Minor League Camp Updates -- Latest: More spring training boxes

[Mass Haas]

Brewers 12, Giants 8 (box)

 

Brendan Katin and Taylor Green saw action as non-camp participants Monday.

[brewmann04]

Logan Schafer has a broken thumb and waiting to see how long he will be out, I guess it could be worse if the Ligaments were torn.

[battlekow]

From the same link:

OF Caleb Gindl, who crashed through the left-field chain-link fence Sunday, said he had a very minor ligament tear in his right knee and said he was day-to-day.

"It turned out to be the best-case scenario," he said.

EDIT: Adam McCalvy says the injury is in fact a muscle strain, not a minor ligament tear.

Relatedly, Andrew Gruman reports that Ron Roenicke was impressed enough with both Gindl and (a healthy) Schafer to be comfortable calling them up to the majors.

[battlekow]

Schafer will have surgery and miss 4-6 weeks, according to Adam McCalvy.

[brewmann04]

Wow 4-6 weeks hopefully he get back on tract , this kid is just plain unlucky and hopefully he come back in may with a vengence.

[battlekow]

In minor league camp, young and old look to the future

Corie Stark/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Patrick Arlis and Joel Pierce hope to be included in the Milwaukee Brewers' future.

Phoenix - Joel Pierce looks like a bright-eyed, young pup while Patrick Arlis resembles a seasoned watchdog.

And that’s exactly what they are in the Brewers minor league system -“the home of the future.”

Pierce, a right-handed pitcher and, at 18, the youngest of 143 minor leaguers battling for 100 jobs in spring training camp, was drafted last summer in the seventh round by the Brewers. The infielder appears curious and excited, but exudes confidence while speaking.

“I watch what everyone is doing,” he said. “Makes me humble.”

Like most baseball players, Pierce started young. A native Canadian, he spent his childhood playing baseball in the park and continued on to play shortstop at Vincent Massey Secondary School.

“A few of my teammates [from high school] got drafted, too,” he said. “We keep in touch. There are lot of similarities between organizations.”

This is Pierce’s first year in professional baseball, and he expects to make a Single-A team after spring training ends. His likely salary: Around $1,300 a month. For now, he is getting used to the routine of spring.

“I wake up, come to the clubhouse and then practice. You can leave once work is done,” he said. “It’s hard work but nothing to worry about.”

Spring training for minor leaguers starts later than major leaguers, but much of the work is similar. The offices - about 200 yards from the big league headquarters - are quainter, with pictures of players and coaches adorning the walls. The atmosphere is relaxing and welcoming to young players such as Pierce.

“It’s been really, really comfortable, actually,” he said. “Every day is a new lesson; I’ve got a long way to go, but there’s less pressure being young. You have an excuse to make excuses.”

But for Arlis, a catcher and, at 30, the oldest in minor league camp, the pressure is a little heavier. The age difference between he and Pierce is 12 years - almost matching his 10 years experience in the minors. None of it gets in the way of his overwhelming upbeat attitude, however.

“Going into college I never knew I would play professional baseball,” he said. “I loved football throughout high school but when I realized I wasn’t going to get much bigger, I switched to baseball and it blossomed into something great.”

Originally drafted in the 11th round in 2002 by the Texas Rangers, Arlis signed as a minor league free agent with the Brewers in April 2009. Throughout his tenure as a minor leaguer, he’s made several Triple-A clubs, but has never reached the majors. His overall batting average is .225.

“I’m still going; I’m still riding the high,” he said.

Arlis is aware he is the oldest player in the minor league system. He takes this in stride and offers tips to younger players, but never oversteps his boundaries.

“I’ll give them little tips, but I don’t try to step in,” he said. “I’m not a coach but I want to coach eventually. If I see them struggling, I’ll help. The days and seasons are long.”

For Arlis - who never anticipated professional baseball - every day is a bonus.

“It’s exciting just because the fact I never knew much about baseball past college,” he said.

Last year he played for the Brewers’ Triple-A team, the Nashville Sounds, and anticipates to be there again. His likely salary: Around $3,000 a month.

