Spring Training Photos and Misc. Prospect News

[Mass Haas]

A thread to link to photos from various sources of minor leaguers or those likely to begin 2010 in the minor leagues --

 

Journal-Sentinel:

Angel Salome

Zach Braddock

 

Looking forward to your personal photos as well!

[battlekow]

When I first saw that Braddock picture, I did a double-take: he's a ringer for Jeff Suppan, at least in that pose.

[Mass Haas]

From Anthony Witrado:

 

Right-hander Tim Dillard has become the comedian of the clubhouse during the last two springs, and he did his uncanny Harry Caray impression before workouts started Tuesday. He put on a wig, glasses and held a microphone as he did his shtick and interviewed players. As Caray, Dillard pulled out left-hander Zach Braddock from the circle of players around him and said, "Now, let me talk to you, Jeff Suppan." The players and coaches cracked up as the running joke in camp has been Braddock's remarkable resemblance to Suppan, right down to the haircut and goatee.

[Mass Haas]

Kyle Heckathorn via Adam McCalvy's twitter account.

[Mass Haas]

From McCalvy --

Macha reported that right-handed pitching prospect Josh Butler continues to be stalled by a sore arm. Butler was penciled in to pitch either Friday or Saturday, but the club will instead give him a few more days to rest.

 

Also discusses Mat Gamel's sore shoulder at the link.

[Mass Haas]

Quotes from Josh Butler, news on Kyle Heckathorn, Marco Estrada, and other minor league names sprinkled in Adam's latest entry.

[Mass Haas]

Adam Heether photo and Mark Rogers quotes at the JS.

More on Heether here. He's played 76 games at short in his pro career, so one of his quotes may be overstated a bit, still so easy to root for the guy.

Adam also has similar Rogers quotes and such over at his blog and the Brewers' site, both sites should remain automatics for you all (there will definitely be some duplication), but we'll continue to highlight items such as these here.

[Mass Haas]

Tom H. on Josh Butler's setback. (Also Trent Oeltjen's wrist, Mat Gamel's shoulder, more promising news on those guys than Butler's report.)

 

Look for a lot of names in the box scores today that you aren't familar with. Many players have been called over from the minor-league side to fill out the split-squad rosters. On only the third day of exhibition play, most of the starting players are still only playing three or four innings.

 

That's always fun, and we'll highlight those names in this thread, similar to what we did last spring.

[Mass Haas]

Jim Breen and his recently-moved "Bernie's Crew" blog with a nice post summarizing the current injury status in camp.

[Mass Haas]

Within the In-Game Threads on the like-named forum here, we'll attempt to include up front on a daily basis those players called up from minor league camp for specific games, and as noted above, we'll detail their exploits here should they make it into the games. Check on the two Saturday threads there to see what we mean.

 

The actual games by the minor league squads (Nashville, Huntsville, Brevard, and Wisconsin) will begin on Friday, March 19th. We are hopeful that we'll be able to provide you with box scores to those games, as we did last season. Those games will be detailed in a separate thread.

[Mass Haas]

From the Brewers at Rockies game -- non-big league camp invites for the day:

 

2B Brett Lawrie was in the mix for three of the four double plays the Brewers turned. Lawrie tripled in his first at-bat, then grounded out twice.

 

OF Lee Haydel (groundout) and SS Josh Prince (flyout) each got an AB.

 

Veteran Norris Hopper was 1-for-2 including a pinch-hit triple.

 

Those were the non-camp callups. For young camp player comments, see theJ-S blog post on the game -- one thing to note beyond the comments made on RHP Alex Periard, while Periard did allow back-to-back line drive / fly ball doubles to start his second inning, everything else he recorded, including all his in-play outs, was on the ground.

[Mass Haas]

From the Giants at Brewers game -- non-big league camp invites for the day:

 

1B Chris Errecart crushed a home run that Bob Uecker is still gushing over, and is quoted in the J-S blog post on the game. Those fussy Giants plunked him his next time up. Chris was charged with an error on a tough-hop play that sounded as if it could have been scored a base hit.

 

It was a nice Zelous Wheeler to Eric Farris to Errecart 5-4-3 double play that bailed out John Halama of a bases-loaded jam in the 8th.

 

Wheeler walked and singled in his two trips, while Farris was 1-for-3 -- line drive single, line drive out, and a rare (for him) GIDP.

 

After flying out in the 6th, LF Erik Komatsu crushed his own home run to center, a two-run shot, in the 8th. Komatsu's HR scored OF Erik Miller, who had singled. Miller was hit in the leg by a pitch his first time up.

 

Taylor Green walked and Brent Brewer grounded out in their lone plate appearances.

 

Among the prospect kids who are in big league camp, Lorenzo Cain smoked a triple off the wall in center that just missed going out.

 

40-man Giant OF and former Brewer Darren Ford grounded out in his AB.

 

Final thought -- why did Haudricourt and Witrado both go to the same game on a split-squad day (not this game)? Only one rental car on the J-S budget?

[Mass Haas]

The first ten photos (as of this post) in the Journal-Sentinel spring training gallery are from Saturday's action, and includes this nice shot of Brett Lawrie.

[Mass Haas]

Here's a second Brett Lawrie photo from ED ANDRIESKI / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/azstarnet.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/9/a9/35f/9a935f11-7377-5c6b-922e-d083cb352cdd.image.jpg?_dc=1267941963

[BrewCrew Fan]

http://i962.photobucket.com/albums/ae110/rakmiller/Brewers%20Spring%20Training%2003-06-2010/P3040016.jpg
Erik Miller at the plate


http://i962.photobucket.com/albums/ae110/rakmiller/Brewers%20Spring%20Training%2003-06-2010/P3040045.jpg

Komatsu HR Blast

[battlekow]

Haudricourt notes that Lorenzo Cain homered and Brett Lawrie got two hits in the B-game this morning; Eric Arnett, Zach Braddock, and Mike Jones each pitched an inning, along with four other so-far anonymous young pitchers.

