Offseason Minor League Transactions

[battlekow]

Per Baseball America, the Brewers signed RHPs Morgan Brinson and Jameson Dunn and released RHP Luis Guerrero.

Brinson was a 32nd-round pick of the Giants in 2004 and pitched with them until 2008; he was last seen throwing a third of an inning in low-A Northwest League. He's Canadian, not unexpectedly. Dunn (not Canadian) is an undrafted free agent out of Oral Roberts, where he was Andre Lamontagne's teammate for two years. Both Brinson and Dunn just turned 24.

Guerrero missed all of 2010 with an arm injury on the heels of a promising 2009 that saw him strike out 45 in 38.1 innings as a 19-year-old in the Arizona League.

[Mass Haas]

Jim Breen of Bernie's Crew with news of a Dominican youngster (outfielder Elvis Rubio) signing with the Crew.

[Mass Haas]

Haudricourt tweet on Raul Mondesi, Jr.

Mondesi (stats) was signed last spring and played all summer for the DSL squad, and was mentioned often in Link Reports here.

 

But better eight months late than not at all, we always say.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Raul Mondesi, Jr.http://twitter.com/#%21/Haudricourt/statuses/35045932319907840

okay, that makes me feel old.

[Hammer]

Raul Mondesi, Jr.http://twitter.com/#%21/Haudricourt/statuses/35045932319907840

okay, that makes me feel old.

I was thinking the same exact thing. When the sons of the guys that we grew up with are starting to play it really starts to hit home...

[Mass Haas]

Baseball America:
Milwaukee Brewers Signed:

C James Skelton (career stats)
Lefty-swinging catcher James Skelton has been an on-base machine in the minors (.396 OBP), and he even dabbled at second base last season in the Pirates chain.

This will be Skelton's age 25 season, and he's seen action at the AA level in the Tiger, Diamondback, and Pirate chains. The Tigers drafted him out of a California high school in 2004 (14th round).

In the Rule 5 draft prior to the 2009 season, Arizona plucked him from Detroit's system. He didn't make the D-Backs that spring (150/.244/.175 in 40 at-bats) and cleared waivers, and Arizona made a deal with Detroit to hold on to him. At the time, Rotoworld wrote --

The Tigers didn't think Skelton would make it as a catcher, so they didn't value him especially highly. If he does develop into an average backstop, his on-base skills would make him a valuable player. If he doesn't, at least he's quick enough to potentially be of use as a utilityman. He figures to spend the season in Double-A.

He signed as a minor league free agent with Pittsburgh for the 2010 season.

This article is now three years old, but provides some background on Shelton and his small frame.

***

On the surface, Shelton seems young enough and versatile enough that he could be a valuable 25th man on a major league roster within a year or two, best case scenario, obviously. Enjoy the plate discipline in the meantime.

Both photos below from the 2010 season.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1306/4705958392_d8b998f5ba.jpg

And in the field at second base (linked photo)

[TooLiveBrew]

Seems like a really nice 25th-man style pickup. I especially like the left-handed hitter aspect. I'll have to follow Skelton this season, hopefully at Nashville.

[battlekow]

3B/OF Wayne Dedrick suspended 50 games for his second positive test for a "drug of abuse" (i.e. not steroids).

If you like, discuss in last year's rookie leagues thread.

EDIT: Bill Mitchell had taken photos of Dedrick, this one as recently as this past fall in instructionals. Earlier photos here as well.

[battlekow]

Baseball America's Ben Badler recapped the Brewers' 2010 international signings in a subscribers-only piece. He brought to light three new players: 6'2", 175-lb. 17-year-old LHP Marcos Padilla, 6'6", 190-lb. 17-year-old RHP Pedro Peguero, and 6'1", 165-lb. 16-year-old middle infielder Orlando Arcia.

Padilla apparently runs his fastball up to 89 and has a good curveball and decent changeup. Peguero touches 92 with his heater but doesn't have much in the way of secondary stuff. Arcia has "solid tools across the board" and while currently a shortstop might end up at second base.

[Mass Haas]

Add another name to the Dominican signings, 3B Estervin Matos (hat tips to our brethren in the Brewer blogosphere).

[battlekow]

Another new DSL player: 18-year-old C Natanael "Don't Call Me Deivi" Mejia has appeared on the DSL Brewers roster.

