Offseason / Spring Training Minor League Transactions

[Paris16]

Nichols doesn't have a clue. Who cares about upside. You need to care about performance. They sign all these guys for big money , and never give these other guys a chance. If you don't sign for a big bonus you have very little chance with this organization. They release players everyday because they don't have a lot of money invested in them, even though some of them are clearly better than the guys they give big money to. Case in point, they gave the Zarraga kid 220.000 in the 44th round, when they have at least 7 catchers that run circles around him. I am sorry but the organization is a joke. Anyone who thinks that politics is not involved in minor league baseball doesn't know anything about it. You would think at this level that you would have people involved that can evaluate talent. Pete Rose would never even get drafted in this day and age. Pitchers are evaluated with a radar gun, hitters are evaluated by how much power they possess. How much heart, desire, and intensity a kid has means nothing if he didn't sign for a lot of money. It is a shame. I guarantee you they wouldn't have kept Rapoza if he had an e.r.a. below 1.00 because he's not one of their high draft picks. If a kid like that makes it and some of their high draft picks don't then it makes the organization look bad. I hope this kid gets a chance with another team, cause he deserves it.

[TheCrew07]

I realize that you are mostly just venting, but I wanted to respond anyway.

 

Personally, I like players for both talent and results. Taylor Green has been one of my guys for a long time, but he's not exactly toolsy. I believe the issue here is with numbers. For example, I don't mind a Dave Bush or 2 in the rotation, but when you get to 3 or 4 players of that caliber then we have an issue. I personally believe the bullpen is going to get awfully crowded with Braddock converting to relief, Axford's emergence, in addition to Fiers, Wooten, and Henderson who I really like as relievers. Not to mention the plethora of starting pitchers on the way, some of those guys are going to end up in the pen as well.

 

I also skipped past guys like Frerichs, Hand, Ramlow, Meadows, and so on down the chain who are legit relief prospects... the point is that there will be very stiff competition for the 7 bullpen slots, and it gets even worse if a guy like Parra ends up in the bullpen for good.

 

Rapoza is good relief pitcher, but where did he fit in this year between AAA and AA for Milwaukee? Who would you have let go to keep him in the fold? Hopefully he latches on someplace else and continues to have success.

[EbbaStClaire]

Based on Rapoza's results from last year, I'm stunned he was discarded. I believe he should have been allowed to fail at AA before cutting him. However, it is difficult to get upset without seeing who is on the final roster of Huntsville relievers. If in fact all the Huntsville pitchers for 2010 have better potential or had good results last year, we should all be happy because there may be a real stable of pitching developing in Huntsville. There also may be other issues(I hope not age) that were factored into the decision to cut Rapoza.

[Mass Haas]

Two more releases --

27-year-old catcher J.R. Hopf was let go. Undrafted out of the University of Tampa in 2006, Hopf hit .232 in 591 AB's, and was the Brewers go-to emergency catcher, logging time in AAA when needed, including the postseason last year (audio highlight). Hopf backed up Jonathan Lucroy in Huntsville in 2009.

 

RHP Wes Etheridge, 25, was the Brewers 12th round pick in 2007 out of UC-Irvine. He made 26 appearances, all in relief, in two seasons betwen rookie ball in '07 and then West Virginia in '08. He missed the 2009 season, to our knowledge, by his own choosing, but was back in camp this spring.

[brewmann04]

Good luck to Mike Jones in his new Career in a Relief role in 2 A.Still pulling for him to get to the big club

[DHonks]

wouldn't it be something if Jones went from occasionally hitting 94, to suddenly hitting 96? How's his secondary stuff? does he have a decent second pitch? before all the injuries, he supposedly had a curve and changeup

[Mass Haas]

Brutal news for Rob Wooten fans (and of course, Rob), but we've learned that he has or is about to undergo Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction (Tommy John Surgery) -- sorry we don't have more specifics on the timing or such. Obviously Wooten is out for 2010.

