Erickson, who has been tabbed to manage the Brewers' instructional league club. "The competition is so great. And the turnover in minor league baseball is so great that you've got to come in ready to play and show that you've done something in the offseason or you'll be gone - coaches included."

[battlekow]

The Timber Rattlers ended up tied for the ninth-worst winning percentage among full-season affiliates across all of MiLB, though only third-worst in the MWL.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Rattlers-Brewers combo hits home run at the box office

By Brett Christopherson

Post-Crescent staff writer

 

GRAND CHUTE - It was Friday night at a deserted Fox Cities Stadium, and the Cedar Rapids Kernels were about an hour removed from completing a three-game sweep of the slumping Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

 

The 5-2 setback was the Rattlers' ninth loss in their past 10 games. Realistic hopes of earning a Midwest League playoff bid had been abandoned for a couple of weeks. And the game marked a depressing end to their 2009 home slate.

 

Yet team president Rob Zerjav was grinning.

 

From - pardon the cliche - ear to ear.

 

"To go from the year we had last year and the (poor) weather and the questions as to the (potential) Milwaukee Brewers relationship, it definitely made it all worthwhile this year," he said. "And to see what can happen here and the support we can get from the fans, yeah, it's been a good year."

 

Make that a great year.

 

Fan buzz over Wisconsin's new affiliation with the home state Brewers never waned, even as it became frustratingly clear the recent string of lousy on-field karma would be extended for at least another season.

 

Consider:

 

The Rattlers finished with an overall record of 58-81 following Monday's 5-1 season-ending loss to Beloit, marking the fourth straight season and the sixth over the past eight they've dropped at least 80 games. The Midwest League features a 140-game schedule.

 

And they haven't come close to experiencing postseason play since 2005, when a club brimming with future big league talent advanced to the league championship series.

 

But ever since last September's news in which the Rattlers severed their 16-season partnership with the Seattle Mariners and signed a four-year pact with the Brewers that would send Milwaukee's Low-A minor league talent to Grand Chute through 2012, interest remained intense.

 

That poor showing on the scoreboard? Few seemed bothered as underscored by this season's home attendance total of 253,240, which shattered the 1996 record of 233,797 and easily bettered the club's preseason goal of 225,000.

 

Overall, the Rattlers drew 11 crowds of over 5,000 to the 5,500-seat Fox Cities Stadium, including the 5,452 that watched Friday's loss on a night that contended with a number of area high school football games.

 

Two of those 11 also came on the same night the Green Bay Packers were hosting preseason games at Lambeau Field.

 

"There's a baseball feel here, and we've had tremendous support this year," said Rattlers hitting coach and Appleton native Matt Erickson, who's well-versed in the long history of minor league baseball in these parts given his roots. "While we didn't have a tremendous year record-wise, I believe this team played the game the right way and continued to play hard.

 

"There have been some days where it has been a struggle and we've had it handed to us pretty good. But … the effort has been there all season, and hopefully, the fans appreciated that."

 

It seems they also appreciated some of the perks that come in having a minor league team affiliated with a major league club of close geographic proximity, particularly one that's cheered on by the local fan base.

 

For example, the Rattlers enjoyed an Opening Day sellout for the first time in franchise history.

 

A crowd of almost 18,000 made the trek to Miller Park on April 24 to watch the Rattlers take on the Peoria Chiefs - a Chicago Cubs affiliate - in a Midwest League game.

 

Near official sell-out crowds welcomed rehab starts by current Brewers hurlers Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan, while diehard followers were treated to rehab assignments from some of the top-rated minor league prospects in the Crew's system.

 

Then there was the season-high crowd of 5,556 that crammed into Fox Cities Stadium for an Aug. 4 game highlighted by an appearance from former Brewers great and Hall of Famer Paul Molitor.

 

And let's not forget 19-year-old Canadian second baseman Brett Lawrie, Milwaukee's top pick and the 16th player selected in the 2008 draft, who spent most of his first professional season in Rattlers gear.