 

EDIT: Witrado says that Tim Dillard and John Axford also pitched, with Axford striking out the side on just 13 pitches; he also relays that Mat Gamel's shoulder is still bothering him.

[battlekow]

Garfield, Pounders gearing up for first spring training

Becky Radliff/The Californian

Last March, Cameron Garfield and Brooks Pounders were gearing up

for their season-opening high school baseball games at Murrieta

Valley and Temecula Valley, respectively. A year later, both

Garfield and Pounders are still on the diamond, and still prepping

for the beginning of something special.

 

This spring, it's for minor league baseball.

 

"It's been nothing but amazing," said Garfield, whose been

training within the Brewers' winter program since January. "It's

the same sport, but it's completely different than high school. As

far as competition goes and how you prepare yourself, it's a

completely different mindset."

 

The jump from prep baseball to pro baseball was a quick one for

both Garfield and Pounders. Last summer, right after the high

school season ended for Murrieta and Temecula in mid-May, they were

picked up in June's amateur draft.

 

Pounders got the call in the second round from the Pirates, and

Garfield was taken (also in the second round) by Milwaukee. Soon

after, both packed up and went east to play rookie ball ----

Pounders to the Pirates' Gulf Coast League team and Garfield to

Montana, to play with the Brewers' affiliate in Helena.

 

"Coming out here to Florida was tough at first," Pounders said

of the move.

 

"You definitely have to grow up fast, but I feel like I've

settled in now. I couldn't ask for a better coaching staff, and I'm

learning a lot."

 

This spring, Garfield and Pounders are getting their first look

at spring training.

 

"It's going well so far, but it's a lot of work," Pounders said.

"It's a grind, but there's nothing else I'd rather be doing."

 

Pounders ---- whose being groomed as a pitcher and hopes to

become a starter in the near future ---- said there's a lot of

pressure each day to perform his best.

 

And each day begins early. At 7:30 a.m., Pounders and the rest

of the 200 or so players in the Pirates' organization, are up for

meetings and breakfast. Then it's on to the field by 8:30 or 9 a.m.

for throwing, fielding and pitching practice. After lunch, there's

more conditioning and training. In a couple weeks, games will begin

each afternoon.

 

"I had an idea what spring training was going to be like,

because my Dad went through it," said Pounders, whose father Brad

played in the minors from 1984-1988. "There's 200 guys out here,

and everybody's fighting for a job, so every day you have to go out

there and compete. There's pressure involved, but I' m having fun

in the process."

 

For Garfield, training began in January, because the Brewers

have a winter program, and his daily schedule ---- with four to

five hours each day on the field ---- has been similar to

Pounders'.

 

"You have to learn how to deal with your body," Garfield

said.

 

Perhaps even more trying than the physical exertion, is the

mental pressure to succeed each day.

 

"I'm fighting to get to the big leagues," Garfield said. "But,

to my left and my right, everyone is trying to get my job."

 

Garfield added that any worry about his future career disappears

once he's on the field.

 

"The fun blocks out the pressure," he said. "Once I'm warmed up

and stretched, the pressure goes away."

 

Likewise, Pounders can't imagine spending his spring anywhere

else.

 

"There's nothing else I'd rather be doing and I'm thankful for

the opportunity." he said.

 

Pounders expects to either begin the year in Single-A in

Charleston, WV ---- with the West Virginia Power ---- or in

short-season ball in State College, Penn. Last season, playing for

the Pirates' Gulf Coast League squad, Pounders pitched in nine

games, and started in four. He finished 2-2 with a 3.04 ERA and 20

strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings.

 

Garfield is also hoping to start out in the Single-A ranks, for

the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, but says he'll go wherever the

Brewers' send him. Last summer, he played in 59 games for the

Brewers' Rookie team in Helena and hit .299 with 21 RBIs and four

home runs.

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/nctimes.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/c/fc/53c/cfc53c21-9ffb-5b65-908e-fbeb8d2bd087.image.jpg?_dc=1268110869

(Andrew Foulk/The Californian)

 

[Mass Haas]

Tom H. visits with RHP Alex Periard

[TheCrew07]

Gah the T-Rats opener is way too far away...

[Mass Haas]

WSSP Audio with Mark Rogers

 

Of course, their web site added the dreaded "D" to his last name, but nice to hear from the 24-year-old "kid"

[filthyfrog]

Garfield is also hoping to start out in the Single-A ranks, for

the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, but says he'll go wherever the

Brewers' send him. Last summer, he played in 59 games for the

Brewers' Rookie team in Helena and hit .299 with 21 RBIs and four

home runs.

While .299 would have been a nice average, that was actually his OBP. He hit .248. Whoops.

[Mass Haas]

Lorenzo Cain Video Interview at MLB.com

[Mass Haas]

Adam McCalvy on Steffan Wilson

[Mass Haas]

Love the fact John Axford continues to open eyes.

 

Lorenzo Cain with a fine first week, and a tough day for Cody Scarpetta yesterday, if you hadn't listened in.

 

Brewers infielder Zealous Wheeler tries in vain to slide past Padres catcher Chris Stewart. Wheeler was trying to score from third base on an infield grounder Wednesday afternoon. AP photo via the J-S

 

http://media.jsonline.com/images/660*479/plate31010.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Tom H. with more on Lorenzo Cain via a blog post.