“Baseball has a limited supply of players, but I’m excited,” he said. “Here, you meet a lot of guys. You play so many games they can blend together but sometimes a play sticks out but it’s the great friendships and stuff that keeps you going.”

http://media.jsonline.com/images/116247014_minorleaguers.jpg

(Corie Stark)

[dadofandrew]

That's written badly. They'll keep several players in extended spring for Helena/AZ. They make it sound like they'll release about 40 guys, but probably only 15-20, plus pick a few guys up as well.

[The Truth]

I love reading stories about career minor leaguers like Arlis. Toom bad they didn't touch on his 2 pitching appearances at Huntsville last year. He pitched 1.1 innings and gave up a solo HR ... 6.75 ERA

[TooLiveBrew]

Relatedly, Andrew Gruman reports that Ron Roenicke was impressed enough with both Gindl and (a healthy) Schafer to be comfortable calling them up

to the majors.

I have to say, both Roenicke's awareness of & comfort level with MiLB Brewers has been impressive & a welcome change of pace.

[BrewCrewForever]

Fee so bad for Schafer. He was playing very well this spring and was impressing the staff quite a bit. Hopefully he can get back from this thumb injury and stay healthy the rest of 2011 and give himself a chance to make the team in 2012.

[And That]

That's terrible news about Schafer. Unreal how much bad injury luck he's had the past few years.

[battlekow]

Injuries interrupt spring for Brewers' prospects

Adam McCalvy/MLB.com

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Brewers outfield prospect Caleb Gindl was back in his apartment after having an MRI on his injured right knee when his Spring Training roommate called. Considering it was 3:30 p.m. in Phoenix, and Logan Schafer was supposed to be playing in the Brewers-Giants game over in Scottsdale, Gindl figured it was bad news.

His intuition was right.

Schafer fractured his right thumb sliding into second base in that game, and for the second straight year his Spring Training has ended early. In 2010, Schafer suffered a groin injury the day before he was to report to his first big league camp, and never made it. The day he returned, he fouled a ball off his right foot and suffered a broken bone.

Now, he's got a broken thumb to worry about. Schafer visited later Tuesday morning with hand specialist Dr. Don Sheridan, who deemed a surgical fix necessary. Schafer will undergo the procedure on Thursday, and the Brewers say he'll miss 4-6 weeks.

"I was having so much fun out here playing with these guys," Schafer said. "When something like this happens, it's obviously really disappointing. But I'm not sitting here feeling sorry for myself. I have work to do."

The news was better for Gindl, who was hurt crashing into a chain-link fence at Maryvale Baseball Park on Sunday. He was returned to Minor League camp on Tuesday, but will miss 3-5 days with a right upper calf strain. His knee, the initial worry, appears OK.

Gindl was more worried about his roommate.

"I feel terrible for him," Gindl said. "He went through so much last year, and he was just getting back on track. You hate to see anybody go down, but especially him, because you had this feeling that he was so close.

"He's down right now, but he has the best attitude you can have at this point. There's nothing you can do about injuries."

Other young players around the game have learned that lesson this spring. Rays pitching prospect Jeremy Hellickson didn't pitch in a Spring Training game until last week because of a right hamstring strain, but after another outing on Tuesday he appears back on track to be Tampa Bay's fifth starter.

Back in Arizona, the Rangers have had four young pitchers set back by injuries. Tanner Scheppers, ranked 43rd in MLB.com's Top 50 prospects, had his chances of making the Rangers cut short by stiffness in his lower back -- while Minor League prospects Fabio Castillo (stress fracture in his foot), Wilmer Font (Tommy John surgery) and Miguel De Los Santos (biceps tendinitis) were all limited this spring.

Cubs outfielder Brett Jackson, that club's No. 1 pick in 2009, had a scare in Las Vegas on Saturday, when he injured his shoulder making a diving catch. But it's not considered serious.

And right here in Goodyear, where the Brewers and Indians squared off for the first time this spring, 25-year-old Cleveland corner infielder Jared Goedert has spent most of his spring rehabbing a right rib-cage strain.

Goedert is only a year older than Schafer, and both players were almost certainly ticketed for the Minor Leagues -- even before their setbacks. Still, the missed opportunity stings.

"It's frustrating to not be able to go out in Spring Training and see what I can do," Goedert said. "It was a good opportunity. Now, I can only do what I can do to get myself healthy, and get back out there as soon as I can."

