Brewers in the Pan American Games qualifier; other international action

[battlekow]

Background from Baseball America:

A team bursting with impact prospects will represent the United States at the 2010 Pan American Qualifying tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The team will scrimmage Sept. 25-28 at USA Baseball's National Training Center against teams from Puerto Rico and Canada, then plays in the tournament Oct. 1-10. The event serves as a qualifier for the 2011 Pan Am Games, with the top eight teams earning entry, and the top six teams also qualify for the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup.

There are Brewers on each of those three teams:

USA: RHP Andre Lamontagne

Canada: RHP Jim Henderson, 3B Taylor Green, OF Adam Stern

Puerto Rico: RHP Hiram Burgos, LHP Efrain Nieves, C Martin Maldonado

[Mass Haas]

Green with national team in Puerto Rico

By Earle Couper - Comox Valley (Vancouver, CN) Record

 

Canada’s national senior men’s baseball team, including Comox Valley’s Taylor Green, flew to Puerto Rico Tuesday en route to the Pan Am Games and World Cup Qualification Tournament.

 

The team will practice Wednesday in San Juan and open Group B play Friday against Mexico. They play Venezuela Saturday, Argentina on Sunday, Cuba on Tuesday, Netherlands Antilles next Wednesday and Nicaragua on Oct. 7.

 

The top four teams from Group A and Group B play each other from Oct. 8 to Oct. 11. Semifinals go Oct. 12 followed by the bronze and gold medal games on Oct. 13.

 

When the national team arrives back in Canada on Oct. 15 it will mark the end of another successful season for the 23-year-old Green. He had a solid year with the Huntsville Stars (the AA affiliate of the MLB Milwaukee Brewers) in Alabama, leading the team with 13 home runs and 81 RBI.

 

Those numbers helped Green achieve his goal of improving his power numbers, such as slugging percentage, OPS and extra base hits. He was in the top 10 to 15 in the Southern League in home runs and doubles.

 

After a brief trip home, the hard-hitting third baseman headed to the Brewers Instructional League in Phoenix and learned a new position – catcher. “He didn’t have to do it, he wanted to, just to give himself another advantage or set of tools that can help him get to the big leagues,” said Taylor’s father Bill Green. “The ability to play many positions is certainly a strength and that is what Taylor is aiming to do,” he added.

 

The Canadian national team spent Sept. 26-28 in Cary, North Carolina taking part in an exhibition series against the U.S. national team to prepare for this weekend’s big event, which will be held in San Juan, Ponce and Mayaquez.

 

Team Canada has Green listed as a second baseman, but he is expected to see action at third base as well.

[Mass Haas]

Rough start for Puerto Rico RHP Hiram Burgos and LHP Efrain Nieves, as the two 2010 Rattlers combined to allow seven runs (six earned) in six innings in a 7-4 loss to the U.S. Burgos struggled with control, walking three in 2.1 innings. Nieves threw strikes, but also allowed five hits and three runs. Catcher Martin Maldonado had a base hit. Puerto Rico did win their opener 12-0 over Aruba. This was the USA's opener, RHP Andre Lamontagne did not pitch.

 

Burgos photo

 

Box Score

 

Canada won their opener, 7-6 over Nicaragua, no box score available. Nothing against OF Adam Stern and RHP Jim Henderson, but since they are likely minor league free agents, the focus for us is on Taylor Green, who was not mentioned in the linked game story.

[Mass Haas]

RHP Nick Bucci was added to the Canadian roster and got the start Sunday, pitching two scoreless innings in Canada's 5-3 loss to Venezuela.

 

All the box scores from the tournament are now available. No Taylor Green nor Andre Lamontagne yet.

 

Martin Maldonado is splitting time as Puerto Rico's catcher with old friend Carlos Corporan. Maldonado is 3-for-6 with a double thus far. Of course, it just dawned on me that like Canada's Adam Stern and Jimmy Henderson, Maldonado is also a likely minor league free agent.