 

"It surpassed our expectations," said Zerjav, who noted dry and comfortable weather conditions helped in luring more folks to the ballpark, as well. "The reach of fans that we're now getting from Milwaukee and the Upper Peninsula and Sheboygan, they're just coming from all over to see this team.

 

"I think initially it was because they wanted to see the Brewers, but I think they're coming back because they see how much fun it is and everything that's going on out here. You give it up to the fans for coming out and supporting the team."

 

Zerjav said the increased attendance will mean an even more robust bottom line for the franchise, which in turn should also mean the opportunity to buck a sagging economy by pouring even more money back into the organization as officials continue to eye possible stadium upgrades.

 

"What's nice about it is, we're a community-owned team, so anything that goes into our coffers goes back into the ballpark and the experience fans have here," he said. "So it's great to be able to have a little bit more, hopefully, to play with and be able to do some really exciting and new things here at the ballpark in 2010."

 

Milwaukee assistant general manager Gord Ash called the new partnership "an unqualified success," citing the benefit of joint marketing initiatives such as ticket packages designed to get fans into both Miller Park and Fox Cities Stadium, as well as the convenience for those in the Brewers' front office to check out the club's minor league talent in person.

 

The West Virginia Power had served as the Brewers' previous Low-A affiliate.

 

"The affiliation has been a significant benefit to everyone here at the Brewers," Ash said in an e-mail. "On the baseball side, it has given us an opportunity to regularly monitor the progress of some of our best prospects in person, and an alternative to have our rehabilitating major league players placed on assignment right up the road.

 

"The accommodations provided by the Timber Rattlers have been terrific, and we believe it is a first class operation for our players and staff to call home."

[Mass Haas]

Chris Mehring's season-ender at Sports Bubbler, a good read

[Mass Haas]

It'd be pretty unusual for a player under contract with the Brewers to also participate in a professional independent league, even a new one in Florida that is during the winter months, so one wonders if the Brewers have cut ties with 23-year-old OF Derrick McPhearson (stats), who struggled so with Wisconsin in his first pro season.

 

Surge Tab Mcphearson -- Brewers Farmhand Becomes First Player Signed

 

About the Florida Winter Baseball League

[battlekow]

BA's Midwest League Top 20 Prospects list is out, and it features three Brewers: Brett Lawrie at #4, Cody Scarpetta at #9, and Wily Peralta at #14. Peralta might seem a little too low, but then again, he doesn't have a third pitch and we're fanboys; plus, this is a pretty stacked prospect list from top to bottom (Dee Gordon at #2, though? Really?). I'm sure Chris Mehring will have the subscriber-only scouting reports up soon.

 

EDIT: Indeed, head over to Rattler Radio to read the scouting reports.

 

EDIT 2: Jim Callis in the chat had the following comments:

[tt]Joe LeCates (Easton, MD): How close was the gap between Vitters and Lawrie? As bat-first, glove...well, they can hit - are they almost interchangeable at #3 and 4, or does one hold more significant long-term value?[/tt]

Jim Callis: They are pretty interchangeable. Lawrie has more bat speed, but Vitters has a better swing and does it with less effort. If you wanted to give Lawrie the edge because he has better plate discipline, that would be a legitimate argument.

[tt]Robert Goldberg (Lyndhurst, NJ): Will Cody Scarpetta's big league contract force the Brewers to accelerate his development?[/tt]

Jim Callis: Scarpetta doesn't have a big league contract, but he's on the 40-man roster because a finger injury led the Brewers to avoid his original deal before re-signing him. I believe he has three options remaining, in which case it's not a big issue. If he has only two options remaining, he'd have to be ready by Opening Day 2011, and even that's not out of the realm of possibility.

[colbyjack]

I just want to point out that the MWL is 16 teams deep, so landing three prospects among the top 20 is a very good thing. I agree with battlekow's assessment that Peralta seems low, although that has more to do with my own opinion that he's a better prospect than Scarpetta, but otherwise it is encouraging to see so many high profile arms (Lasker in the AZL, Odorizzi, Arnett and Bucci in the Pioneer League, with the BA chat mentioning that Heckathorn would have been in Arnett's range had he pitched enough to qualify) making the lists in all three of the leagues that the Brewers have affiliates with that have been covered so far. And that probably will continue in the FSL with Rivas and Rogers if he qualifies (maybe Anundsen as well).

