Your 2011 Huntsville Stars

[CheezWizHed]

I suppose he prefers that nickname to "Little Pine"...

[Mass Haas]

Stars Pitcher Lends Hatton a Hand

By: Kyle Burger, waaytv.com

 

HATTON, Ala. – “There was some tears shed, some thankfulness, then we got here and just trying to get everything we could out,” Huntsville Stars pitcher Donovan Hand said.

 

Hatton is the hometown of Hand. He grew up ten minutes away from his cousin's house, which was leveled during last week’s fury of tornadoes.

 

“Unbelievable,” Hand said looking back at the demolished house. “[We played] horse shoe games out back, Xbox in what was left of this back room, every Saturday me and [my girlfriend] Haley and [my cousin’s] wife watched Alabama football games and would grill out. It’s really sad to see it like this. Just a slab left.”

 

Last Wednesday, the Stars game was postponed. So Hand rushed to Hatton, about 60 miles west of Huntsville, to be with his family.

 

“I heard sirens and an hour later my aunt's calling to tell me that my cousin’s house had been blown away,” Hand said.

 

Hand explained that his cousin and children took cover underneath a built-in entertainment center. When the tornado had passed, the entertainment center was the only piece of the house still standing.

 

After making sure his family was safe, he had to return to Huntsville to catch a bus to play a game in Mississippi the next night.

 

“My mind wasn't really on baseball,” Hand said. “Then that night at seven o'clock, I tried to get locked in to play with family and friends on your mind.”

 

Even though none of the other Stars are from North Alabama, this is still a place they have a strong connection to - even more so with last week's events. They show this by not only rallying around their teammate, but rallying around their surrounding community.

 

“You hear about what happened and how it went down, just devastated you don't realize how close or how fortunate you were until see the damage,” Stars leftfielder Chuck Caufield said.

 

“They were there for me,” Hand said of his teammates. “They offered to take up a collection to help the families.”

 

Hand's family, like many others, will have to rebuild and move on.

 

Just like Hand, who is moving after being promoted Triple-A Nashville only hours after this interview.

 

http://www.waaytv.com/media/lib/158/6/c/9/6c9b4a1c-76a4-4708-af6e-af4292a834ed/Original.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Some Huntsville Stars share their sense of loss, concern from recent storms

By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times

 

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Lee Haydel was one of the fortunate ones.

 

When Hurricane Katrina began unfurling her destruction, Haydel and family were able to evacuate their home in Reserve, 30 miles from New Orleans, and go north to Monroe.

Their home sustained little damage. A few trees were gone, a power outage lasted a week, "but no flooding, nothing like that," he said.

"A couple of days, we couldn't even get into our hometown. Just seeing (New Orleans) it was just devastating," Haydel said. "So I understand kinda what's going on here."

Haydel, a Huntsville Stars outfielder, is part of a geographically diverse roster. Many of the Stars have seen and endured the capricious nature of weather and disaster.

Outfielder Chuckie Caufield, for instance, is from Oklahoma, several loops west of here in that deadly Tornado Belt that stretches across the country's midsection.

Manager Mike Guerrero and reliever Roque Mercedes are from the Dominican Republic, a small gem in the Caribbean that is annually in the path of hurricanes.

"I know what they're going through here," Guerrero said, "with the loss of life and loss of material things."

While Haydel's home avoided damage, he had some cousins who lost their homes to flooding, as well as some former junior college teammates. Even now as he looks at New Orleans, "parts of the city are normal. But there are some parts that might not ever be the same."

To find a parallel between Katrina and what has happened in our area, "you've just got to believe in God and Him helping you through it," Haydel said. "It'll make your community stronger. It'll make everybody help out. And hopefully the government will send some money and help out."

The Dominican Republic is a small country with little modern infrastructure, except the capital of Santo Domingo or around the luxury golf resorts in a mushrooming tourist trade. When I was there 13 years ago, I noticed a flattened, devastated area.

"That's where the hurricane hit," I was told.

"When?" I asked.

"Four or five years ago."

"You don't recover from a hurricane," Guerrero said. "It takes years for a small country like ours. Here in the United States, it takes some time. But in the Dominican, it takes years.

"Hurricanes," he said, "just play football with a small country."

