Your 2009 Huntsville Stars

[Mass Haas]

News from Huntsville:

 

The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs announced the North Division's starting lineup for the upcoming All Star Game, and three Stars were selected to start.

 

Adam Stern (RF), Shane Justis (2B), and Jonathon Lucroy © will be in the starting lineup as the North Division takes on the South Division Monday, July 14th in Birmingham.

 

1: Ezequiel Carrera, West Tenn (CF)

2: Adam Stern, Huntsville (RF)

3: Todd Frazier, Carolina (LF)

4: Josh Bell, Chattanooga (3B)

5: Marshall Hubbard, West Tenn (DH)

6: Shane Justis, Huntsville (2B)

7: Blake Lalli, Tennessee (1B)

8: Jonathan Lucroy, Huntsville ©

9: Zack Cozart, Carolina (SS)

SP: Travis Wood, Carolina (P)

[Mass Haas]

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Southern All-Star

Hatton's Hand will pitch in Double A All-Star Game

By Gregg Dewalt

Sports Editor, Timesdaily.com (Alabama)

 

The way he's pitching, Donovan Hand's days with the Huntsville Stars could to be numbered - in a good way.

 

Those numbers Hand has been putting up as a member of the Stars starting rotation have been nothing short of spectacular.

 

Hand, a member of the Milwaukee Brewers organization, is 6-1 with a 2.39 ERA. He's struck out 39 and walked only 16 in 67 2/3 innings. The former Hatton and Jacksonville State standout has been rewarded for a sterling first half of the Double A season with a selection to the Southern League All-Star Game at Regions Park on July 13.

 

Hand said his selection to the All-Star team was an honor.

 

"It's not something that you expect, but you are hoping for it," Hand said. "When you get an honor like that at this level, it's a notch in your belt. You know you have opened the eyes of some people whose eyes need to be opened."

 

The award also is meaningful because the selections are voted on by the league's coaches.

 

"It's awesome because you know you've done something that impressed some people," he said. "There are some managers in this league who have been around for a while and who played in the major leagues."

 

It's the second all-star selection for Hand, although he had to skip the Florida State League game last year after being called up to Huntsville.

 

Hand is eager for the All-Star Game for another reason - the annual Home Run Derby will be held at historic Rickwood Field, a park that holds fond memories from his high school days.

 

"(Hatton) Coach (Brent) Gillespie scheduled some games for us there and I remember hitting a couple of home runs there," Hand said. "I definitely will let my teammates know about that. I'm sure all of those memories will come back when I get there. There's so much history at that park, too. It's overwhelming. I'm glad other parts of the country and the world will get to see it."

 

Having erased the memory of a poor second half of 2008 in which he was 3-4 with a 5.09 ERA after his call-up to the Stars, Hand is hoping to continue his rise in the organization.

 

He's not sure when or if the call to Triple A or even the Brewers will come.

 

"They are pretty much backed up at Triple A, but I'd like to keep doing what I've been doing and force them to move me," he said. "I hope I can just keep it going here at Huntsville and see what happens."

[Mass Haas]

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Offseason work, inseason reward

Workout regimen, new pitchwes help turn Hand into an all-star

By Gregg Dewalt

TimesDaily.com (AL) Sports Editor

 

Upon reflection, Donovan Hand admits he might have gotten a little complacent last season after being called up from Single A to the Double A Huntsville Stars at midseason.

 

An all-star in the Florida State League, Hand couldn't keep up the pace with the Stars, where he finished with a 3-4 record and a 5.09 ERA.

 

"I didn't do what I needed to do to carry over the success I had," the former Hatton and Jacksonville State standout said earlier this week after being selected to pitch in the Southern League All-Star Game. "I think I was just happy to be (in Huntsville.)"

 

In the offseason, Hand dedicated himself to getting in better shape in an effort to return to the form that helped him climb the ladder quickly to Double A. He joined a gym, shed some weight and started working on some pitches he is confident will help him continue his climb to the major leagues.

 

The efforts have paid off. Hand is 6-1 with a sparkling 2.39 ERA for the Stars.

 

"I got out of shape last year," he said. "It's a long season and I realized what I have to do to keep myself fresh. I worked hard in the offseason. I lost about 10 or 12 pounds, saw a nutrionist and started eating right. I got my body fat down. It was a good offseason, and it's paying off."

 

Hand said the transition from high school and college baseball to the minor leagues is a tough adjustment.

 

"You go from playing 30 and 60 games with plenty of days off to playing 140 games in 160 days," he said. "It's a big shock to your body. I didn't realize it last year. You have to put your work in early because you are going to get tired."

 

Hand also spent the offseason and spring training tinkering with his pitches and his mechanics.

 

"I'm trying to learn to control a 12-to-6 breaking ball, and I've been throwing a cut fastball that's kind of like a mini slider," he said. "It's a constant thing - trying new grips to see what works and what doesn't."

 

Hand said the Stars, which are affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers, don't have their pitchers on strict innings counts like many organizations.

 

Hand will pitch for the North team in the Southern League All-Star Game on july 13 at Regions Park in Hoover.

 

Donovan Hand credits an offseason workout regimen for helping produce an all-star first half of the season in Huntsville.

