Your 2010 Huntsville Stars

[pete]

Here is a remarkably long article on new Star, Chris Nowak, from June '09 on his college website:

 

 

 

http://upstatespartans.cs.../spec-rel/060109aab.html

[battlekow]

Per Gary Curtright at MLB.com, Rivas is suffering from elbow inflammation:

 

 

Lawrie was the only Brewers representative in the Futures Game at

Anaheim on Sunday and he didn't have a lot of company in the SL All-Star

Game although Huntsville was hosting the event Monday night. Only two

other Huntsville players were selected, and Amaury Rivas couldn't pitch

because of a tender elbow.

 

Rivas, 8-5 with a 2.66 ERA, missed his last start before the All-Star

break and was placed on the disabled list by the Stars because of elbow

inflammation.

[battlekow]

Here's LHP Bobby Bramhall wearing something called a Phantom Weight, which apparently promises to increase his velocity to 96 mph (riiiiiight):

 

http://c0013424.cdn1.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/x2_1f60300

[Mass Haas]

Per Gary Curtright at MLB.com

 

Amaury Rivas, 8-5 with a 266 ERA, missed his last start before the All-Star break and was placed on the disabled list by the Stars because of elbow inflammation.

Good news -- must have been the equivalent of tickling his funny bone -- quickest return ever from an injury involving a pitcher's elbow.

 

 

[Tedaldtada]

Hahaha, why 96? That post made me laugh BK.

[battlekow]

Brett Lawrie named Brewers Minor League Player of the Month

Huntsville Stars

 

HUNTSVILLE, ALA. – Brett Lawrie is going to run out of room on his trophy shelf pretty soon. He just added another award, his third of the month, to his name when the Milwaukee Brewers named him their Minor League Player of the Month for the month of June.

 

Lawrie led the Southern League in most offensive categories for a good part of June. His batting average for the month was .360 (41-for-114). He knocked in 14 RBI and a team-leading 12 doubles. He drew seven walks and swiped eight bases. He continues to be in the top five in the league in the following offensive categories: at bats (376), extra-base hits (40), games (92), hits (107), stolen bases (25), total bases (170) and triples (11).

 

Additionally, Lawrie was named to the 2010 MLB Futures Game World Team roster and the Southern League All-Star North Division roster. Both games were played last week.

 

Milwaukee’s Director of Pro Scouting Dick Groch will present Lawrie with a plaque tonight before the Stars game against the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. Lawrie’s sister Danielle, a softball player for the University of Washington and the 2009 USA Softball Player of the Year, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Tonight is Military Monday, presented by NetwoRx of Huntsville. Any fans showing a military or government ID card will receive admission for them and their friends for just $1 each. Gates open at 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.huntsvillestars.com.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

I heard through the grapevine that Lawrie may have been suspended for a game due to a fight with one of his teammates. Anyone hear anything about that or am I way outside of the loop here?

[endaround]

I am not completely discounting AA, I just take it with a grain of salt. At his age, the numbers are pretty impressive. It just seems like every halfway decent prospect tears up AA and is doesn't necessarily translate to AAA or MLB.

 

Can you name some? I'm just curious who you might be referring to? We've seen numerous Brewers prospects who put up the worst year of their minor league career at AA.

LaPorta, Salome, Escobar, Gamel

[battlekow]

Wheeler having success with Huntsville Stars

Heather Baggett/The Daily Home

 

After spending a couple of years in different parts of the country, Childersburg native Zelous Wheeler is happy to be back in Alabama while still living out the dream of playing professional baseball.

 

Wheeler, a 19th round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, now plays for the Huntsville Stars.

 

“It feels good,” Wheeler said of being back in Alabama. “I’m glad to be back in my home state.”

 

Wheeler hasn’t wasted any time making a name for himself in the minor leagues. He was a mid-season All-Star with the West Virginia Power in 2008 and with the Brevard County Manatees in 2009. Since moving up to the AA-affiliate, Wheeler has been one of the offensive leaders. The 5-10, 215-pound shortstop has nine home runs, 51 RBIs and seven stolen bases so far this season. Wheeler is batting .276 and has an on-base percentage of .378.

 

The Stars are vying for the top spot in the Southern League standings. Huntsville (16-15) is tied for second with Carolina in the Southern League, two games behind leader Tennessee in the North Division.

 

“We’re going to try to make the playoffs in the second half,” Wheeler said. “We’re going to try to keep this thing going and play through September.”

 

Wheeler said there is a good camaraderie on the team.

 

“This is a good group of guys,” he said. “We’ve been together for a while now.”

 

The Stars begin a five-game home stand against the Mississippi Braves tonight at 7 p.m.

