Your 2009 Helena / Arizona Brewers -- Latest: Eric Arnett Audio Interview

[Mass Haas]

Congratulations to closer Michael Fiers -- he's your Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week. We may see a formal announcement out of Helena at some point.

[battlekow]

Baseball America has a subscriber-only piece on Eric Arnett and how basketball helped his baseball game:

Crean knew Arnett was a freak athlete when he offered him the opportunity to try out. In high school, Arnett earned three all-conference selections in football and two in basketball. Arnett holds records at Watkins Memorial High (Pataskala, Ohio) records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. He also holds the school record for home runs. What Crean didn't know, however, was that Arnett would be the best slam-dunk artist on his team.

[Mass Haas]

MiLB.com:

Pioneer League

Michael Fiers, Helena

0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 G, 0 GS, 3 SV, 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

Brewers prospect Michael Fiers' three saves and five appearances on the season are both league-toppers. Fiers was perfect this week, not allowing a baserunner over four appearances. Selected in the 22nd round of this year's Draft, the right-hander has probably been a bit of a pleasant surprise to the Brew crew.

[battlekow]

Blaine duo reunited in Brewers' minor league system

David Rasbach

 

It may be too soon to start setting up the orange and black athletic pipeline from Blaine to Milwaukee, but just wait a couple of years.

By then - if all goes as Borderites faithful would like - no fewer than three of their native sons could be rubbing elbows with the likes of "Laverne and Shirley" in Wisconsin.

Not bad for the tiny town on the U.S.-Canada border with a population of only 4,700.

http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/mi.tbh00/Sports;dcove=d;pl=story;lvl6=SportsNews;loc=ats;pos=MREC01;sz=300x250;tile=4;ord=123456789?

Luke Ridnour is already in the Brew City. The former Blaine basketball great, who led the Borderites to back-to-back state championships in 1999 and 2000, just completed his first NBA season with the Milwaukee Bucks after playing his first five closer to home with the Seattle SuperSonics.

And two others are on their way. Former Blaine baseball teammates Joey Paciorek and Kyle Dhanani have been reunited in the Milwaukee Brewers' minor league baseball system. The duo already is playing together again with the Helena Brewers in the rookie-level Pioneer League.

"It was kind of weird looking up to see him taking groundballs across the infield from me again," Paciorek said in a phone interview. "It was kind of like a blast from the past."

Paciorek and Dhanani played in the same varsity infield for two years at Blaine High and together at various levels in the youth baseball ranks while growing up. In 2005 they helped the Borderites to a third-place finish in the Class 2A state tournament - matching the program's best finish since winning the 1990 state championship.

"We had some great times playing together back in Blaine," said Dhanani, who graduated from Blaine after that 2005 season, two years before Paciorek.

While Dhanani chose to continue his baseball career at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, Paciorek was selected out of high school by Milwaukee in the 15th round of the 2007 draft.

Paciorek spent his first professional season with the Arizona League Brewers, hitting .281 with 13 RBI and two homers in 40 games. He also ranked fourth in the league with his .416 on-base percentage.

But last year, rather than taking a step forward and advancing up the ladder, the Brewers returned Paciorek to the Arizona heat for another year of extended spring training and a second season in the Arizona League.

"It was a grind, just like everywhere else," Paciorek said of his experience in Arizona. "But the heat definitely makes it a little tougher than most places."

So do the morning practice sessions before each game, which is played under the blazing Arizona afternoon sun.

Paciorek struggled at the plate in his second season, as his batting average dipped to .165 and his RBI to only three in approximately the same number of games and at-bats he saw in 2007.

"It's tough in that Arizona league," said Brandon Newell, who scouted both Paciorek and Dhanani for the Brewers. "It's really tough on those guys to do all those intensive drills in the morning and then play a game in the afternoon. Now that Joey has moved up to Helena, he'll get a little more normal season. He's be showing up for evening games most of the time, and for a lot of these guys that's a whole lot easier mentally.

"Plus Joey struggled through some injuries in his first couple of years. Now he's finally healthy and he's comfortable with the instruction he's gotten the last couple of years. Hopefully that will be exactly what he needs to have a breakout season."

Dhanani is hoping for the same after he got to skip the Arizona League and go directly to the Pioneer League after the Brewers selected him in the 43rd round of last month's draft.

Newell said he feels Dhanani has the ability to handle that jump.

"I've know Kyle since he was very young," Newell said in a phone interview. "The biggest thing for Kyle is he has finally reached the physical maturity level that will allow him to do some of the things he's always wanted to do. He has always been a very good baseball player, but it took him a while to get strong enough to do everything he wanted to do. He's worked hard to get stronger, and he got some great experience at Thompson Rivers, and I think he is ready for this level."