Huntsville Times photo

 

http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=FT&Date=20090704&Category=ARTICLES&ArtNo=907045028&Ref=AR&Profile=1142

[Mass Haas]

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He's Still Striving

By Brad Shepard

For the Huntsville Times

 

When Michael Garciaparra is approached for an interview, the greeting is always the same friendly smile and a variation of the same request:

 

"Remember," he said after Tuesday night's game against West Tenn, "I don't want to hear any statistics or anything."

 

The 26-year-old Huntsville Stars infielder may not have the same bizarre, batting glove-tugging idiosyncrasies as his more famous brother Nomar of the Oakland A's, but he does have that one quirk. He can sympathize with the golfer on the 18th hole who doesn't want to look at the leaderboard.

 

After eight minor-league seasons and three organizations, the former first-round draft pick knows what works for him and what doesn't.

 

"I used to worry about statistics a little too much, so now, I just try to worry about what I'm doing day-by-day," he said. "There are enough worries in this game as it is."

 

If Garciaparra would take a peek at the box score from the past two years, he'd like what he sees. Last season, he hit .340 in 44 games with the Stars, and he began this year in Triple-A Nashville.

 

But there weren't enough at-bats to go around with the Sounds. With star prospect Alcides Escobar at shortstop, former major leaguer Hernan Iribarren getting time at second base and Adam Heether manning third, Garciaparra's opportunities were limited.

 

He batted .271 as a spot player. So, when he was demoted to Huntsville a little more than a week ago, the frustration of yet another step back was tempered by the prospect of more at-bats.

 

"Yeah, I'm playing a little more now, so that's a good thing, he said. (A sense of urgency) is something you try not to think about, but you do think about it. You want to be there, and you're confident you can play in the big leagues, but you just can't rush it."

 

As a veteran who can play many positions, Garciaparra now looks around the clubhouse at plenty of players with the same attributes. That's a luxury Huntsville starting pitcher David Welch said benefits the team.

 

"Michael's one of the older guys, a former first-round pick and has been with a couple of teams. He's a picture of baseball," Welch said. "He's a great guy to have in the clubhouse along with the other great guys we have here."

 

After playing on a Stars team full of top prospects who dwelt too much on numbers last year, Garciaparra seems more at ease this season.

 

With girlfriend Krystle and his two dogs Foxy and Kingston joining him in Huntsville now, he said he's in a good personal place.

 

"It's great that I can leave the field - whether it's been a good day or a bad day - and go home and see them," Garciaparra said. "I can talk to Krystle, play with the dogs, get a good night's sleep and get after it the next day. I like it that way."

[Mass Haas]

GM Buck Rogers passes along the following --

 

Due to roster changes among some of the Northern Division teams, there have been some player moves on the Northern Division All-Star team.

 

Here is the revised starting line-up submitted by West Tenn Manager Phil Plantier for your Northern Division All-Stars:

 

1-Adam Stern (CF) Huntsville

2-Blake Lalli (1B) Tennessee

3-Todd Frazier (LF) Carolina

4-Josh Bell (3B) Chattanooga

5-Marshall Hubbard (DH) West Tenn

6-Shane Justis (2B) Huntsville

7-Drew Anderson (RF) Huntsville

8-Jonathan Lucroy © Huntsville

9-Zack Cozart (SS) Carolina

SP-Travis Wood (P) Carolina

[twobrewers]

Any word on why Braddock hasn't pitched since the 7th of July?

 

He had been pitching every 3 days (2 innings) since joining Huntsville.

[Mass Haas]

Monday night's Southern League All-Star Game begins at 7:05 Central and can be heard via this link.

 

Follow the action online (box score and game log) here. Hopefully there will be a Gameday option available as well. Summary comments on the game should be posted here as opposed to Monday's Link Report.

 

Prior All-Star updates are in some of the previous posts in this thread.

[Mass Haas]

As you'll note from the box score link above, the Huntsville guys were part of a winning 7-0 North squad.

 

Donovan Hand, Casey Baron, and Robert Hinton each pitched (what else) a shutout inning; Adam Stern tripled and scored; Shane Justis singled, scored, and drove in a run while playing the full game; Drew Anderson drew a walk in two trips; and Jonathan Lucroy singled and drove in a run -- nice job, boys!

 

Game account from the Birmingham News includes photos of Hand and Anderson...

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's starsboxscore.com

Adam Stern's leadoff triple in the 3rd inning broke open a 1-0 lead and combined with a paralyzing pitching effort from a 10-man corps, the North All-Stars whitewashed the South, 4-0 before a crowd of over 7,000 at Regions Park in Birmingham for this year's Southern League All-Star game.

 

Three Stars teamed up to give the North a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning...... Shane Justis hit into a force play, removing Thomas Hubbard of the Diamond Jaxx who walked on five pitches. Drew Anderson, who was taken off the All-Star roster when he was promoted, and reinstated, walked on Diamond's 9th pitch. Jonathan Lucroy, on a 2-1 pitch, then made Mississippi's Scott Diamond the early loser with a two-out RBI line drive single to short right that scored Justis....... Stern got the 3rd inning going with a triple to the gap in right-center on a 1-0 pitch just above the belt. Tennessee's Blake Lalli fouled off three pitches, then hit a deep fly just left of center to score Stern to make it 2-0...... Then a pair of Lookouts -- hot-hitting Andrew Lambo and Josh Bell hammered the nails in...... Lambo, hitting .314 for this month, started a 3-for-4 night with a double to right. Bell, ranked 8th among the Dodgers' top minor league prospects, then got a full count pitch down the middle and whacked it over the fence in right for a 2-run HR, making it 4-0.