[battlekow]

John Sickels' poll (Brett Lawrie or the Mariners' Dustin Ackley) is especially tight as of this post -- plenty of discussion comments follow, a few of the comments might actually be considered insightful if you can single those out...

Sickels follows up with a detailed "prospect smackdown" between Lawrie and Ackley.

[battlekow]

Chris Cody named Southern League Pitcher of the Week

Huntsville Stars

 

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Huntsville Stars’ Chris Cody was named the Southern League Pitcher of the Week for July 12-19. On Saturday, July 17, Cody struck out nine West Tenn batters in just 5.2 innings. He allowed three runs on five hits but the Stars offense took off to provide 13 runs in support of Cody. He ultimately got the win, his fifth of the season.

 

In 2010, Cody is 5-7 with a 4.81 ERA. July has been his best month, going 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three starts. He only allowed four runs and three over 20 innings of work.

 

Cody will be honored before tonight’s game against the Mississippi Braves. Gates open at 6 p.m. It’s a AAA Triple Play night where fans can get three tickets for the price of one when they show their AAA membership card. The first 1,000 fans donating school supplies to the Tools for Schools tent will also receive a complimentary game ticket.

 

For more information, visit www.huntsvillestars.com.

[Mass Haas]

Stars' site -- Getting to Know #19 Chris Cody

[Mass Haas]

Stars' Rogers seems all the way back after lengthy rehab

By Guy Curtright / Special to MLB.com

It has been a long and winding road for Mark Rogers, who was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft. There have been no detours this season, though, and he may finally be headed in the right direction on the trip that he hopes will take him all the way to Milwaukee.

"He's come back from the calamity with his arm as well as you could have every imagined," Huntsville pitching coach John Curtis said. "After a couple of debilitating injuries, he's to where you'd never know it happened. It's great to see. He's worked his butt off."

 

Rogers, who received a signing bonus of $2.2 million from the Brewers, was shut down late in the 2006 season, missed the next two years after multiple surgeries and pitched only on a limited basis last season.

 

"It was tough sitting back hurt and watching players you were drafted with advance and make it to the Major Leagues," said the 24-year-old right-hander. "But I had to get over feeling sorry for myself real quick. That was my situation, and I had to deal with it."

 

Patience and hard work have paid off for the Maine native, who is back throwing his fastball in the mid-90s and is now a pitcher rather than just a thrower.

 

"I wasn't on the mound for two years, but it wasn't all lost time," Rogers said. "I learned a lot about pitching, and I think that has really helped me."

 

Although Rogers is only 4-7 with Huntsville, he ranks 11th among Southern League qualifiers with a 3.37 ERA and has made steady progress month to month.

 

Rogers had a 2.06 ERA for his five starts in July and capped the month with his best outing of the season in a no-decision against Mississippi. He allowed just two hits and an unearned run, striking out five and walking two in a season-high seven innings.

 

"Command wise, he's come a long way," Curtis said.

 

Control is still an issue at times, as shown by Rogers' ratio of 56 walks to 79 strikeouts over 87 2/3 innings. But opponents are batting just .194 against him.

 

"My velocity is all the way back, which is great," said Rogers, who made one start for Triple-A Nashville in June. "And now, I have a changeup to complement it. I don't throw the curveball as much anymore, but my slider is getting more consistent. I feel real good about the way everything is coming along."

 

Top prospects from Maine are rare, and Rogers went to a small high school. He battled control problems after signing, and the Brewers worked to revamp his mechanics.

 

Curtis was also Rogers' pitching coach during his first year of full-season pro ball with West Virginia in 2005.

 

"You always saw a real power arm, but there were some things in his delivery that concerned us as far as his long-term health was concerned, and we worked on fixing that," Curtis said. "The irony is that he blew out his arm the next year anyway."

 

Rogers had surgery on his shoulder, then another operation and a second season lost. Now he appears on track again, seemingly better than ever. "I'm fortunate to have my arm come back like it has and, hopefully, I'm on the road to the big leagues now," Rogers said.

 

 

Mark Rogers has limited hitters to a .194 mark in 87 2/3 innings. (Bill Mitchell/Four Seam Images)

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2010/08/02/PuFsJjmD.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Linkwhile active, text follows:

 

Chris Nowak goes from Stars' nemesis to Stars' hero

Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times

 

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Late on a September night in 2007, then-Stars manager Don Money leaned back behind his desk and groused about an opposing player, "He's hitting us like he's Babe Ruth."

 

The streaking player had just hit his third home run in three playoff games against Huntsville -- after hitting only seven all season long. Two nights later, in the decisive game of the Southern League Championship Series, he would trigger a ninth-inning rally to help steal the title from Huntsville.

