Your 2010 Huntsville Stars

[Mass Haas]

Your Southern League Pitcher of the Week

Amaury Rivas, Huntsville

2-0, 0.69 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 13 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 9 SO

Brewers prospect Amaury Rivas is blowing through hitters in his first Double-A season, and he's shown that he's building stamina with his two starts this week. After two fine five-inning starts, Rivas stepped it up with six solid innings on Monday, allowing a run on three walks and a pair of hits while striking out four. He followed up that outing with a complete game seven-inning appearance on Sunday. He walked three again and relented three hits, but the only run Chattanooga scored off him was unearned. He struck out five in the contest.

[Invader3K]

Wow, that line about Rivas is definitely encouraging. Any chance he's competing for a rotation spot with the Brewers next season?

[TheCrew07]

Yes, he could fill in as injury replacement this season in fact. As it's been said many times we have quality depth between AAA and AA now that could step in and help out the MLB rotation, there's no longer a need to keep bad pitchers around as depth.

[JohnBriggs12]

Assuming he's healthy and puts up solid numbers all year, Rivas is a virtual lock to be a September call up. He's already on the 40 man and they'll have rotation openings next year. He figures to be in the mix.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Childersburg native Zelous Wheeler living pro baseball dream with Huntsville Stars

By Doug Segrest -- The Birmingham News

 

Zelous Wheeler remembers what the fuss was all about.

 

At age 7, he made the 40-minute trek from Childersburg to Regions Park with his family because the best-known profes­sional athlete in the world was moonlight­ing in a Birmingham Barons uniform.

 

"We used to come watch Michael Jordan back in the day," Wheeler said. "I didn't know much about baseball, but I knew about him."

 

The fuss the past four days at Regions Park hasn't been about Jordan. It's been about Wheeler, the Huntsville Stars short­stop, whose return home has drawn a steady stream of friends and family from down U.S. 280.

 

"I tell everyone I'm from Birmingham, anyway," Wheeler said. "No one knows where Childersburg and Sylacauga are."

 

A 19th-round draft choice out of Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Wheeler has made a smooth transition the first month of his first full Double-A season.

 

He's playing short for the Stars and hitting third or fourth in the or­der, wielding a slick glove and a po­tent bat for the Milwaukee Brewers' affiliate.

 

Not bad for a guy who looks like Luzinski yet is as nimble as Concep­cion.

 

He was a linebacker back at Childersburg High, where he was a ninth-grader when Charlotte Bob­cats star Gerald Wallace was a se­nior, drawing a handful of small­ college offers to play football.

 

"Mostly Division II schools: Miles and Livingston. Jacksonville State was there, too," he said. "Most wanted me to play both sports, but I could see a better future in baseball. Football's OK, but I didn't have the height to play at the next level."

 

The Brewers took him in the 2007 draft, signed him and shipped him across country to Helena, Mont., for a short season. Ever since then, he's been making progress at an accelerated pace.

 

An all-star at both levels of Single-­A, he hasn't struggled much with Double-A pitching.

 

Wheeler is hitting .319 and leads the team with three home runs. His 15 RBIs match for the team lead. The Stars' game Sunday against the Barons was rained out.

 

He's also showing discipline at the plate, with only eight strikeouts in 69 at-bats.

 

"I just want to be fundamentally sound. Everyone's about power, but if a guy's on base I just want to move him over," Wheeler said.

 

The stocky shortstop with the easy-going demeanor has made his move at the most critical infield po­sition. But to get to the big leagues, he's willing to go with the flow.

 

"I don't look ahead, so when the opportunity comes I'll try to do my best and let what happens happen," he said.

 

"If they want me to play center field, I'll play center field. If they want me to catch, I'll catch. I've never caught before, but I can do it."