Schafer will have to wait for the Minor League regular season. He was at first base in the fifth inning of Monday's game against the Giants, when Prince Fielder hit a ground ball to first base. Schafer did exactly what he was supposed to do, charging toward second base to break up the double play, occupying the inside land and then sliding toward shortstop Miguel Tejada, and reaching for the base.

His right hand hit either Tejada's shoe or the bag -- Schafer isn't sure. One look at his thumb, bent the wrong way, and he knew it was bad.

"Bad luck," he said. "This is obviously something I've been through before. It's still disappointing."

Especially because it keeps happening.

"Injuries are a part of the game, but it seems like they're happening to me a lot," Schafer said.

Mat Gamel knows the feeling. The Brewers' third-base prospect has missed time in all three of his big league camps, and did not make his 2011 debut until Tuesday because of a rib-cage strain.

Gamel suffered that injury very early in Spring Training. He served as Milwaukee's designated hitter on Tuesday, after weeks of slow rehabilitation.

"When this latest one happened, I couldn't help but say, 'What's next?'" Gamel said.

He feels for Schafer.

"He was having a good spring, and was making an impression -- and then it's over," Gamel said. "What are you going to do, man? You have to roll with the punches. You know that if you play this game, you're going to go through some things -- some people just go through more than others."

"You always have to remember," added Gindl, "that it could always be worse. It could be career-ending. You look at a guy like Schafer and feel so bad, and you realize my situation could be worse. All that he's gone through, and now he's down again. Tough break for the guy."

Here's some good news for the Brewers' disappointed young outfielders: They made the most of their time in big league camp. Schafer hit .318 and played each of the first 15 days of Cactus League action, while Gindl hit .412 with a .500 on-base percentage.

"Gindl and Schafer have both impressed us," manager Ron Roenicke said. "They were obviously long shots to make our team. But with both those guys, if something happens in the season, they've shown me enough that I'm comfortable with them coming up."

http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2011/03/15/tzY6NnIi.jpg

Caleb Gindl (Ross D. Franklin/AP)

[Mass Haas]

Indians 9, Brewers 7 (box)

Sean Halton and Erik Komatsu are the names from minor league camp in Tuesday's box.

[greeg35]

Outfielder Caleb [/b]Gindl [/b]escaped with a bruised calf when he smashed into the fence Sunday. He was sent down Tuesday. Outfielder Logan [/b]Schafer [/b]has a broken thumb and is out three to four weeks.

Per the JS today. No mentions of a minor ligament tear for Gindle, and 3-4 is down from the original 4-6 for Schafer. Good news.

 

 

[TooLiveBrew]

That was from yesterday, unless you saw it somewhere else. Also yesterday, on the blog, Hunt still said 4-6 weeks for Schafer. I'm not sure what to trust. Maybe we can just start saying 3-6 weeks for Schafer http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[CheezWizHed]

Just call it 6, then be pleasantly surprised! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Mass Haas]

Brewers 4, White Sox 0 (box)

 

Erik Komatsu (1-for-3) and Brendan Katin (0-for-1) the lone minor league camp participants.

[Mass Haas]

Brewers 6, Dodgers 6 (box)Young outfielders Reggie Keen (strikeout) and Chad Stang (single) were rewarded with big league camp game appearances Saturday.

[battlekow]

First MiLB box scores of the year, from Friday. A reminder: players will not necessarily end up on the team they're playing with right now; for instance, Nick Shaw played for both Huntsville and Wisconsin. Oh, and welcome back, Chad Stang.

***

Nashville dropped a close one against Louisville, 5-4. The Sounds offense made the most out of 8 singles, but it wasn’t enough. Amaury Rivas threw two scoreless frames in relief of LaTroy Hawkins, who was making a rehab appearance.

Huntsville lost to Carolina, 3-1. Matt Cline collected three hits in four at-bats. Michael Bowman started and tossed three scoreless innings. Jon Pokorny and Santo Manzanillo had scoreless innings in relief.

Brevard County edged Bakersfield, 7-6. Khris Davis and Hunter Morris each homered. Tyler Cravy struck out two in two scoreless innings of work.