 

The Southern Division, with three teams over .500 in the first half and three right now over .500, were humbled again after collecting only five hits in last year's 6-1 loss...... All four of the South's hits tonight were singles and three of them came off three different Stars pitchers...... Jacksonville's Brad Davis hit the only one that went deep with his hit near the left field line off Robert Hinton in the 8th...... Mobile's Ricardo Sosa picked up the first, a single to right in the 2nd. Donovan Hand gave up the second hit, just beyond the infield to Mobile's Pedro Ciriaco in the 3rd, and Casey Baron gave up the other to Matt Young in the 8th....... The closest the South came to scoring was in the 6th with Baron on the mound, after Ciriaco led off with a sharp grounder to Bell. Bell made a diving stop and quickly threw to first for the out. Young followed with his hit, which would have put Ciriaco in scoring position. C.J. Retherford (Birmingham) then blooped a ball down the right field line, but right fielder James Adduci chose to try for Young and a sharp throw to Shane Justis got him. Baron then struck out Sean Coughlin to end the inning.

 

All seven of Huntsville's representatives in the All-Star game saw action...... Bell was named as the game's All-Star.

 

The Stars begin a five-game series against the Mississippi Braves (7-13) Wednesday, before coming home next Tuesday to play Carolina..... The Stars are not having a good July, getting off to a 4-7 start, and they are hitting just .191 with runners in scoring position in their last five games....... Last year, they were 11-16 in July, a losing month in three of the last four years...... Drew Anderson picked up his 200th hit as a Huntsville Star in Saturday's 7-3 loss to Chattanooga. It was a double. Anderson is 7-for-14 with six RBIs in his last four games......

Lorenzo Cain, rehabbing in the Midwest League for the TimberRattlers, is hitting .192 in his last ten games, and is 2-for-17 in his last seven games...... Chuckie Caufield is 1-for-12 since his 13-game hit streak, the longest for the Stars this year, was stopped........ Michael Garciaparra is 1-for-14 in his last five games...... Taylor Green is hitting .391 since coming off the disabled list, with three RBIs in seven games. He's struck out just twice in 23 at-bats and hasn't walked...... Five days after getting his first three-hit day as a Huntsville Star, J.R. Hopf went a perfect 4-for-4 in Friday's 4-3 win over Chattanooga....... Shane Justis is working on a six-game hit streak, carrying a .364 mark on the journey....... Kevin Melillo has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, hitting .281 with three doubles......

Johnny Raburn is 2-for-6 in three games since joining the Nashville Sounds. Freddy Parejo, who was promoted with him on the same day, July 6, is 5-for-13, all singles (.385) in six games...... Chris Cody, who was the Stars' ace with a 5-1 record and 2.30 ERA when he left, is 3-4, 3.24 in six starts and one game in relief for the Sounds. In his last game, he gave up just a run in six innings, but took a tough 3-0 loss to Round Rock.

 

It was a big night for two former Stars at the Major League home run derby in St. Louis....... Nelson Cruz and Prince Fielder were the early leaders with 11 home runs before favorites Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols got their chance, but Prince held on and won the derby over Cruz in the final round, 6-5...... Cruz hit .306 with 16 HRs for the 2005 Stars.

[Mass Haas]

Birmingham blog entry on Adam Stern

[Mass Haas]

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Former Gamecock Hand shines in minors

By Andrew Schmidt

Gadsden (AL) Times Sports Writer

 

BIRMINGHAM - Now in his third professional season, former Jacksonville State standout Donovan Hand is starting to make waves as a pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

 

His performance for the double-A Huntsville Stars over the season's first half was good enough to earn him a spot in the Southern League All-Star game, played Monday at Hoover's Regions Park, home of the Birmingham Barons.

 

Speaking Sunday, from the Barons' old stadium, historic Rickwood Field, where the home-run derby was taking place, Hand said making the team was a highlight on several levels.

 

"You want to pitch well enough to be on a team, on an all-star team especially," Hand said. "It kind of gives you a reward for what you've done for the first half.

 

"It maybe opens some eyes in the organization whose eyes might not have been opened if this hadn't happened."

 

After a career at Jacksonville State that saw Hand rack up 26 wins over three years, he was drafted by the Brewers in the 14th round of the 2007 draft.

 

His ascent through the minor leagues has been a quick one. The summer after he was drafted, Hand started in Helena, Mont., in a rookie league, before earning a promotion to the single-A West Virginia Power, where he finished out the season.

 

In 2008, Hand started the season with the single-A advanced Brevard County Manatees in the Florida State League. He went 4-2 with a 2.31 ERA there before being promoted to Huntsville in June.

 

The surroundings of the Southern League provided a tougher challenge for Hand than he had previously experienced in professional baseball.

 

"Last year I got up here and I was just happy to be here and kind of got complacent with things," said Hand, who posted a 3-4 record with a 5.09 ERA with Huntsville in 2008.

 

This season, Hand is 5-1 with a 3.56 ERA in 23 games. He also has moved from reliever back into the starting rotation, where he started his career. He attributes the turnaround to a strong off-season program and the development of some new weapons on the mound.