 

Childersburg's Zelous Wheeler was back at Regions Park this weekend as an up-and-coming shortstop in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. (The Birmingham News / Tamika Moore)

 

http://media.al.com/birmingham-news-sports/photo/zelous-wheeler-0503jpg-3d8a52f79b7b291c_large.jpg

[battlekow]

Tough to tell whether this means Cain is almost healed or it's just Witrado omitting relevant details:

 

If [Gomez's injury] is more serious, the Brewers likely will place him on the

disabled list and dip into the minor leagues for a right-handed hitting

outfielder to replace Gomez.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lorenzo Cain, who

came into Thursday hitting .380 in 71 at-bats with Class AA Huntsville,

was brought up by manager Ken Macha as a possibility, but, of course,

nothing is definite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We have some

options, but I don't know what (general manager) Doug (Melvin) would

think about doing as far as getting a right-handed complement out

there," Macha said. "Cain is in Double-A. That's a big jump, but he's

always had great springs. He can definitely cover the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"That would be a

subject of discussion .?.?. but maybe we're getting a little ahead of

ourselves."

 

[Mass Haas]

Brian and Bill were discussing Cain's potential call-up without nary a mention of his injury status on last night's broadcast.

 

I know we're a tiny piece of kelp in a huge Brewer-related internet ocean, but we have been detailing the minor league action for nine full years now.

 

I'm not expecting these guys to know who the back-end of the 3rd tandem is with Wisconsin, but to think they can't invest five minutes of their day to follow us, a la a dedicated Jim Powell back in the day (hopefully Cory now), Adam McCalvy, and others, is just silly. Do they know what the 40-man roster players have been up to -- Axford, Rivas, even Stetter?

 

It's maddening, especially when it doesn't have to be.

[Invader3K]

Maybe they just aren't aware of the website? Although I'd swear I've heard Rock mention BF.net in the past (a few years back, though).

 

Anyway, it would be nice to see Cain get a shot after all his hard work, though he obviously has to be healthy for sure in order for it to happen.

[twobrewers]

I guess Macha's job is to coach the players on this team.

But he comes off as very uninformed as well. No wonder prospects die under Macha.

[battlekow]

I guess Macha's job is to coach the players on this team.

 

But he comes off as very uninformed as well. No wonder prospects die under Macha.

I wouldn't fault Macha for not knowing the injury status of non-MLB players. Witrado, on the other hand, should be expected to include a note indicating either that Cain is injured or that he recently was so but is now healthy.

[pete]

I guess Macha's job is to coach the players on this team. But he comes off as very uninformed as well. No wonder prospects die under Macha.

 

Maybe Cain isn't that far from coming off the DL. Maybe its a veiled suggestion that he wants someone right handed. I find the whole notion that prospects die under Macha fairly bizarre. I suppose the idea that the manager is terrible is a constant with all managers and all fanbases, but it sure is odd to couple it with a comment by Macha that he'd like to have a prospect with the team.

[TheCrew07]

I find the whole notion that prospects die under Macha fairly bizarre.

I wasn't going to take the bait again but I find the notion that you can't comprehend why people have issues with Melvin or Macha fairly bizarre. Either you haven't been taking the time read what people have posting, or you've dismissed the ideas off the cuff because you don't agree. It doesn't really matter because either way you haven't taken the time to understand the alternative point of view. No one has ever said you have to agree, but you aren't even trying.

 

You want a simple point? Mat Gamel has almost a year of MLB service time earned and he's started a grand total of 24 games in his career. You don't get better on the field by watching, you get better by playing, but Macha didn't know what to do with him because he was in a "zim-zam". So Gamel wasted away the bench and we'll have lost a year of services before he's become an everyday starter. It's an incredible waste not only of Mat's talent, but it's been an incredible waste of value to the organization as well, we could have called up any number of different players to come up to the bigs and sit on the bench. Simply put, because of his injury our best hitting prospect was paid for a full season to sit on the bench and lose his confidence in the process.

 

This point has nothing to do with whatt McGehee was or wasn't doing, this is about player development and getting the most possible value out of your players before they walk away in FA, and the organization has failed miserably on both accounts with Mat.

[BillHall02]

I believe that he said prospects, meaning in general. Nobody will argue that Gamel was used properly, but we have seen Escobar and Gomez get some playing time under Macha. We also have only just over a year to gauge Macha's usage of prospects/young players, which I don't believe is nearly enough. Macha's non-usage of Gamel could have been based on a number of things we don't know. Not saying they are correct, but it isn't fair to say it is based off his age or prospect status. Also, I feel that a lot of the blame for Gamel lies on Melvin, who had the ability to send him back down, force Macha's hand or not call him up in the first place. And as far as value goes, McGehee is providing us plenty of value that we didn't have at the same time last year. I don't know how you can say it is irrelevant other than you don't believe that McGehee will keep it up.