Dhanani helped the Wolfpack to the Canadian collegiate national championships in 2007 and 2009. He was also selected a Canadian College Baseball Conference all-star this past spring.

"College was a great experience, but it has definitely been a learning experience for me since I arrived here," Dhanani said in a phone interview. "It's more challenging hitting here than in the league I played in Canada. I'm still trying to find my hitting touch."

In 11 games with Helena so far this season, Dhanani is hitting .156 (5 for 32) with six RBI, two doubles and two stolen bases entering play on Friday, July 10.

But at least his adjustment to the Brewers system has been aided by having a friend and former teammate who already has two years of experience playing pro ball.

"It's been really nice having Joey around," Dhanani said. "He called me up right after I got drafted, and he's told me some of the guys in the system to get to know and which ones to watch out for. He was really excited to have me join the organization, and he's been a big help to me."

Though they don't live together, their host families are close, and Dhanani and Paciorek often share rides to the ballpark together or go out to see a movie when they need a break from the game.

"It feels more like home to have somebody here that I already know," said Paciorek, who is hitting .250 (9 for 36) with a homer, four RBI and three stolen bases in 11 games so far this season entering play Friday. "We both come from the same small town, and it's great to have somebody here rooting for me to succeed, the same way I'm rooting for him to succeed."

Even though they're both infielders and even trade positions in some games, Newell said he sees Paciorek becoming more of a corner infielder, while Dhanani will focus on becoming a middle infielder.

"They're both great athletes," Newell said. "That's what immediately draws you to both of them. They both have some very good flexibility in their defensive games, and that's nice to have from a manager's perspective."

So there's no reason they couldn't progress up the Brewers' system together, if all goes right.

Who knows? They might even some day join Ridnour in Milwaukee playing at the top professional level of their sport.

"There are two things those three guys all share," Newell said. "It's athleticism and the desire for success. If you have those two things, people will find you. It is a pretty big coincidence that all three of those guys come from a small town like Blaine. But that desire to compete at a high level intertwines among all three of them. All three of those guys have an innate ability to step up their game when they play better competition. I see no reason they all can't make it."

[Mass Haas]

Congratulations, Nick Bucci, your Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week.

[Minigoon]

So there has been 4 weeks of the Pioneer League season, and we have 3 Helena Brewers as pitchers of the week. Nice. Real Nice.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active (link includes some Cameron Garfield draft footage), text follows:

 

Rookies gaining confidence at Helena

Garfield, Krieger among those excelling on first-place team

By Cash Kruth / MLB.com

 

MILWAUKEE -- Within a matter of days, Cameron Garfield graduated from Murrieta Valley High School (Calif.), was selected by the Brewers in the First-Year Player Draft and moved from Southern California to Helena, Mont., to begin his professional baseball career.

 

Despite the whirlwind journey from high school student to professional baseball player, the 18-year-old catcher hasn't skipped a beat, hitting .316 through 21 games with Rookie League Helena.

 

"I couldn't ask for a better team," Garfield said. "Helena is an awesome city -- although it's a little smaller than where I'm from -- but the team's great, and I couldn't ask for a better situation."

 

Garfield isn't the only rookie finding the move to pro ball a bit less rocky than anticipated.

 

The rest of his Helena teammates have followed suit, as the club entered Wednesday's off-day with a one-game lead in the Pioneer League's North Division. At 15-12, Helena has played around .500 baseball through most of the season, but has won five of seven on its last road trip to move a game ahead of Great Falls (Mont.).

 

Scott Krieger, who is tied atop the Pioneer League with nine home runs, said quick starts by individuals such as Garfield and himself have helped the players ease into their first professional season.

 

"It's definitely felt good, but the biggest difference also is playing every single day -- not four or five times a week like it is in college," said Krieger, who was drafted out of George Mason. "Another big transition is that you can't really sit on a good game because you could go 0-for-5 with three punches the next. It's important to stay level, even with those great games early on."

 

Garfield -- a 6-foot-1, 195-pound catcher and Milwaukee's second round pick in June's Draft -- and Krieger are just two of a number of Helena players off to hot starts.

 

On the mound, right-handed starter Nick Bucci (5-0, 3.18 ERA) leads the league in wins and ranks second with 30 strikeouts, while Michael Fiers has a league-leading six saves in nine appearances.

 

Other pitchers, such as Andre Lamontagne (1-1, 1.53 ERA in 17 2/3 innings as both a starter and reliever), have also impressed, but the real standouts have been Garfield, Krieger and the Brewers' other young hitters.