 

"I worked harder this off-season than I have in a long time and kind of got back to what I was doing at Jacksonville with the throwing programs and workouts and just got away from baseball for a little while," Hand said. "It was a good break for me."

 

"I've got a couple of new pitches that have been a real nice addition for me and the pitching coach in Huntsville this year (John Curtis) has been awesome this year working with me, so it's been a real good time."

 

His stop in Huntsville has been a blessing in another way for Hand. Before his career at JSU, he attended Hatton High, located less than 60 miles from Huntsville.

 

In Monday's all-star game, Hand threw a scoreless third inning to help the North squad beat the South, 7-0. It was played just 70 miles from his old stomping grounds as a Gamecock.

 

"It's good to be close to home," Hand said. "Huntsville's close to home. Birmingham's close to home. It's always good to see familiar faces that keep up with you through the years and follow you and give them thanks for coming out."

 

Hand hopes, though, that some day soon he'll be playing a little further from home. As in a promotion to the triple-A Nashville Sounds and, ultimately, the Milwaukee Brewers.

 

"I really don't know (what will happen), Hand said. "But hopefully in the next couple of years something will happen big."

 

Jacksonville (Alabama) State University | File

Donovan Hand, a pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, won 26 games in three years at Jacksonville State.

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=GT&Date=20090715&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=907159964&Ref=AR&Profile=1009

[Mass Haas]

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Stars OF cherishes mother's goodbye

Anderson grew closer to mom in her final months

By Paul Gattis, Huntsville Times Sports Staff

 

The red cloth bracelet on Drew Anderson's left wrist carries a familiar message.

 

"WWJD." What would Jesus do?

 

For the Stars outfielder, though, it has a dual purpose.

 

WWJD. What would Julie do?

 

Julie Anderson was Drew's mom. She died from brain cancer June 20.

 

"It's nice to have that remembrance to look at, to think about her and know that she's there," Anderson said.

 

Her passing is one of those tragedies far from the newspaper headlines. She was diagnosed with cancer in January 2008 after doctors found five tumors in her brain.

 

She was 54 and died only five months after her first granddaughter was born.

 

Painful as it was for Anderson, the hurt somehow felt good, because there was time to love, time to laugh and time to say goodbye.

 

"We knew this was going to happen," Anderson said. "Every time I talked to her every night on the phone and on Web cams, I was able to grow my relationship in the last year-and-a-half better than it was ever in the past - even when I lived with her."

 

And suddenly, the hurt-so-good idea doesn't seem so odd after all.

 

"You know what they're going through, so you're not afraid to say anything," Anderson said. "You tell them everything you've ever wanted to say. I talked to her every day. I got to see her a lot.

 

"People lose their family in a car crash and you don't get to do that, and I got to do that for a year-and-a-half. We celebrated everything we went through. That definitely helped."

 

Somewhere along the way, Anderson transformed himself into an all-star. He described last season as "a career year" when he hit .290 with eight home runs and 71 RBIs at Triple-A Louisville.

 

This season, he's been even better - hitting .300 with six homers and 42 RBIs. He was named to the Southern League all-star game this month, the first time in his eight-year minor-league career he's been an all-star.

 

So how did Anderson do it? How did Anderson play the best baseball of his professional career knowing his mom was suffering back home in Kearney, Neb.?

 

"She would want me to be doing this," he said. "She helped me with baseball, but she was also my brother's Little League coach. She was always a huge supporter of all the sports I played. Even when I saw her, she wanted me to play and (said) 'Don't worry about me.' I learned a lot of great life lessons from her throughout the whole experience."

 

Anderson's wife, Stacy, had the idea for the bracelets and gave them to the family. She also gave Drew an armband with his mother's initials and a cross to wear in games.

 

"Without her and (daughter) Maya, I can't imagine how hard that would have been," Anderson said.

 

The laughing, the loving and the celebrating has continued even in Julie's passing. Anderson's father, Jeff, came to Hoover to watch his son in the all-star game, then followed the Stars to Pearl, Miss., for a series against the Braves.

 

But there is still grieving to be done, more hurt to be faced that probably won't hurt so good.

 

"Even when she passed away, it was like it didn't happen," Anderson said. "(Someone) so important in your life, all of a sudden they're not there."

 

"I was home and waiting for her to come out of her room. I still don't know if I know how to deal with it."

[Mass Haas]

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Shortstop keeps eye, hopes on Majors

Johnny Raburn chases his dream while Stars player

By Bob Labbe

For the Madison Spirit

 

Each day Huntsville Stars shortstop Johnny Raburn wears his uniform, he feels "I have a chance to make 'the show.' I'll never give up."

 

Why give up now? Raburn, 30, has been part of professional baseball, including his second stop in Huntsville, since being drafted in the 16th round after completing his junior season at the University of South Florida eight years ago.

 

Reaching "the show," a slang term for the Major Leagues, will be a difficult step on the baseball ladder for Raburn, not because he doesn't have the talent, but because of a numbers game. He's a utility infielder and there's only so much room for those players among the 30 teams that make up the show.

 

"I'm absolutely happy as a baseball player, as I'm playing well and making the best of my opportunity," said Raburn.

 

Raburn currently calls Madison home while playing as starting shortstop for the Stars. He has taken a room in the home of Mike Johannes, who is an official member of the Stars Booster Club. Raburn said, "Mike is a nice individual. His son used to play minor league baseball, so Mike knows what it's like for a player to move into a community that is not their home."