[Invader3K]

You want a simple point? Mat Gamel has almost a year of MLB service time earned and he's started a grand total of 24 games in his career. You don't get better on the field by watching, you get better by playing, but Macha didn't know what to do with him because he was in a "zim-zam".

 

I blame Melvin for this more than Macha though. The Brewers were in contention when Gamel was brought up, and we were in "win now" mode. McGehee and Counsell were both playing well, and then Melvin traded for Lopez. I don't blame the manager for not playing a green rookie over guys that were producing. Melvin shouldn't have left Gamel on the MLB roster when it was obvious there wasn't really room for him. I don't see how you can point the finger at Macha for the fact that Gamel is accumulating service time while on the DL, either.

[TooLiveBrew]

McGehee wasn't playing well when Gamel was called up -- in fact, he wasn't really even playing. Gamel was called up May 13th, and through that time, McGehee's OPS was .375 over 16 PAs. When faced with playing the organization's top hitting prospect, Macha went with McGehee, and completely stunted Gamel's growth that season in the process. Although I do fault Melvin for not getting Gamel back to AAA.

[battlekow]

Injury updates from Haudricourt:

Logan Schafer suffered a groin injury running the bases in a

minor-league drill. It was thought to be only a strain but an MRI

eventually revealed a slight tear and Schafer still isn't close to

returning to action.

 

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

 

 

"He has seen a

couple of different physicians and they say the same thing," said

Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash, who oversees the

Brewers' medical program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"He's going to

get another injection to see if he can get over the hump. We're not

pleased about it because this was an important year for him."

...

 

Center field prospect Lorenzo Cain showed great promise in the

Brewers' camp and was tearing up Southern League pitching with a .380

batting average through 17 games at Huntsville before going on the DL

with a groin strain. Cain, who missed much of the 2009 season with a

knee injury, is expected back in a week or so.

...

Right-hander Evan Anundsen also was a star at Brevard last

year, posting a 10-8 record and 2.69 ERA, and throwing a no-hitter in a

1-0 victory over Daytona. But Anundsen strained his shoulder in

minor-league camp and is a month or so away from being activated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It's been going

on longer than we thought it would," said Ash. "It didn't come around

after we sent him to Huntsville, so we brought him back to Phoenix to

rehab it."

[TheCrew07]

edit. On second thought, this is a thread about Huntsville and I'm not going to derail it further.

[twobrewers]

Injuries have just been brutal this year. Haudricourt was on the D-List this past week and mentioned how Logan just wasn't healing like they expected. It sounded as though the Brewers were becoming concerned about his status.

[pete]

I wasn't going to take the bait again but I find the notion that you can't comprehend why people have issues with Melvin or Macha fairly bizarre. Either you haven't been taking the time read what people have posting, or you've dismissed the ideas off the cuff because you don't agree. It doesn't really matter because either way you haven't taken the time to understand the alternative point of view. No one has ever said you have to agree, but you aren't even trying.

 

You want a simple point? Mat Gamel has almost a year of MLB service time earned and he's started a grand total of 24 games in his career. You don't get better on the field by watching, you get better by playing, but Macha didn't know what to do with him because he was in a "zim-zam". So Gamel wasted away the bench and we'll have lost a year of services before he's become an everyday starter. It's an incredible waste not only of Mat's talent, but it's been an incredible waste of value to the organization as well, we could have called up any number of different players to come up to the bigs and sit on the bench. Simply put, because of his injury our best hitting prospect was paid for a full season to sit on the bench and lose his confidence in the process.

 

This point has nothing to do with whatt McGehee was or wasn't doing, this is about player development and getting the most possible value out of your players before they walk away in FA, and the organization has failed miserably on both accounts with Mat.

