Alumni Thread

[Mass Haas]

Similar to the Max St. Pierre story, Braves catcher J.C. Boscan, who spent an un-inspiring 2006 season in the Brewers' chain --

 

After 14 years, Boscan gets called to Majors -- Following 976 Minor League games, catcher joins Braves

[Mass Haas]

Catcher Mike Rivera went from Dodgers' AA catcher to asking for his release to back in the big leagues with the Marlins for September -- story, quotes, etc.

So that's three catchers called up just within the last couple of posts here on the Alumni thread.

[And That]

Steve Garrison was designated for assignment by the Padres.

[Mass Haas]

The Dodgers add Trent Oeltjen to their 40-man roster and bring him up to the majors, while designating Ronnie Belliard for assignment.

 

Story, quote

[Mass Haas]

The Yankees claimed LHP Steve Garrison off waivers from the Padres.

 

From the Trentonian (New Jersey):

 

By JOSH NORRIS

Staff Writer

TRENTON — After putting left-hander Wilkin De La Rosa on waivers last night to open a spot on the 40-man roster, the Yankees have filled that hole with a little bit of local flavor.

 

Steve Garrison, also a southpaw, from the Hun School in Princeton, was claimed on waivers by the Yankees earlier yesterday afternoon, and will report to the Thunder for the playoffs.

 

Garrison was still dealing wit the shock of being removed from the Padres’ 40-man roster when general manager Brian Cashman to tell him the news.

 

“I really don’t know what I’m feeling right now,” he said. “It’s a big-time roller-coaster. … I’m thankful people still believe in me.”

 

Garrison, who has had an issue with a bone spur in his left foot, will fly to Philadelphia this morning to meet with Yankees head trainer Gene Monahan and take a physical.

 

If he passes, he believes will join the Thunder on Sunday for the if-necessary playoff Game 5 at Waterfront Park.

[Mass Haas]

Always felt that one of the more puzzling moves in recent seasons was not protecting RHP Patrick Ryan in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft in December 2008. I had felt that he could have followed a similar path as Mike McClendon did, for instance (stats, including Brewer years at bottom of linked page). Ryan was protected at a lower level and Jack Z. and the Mariners plucked him in the minor league phase of Rule 5, and mis-cast him as a starter in 2009. Ryan went the indy league route to begin 2010, the Red Sox gave him a chance mid-season and he dominated against younger competition at the high-A level.

 

His hometown Tampa area newspaper updates readers in a detailed report here. The Red Sox have indicated he should be in line for a AAA spot in 2011.

[TooLiveBrew]

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced today they have recalled outfielder Cole Gillespie from Triple-A Reno, according to D-backs' interim General Manager Jerry Dipoto.

 

Gillespie, 26, hit .221 (17-for-77) with 8 runs scored, 6 doubles, a home run and 6 RBI in 32 games over two separate stints with the D-backs this season. He hit .288 (76-for-264) with 54 runs scored, 14 doubles, 6 triples, 8 home runs and 49 RBI in 69 games over three separate stints with the Aces.

D-Backs' official press release

 

Gillespie was recalled the evening of Sept. 7th.

[Mass Haas]

Baseball America reports that the Padres released Jody Gerut.

[Mass Haas]

Quite the independent league season for LHP Donald Brandt, a 2009 farmhand -- even so, still not back in affiliated ball yet:

 

The Golden Baseball League (GBL) announced today that Na Koa Ikaika left handed pitcher Donald Brandt has been selected as the 2010 GBL Pitcher of the Year. The ace of the Maui staff led the league in wins with a remarkable 15 - 0 record, was second in ERA with a 2.58 mark, and his 100 strikeouts in 101.1 innings was second in the league as well.