 

The 24-year-old former North Carolina Tar Heel Closer, chosen in the 13th round (bargain) in 2008, has dazzled us with an amazing 122-to-28 K-to-BB ratio in 89 pro innings thus far. He will officially reside on Huntsville's DL all season.

[Mass Haas]

23-year-old reliever Rigoberto Almonte, who has pitched state-side the past two seasons (even opened at Brevard in 2009), will begin 2010 with the DSL Brewers in his native Dominican Republic.

[Mass Haas]

Three players will be awaiting assignments from extended spring training in Maryvale. They are still with the organization --

 

Veteran (31-year-old) utility infielder Johnny Raburn

INF Steve Braun (25 years old in May) -- fractured right ankle from last June should be good to go

 

23-year-old OF Scott Krieger, the 2009 19th round selection out of George Mason University who posted a .774 OPS with Helena, but also fanned a league-leading 103 times in just 277 AB's

 

***

 

RHP Cody Adams (2nd round, 2008), RHP Pedro Lambertus, and C Brett Whiteside (who had Tommy John surgery last summer -- we never did learn if his four pitching appearances in 2009 were the start of a position switch or even the cause of his injury), will all be staying in Maryvale working their way back from injuries. As is often the case, we don't have injury details on Adams and Lambertus at this time.

[Mass Haas]

Kind of a dual update to the previous post:

 

More players delayed by injuries who likely won't open the season on an active roster --

 

INF Mike Brownstein

SS Josh Prince

LHP Mike Ramlow (missed most of 2009 with elbow immflamation

 

No word on the nature of injury for Mike and Josh

 

***

 

More players will be awaiting assignments from extended spring training in Maryvale. They are still with the organization -- can't seem to remember situations like this in the past, as to how long the Brewers can "carry" players who won't necessarily be rookie ball candidates -- we don't believe injuries are a hindrance for these players at this time --

 

RHP R.J. Seidel

 

INF Kyle Dhanani

 

INF Brandon Sizemore

 

C Shawn Zarraga

***

 

In the meantime, we are being exceedingly patient as we wait on an official roster from Brevard County. Given the pieces of the puzzle that have unfolded, you can pretty much figure things out to a great extent.

[Minigoon]

[quote author=Mass Haas wrote:

[/b]

RHP Cody Adams (2nd round, 2008), RHP Pedro Lambertus, and C Brett Whiteside (who had Tommy John surgery last summer -- we never did learn if his four pitching appearances in 2009 were the start of a position switch or even the cause of his injury), will all be staying in Maryvale working their way back from injuries. As is often the case, we don't have injury details on Adams and Lambertus at this time.

I thought Cody Adams still had time to serve from his suspension last season.

 

[battlekow]

Minigoon]I thought Cody Adams still had time to serve from his suspension last season.

Oddly, it appears that Adams was suspended with exactly 50 games remaining on the T-Rats' schedule, except that the 8/27 game at Burlington was canceled, so by my count he has one game left to serve.

[TheCrew07]

That's too bad about Wooten, so that's him and Bramhall that are out for sure with Tommy John?

[Mass Haas]

25-year-old C/OF Anderson DeLaRosa, signed out of Venezuela in August of 2003, has been officially named a player / coach with Brevard County. So while he's still chasing the dream, he's preparing for another one.

[Mass Haas]

We'll need to follow-up. Published links and even the affiliate reports indicated that 24 is the AAA and AA roster limit, yet Nashville had 25 active for Opening Night. Brevard County remained one short at 24.

 

Once that dust settles, we'll close this thread and begin the regular season transaction thread.

[DHonks]

Mass, aren't they allowed an extra player during the first few weeks of the season?

[Mass Haas]

Mass, aren't they allowed an extra player during the first few weeks of the season?

Yes, that was the case in recent years, but MiLB.com and other sources had seemed to indicate that was no longer the case. We have a note into the Sounds...