Maybe it's not exactly a "Curse of the Bambino" that's been lifted, but since Chris Nowak -- the aforementioned streaking player -- joined the Stars after being released by Tampa Bay in mid-July, they are 12-7.

 

The most recent victory was a 10-2 rout of the Carolina Mudcats, ignited by a two-run Nowak double in the first and solo homer in the sixth.

Mark Rogers (5-7) got the win with 10 strikeouts in six innings.

 

The Stars, who host Carolina tonight at 7:05, have won five in a row to move into a first-place tie with Tennessee in the Southern League North.

 

Nowak was playing for Montgomery in September 2007 when he was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship series, overwhelming the Stars by going 11-for-18 with six RBIs in five games.

 

Not that you'd expect him to apologize but there are "no guilt feelings," said Nowak, who is batting .265 with 15 RBIs in 18 games for the Stars.

Huntsville blew the title game when ace reliever Luis Pena offered a clothesline straight fastball to a kid just up from A-ball, Sergio Pedroza, who drove it opposite-field for a three-run homer in the ninth.

 

"I remember standing on third base yelling for the ball to go over the fence. And it did," Nowak recalled Tuesday. "It was one of my best memories I've had in this park and in my career."

 

Pedroza is playing for an independent league team in California. Nowak, now 27, is trying to extend his career in the minor league system of his hometown team, the Milwaukee Brewers.

 

"Growing up watching the Brewers, getting a chance to come over here and hopefully help the team win the second half is a good opportunity," he said.

 

Reflecting on the '07 championship, Nowak said he "had just come off a not-so-good series before," but made some adjustments at the plate and "it was one of the few times you can actually say you were locked in," he said. "Any pitch that was hittable I was going to hit it."

 

"I think every time you bring in a quality guy like he is, as a person and as player, it brings a lot to the table," Stars manager Mike Guerrero said. "He's a guy capable of carrying a team any time. ... He can make everybody around him better."

 

Huntsville's learned that once. It's getting a reminder now.

 

Photo by Bob Gathany/Huntsville Times

Chris Nowak delivers homer, three RBIs in Huntsville's win

 

http://media.al.com/sports_impact/photo/nowakjpg-af2c8a6ae5843666_large.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Talent and ExperienceBy Aaron Morse, Huntsville Stars

 

It’s not often Double-A teams can brag about having both talent and experience in the middle of the order.

 

But the Huntsville Stars have been on fire recently because they have exactly that in Drew Anderson and Chris Nowak. Neither started the year with the Stars, but they have a good shot at finishing it in the Southern League Play-Offs.

 

“It helps to have guys who have been around to help some of the younger guys, to show them what it takes to prepare each and every day,” Anderson said. “It’s nice to have Chris behind you, you’re going to get some better pitches to hit; they don’t want to pitch around me too much knowing that Chris can swing it really well.”

 

In his last 10 games with Nowak batting behind him in the order, Anderson is hitting at a .342 clip. The 29-year old former Nebraska Cornhusker is not considered a prospect like Brett Lawrie and Caleb Gindl, but he’s the type of player every team needs if they want to make a run at the Southern League title.

 

Last year Anderson was a Southern League Mid-Season All-Star. This year he started the season in Triple-A Nashville before being reassigned to Huntsville on May 26. Initially he played first base but he went on the DL on June 11. Anderson was activated on June 26 and saw his playing time increase by leaps and bounds when Lorenzo Cain earned a promotion to Nashville on July 2. The Cain promotion opened up a spot in the outfield that Anderson has held down ever since.

 

He also brings major league experience to the table, having been called up in September of 2006 by the Brewers.

 

“It was awesome, it was the reason I’m still here now, just trying to get back,” Anderson said. “It was the pinnacle of my playing career so the goal is to try to find a way to get there and stay there.”

 

Anderson said the experience in the major leagues was worth every second of playing in the minor leagues.

 

He’s is a left-handed slugger (five homers in 43 games) who can hit lefties (.308 batting average vs. LHP), but it’s been the addition of Chris Nowak that has made Anderson’s presence in the middle of the order all that more valuable.

 

It was fortuitous for the Stars that the Rays’ organization released Nowak right about the same time first baseman Steffan Wilson went on the disabled list. The Stars picked up the 6’5’’ power hitting corner infielder right away.

 

“I was actually watching that game (when Wilson got hurt) and I’ve had that happen, a dislocated shoulder,” Nowak said. “I know it stinks but an opportunity came open for me so it’s kind of a blessing in disguise I guess.”

 

Since Nowak arrived in Huntsville on July 14, the Stars are 12-7 and he’s driven in 15 runs in the 18 games he’s played.