 

Brandt, 24, set a league record for wins as he went undefeated while leading his Maui team to the GBL Championship finals this year. A 6-3, 195 lefty, he went undrafted after finishing his collegiate career at Santa Clara University in 2008. He signed with the Yuma Scorpions late in the season that year and was traded to the Chico Outlaws. He had an outstanding first half of 2009 for Chico leading to the Milwaukee Brewers purchasing his contract while he was pitching in the GBL All-Star game. The Brewers sent him to A ball to finish 2009 where he dominated striking out 33 in 25 innings pitched and walking only 6. He was in spring training with Milwaukee competing for a AA roster spot but the pitching staff was stacked up and he was released. Signing with the new Maui team was his first choice as his family lives on the island and he absolutely dominated the veteran-laden GBL hitters all year.

[Mass Haas]

Baseball America loaded up on independent league coverage today, with a Top 10 list (including honorable mentions), an All-Independent Leagues Team -- LHP Donald Brandt (post above) and RHP Wes Etheridge (2007-2008 Brewer) combined to go 25-0 for Maui of the Golden Baseball League! Their stats, along with old friend Lou Palmisano's, is at the second link above. RHP Dan Reichert is a veteran who was a AAA Brewer in 2004.

 

I think you'll learn quite a bit in J.J. Cooper's enjoyable indy league chat as well.

 

This post is in honor of Brandon Kintzler http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[Mass Haas]

Congrats to Darren Ford, looks like Agent39's client will garner a World Series ring (at minimum an NL pennant ring) for his September call-up work.

 

Of course, on the big league stage, you've got to be happy for Nelson Cruz (Nellie, couldn't you have blossomed just a bit earlier?) and Matt Treanor.

 

Guillermo Mota doesn't quite spur the same feelings.

 

Cruz helped bring the "Claw and Antlers" to prominence.

[CheezWizHed]

What? They celebrate something done well with a unified team gesture? How unclassy!

[trwi7]

Of course, on the big league stage, you've got to be happy for Nelson Cruz (Nellie, couldn't you have blossomed just a bit earlier?)

Are you talking about when he was with the Brewers? He had a .965 OPS as a 24 year old in Huntsville and then got moved to Nashville where he had an .872 OPS and then the next year got sent back to Nashville where he had a .907 OPS. He was doing fine, the Brewers just never gave him a chance and then made a terrible trade involving him.

[Mass Haas]

Nice Matt Treanor story; do you remember who he was traded for this spring?

trwi7, thanks for the reminder on Nelson Cruz's Brewer history -- to think the Rangers exposed him to waivers and all of baseball passed...

[Mass Haas]

Baseball America loaded up on independent league coverage today, with a Top 10 list (including honorable mentions), an All-Independent Leagues Team -- LHP Donald Brandt (post above) and RHP Wes Etheridge (2007-2008 Brewer) combined to go 25-0 for Maui of the Golden Baseball League!

Congratulations to Wes Etheridge, who is back in affiliated ball with the Blue Jays, as per Baseball America --

 

A Brewers 12th-round pick from UC Irvine in ’07, Wes Etheridge played on the same Golden League team as Jamie Vermilyea (also a Blue Jay now, non-Brewer alumni) in ’10. He had a fine year, too, going 10-0, 1.76 with a nifty 86-to-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 92 innings. The 26-year-old Etheridge spent the ’09 season on the Brewers' restricted list.

[Mass Haas]

RHP Dennis Sarfate off to Japan.

 

In an unrelated item --

 

BrewCrewBall reminded us of this today --

 

On this day in 1999, the Brewers traded reliever Mike Myers to the Rockies for Curtis Leskanic. Leskanic would go on to post a 3.01 ERA with 29 saves in 169 appearances over three years in Milwaukee.

I can't help but remember every time that I see Leskanic's name that his cousin is Katrina Leskanich of Katrina and the Waves fame, and this notation --

 

After 25 years, "Walking on Sunshine" still nets Katrina and the Waves $1 million in royalties annually.

Their guitarist wrote the song. That last link has the interesting story. Alas, poor Katrina herself stopped sharing in the royalties over a decade ago.

 

And there you go with another off-season distraction...

Oh yeah, the song.

[Mass Haas]

We love a good obscure Brewer alumni story, this one twists through several years of independent ball and yes, one game only, as a Brewer farmhand.

Here is our September 2007 post about 6'6" RHP Dane De La Rosa, who was signed by the Crew out of independent ball, and snuck in one appearance with Helena (two scoreless innings). He was released as one of the final cuts in spring training 2008.