 

Born in Tampa, Fla., Raburn's current home is in Plant City, located just outside his hometown. His wife of six years, Heather, 32, lives there with their son, Jace, 4. Raburn said every day he feels sad that his son is growing up and only sees him in pictures."

 

"Having a family while I'm on the road for most of the year is difficult, but I'm taking college on line classes during my spare time and that helps take up my down time," said Raburn, who looks to earn a degree in social sciences. "I'm specializing in sociology and criminology, but will not make a decision on what kind of work I'd like to get into until my days in baseball are over."

 

Raburn has been associated with four major league programs by playing on nine minor league teams since 2000. He played for the Stars in 2004.

 

Raburn said he likes Huntsville and admits the area has grown since he last played here.

 

With today's current economy situation he said, "I'm happy I have a job and the opportunity to play baseball. I'm one of those guys that are laid back and takes one day at a time."

[Mass Haas]

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Cain flashes ample speed in return

Inside-the-park homer shows knee injury is behind Stars outfielder

By Brad Shepard

For The Huntsville Times

 

As reluctant as Lorenzo Cain was to let loose on the basepaths, maybe he just needed his baseball instincts to take over.

 

The Huntsville Stars center fielder got that chance Wednesday. In his second game back with the team since a knee injury, Cain legged out an inside-the-park home run to forge a 6-1 win over Carolina. In the process, he helped himself over a huge mental wall.

 

"I'm glad that situation came up because it allowed me to push it without thinking about it," Cain said. "Every day I push it, and it feels OK the next day. That's all I can ask for."

 

After tearing a knee ligament diving for a ball in the outfield on April 23, also against the Mudcats, Cain didn't think he was ready to go full-throttle.

 

Then in the bottom of the third inning, he smacked a line drive deep to right-center, and the ball glanced off the glove of Carolina outfielder Sean Henry. Cain winced rounding third, but he kept chugging - though not quite as fast as when he was healthy. He slid into home safely for the Stars' first inside-the-park home run of the season and the first ever for Cain.

 

He had a little limp in his trot to the dugout, but he was running to center field in time for the top of the fourth.

 

"I felt it a little bit, but I had to turn it on and give it all I had," he said. "It forced me to tonight. I slipped a little coming around second. I thought it was a stand-up triple, but he was waving me home, so I had to go."

 

Before the game, Cain was much more guarded in discussing when he'd have the guts to take off on the basepaths.

 

"I've backed off stealing bases, actually," he said. "I haven't attempted a steal at all since the injury. I haven't had enough courage just to go."

 

Now, that journey for the 23-year-old sixth-rated prospect in the Brewers system may not be such an uphill battle.

 

Flashing back to his injury in Carolina, Cain dove for a ball in the gap and banged his knee hard on the ground. Though hurting, he thought he was OK.

 

When Cain went to bat and scorched a line drive to center, he took two steps toward first and collapsed. The next day, he was on a plane to Milwaukee and was diagnosed with a torn posterior cruciate ligament.

 

After such a promising spring training and impressing the Brewers brass, it was a big blow.

 

"I had set goals for myself, and this put a stop to my plans," Cain said. "It took like two or three weeks to get over the fact that I'm injured because I'd never missed any real amount of time."

 

Within a month, Cain was back on the field working out, but it took him nearly 2 months to return to game action. He played 15 games in Single-A Wisconsin - hitting just .192 with three RBIs and 15 strikeouts in 52 at-bats - before getting called back to the Stars.

 

Huntsville manager Bob Miscik witnessed Cain's spring explosion into the 2009 season, and he knows what he can expect from him when he's healthy.

 

"He had a tremendous spring, and he really put himself on the map with the big-league team," Miscik said. "He was well on track to the major leagues, and it just didn't happen for him on the field."

 

After batting .287 with seven homers and 19 steals in 80 games with Brevard County last year, Cain earned a promotion to the Stars when Matt LaPorta was traded to Cleveland for CC Sabathia. Cain batted .277 with four homers and six steals in 40 Double-A games.

 

Poised to build off that breakout year, Cain suffered a hamstring injury late in spring training that set him back two weeks. He played only four games before the knee injury sidelined him another three months.

 

Wednesday's gallop around the bases should help showed he might be back on that fast track.

 

"I feel August is going to be a big month for me," Cain said after the game. "I'll be stealing bags, but I've still got to make sure it's 100 percent."

[battlekow]

God is 'everything' to Sarasota Baptist pitcher

Bill Sorrell/Florida Baptist Witness

 

SARASOTA (FBW)-In a dugout in Helena, Mont., Robert Hinton stared in disbelief at what he saw on the field: The car being raffled on the last day of the season had a striking resemblance to the green 1996 BMW he just purchased.

 

As it got closer, he said, "Seriously, this IS my car. It's got all my stuff in it."

 

Then the announcer proclaimed, "Robert Hinton has volunteered his car to be auctioned off."

 

The winning ticket was drawn. The lucky fan raced to the dugout, shook Hinton's hand and said, "Thank you, man; thank you."

 

Pitcher Josh Baker burst out laughing.

 

"Come on dude, why are you messing with me like that?" Hinton asked Baker, the instigator of the "advanced" prank in the advanced rookie league.

 

Back home in Sarasota, Hinton traded the car and the league.