 

This is probably my favorite BA feature of the year, as you really get a sense of how some of the Brewers top prospects stack up against other teams'.

[RattlerRadio]

I just want to point out that the MWL is 16 teams deep, so landing three prospects among the top 20 is a very good thing.

The MWL was a 14 team league this year. It will be 16 next year when Bowling Green and Lake County join the Eastern Division.

 

That does not take away anything from three players on this year's Top 20 list.

[jjfanec]

I just want to point out that the MWL is 16 teams deep, so landing three prospects among the top 20 is a very good thing.

The MWL was a 14 team league this year. It will be 16 next year when Bowling Green and Lake County join the Eastern Division.

 

That does not take away anything from three players on this year's Top 20 list.

Our three guys were top 14 as well, not just top 20. I think that is what is impressive, with 14 teams our two and three prospects in the league where better than a couple teams number one. Lawrie could be very special and having pitchers like Scarpetta and Peralta get love is exciting as well.

 

We will have a couple solid pitching prospects and each level next year.

Wisconsin should have Ordorizzi, Arnett, Lasker, Bucci and Heckathorn. I guess I do not know where all of them will be.

Brevard will have Scarpetta and Peralta

Huntsville will have Rogers, Anundsen, and Rivas

Nashville will have Butler and to a lesser extent Mike Jones

[Mass Haas]

Just a brief note, MMA trainer assisted Brett Lawrie in the past --

 

Another high profile athlete who has trained with Jackson in the past is Brett Lawrie, a catcher who was drafted in the first round, 16th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers at the 2008 MLB draft.

"His dad approached me at the beginning of Brett's Grade 12 year and told me that Brett had a great chance in getting drafted to MLB," Jackson related. "I was also told that the main thing that he needed to work to improve was his power."

For the next seven months, Jackson and Lawrie worked on improving the MLB prospect's strength in a specific way to improve his bat speed and hitting power.

Lawrie ended up being the highest drafted Canadian positional player in MLB history.

Jackson's baseball ties don't end with Lawrie. Wes Darvill and Brooklyn Foster are recent graduates of a baseball-specific off-season conditioning program that Jackson created and implemented, and both players were recently drafted to the MLB.

Darvill was taken in the fifth round by the Chicago Cubs, while Foster was snatched up by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 43rd round.

 

Full article

[battlekow]

Pitching is in Scarpettas' blood

Matt Trowbridge/Rockford Register Star

 

The Scarpettas never stop pitching.

Not to themselves. And not to others. Rockford's first family of pitching keeps baseball all in the family, even when they are passing it on to others, as they showed Sunday with a pitching clinic at Guilford High School.

"I'm glad our kids are involved in it. I mean, that's our life, so it's good," said Dan Scarpetta, the second-highest drafted baseball player in Rockford history.

Scarpetta and his brother, Dennis, another former minor league pitcher, have coached or conducted clinics for years. But this clinic was proposed by their sons Cody (Dan) and Brett (Dennis). Dennis' other son, Hononegah senior Ryan Scarpetta, helped out, making this a five-Scarpetta clinic.

"Every time I come home, my dad works with me," said Cody, an 11th-round draft pick in 2007 who pitched at Class A and AA last year and is on the Milwaukee Brewers' current 40-man roster. "I've caught his lessons since I was 8 years old and grew up with the whole teaching thing.

"I've always enjoyed working with young kids. It's a good feeling to see them connect with what you are telling them. Hopefully, they will learn something and be able to take that into their pitching or baseball routine."

This clinic began as a low-key adventure when Cody and Brett, who was drafted in 2004 by the White Sox and in 2005 by the Braves, brought the idea to their dads last month. "I usually have a month to a month and a half to put one together," Dan said. "This was put together in two to three weeks. I wasn't sure what the outcome was going to be."