After two more years in Indy ball, he was plucked by the Rays this season and found success at AA (we mentioned his appearances vs. Huntsville during Link Report season).

Now he's on Tampa's 40-man roster, congrats to him. This Tampa Bay thread includes this text:

Dane De La Rosa | RHP | Drafted: 2002, 24th Round, New York Yankees
Birthdate: 2/1/83 | Age at start of 2011 season: 28.2 | Bats/Throws: R/R | Height/Weight: 6-6/220
2010 Teams: Charlotte & Montgomery

After cutting his teeth in the Independent Leagues for the better part of the past five seasons, the Rays gave De La Rosa his first real shot with an affiliated team since the Yankees released him following the 2003 season. Since then, he’s played for Yuma, Long Beach, and Orange County of the Golden League, El Paso of the American Association, Southern Maryland of the Atlantic Association, and one game with the Brewers’ rookie-level Helena team.

De La Rosa’s big frame comes with the fastball to match, able to ratchet it up to 96 mph. He used it to help him strike out 80 hitters in 76 innings, almost entirely with Montgomery. His command has been spotty in the past, but he made strides with it in 2010: he walked 26 and stayed out of the middle of the plate, allowing only three home runs. His numbers were even better before he issued seven walks in his final 3 innings.

His strikeout and walk numbers were best during the month of May with a 22-to-2 mark, but he allowed only two earned runs between 31.1 innings in June and July. With his big-time fastball and serviceable slider, striking hitters out hasn’t been much of a problem for De La Rosa. If he can keep his BB/9 around the 3.1 mark he posted in 2010, he could emerge as a serious contender for a future bullpen spot.

[Mass Haas]

The Tom Wilhelmsen story has been documented often on our forum, here is the latest from Baseball America.

 

And now, on top of that, Wilhelmsen has been added to the Mariners' 40-man roster. Quite the path to get there, congrats to him as well.

[TheCrew07]

The article doesn't mention the Brewers signed him first then released him again...

 

Wilhelmsen's performance in the Arizona Fall League has received

positive comments from scouts and coaches. Pitching strictly out of the

bullpen, he's fanned 15 batters in 11 innings and is holding opposing

batters to a .190 average. He's working mostly with his two plus

pitches—a fastball generally in the 94-96 range, with really good angle

on the pitch, and a power curveball in the low 80s. His delivery is

clean, which allows him to repeat it. He's working on a changeup but

uses it infrequently in games.

*sigh*

[Mass Haas]

LHP Dana Eveland's odyssey will continue with the Dodgers' organization.

[battlekow]

Oakland re-signed Adam Heether.

[Mass Haas]

According to Nashville's site, Mr. 1.000 (even if it was off of shortstop Paul Janish -- video) Carlos Corporan, has signed a minor league deal with Houston. He spent 2010 in the Diamondbacks' system and posted an .870 OPS in the offensive-happy PCL West with Reno.

Corporan turns 27 in January, so he is two and a half years older than the similarly outstanding defensive catcher just added to the Brewers' 40-man, Martin Maldonado.

Corporan will likely get future big league nibbles, and he'll probably be part of our alumni thread for another decade.

[Mass Haas]

Reliever Chris Smith gets a minor league deal with a big league spring training invite with Seattle -- you'd think that'd be a nice situation for him.

[battlekow]

Chuck Lofgren signed a minor league deal with San Francisco and seems pretty sanguine about it: "'Life is great,' he said Monday...'I always wanted to be a Giant,' he said. 'Now that I've been given the opportunity I intend to make the most of it.'"

[Mass Haas]

From Rotoworld:

(Felipe Lopez deal along with OF Cole Gillespie)

 

Diamondbacks designated RHP Roque Mercedes for assignment.

Mercedes, 24, posted an unremarkable 4.36 ERA and 1.70 WHIP over 53 2/3 innings in 2010 at the Triple-A level. He was removed from Arizona's 40-man roster to clear room for new backup catcher Henry Blanco.

And actually, it was AA in the Southern League.

 

stats