 

In his fifth season in professional baseball, Hinton pitches for the Huntsville Stars, the Milwaukee Brewers' AA affiliate in the Southern League.

 

The Brewers drafted him out of Riverview High School in the 40th round in 2003. He played one year at Manatee Community College and signed before the 2004 draft.

 

His father Rich Hinton pitched for five major league teams in the 1970s, including three stints with the Chicago White Sox.

 

"Since I was a little kid and started playing catch in the back yard, he taught me everything there is to know about pitching," said Hinton, 24. "After every game I call him and go over the game and he gives me pointers. He is a pretty good resource for sure."

 

His father and his mother, Rita Hinton, provided resources and examples of endurance for Robert's five brothers and sisters whose first names all begin with "R."

 

Rita grew up in Communist Hungary before fleeing to Germany as a teen. There she became a model.

 

Under Communism, life was oppressive but with a "great family" and a grandmother's influence, Rita was taught about God.

 

She and her sister moved to Sarasota where she met Rich, who was in spring training with the White Sox.

 

"The Lord did a wonderful work in her life," said Mike Landry, pastor of Sarasota Baptist Church where the family are members.

 

A speaker and an author, Rita has written two books, including A Miracle of Love, a biography that also deals with her son Richie, now 19, who had a near-death experience as a child when he almost drowned.

 

At Sarasota Baptist Church, Robert Hinton was active in the youth group and taught a Sunday School class for second and third graders. He became a Christian when he was six.

 

"He has a calm spirit," Landry said of Hinton. "He is unashamed of Christ and wants his life to be used to open doors to Christ."

 

While his first memory was hitting tennis balls off his father, it wasn't until he was in high school that Hinton vowed to become a big leaguer like his dad.

 

"God has given me a great talent and I need to be thankful for what He has done and draw strength from Him. I just have to trust myself and go for it," said Hinton, who claimed Isaiah 40:31 as his favorite verse when he was a high school sophomore.

 

Pitching against a senior, the game went extra innings. Exhausted in the ninth, the verse popped into his mind.

 

"The Lord gave me strength on wings of eagles and ever since, that has been my life verse," he said. The verse is tattooed on his left arm.

 

When he was 16, he experienced a turning point. He had to decide if he was going to make baseball or piano a career.

 

While baseball prevailed, he didn't strike out on piano. Five hours of daily practice helped him develop strength in his fingers, which led to a sharp breaking ball.

 

Today, Hinton's slider is feared.

 

"His slider is probably one of the best sliders I've ever seen," said Huntsville catcher Jonathan Lucroy. "There are not many people who can hit that thing. It's pretty dirty with great movement. He is a real good pitcher. I feel confident every time he goes to the mound."

 

Said Huntsville infielder Shane Justis: "He's an excellent relief pitcher. He makes everybody relaxed when he comes in. We know Robert does a nice job of commanding the strike zone and getting ahead of batters."

 

Hinton, a 6-2, 196-pound righthander, led a Huntsville church baseball camp in June with other players, who gave their testimonies.

 

His testimony is not one from a "down-in-the-dumps" to a high-point story.

 

"Mine [testimony] is that God is good. He has given me a great life. He gave me the family to grow up in. I thank Him for it. He is always there when I am feeling down. It is awesome to see Him at work. He is everything," Hinton said.

 

The toughest part of being a Christian, Hinton said, is the temptation to go places where teammates may want him to go.

 

"It's kind of like you've got your team or your Christian values," Hinton said. "Everybody knows where I stand."

 

Lucroy said, "He is a great guy, clean-cut. He does the right thing. He takes care of himself off the field well. You can't ask for a better person in the clubhouse."

 

Former Huntsville teammate Mel Stocker, now with the rival West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, said of Hinton, "He does things in a different manner. He is more of an example."

 

Teammates respect Hinton's convictions.

 

"If you are walking with the Lord and you are not doing stupid stuff off the field, it's obviously going to help your career because you don't have off-field issues," Stocker said.

 

Hinton was selected an All-Star when he played for West Virginia in 2005 in the Class A South Atlantic League and helped Huntsville win the Southern League's North Division championship in 2007.

 

He's a cowboy in the off-season, raising cattle on a Texas ranch with Baker, who pitched for Rice University when the Owls won the national championship in 2004.

 

Rich has told Robert that he has the right stuff.

 

"You have way-better stuff than I ever had when I played in the big leagues. Trust yourself. If you stay healthy, you'll get there," Rich has assured Robert.

 

Robert said, "With my dad playing in the big leagues, it would mean the world to him to see it happen. You dream about it, then you actually do it."

 

http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/6368.24hintonpitching.jpg.image

Milwaukee Brewers

 

http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/6367.24hinton.jpg.image

Milwaukee Brewers

[Mass Haas]

Always a worthwhile read when we learn something we didn't know otherwise...

 

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Reliever stuns with quick pitch

By Paul Gattis

Huntsville Times Sports Staff

 

The batter, as Mike McClendon recalled, sat down at home plate in disbelief.

 

It was last year when McClendon, now a reliever for the Huntsville Stars, was pitching for Single-A Brevard County. And it was the best reaction his abbreviated windup has ever gotten.

 

"I just quick-pitched the last guy (to end the game)," McClendon said, "and he turned around to the umpire, threw his bat, and sat at home plate trying to argue there was a balk. And there was no one on base.