 

You may not consider it but there is another alternative: you are wrong. I read most of the stuff posted on the site. There is lots of stuff about how Macha isn't emotional like Yost or go postal over little things and is thus a bad manager. You don't provide much of an argument. Your only example is Gamel and it doesn't seem to reflect his injuries well or acknowledge that there may be factors you aren't aware of. Based on that every post you make baits anyone who isn't willing to make the leaps you do with an inflammatory sig file.

[paul253]

Reading that article it was like a prospect all star team full of injuries. Cain, Schafer, Anundsen, Gamel, and Butler. All five are legitimate top 20 organizational prospects. It'll be nice to see them all get back on the field. I was just assuming that as soon as Schafer got better, he'd begin at Huntsville and Cain would move up to Nashville. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility though that Kentrail Davis moves up to Huntsville soon when Cain is ready to go to Nashville. Davis has been playing very well in BC.

[TooLiveBrew]

Based on that every post you make baits anyone who isn't willing to make the leaps you do with an inflammatory sig file.

 

It's his sig -- you're free to just find it annoying. I really can't see how it can be considered baiting.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Gindl stands tall for the Huntsville Stars

The Huntsville Times

 

Huntsville Stars right fielder Caleb Gindl is like the kid brother you take to practice who turns out to be better than everybody else.

 

At 5-foot-9, the right fielder is the team's shortest player.

 

"It doesn't bother me at all," Gindl said. "Growing up I've always been the shortest guy. That doesn't have anything to do with your tools and the way you play the game. I give 100 percent, everything I've got, so it doesn't bother me at all."

 

His lack of height has never really been an incentive, according to Gindl.

 

"I mean I guess there's really no advantage to being short," he said. "Maybe sometimes I get underestimated being shorter. Somebody might say, 'Maybe this guy can't do as much as a 6-4 guy.' So I try to play as if I were 6-4."

 

But there's no mistaking the left-handed hitter's prowess. Entering Friday night, he was batting .299 with two home runs and a team-leading 19 RBIs. He hit a 415-foot homer to center field in the Stars' home opener.

 

"I just think it's using your legs," Gindl said of his power source. "I try to put everything into one compact swing. I think that's where it comes from."

 

The Pace, Fla., native is pleased with his season so far.

 

"It's going really good," he said. "I like it here. I'm just a phone call away now in Double-A. Just try to stay healthy the rest of the year and play every day."

 

The Milwaukee Brewers drafted him in the fifth round in 2007 out of Pace High School, where he played center field. Pace is about 10 minutes from Pensacola.

 

He's played right field ever since he was drafted. Last year he was at Brevard County, Fla., in A-Advanced.

 

"One of my biggest goals is to play every day, try to stay healthy and play every day," Gindl said. "Obviously everybody's goal is to try to get to the big leagues. So that's one of my biggest goals."

 

Becoming a professional baseball player has been a dream of his ever since he was a 5-year-old in T-ball.

 

"My dad's always taken extra time to make me the best player I can be," Gindl said. Besides his father, Stephen, support has come from his mother, Carmen, and sister, Lacie.

 

"We're struggling a little bit right now. We'll figure things out," Gindl said about the Stars. "We're a young team. I think we'll be OK in the end."

[pete]

It's his sig -- you're free to just find it annoying. I really can't see how it can be considered baiting.

 

Baiting is being deliberately annoying. Putting it in a sig file amplifies it.

[Mass Haas]

It's his sig -- you're free to just find it annoying. I really can't see how it can be considered baiting.

 

Baiting is being deliberately annoying. Putting it in a sig file amplifies it.

And thus ends this portion of the "2010 Huntsville Stars" thread. If you folks want to communicate via personal messages regarding the specifics of your disagreement, fine. But future comments outside of the 2010 Stars topic will be hidden. I'm not anticipating an issue, so thanks in advance.

 

[battlekow]

Adam McCalvy fills us in on why Mark Rogers' start was pushed back:

 

 

 

In other Minor League pitching news, former first-round Draft pick Mark

Rogers was scheduled to start for Double-A Huntsville on Tuesday. He was

scratched from a start on Saturday after being struck in his right

elbow by a line drive during batting practice.

 

 

"He hasn't missed a full turn, he was just a little delayed," Ash said.