Wisconsin was victorious against Midwest League foe Dayton, 4-1. Greg Hopkins was 2-for-2 with two doubles. Mike Walker chipped in with two hits, a run, and an RBI. Austin Ross started for the Timber Rattlers and went four without allowing an earned run. Rolando Pascual, Skyler Crawford, Seth Lintz, and Ryan Bernal all had scoreless relief outings.

	R	H	E
Louisville	5	11	2
Nashville	4	8	0
NASHVILLE	AB	R	H	BI
Caufield	4	0	1	0
Machado	4	0	0	0
Nowak	4	0	1	0
Jones	4	1	1	0
Green	3	0	0	0
Wilson	0	1	0	0
Haydel	3	2	1	0
De La Rosa	2	0	1	1
Buller	1	0	0	1
Paciorek	4	0	1	2
Miranda	2	0	1	0
Sanchez	2	0	1	0
S: Buller
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	TP
Hawkins	1	1	0	0	0	1	15
Rivas	2	2	0	0	0	1	29
Narron	2.2	6	3	3	1	1	44
Henderson	1.1	0	0	0	0	1	15
Hand	1	2	2	2	0	0	13
Hinton	1	0	0	0	0	1	11
	R	H	E
Carolina	3	9	1
Huntsville	1	8	0
HUNTSVILLE	AB	R	H	BI
ShawN	4	0	1	0
Cline	4	1	3	0
Kjeldgaard	4	0	0	0
Halton	4	0	0	1
Zarraga	4	0	1	0
Prince	4	0	1	0
Dhanani	3	0	0	0
Krieger	3	0	1	0
Fatse	3	0	1	0
2B: Krieger, Cline
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	TP
Bowman	3	2	0	0	1	1	33
Cody	2	4	2	2	0	2	40
Byrd	2	2	1	1	0	2	25
Pokorny	1	1	0	0	0	2	16
Manzanillo	1	0	0	0	0	0	7
	R	H	E
Brevard County	7	9
Bakersfield	6	12
BREVARD CO	AB	R	H	BI
Dykstra	3	1	1	1
Stang	1	1	1	0
Gennett	3	0	0	0
Ogrinc	2	1	1	0
Morris	3	1	1	2
Walla	3	1	1	1
DavisKh	3	1	1	1
George	1	0	0	1
Dennis	3	0	0	0
Mittelstaedt	1	0	1	0
Richardson	2	0	1	0
Brownstein	1	0	0	0
Garfield	2	0	0	0
Garcia	1	0	0	0
Vucinich	2	1	1	0
Dennis	1	0	0	0
2B: Dykstra
3B: Richardson
HR: DavisKh, Morris
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	TP
Heckathorn	3	5	3	3	2	3	53
Cravy	2	1	0	0	0	2	24
Britt	3	5	3	3	1	1	44
Wawrzasek	1	1	0	0	0	1	10
	R	H	E
Wisconsin	4	10	2
Dayton	1	5	1
WISCONSIN	AB	R	H	BI
Keen	3	1	1	0
Dishon	2	0	0	0
ShawN	3	0	1	0
Hopkins	2	0	2	0
Hawn	3	0	1	1
McKelvie	1	0	0	0
Rogers	5	0	1	0
Walker	3	1	2	1
Allison	2	0	1	0
Garvey	1	0	0	0
RobertsT	3	0	0	0
Pechek	1	0	0	0
Romero	3	1	1	0
Rivera	3	1	0	0
2B: Hopkins 2
3B: Rogers
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	TP
Ross	4	3	1	0	0	1	47
Pascual	2	1	0	0	1	0	19
Crawford	1	0	0	0	0	2	15
Lintz	1	1	0	0	0	1	11
Bernal	1	0	0	0	0	1	12

[YoungGeezy]

Pascal only one walk and Lintz a scoreless inning, two things I really like to see.

[And That]

Oh, and welcome back, Chad Stang.

And Mike Brownstein.

[Mass Haas]

We should have additional weekend box scores for you Monday, but the Sounds did post info about their Saturday game --

 

Sounds Drop 2nd Straight Spring Game, 5-4

Nashville Sounds

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Nashville Sounds lost a second straight 5-4 contest to open their spring training slate, this time to the Salt Lake Bees (AAA-Angels) on Saturday afternoon at Tempe Diablo Complex.