 

Josh Prince, a 6-foot shortstop from Tulane and third-round Draft pick, is hitting .330 with an on-base percentage of .450 and 23 stolen bases. The speedy 21-year-old is kick-starting an offense that leads the Pioneer League in runs despite a team batting average that sits in the bottom half of the league.

 

Prince said the job he is doing now in Helena as the table-setter is a perfect portrayal of how he hopes to eventually make an impact with Milwaukee.

 

"I want to be considered a premier leadoff hitter; someone who will get on base and get in position to score," he said. "I want to be noticed as someone who is a threat at the top of the lineup and can also get to third base in a couple pitches."

 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Krieger is a pure power hitter who the Brewers selected in the 19th round. Along with his nine homers, Krieger is hitting .291 with a league-leading 32 RBIs.

 

Krieger, who hit 20 or more homers in each of his last three collegiate seasons, also has a slugging percentage of .602, but said right now he's working to improve other aspects of his game.

 

"I'm definitely just trying to be more consistent on a daily basis and just trying to cut down on the strikeouts and increase my average," said Krieger, who also ranks near the top of the league with 34 strikeouts. "I know I'm capable of a lot more. I've put a few good games together, and I'm definitely trying to stay consistent and get used to wood bats and just the overall talent level."

 

So far, Krieger's production proves he has had little trouble making the adjustment from metal bats to wood -- a move many players have struggled with after turning pro.

 

Prince, who played in the Northwoods League last summer, said the switch hasn't been an issue for him, as more and more players are hitting with wood bats at an earlier age.

 

"I think it could be a big deal, but every year, even in high school, I played with wood bats," Prince said. "I've probably spent the last five summers with a wood bat. It's just a difference in balance, and it's not too big of a difference if you don't try to do too much."

 

That hasn't been the case for Garfield, who was drafted less than a month after his 18th birthday. In fact, Garfield wasn't even sure where he stood on the stat sheet.

 

"I don't even know my numbers," Garfield quickly said. "I'm trying to stay out of that game because coming from high school is definitely a change. If you're looking at your numbers, it's going to kill you and you'll just keep pressing."

 

So far, that mindset has led to a few rookies slowly gaining confidence on a first-place team.

[Mass Haas]

For the 2nd time this season, closer Michael Fiers is your Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week. Congratulations.

 

Fiers recently turned 24 years old and will be looking for a bump past low-A by next spring, so we have to temper any enthusiasm. But that's still a nice feat.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Former Triton adjusts to life in minor leagues

 

Two months into his professional baseball career, Kyle Dhanani has very few complaints, save for the fact that his new team - the Helena Brewers - have had just four days off since he joined the team in mid-June.

 

The Peninsula native, who spent the past three seasons manning the infield with the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack, has been adjusting well to the professional ranks with Helena, the rookie league affiliate of Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Brewers.

 

"Life has been good so far as a professional," said the former White Rock Triton, who was drafted by the Brewers this summer.

 

"Lots of hard work, pretty much daily, and we only have three more days off for the (rest) of the season, so it's a grind. But it's been fun."

 

Dhanani, who moved from the Peninsula to Blaine, Wash. to play high school baseball as a teenager, has excelled in his brief stint in Montana.

A shortstop at TRU, the six-foot-two infielder has been spending most of his time with the Brewers at second base, third base and designated hitter.

 

In 25 games, he is hitting .269 with 13 RBI and six stolen bases.

 

"I had to adjust my swing after a few weeks to get used to the pitching," he explained.

 

"I've been hitting well of late, (but) pitchers can be really dirty at times."

 

Though Dhanani, 22, has been experiencing the same growing pains as any young player adjusting to pro ball, he has still impressed his new manager, who has not hesitated to throw Dhanani into new roles.

 

"He is a great person to have on a team. He is a great athlete and very valuable because he can play many positions," Rene Gonzales said.

 

"He has as good a pair of hands as anyone in the league. He does need to work on his plate discipline, but that will come with time.

 

"I'm very glad to have him here."

 

Dhanani said he has also adjusted well off the field, despite coming to a brand new team and city where he knew only one player - former Blaine teammate Joey Paciorek, also a Brewers' draft pick.

 

"I feel like a rookie for sure, because a lot of the guys came from spring training and knew each other already. But I'm like every new draft pick who didn't know anyone... but playing with my ex-high school teammate (has) made the transition a lot easier," he said.

 

Kyle Dhanani is adjusting to life as a pro baseball player with the Helena Brewers.

Dean Hendrickson photo

 

http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/400*329/4087whiterockDhanani-Kyle0809.jpg

[sfl2hnq17]

does anyone know when heckathorn is supposed to make his debut for helena?