They divided their clinic into two groups, ages 7-13 from noon until 2 p.m., and ages 14-18 from 2 to 4 p.m. Thirty-five kids in the younger group signed up for the $30 clinic in advance, but an additional 30 showed up at the door.

"That snuck up on us," Cody said. "We had six stations set up. We had to add another station. But that's good. We wanted all the kids that could come to get as much information as we could give to each kid."

The seven stations were divided into teaching: covering first base, the mechanics of pitching, agility drills, pick-off moves, fielding the position, throwing off flat ground and a bullpen session of throwing off the mound.

"They did a great job," said Gordy Smith, whose 9-year-old son participated. "They walked through a lot of different fundamentals with the kids. It really seemed to be a well-run operation. Every kid got on the mound with some one-on-one instruction. I'm impressed."

Nick Voyles was one of several kids who had Cody Scarpetta autograph his minor league baseball card.

"It was awesome," said Voyles, an 8-year-old third-grader from Prairie Hill in Roscoe. "I got to be with Cody Scarpetta and all his cousins and dad."

Voyles said the most important lesson he learned was how to keep his balance better. Matthew Dmochowski said his best tip was learning a new pitching stance.

"It was more fun than I thought with all the different stations. I thought there would be only one or two," said Dmochowski, a 9-year-old third-grader at St. Rita.

But if the kids left the clinic learning only one or two fundamentals, that's fine with the Scarpettas.

"Pitching is all about steps," Cody Scarpetta said. "The bad thing about it is once you get one kind of step down, there is another step right behind it. But once you get one step, that's one step you don't have to worry about."

Sort of like the five Scarpettas' clinic. They plan to make this an annual teaching session.

"I'm feeling good about the turnout," Cody Scarpetta said. "It's good to have our family name by it."

http://www.rrstar.com/archive/x1689190540/g12c0003ad5aea2849e1237da722909bb50e5913e1bee78.jpg

Cody Scarpetta teaches pitching mechanics to

11-year-old Jackson McCumber at the Scarpetta

Pitching Clinic on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, at

Guilford High School in Rockford.

(Eddy Montville/rrstar.com)

[Teatoe993]

Someone needs to change the title of this thread to Your 2010 Timber Rattlers. It must be done.

[Mass Haas]

Someone needs to change the title of this thread to Your 2010 Timber Rattlers. It must be done.

We must keep our Brewerfan routines, though!

 

The "Your fill-in-the-blank affiliate" threads coincide with the formal naming of rosters in the spring.

 

And Cody Scarpetta, the most recently linked name in this thread, was a member (for 95% of the season) of the 2009 Timber Rattlers, and won't be with the 2010 Rattlers.

 

All makes sense, right?

[battlekow]

Pro baseball: Garrett Sherrill healthy again

Mike London/Salisbury Post

 

The 6-foot-5 substitute teacher has been a major hit with the kids in the Kannapolis school system, but they shouldn't grow too attached to him.

 

Most subs have never thrown a baseball 94 mph, but 22-year-old Garrett Sherrill has. His right elbow has recuperated, and he plans to report early to the Milwaukee Brewers' Spring Training camp in Arizona.

 

Sherrill - a three-sport star at A.L. Brown, a dynamic pitcher at Appalachian State and a 12th-round draft pick in 2008 - last trotted to the mound for an official pro game on May 6 as a member of the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

 

He tossed three scoreless innings in relief in his final outing and struck out three, but he also realized something wasn't right.

 

"My control was off and my velo (velocity) was way down - 84-85 - and that was it," Sherrill said. "I'm supposed to be 88 to 92 all the time and I like to think I can get 93 or 94 when I really need to. I wasn't feeling any sharp pain and I could have kept pitching through it, but I needed to know what was wrong and went to the coaches and trainers."

 

An MRI told the story. He was pitching with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Usually when you read UCL, you read Tommy John surgery in the next sentence, but Sherrill and the Brewers looked at surgery as a last resort.