 

"He had no idea what was coming."

 

So what was it?

 

It's a staple of McClendon's repertoire. Every now and then, McClendon will rock back in his windup, raise his arms over his head ... then pitch. No conventional leg kick, no pause, no nothing.

 

"It's something I've always done," McClendon said. "I've really worked on getting that in there and not just showing it. Being able to throw a strike with that was one of the most challenging things."

 

Stars pitching coach John Curtis said he's never seen anything like it.

 

"It's something we hesitate to teach because it's not easy to do," Curtis said. "Technically, we do it with the slide step out of the stretch. But Mac has got it down."

 

McClendon has been one of the Stars' most effective pitchers. He's 4-2 with a 3.28 ERA in 33 games - all but two out of the bullpen.

 

He has mostly worked as a long reliever, though he has three saves in five chances.

 

Drafted in the 10th round by the Brewers in 2006 out of Seminole (Fla.) Community College, McClendon has a career ERA of 3.92.

 

"(Double-A) is a little bit surprising," he said. "I thought it was going to be a gigantic jump. I really prepared and tried to do my best to get out there and actually try to make a job up here."

[Mass Haas]

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Now it's starting to click

Sluggish beginning to season now over for Stars' Lucroy

By Brad Shepard

For The Huntsville Times

 

During spring training, Milwaukee Brewers all-star outfielder Ryan Braun encouraged Stars catcher Jonathan Lucroy about the upcoming season.

 

When Braun found out the organization's 10th-rated prospect hit a combined .301 with 20 homers and 77 RBIs last year at both levels of Single-A, he gave Lucroy a ringing endorsement.

 

"Braun told me, 'You're going to rake this year,' " Lucroy recalled. "I thought, 'Man, if Ryan Braun tells me that, it's going to happen.' I came in here expecting to, and when I didn't, it was tough."

 

Instead, Lucroy who admitted he was much more concerned about his defensive abilities than his bat slumped terribly for much of the first half.

 

His struggles continued, and, many times, he walked back to the dugout after a strikeout wondering how he'd missed the good pitch at which he'd just swung.

 

Then, a little more than two weeks ago while in Montgomery, Lucroy decided to make a slight adjustment to his mechanics.

 

"I sped up my tempo a little bit when I'm in the box," Lucroy said. "All year, I'd been kind of struggling getting my timing right, and I just made an adjustment, and now, I'm where I need to be. It's been working out well."

 

At the time of the technique tweak before the July 29 doubleheader against the Biscuits, Lucroy was batting .245. He hit safely in both games of the twinbill, and since then, he has hit in 16 straight games.

 

After Monday's game against West Tenn, he's also doubled in six consecutive games - tying a franchise record set by Mickey Lopez in 2001 - and raised his batting average during the streak to a respectable .274 with eight homers and 58 RBIs.

 

"It makes the middle of our lineup better for sure," Stars coach Jim Lett said. "Luc has been consistent throughout his entire career. The thing that impresses me the most about guys like that is they're able to make adjustments, and that's what this game is all about.

 

"If you don't handle adjustments, it's a long road, and that's what he's done well."

 

Improving at the plate hasn't negatively impacted Lucroy's defense, either. So far this season, he has thrown out 40 percent of base runners (46-of-115) trying to steal and managed Huntsville's pitching staff respectably, according to coaches.

 

When Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash came to town over Independence Day, it was actually Lucroy's defense that he raved about first.

 

"He's done a nice job," Ash said. "This is an important season for him in terms of working with more experienced pitchers and learning to call a game, and I think he's handled all of that very well.

 

"He did start slowly with the bat, but he is capable of much more than he's shown to date, and I think as he becomes more accustomed to his role, he'll continue to do that."

 

Ash's words were prophetic. Now, Lucroy will try to carry his surging bat through the Southern League playoffs and maybe to a higher level before the end of the season.

 

"There were plenty of times I got frustrated, I'd come back to the dugout after going 0-for-5; I had some rough days, boy," he said. "But mostly everything I do is about feel, not film.

 

"I knew sooner or later, that switch was going to flick, and everything was going to be fine, and now, it is."

[Mass Haas]

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Prized prospect joins Stars

Canadian Lawrie, like his sister, is a former Olympian

By Brad Shepard

For The Huntsville Times

 

At 19 years old, Brett Lawrie is one of the most decorated teenaged baseball players in the world.

 

He played for Team Canada in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, donned the maple leaf across his chest for the World Baseball Classic and was chosen 16th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers in last year's amateur draft.

 

But the newly promoted Stars second baseman who arrived in Huntsville from Low-A Wisconsin about two hours before Tuesday's game against West Tenn may not even be the top athlete in his household.

 

"My sister, Danielle, also played in the Olympics," Lawrie said. "She helped U-Dub (the University of Washington) win the softball College World Series, won the Most Outstanding Player in the series, Player of the Year. Every award in softball, she's gotten it."

 

To be in the Olympics with a sibling was pretty amazing.

 

From the days when the two kids were one-upping each other back home in Langley, British Columbia, in everything from sit-ups to who could jump the highest, they'd dreamed of competing at the highest level of their respective sports.

 

Brett Lawrie took another step toward that with Tuesday's promotion. After hitting .275 with 13 homers, 65 RBIs and 19 stolen bases for the Wisconsin TimberRattlers, the Brewers thought he had progressed enough to jump High-A Brevard County.