[TheCrew07]

The last I heard it mentioned on a broadcast it was going to be about 2 weeks, and that was about a week ago.

[Mass Haas]

Congratulations to RHP Maverick Lasker, the Brewers' sole representative on the 14-man squad representing the post-season Arizona Summer League All-Star squad.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Brewers' Bucci named to All-Pioneer League team

By The Independent Record

 

Right-handed pitcher Nick Bucci was the Helena Brewers' lone representative on the All-Pioneer League team, which was announced Sunday.

Bucci has a 6-3 record and 4.41 ERA in 13 games with the Brewers this season. He has allowed 59 hits and 39 runs in 69 1/3 innings and struck out 66 in that span.

 

Bucci was named Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 20.

 

Infielders Michael Marseco and Josh Prince, outfielder Scott Krieger and pitcher Michael Fiers earned honorable mention.

 

Ogden led the team with four selections, including Most Valuable Player Brian Cavazos-Galvez. Casper pitcher Chris Balcom-Miller was named Pitcher of the Year.

 

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/d/59/d1c/d59d1cf0-9b77-11de-85e7-001cc4c03286.image.jpg?_dc=1252304986

[battlekow]

Two Brewers made BA's Top 20 AZL Prospects, Maverick Lasker at #11 and Max Walla at #20.

[Tedaldtada]

That's a nice ranking for Lasker. Walla didn't do much to earn that spot so the ceiling must be huge in the eyes of scouts.

[sheetskout]

20th in the Carolina League or similar is WAY different than 20th in the AZL. People should really only get excited by the top five in BA's rankings for the AZL.

[yoshii8]

20th in the Carolina League or similar is WAY different than 20th in the AZL. People should really only get excited by the top five in BA's rankings for the AZL.

Why is that? The kids that play in the Arizona league are usually just getting out of high school and getting there first taste of professional baseball, and a lot of them are hight draft picks . Why would you think that people should only be excited about the top 5?

[Mass Haas]

Rattler Radio with additional details -- so technically, we didn't copy the pay-for-view text http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

 

[battlekow]

The BA Pioneer League Top 20 Prospects list is very encouraging for Jake Odorizzi fans: he's #2, followed by Eric Arnett at #10 and Nick Bucci at #17.

[twobrewers]

The bad news is Garfield and Dystra did not make the list...

 

In most years, a second-round pedigree would mean automatic entry on our Pioneer League Top 20, but that wasn't the case this summer. Helena second baseman Cutter Dykstra and catcher Cameron Garfield, Ogden outfielder Blake Smith and Missoula righthander Eric Smith all missed the cut. Dykstra was a 2008 pick who had shifted from center field, while the other three were 2009 selections.

[battlekow]

Chris Mehring again reproduces the BA subscriber-only scouting reports.

[pingman]

I like Baseball America's prospect lists because their focus is on (1) tools and (2) projectibility ....the things that are important when looking at the younger prospects at the lower minor league levels (dare I say: the anti-Billy Beene approach)

[Mass Haas]

2009 11th round RHP Andre Lamontagne will be among those in a film on the Alaskan Summer Baseball League set for DVD release November 30th.

 

I've read previous articles on the league, this linked article discussing the film's release is peppered with big names.

 

The DVD, plus a DVD of extra features, will be available at www.touchingthegame.com.

[colbyjack]

I keep in contact with Eric Valenzuela, who was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for the University of San Diego that in the past few months has left that post to take a similar position under Tony Gwynn at San Diego State. I spoke with Eric yesterday mostly regarding that move, and he informed me that Josh Romanski would be showing up to Valenzuela's offseason workouts in the next week or two, along with fellow organizational mate and former Torero, Josh Butler. Overall the players, particularly the pitchers, that have pitched under Valenzuela's tutelage (including Orioles' top prospect Brian Matusz) have been pretty loyal to him, deciding to join him at his camp at SDSU as opposed to the ones held at USD (there's no hard feelings between Valenzuela and his former employer, head coach Rich Hill).

 

Romanski reportedly is fully healthy and has been rehabbing hard to get himself back into pitching strength for the spring. We haven't had much of a taste for what he can do, since he missed all of this last year and hardly played in 2008 (and IIRC he still hasn't taken the mound), but he's definitely a prospect worth noting that could be somewhat of a sleeper to watch next season.

 

I hope to get some reports to how hard, or at least how well, he's throwing once he takes the mound in San Diego and will be sure to share anything that comes to my attention.

[battlekow]

Demetrius McKelvie certainly

like a ballplayer, doesn't he?