 

"They explained to me that with a partial tear of the UCL it comes down to the percentage it's torn," Sherrill said. "Above a certain percentage, it's surgery. Below a certain percentage, they'll let you try rehab."

 

Sherrill traveled the rehab route. He knew going in that the success rate was roughly 50 percent.

 

His treatment started with ultra-sound and massage therapy, then progressed to lifting weights. Sturdy scar tissue built up in the damaged elbow and helped heal the ligament.

 

The Brewers originally hoped Sherrill could start throwing again by late July and be back on the hill by August, but that optimistic projection didn't happen.

 

"I really wanted to get back out there before the end of the season, but then I had a few setbacks," Sherrill said. "It turned into a three-month shutdown."

 

He was able to resume throwing in late September and went at it until the middle of October. In 60-pitch bullpen sessions, with the Brewers monitoring him closely, he threw his fastball with his old zip. He launched his slider and changeup without pain.

 

It wasn't a miracle, exactly, but close enough.

 

"It was just a very nice surprise that everything felt as good as it did," Sherrill said. "I honestly felt 100 percent, and if I hadn't felt 100 percent I was going right to the operating table."

 

When he's right, Sherrill is a serious talent who can operate on hitters. He won 26 games as a Kannapolis American Legion pitcher. He saved 14 at Appalachian. In 821/3 innings in the pros, even with health issues, he's accumulated 100 strikeouts.

 

He just has to stay healthy, and he's working hard at doing that.

 

This winter, between classroom assignments, he's worked out with A.L. Brown conditioning guru Todd Hagler as well as former teammates and friends such as Daniel Wagner (White Sox), Zach Ward (Reds) and Ryan Query.

 

As far as the substitute teaching, he likes the elementary school and kindergarten gigs the best.

 

"I'm usually the only adult guy there," he said. "That's a lot of fun."

 

He enjoys subbing at Brown because most of his old teachers are still on duty.

 

As far as subbing at the middle school, handling eighth-graders is probably at least as challenging as pitching to Ryan Howard in the bottom of the ninth.

 

"Middle school's definitely the toughest, but I enjoy all of it," Sherrill said with a laugh. "School gets my mind off baseball a little bit, and I'm making a little money instead of spending money at the golf course."

 

The Brewers sent him a choice of reporting dates, but he picked the earliest - Feb. 26. Last season was basically a washout, so he's got ground to make up.

 

"Everything feels great, like it's really clicking for me," he said. "I want to jump back in there and get it going as soon as I can."

 

Even the middle schoolers will miss him.

 

http://assets.mediaspanonline.com/prod/3939203/garrettbball_w300.jpg

Garrett Sherrill, left, warms up with Wisconsin Timber

Rattlers teammate Daniel Meadows during a game at

Miller Park in Milwaukee.

[Mass Haas]

Brock Kjeldgaard with Chris Mehring -- another nice Q&A session

[Mass Haas]

Chris Mehring chats with RHP Cody Scarpetta.

 

Love the offseason stuff, Chris, thanks!

[battlekow]

At FanGraphs, Bryan Smith highlighted Trey Watten as one of ten potentially underrated pitching prospects based on his sinkerballer profile:

This week, I have used a sample of sinker pitchers to show that this subset of pitcher is underrated by current prospect evaluation techniques. This is because too rarely we realize, while scouts agree the player has very limited further upside, improved defenses at higher levels should yield better results.

 

...

 

Watten is still pretty new to pitching, but his arm strength landed him a spot in the seventh round of the 2008 Draft. His debut season went well, but his defense just didn't do good enough work. He's the rawest player on the list, but if the command and change-up come along, his athleticism could make him the best.

[Mass Haas]

Chris Mehring links to some Baseball America analysis of LHP Efrain Nieves on his blog.

[TheCrew07]

I saw Nieves pitch many times last season and he was always between 85-87 on the stalker. Maybe he was actually fatigued to start the season, but I certainly never saw him break 90... if he did I would feel quite a bit better about him.