[And That]

I would make me happy to find out that Natanael's middle name had even more a's than his first name.

[battlekow]

I would make me happy to find out that Natanael's middle name had even more a's than his first name.

But then he'd get pigeonholed as a Quad-A player.

[djoctagone]

I would make me happy to find out that Natanael's middle name had even more a's than his first name.

he stole one from russell branyon.

[Mass Haas]

Per Baseball America, the Brewers signed RHPs Morgan Brinson.

Brinson was a 32nd-round pick of the Giants in 2004 and pitched with them until 2008; he was last seen throwing a third of an inning in low-A Northwest League. He's Canadian, not unexpectedly.

That post was from January 19th. Turns out the 6'3", 192 lb. Brinson spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons playing rugby in Canada.

 

http://www.langleyrugby.com/images/player2008-brinson.jpg

 

Any future scrums on the mound, we're going with Brinson.

 

We'll have a few other miscellaneous updates later today as we cross-check our Brewerfan Player Index with the latest Brewers media guide. We're updating player info to include the latest height and weight listings. For instance, 2010 23rd round RHP Ryan Bernal was listed at 6'4", 235 coming out of Florida Atlantic, but now sits at 213. DSL bonus baby first baseman Hitaniel Arias is up another inch to 6'6". Unless our additional updates are pronounced changes, we'll simply update the index quietly.

[Mass Haas]

New names for the DSL squad --

Infielder Francisco Castillo will be 18 on June 4th. A switch-hitter (yay!), he's listed at 5'11", 170, so we're guessing he's not a hulking first baseman. He's a Dominican native, and was signed to a 2011 contract last September.

SS Raphachel Colatosti is from Venezuela. He must be a recent signing, because he didn't make the media guide, but MiLB.com added his page this week. He'll be 18 years old in July, and MiLB lists him as a RH bat at 6'1" with no weight data available. Just remember that a Venezuelan kid SS named Alcides Escobar was once a similar innocent signing way back when. Escobar played in Helena as a 17-year-old.

RHP Milton Gomez, will be 17 on April 22nd. Signed last July to a 2011 contract, the Brewers list the Dominican native at 6'1", 172.

RHP Yheris Mateo, a 20-year-old Dominican, listed at 5'9", 163. Was signed to a 2011 contract last August. Breaks the mold as a very slight RHP making his pro ball debut at age 20. We'll see, right? Someone has to emerge eventually from the Latin talent at the lowest levels now...

[Mass Haas]

Continuing to cross-reference our index and the media guide, it appears there are some DSL players that won't be back in 2011 as well, as they are omitted from the guide. Will list those later tonight. Made it through part of the "M's" with all the updates on vitals and transaction history, real life beckons, will wrap up this evening...

[Mass Haas]

2009 8th round draft pick Chad Stang, the British Columbia native who turns 22 later this month, missed all of 2010 although we never did have a formal injury report. We now know he suffered a right shoulder labrum tear -- ouch. Thankfully not a pitcher, so we'll see what 2011 holds for Chad.

[Mass Haas]

MiLB.com reports that the Brewers released RHP Pedro Lambertus some time over the offseason. Lambertus (career stats), a 5'10" 22-year-old, was most infamously known for his 50-game suspension in April 2009 for performance-enhancing drug use. He returned from the suspension to see action in Maryvale and then back to Wisconsin in '09, then only pitched late in 2010 in the Dominican League (five appearances), presumably coming back from an injury.

 

***

 

MiLB.com also notes that LHP Jose A. Garcia was released. Garcia (stats), who will turn 21 next month, walked 33 in 16.2 career innings over 18 appearances (no typo). In his last game as a Brewer, Garcia pitched one inning in which he walked five, allowed three hits and six runs. Garcia was one of the rare Brewer DSL players who had been released by one organization (the Dodgers after 2009) to get a second chance with another club. Current DSL Brewer catcher Deivi Mejia is another (former Rockie).

 

The Brewers still have 20-year-old DSL OF Jose R. Garcia in their system, a three-year vet at this point (.200 career average in 499 AB's).

 

The Brewers have had multiple Jose Garcia's in the Brewerfan era, the most prominent being their 2nd round pick in 1996, a California high schooler who reached AAA in 2002 (Brewerfan arrived in 2001). That Garcia (career stats) posted a 2.37 ERA in 11 Huntsville starts that year before the bump to Indianapolis, and qualified as a player to be excited about back in that very weak era for the Brewer system.