 

So, the No. 3-rated prospect in the organization by Baseball America was playing second base and batting seventh for the Stars on Tuesday.

 

Lawrie - who also was picked as the Brewers' top power prospect by the same publication - finished his Stars debut 1-of-3 with a sharp single up the middle.

 

"We all believe he's going to be an excellent player," said Stars manager Bob Miscik, who watched Lawrie some in spring training. "But this is just a snapshot of where he is from a development standpoint. It's a no-lose for him.

[RyDogg66]

Wow, 19 years old and in AA. Impressive. Good Luck Brett.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

I was at the TRats game on Monday to see Lawrie. Glad I got a chance to see him in Wisconsin while I did. Next stop, Milwaukee! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[logan82]

After talking to some people at the T-Rats game the other night, I have to say that it wouldn't be surprising if Lawrie never plays a game for the Brewers. I got the impression he wasn't very well liked in Appleton.

[Hate those Rodents]

What do you mean Logan.....that he has an attitude problem that will cause him to stall and never reach the majors, or that he'll wear out his welcome in the organization and be shipped away in a trade? Or am I way off?

[Mass Haas]

Our thanks to Brad Shepard and the Huntsville Times sports editors for actually covering their minor league squad (are you reading, Nashville?) --

 

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Wooten keeps piling up outs

By Brad Shepard

For The Huntsville Times

 

Rob Wooten scanned the clubhouse for something wooden to knock on, settling for the pingpong table.

 

In nine save opportunities since being promoted from Single-A Brevard County on June 24, the Huntsville Stars closer is perfect. He also owns a 3.86 earned run average and has 29 strikeouts and just six walks allowed.

 

"Not blown one so far," he said with a smile.

 

Though the Stars are near the bottom of the North Division for the second half, the man Milwaukee is grooming to be the next closer has been a major bright spot.

 

"It's a much better league up here," Wooten said. "I'm not striking out guys all the time like I was in High-A, but I'm still making the pitches and getting the job done."

 

Wooten set the Brevard County saves record in half a season earlier this year, converting 18 of 19 opportunities while sporting a sparkling 1.20 ERA and 44 strikeouts to just 13 walks in 30 innings, despite not having an overpowering fastball. Though he said he hasn't felt as dominant in Double-A, the end result is the same.

 

"I haven't really changed the way I pitch at all," the University of North Carolina product said. "I noticed in High-A, I could get away with throwing the breaking ball out of the strike zone and getting them to chase. Here, you can still get hitters to chase, but you have to set them up better.

 

"I've still been able to get guys out."

 

Stars searching

 

Since securing first place in the first half, Huntsville has suffered a second-half slump of drastic proportions. Despite Wednesday's victory, the Stars are 20-32 after the break.

 

While outfielder Drew Anderson said this week's series with the Diamond Jaxx was important because they currently would be the Stars' first-round opponent in the playoffs (they hold a one-game lead over Tennessee), he said the Stars have to get on track regardless.

 

"The most important thing for us is to get back to playing the way we were in the first half," he said. "I think that's one of the things about the mid-season championship: You have a letdown when you know you're in the playoffs. You lose that edge.

 

"We had a little bit of a chip on our shoulders in the first half because we weren't the most talented team. We need to get back to that."

 

Most recently, the culprit for the struggles has been the offense. In the past seven games, Huntsville has scored just nine runs in 47 1/3 innings against opponents' starting pitchers. And that includes scoring four runs in six innings Wednesday off West Tenn's Dan Cortes.

 

"We're working hard every day," Freddy Parejo said. "But we've got to change something. I don't know what. We know we can win games. We've got to get going again."

[YoungGeezy]

---

God is 'everything' to Sarasota Baptist pitcher

Bill Sorrell/Florida Baptist Witness

 

SARASOTA (FBW)-In a dugout in Helena, Mont., Robert Hinton stared in disbelief at what he saw on the field: The car being raffled on the last day of the season had a striking resemblance to the green 1996 BMW he just purchased.

 

As it got closer, he said, "Seriously, this IS my car. It's got all my stuff in it."

 

Then the announcer proclaimed, "Robert Hinton has volunteered his car to be auctioned off."

 

The winning ticket was drawn. The lucky fan raced to the dugout, shook Hinton's hand and said, "Thank you, man; thank you."

 

Pitcher Josh Baker burst out laughing.

 

"Come on dude, why are you messing with me like that?" Hinton asked Baker, the instigator of the "advanced" prank in the advanced rookie league.

 

Back home in Sarasota, Hinton traded the car and the league.

 

He's a cowboy in the off-season, raising cattle on a Texas ranch with Baker, who pitched for Rice University when the Owls won the national championship in 2004.

Whatever happened to Josh? Was it injuries or what that had his career end so fast with the Brewers? Was one of the big 3 from Rice, a higher draft pick (4th round I think) he struggled a bit and then he was just gone. I don't know this artice got me wondering.

 

EDIT: Shortened quote from article...

[logan82]

What do you mean Logan.....that he has an attitude problem that will cause him to stall and never reach the majors, or that he'll wear out his welcome in the organization and be shipped away in a trade? Or am I way off?

 

I got the impression he wasn't well liked by his teammates and the organization was somewhat unhappy with his attitude. I could be wrong though. He is still very young with plenty of time to mature.