 

Catcher Dayton Buller led the offense with a 3-for-3, two-RBI day that included a home run. Juan Sanchez added two hits, including a triple, and drove in a run. Chuckie Caufield went 1-for-5 with a double and the Sounds' other RBI.

 

On the pitching side, top prospect Mark Rogers started and gave up two runs, one earned, in two innings of work. Chase Wright followed with three spotless innings. Mike Fiers allowed three runs in his one inning before David Johnson closed out the contest with a pair of scoreless frames.

 

The Sounds (0-2) play their second straight road contest on Sunday when they head to Glendale to face the Charlotte Knights (AAA-White Sox) at Camelback Sports Complex.

 

Here was the recap from Friday's game they put together, of which you've seen the box above.

[TheCrew07]

Brownstein is also back in action, nice to see

[battlekow]

Long shots, high hopes: Final update

Grant Martin/Special to the Journal Sentinel

Phoenix - Z, you have to be doing something different this spring.

Zelous Wheeler grins and shakes his head.

But you only batted .275 in Double-A ball last year, and now you're hitting .407 through 17 major league spring training games. You're a cold-blooded line drive machine! What gives?

"Haven't changed nothing, man." Wheeler permits himself a self-assured smile. "I always knew how to hit."

Wheeler's certainly impressing the Brewers coaching staff - who have played him at every infield position so far - though he's not letting his success change his laid-back approach to the game.

"I'm just relaxing here, you know? Stress-free, that's me," Wheeler says. "I don't take stuff too serious, I'm all about enjoying the game, no matter what."

There's no impression of false bravado, no sense that he's trying to pull one over on a young sportswriter. He appears blessed with the recognition that baseball's just a game, and doesn't seem to worry about what uniform he'll be wearing once spring training is over.

"I'm trying to make an impression, you know?" Wheeler's eyes widen with earnestness. "And someday I'm looking forward to being in the major leagues. But wherever [team management] decides to send me, they'll send me, and I'll be ready for anything."

Despite his terrific numbers so far - Sunday's game, in which he went 0 for 2 with two walks, dropped his average to .379 - it appears likely he'll soon be sent down to get more experience in the minors. The Brewers are loaded with more seasoned players in the infield, but Wheeler's performance could easily earn him a call-up later this season if one of them gets injured.

And a similar fate appears in store for catcher Mike Rivera. He's batting .313 with two home runs so far, but has struggled for opportunities in what's become an unexpectedly intense competition for a roster spot as a backup catcher. His primary competitors for that position, George Kottaras and Wil Nieves, have 40 and 33 plate appearances, respectively. Rivera has 16.

And a return for the minors would hardly be an adjustment for Rivera - he's already played for 13 different teams at that level. However, it might be a disappointment for a player who thought the Brewers might be able to find a place on their roster for a right-handed power bat off the bench.

At 34, Rivera's likely in the twilight of his professional career. But if there's a silver lining to what might be an inevitable demotion, it's the knowledge that it might afford this devoted family man the chance to spend more time with his wife and two sons.

The prospects appear much brighter for Mark DiFelice, however. The right-handed reliever has appeared in seven games this spring, posting a 3.18 ERA, and continues to feel no pain in his surgically repaired throwing shoulder. He suffered a bruised hand on a liner back to the mound during Saturday's game, but the injury isn't expected to keep him out of action for long.

In being forced to sit out last season to rehabilitate that shoulder, DiFelice developed an attribute often rare among professional athletes, but exhibited by each of the players profiled for this series: perspective. It's something that figures to suit them well long after the fast-approaching end of the spring season here in Maryvale.

Click here to read the first update in the series, as well as the individual profiles of Zelous Wheeler, Mark DiFelice, and Mike Rivera.

[Mass Haas]

Reds 9, Brewers 8 (box)

RHP Darren Byrd entered the game in the 8th with things tied at 8-8, but Chris Heisey took him deep for the eventual loss. RHP Robert Hinton pitched the 9th, technically he's in minor league camp now, although he was in big league camp to begin the spring.

 

RHP Austin Ross, who was the most impressive of Friday's box score names with four innings for the Rattlers (one unearned run), was among those rewarded with a stay in the Brewer big league dugout/bullpen for the game.