[Mass Haas]

There are four players who don't appear in the 2011 media guide. Now we've seen from past years that there is an occasional accidental omission from the guide. So we apologize in advance if any of the four are in camp, and we'll re-adjust our Index should they reappear.

 

Catcher Austin Stockfisch served as the Timber Rattlers' backup catcher last season behind young Cameron Garfield, and only posted a .539 OPS in 126 AB's. Stockfisch was an undrafted free agent signing in 2009 out of Grand Canyon University, having been at Arizona State early in his college career. Stockfisch turns 25 years old this April.

 

Brett Whiteside was a high school catcher when he was drafted in the 15th round in 2006. For two seasons, he posted OK numbers in the Maryvale rookie heat. Then injuries affected his playing time, and when he did see action, it was in corner spots, LF or 1B. Then, in 2009, Whiteside made four pitching appearances while at Brevard County, and we learned what appeared to be mop-up emergency outings were part of a plan to convert him to a pitcher. But he hurt his elbow, had Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2010. Whiteside will turn 23 later this month -- that was a tough five-year professional ride.

 

DSL catcher Jhonatan Diaz did not appear in a game after July 8th last year. For the season, he was 2-for-25 with 11 K's as a just-turned 17-year-old.

 

RHP Edwin Linares is an interesting name. Linares' Dominican season ended early in 2009 by about a month. But he appeared in at least one 2010 spring training box score which seemed to be a good thing since he had posted pretty impressive numbers (1.77 ERA, 11 saves) for the combined Orioles / Brewers DSL squad in 2009. But Linares never made a 2010 regular season appearance, and now the Dominican native is apparently out of the Brewer system at age 21.

[battlekow]

There are four players who don't appear in the 2011 media guide. Now we've seen from past years that there is an occasional accidental omission from the guide. So we apologize in advance if any of the four are in camp, and we'll re-adjust our Index should they reappear.

 

Catcher Austin Stockfisch served as the Timber Rattlers' backup catcher last season behind young Cameron Garfield, and only posted a .539 OPS in 126 AB's. Stockfisch was an undrafted free agent signing in 2009 out of Grand Canyon University, having been at Arizona State early in his college career. Stockfisch turns 25 years old this April.

Stockfisch's Facebook profile indicates he was released in January and is now working for First Trust Portfolios.

[battlekow]

Amaury Rivas was optioned to Nashville, and Cody Scarpetta and Dan Merklinger were optioned to Huntsville.

[Mass Haas]

We have adjusted our 40-man roster page to show the updated option info on the three pitchers optioned yesterday. Cody Scarpetta now formally has zero options remaining, but MLB is expected to make available a 4th option year before next spring. However, that is not official as of yet. The Brewers will need to petition MLB on that, and will need to wait until after this season.

[battlekow]

Mark Rogers was optioned to Nashville because he won't be ready when the Brewers first need a 5th starter, though he's still a candidate the next time the slot comes around.

[Mass Haas]

Matt Eddy of Baseball America:

Milwaukee Brewers

Signed: SS Yancarlos Ortiz

 

The Twins signed Yancarlos Ortiz (career stats) out of the Dominican in ’03, but he advanced past Double-A only briefly, appearing in seven games for Triple-A Rochester last season. The 5-foot-9 switch-hitter has managed a career batting line of just .235/.313/.281, but with quickness, sure hands and a strong arm, it's defense that is the 26-year-old's calling card.

***

Yikes, that's a non-inspiring signing. But with veteran Anderson Machado coming back to the system from 2010, and likely to be in Nashville rather than Huntsville, Ortiz could slot in as a reliable extra-everything infielder for the Stars. We'll see. A switch-hitter like Machado, Ortiz was listed at 5'9", 150 by MiLB.com, but you'd figure he's at least a tad heavier at age 26. The Baseball Cube lists him at 140 lbs., likely from his 2003 signing.

 

EDIT: On second thought, given the state of shortstop in the Brewers' system, Ortiz may end up as Huntsville's starter in that spot (with Josh Prince likely repeating high-A). The organization basically goes out and signs the best glove available, thus protecting the arms that will be in Huntsville from having to extend themselves due to extra outs and such. For that specific spot (AA shortstop). Ortiz may just fit the bill.

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_465713.jpg