 

Good for Bucci, the international tournaments can't but help in the long run.

 

All the box scores are here.

[Mass Haas]

Why Nick Bucci only went two innings --

 

With Canada leading 2-0, and starter Nick Bucci having worked his second straight scoreless frame, rain forced a 90-minute delay.

“We had some momentum going and all of a sudden the rain came,” said Canadian Manager Ernie Whitt. “Unfortunately, you can't control it (the weather).”

When play finally resumed it had been too long a wait for Bucci to continue and Tom Boleska came on in relief.

“Once the delay hit forty minutes we couldn't send him (Bucci) back out there,” explained Whitt. “I couldn't live with myself to put him back in, especially a kid with his type of arm.”

[Mass Haas]

RHP Andre Lamontagne had an apparent tough 6th inning when he entered what would become a 13-6 U.S. victory over Columbia. It was 11-2 when Lamontagne began his day, and he allowed four runs in the 6th, but only one was earned. He went on to pitch a scoreless 7th.

 

Taylor Green made a defensive appearance at second base in Canada's 13-2 rout of Argentina.

[battlekow]

Adam Stern lead off and was 1-4 in Canada's 4-2 loss to Cuba on Tuesday. Taylor Green and Jim Henderson did not play.

Martin Maldonado started at catcher and went 0-4 as Puerto Rico beat Colombia 3-2. Efrain Nieves and Hiram Burgos did not see action.

Andre Lamontagne did not pitch in the US's 8-3 win over the Dominican Republic.

[Mass Haas]

Canada rolled over the Dutch Antilles 10-1 Wednesday. Taylor Green got his first AB (0-for-1).

 

Free agents-to-be Adam Stern (HR, four RBI) and Jim Henderson (scoreless IP) also took part.

 

Ryan Braun also pitched for the Canucks. Restauranteur, T-shirt magnate, Canadian pitcher, he's something, that guy...

[Mass Haas]

Weekend Updates:

 

Nick Bucci's Friday start for Canada -- 3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K (took the loss as the D.R. won, 5-2)

 

Taylor Green 0-for-1 Saturday -- Canada defeats Panama, 9-5

 

Hiram Burgos gets the win Saturday as Puerto Rico defeats Nicaragua, 5-1 -- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K

 

Andre Lamontagne shines with three innings of relief in the U.S.6-3 win over Venezuela -- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

[Mass Haas]

LHP Efrain Nieves lost to Cuba this weekend, as Puerto Rico fell 4-0. Nieves allowed three runs in four innings. Box Score

 

USA and Canada have qualified for important 2011 tournaments, as Baseball America details here. Only the USA, and perhaps another apperance from RHP Andre lamontagne, advance in the current tournament, with schedules detailed here.

[Mass Haas]

RHP Andre Lamontagne tossed 2.2 innings of relief, (4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 0 K), in the USA's 7-2 loss to the Dominican Republic. USA faces Venezuela in the consolation game, it's the DR vs. Cuba in the final.

[Mass Haas]

Looks like Brevard catcher Shawn Zarraga is going to be representing his country (Aruba) as part of the Dutch entry in the Inter Continental Cup tournament in Taiwan.

 

LINK

 

As far as the tournament goes, regardless of the victor, the Honky Tonk Man will always be the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time...

[Mass Haas]

Looks like Brevard catcher Shawn Zarraga is going to be representing his country (Aruba) as part of the Dutch entry in the Inter Continental Cup tournament in Taiwan.

This tournament wrapped up on Halloween, the Netherlands took 2nd place to Cuba. The international baseball federation then announced that this was the last Inter Continental Cup tournament, a competition that had been in place since 1973.

 

I saw a couple of Shawn Zarraga appearances in the box scores, one a start. No cumulative stats appear to be available, but a trip to Taipei had to be exciting regardless, although only 320 people attended the final.