 

The 27-year old slugger had been with the Rays’ organization ever since they drafted him in the 19th round in 2004.

 

“They’d put me on the phantom roster, so I got the word out that I was probably going to be released in a couple days,” Nowak said. “The Brewers picked me up right away so it’s nice to stay in organized baseball with an organization as good as the Brewers.”

 

Whether veteran leadership in a game as individualized as baseball really matters is up for debate, but Nowak says it certainly doesn’t hurt.

 

“There’s a bunch of young guys on this team, to have some veteran guys in the clubhouse is definitely a plus,” Nowak said. “We’ve been there, done that, so hopefully we can bring a championship back here.”

 

If Nowak does help Anderson and the rest of the Stars bring a championship to Huntsville, it will be the height of irony. He was named the Southern League Championship Series’ MVP in 2007 when the Biscuits won the title.

 

Who was the opponent in that series?

 

You guessed it, the Huntsville Stars.

 

***

 

Nice write-up, Aaron -- that's actually the first time we've read about the nature of Steffan Wilson's injury.

[Kevbo74]

Well I'm going to hold my breath until I hear the reason that Mark Rogers is on the DL.

Until then, I'm going to assume it's a blister or maybe a cuticle issue. Or food poisoning.

[biedergb]

Rogers is already at the most number of innings he's pitched in his career. Hopefully it's just a matter of shutting him down for a couple of weeks, although the timing of that is odd I agree.

[hurricanecrush]

It looks like a blister.

[biedergb]

That makes sense given how quickly Rogers control issues came back. If I remember he had blister issues within the past month or two when he had a horrible outing.

[sveumrules]

Definitely good to hear it is just a blister issue with Mark, with him already tossing 35.1 more innings than last year it'd be nice if they were cautious with him from here on it anyhow.

[colbyjack]

BA has a story on Caleb Gindl, courtesy of Tom Haudricourt, up at Baseball America today (subscribers):

 

http://www.baseballameric...uble-a/2010/2610495.html

http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/cgindl10428309dp.jpg

[Tedaldtada]

Not a subscriber, anything interesting? Thanks in advance.

[battlekow]

Not a subscriber, anything interesting? Thanks in advance.

Most of it is just "Gindl hasn't performed as well as in the past offensively, but he's a grinder and is going to keep grinding." On his defense:

So, with Schafer out and Cain promoted, the Brewers asked Gindl to play center field. An average runner at best, Gindl has worked hard on using his instincts and getting good jumps.

 

"I just said, 'Give me four or five games to get comfortable, and we'll go from there,' " Gindl said. "I told them I'll be fine.

 

"I've made the plays I'm supposed to make. There's a lot of ground to cover out there. But it's actually a little bit easier to track balls because in the corners, the ball tends to spin toward the line. The first couple of steps are very important."

 

Where Gindl eventually lands in the outfield remains to be seen. He figures he might see action in left field at some point but is willing to do what is asked of him.

[HiAndTight]

I am not completely discounting AA, I just take it with a grain of salt. At his age, the numbers are pretty impressive. It just seems like every halfway decent prospect tears up AA and is doesn't necessarily translate to AAA or MLB.

 

Can you name some? I'm just curious who you might be referring to? We've seen numerous Brewers prospects who put up the worst year of their minor league career at AA.

LaPorta, Salome, Escobar, Gamel

Seems to be pretty premature to include those guys in the list of guys who haven't translated their success to AAA or the big leagues.

Gamel has hit very well in AAA and performed adequately in his first taste of the big leagues despite being put in a position to struggle due to the way he was used.

Escobar is a rookie this year and has been coming around as of late and had success in AAA.

Salome is a unique case, but it's also too early to write him off.

LaPorta's had a ton of success in AAA and is now starting to put up some decent numbers for a 25 year old rookie in Cleveland.

 

On balance, AA is generally viewed as the most difficult transition you'll face on your way up the minor league ladder. You'll obviously see guys at every level who failed to perform as well after moving up, but I think you'll see fewer at AA than the other levels, save obviously for the jump from AAA up to the big leagues.

[Mass Haas]

Shades of 2003 when Corey Hart was Southern League MVP? Looks like 2010's Mike Stanton equals 2003's Miguel Cabrera in that regard, mid-season call-ups, both with the Marlins:

 

Jeff Elliott of Jacksonville.com --

Huntsville's Brett Lawrie has moved ahead of Suns' shortstop Ozzie Martinez as the favorite for the Southern League's MVP award. Lawrie is now listed in eight offensive categories including league-leading totals in at-bats, total bases, extra base hits and triples. He needs four more 3-baggers to tie the league record of 19.