He was just 11, living in Santo Domingo, when some of the worst devastation in Dominican history occurred. Hurricane David struck the island as a Category 5 storm. More than 2,000 were killed. It was quickly followed by Hurricane Frederick, less powerful but more rainy.

"They came back-to-back," Guerrero said. "One just killed the country, destroyed everything with the winds, then Frederick stormed for 10 days. The first one comes and destroys the country, the other one comes and floods the country."

Growing up in Oklahoma, the tornado sirens, the anxiety, the ugly aftermath are nothing new to Caufield. But the storms that have ravaged our state have stunned even him.

"In Oklahoma, most of the tornados just touch down and take off," he said. "The ones here, I heard they stayed on the ground for miles and miles."

Caufield then summed it up for all of us, no matter the geographic diversity of our lives, no matter the hurricanes and storms of our past.

"I've never seen anything like this."

[battlekow]

Melbourne native finding success in Huntsville

Mark DeCotis/Florida Today

Melbourne's Mike Guerrero has his Hunstville Stars in a fight for first place in the Class Double A Southern League's North Division and can thank many familiar faces for their efforts.

Guerrero, in his second season with Huntsville, an affiliate of Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Brewers, moved up after two successful seasons as manager of the Brewers' Advanced Class A Brevard County Manatees.

His Huntsville roster is stocked with 21 former Manatees, many of whom have made major contributions, and the front office is the custody of former Manatees executives General Manager Buck Rogers and his wife, Assistant GM Babs Rogers.

In this case, familiarity does not breed contempt.

"It makes it easier to work with people you know," Guerrero said.

And know his players he does.

The former Manatees on the roster are pitchers Michael Bowman, Darren Byrd, Michael Fiers, Corey Frerichs, Robert Hinton, Andre Lamontagne, Lucas Luetge, Daniel Meadows, Dan Merklinger, Wily Peralta, Cody Scarpetta and Brae Wright; catchers Anderson de la Rosa and Martin Maldonado; infielders Matt Cline, Sean Halton, Sergio Miranda and Steffan Wilson; and outfielders Chuckie Caufield, Lee Haydel and Erik Komatsu.

"It helps you out a lot to know their capabilities," Guerrero said. "It gives you a better perspective to put them in a better position to succeed and then go from there."

To succeed in Double A takes a certain grit since each of the 30 big league clubs have only one team at that level spread among the Southern, Eastern and Texas leagues. The teams are jam packed with prospects playing for their futures.

"It takes a while for them to adjust," Guerrero said. "We knew we had a bunch of grinders. We just go out there and grind it every day."

Heading into Friday night, the Stars -- who are in the midst of a 10-game road trip -- were grinding enough to be trailing the Chicago Cubs-affiliated and first place Tennessee Smokies by a half-game.

That's due to Guerrero's players maturing from young Class A rookies to seasoned competitors who subscribe to his mantra of playing the game hard and playing the game right for all 27 outs. And if they continue to mature and succeed to the point that the organization believes they are ready for the next level or beyond, then Guerrero believes he and his staff have done their jobs, even if their departure costs the Stars some ballgames.

"We have to understand that even how much I'm a competitor out there, my job is to develop guys and move them to the next level," Guerrero said. "That's one of the priorities. Yes, we want to win and teach the guys how to win.

"When you win, it's a lot easier to work. Guys are getting developed the right way with the right attitude. In the big leagues, that's where you've got to win. Down here, Double A, Triple A, now is the time you've got to perform. For me, the lower part, from rookie ball to high A, (it's) player development. In Double A, Triple A it's win and development. In the big leagues it's about winning."

In 2010, that approach helped eight Stars reach the bigs and at this rate, more than a few could be in the pipeline for 2011 and beyond thanks to Guerrero.

And to the foundation the Brewers have built with the Manatees.

http://cmsimg.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A9&Date=20110514&Category=COLUMNISTS0303&ArtNo=105140316&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0

Mike Guerrero watches as catcher Martin Maldonado throws while both were with the Brevard County Manatees.

The duo are together in Huntsville this season. (Florida Today)

[Mass Haas]

From Stars' GM Buck Rogers --

 

Many of you heard yesterday that Huntsville native Hunter Morris was being promoted from Brevard County. This morning the Milwaukee Brewers made the transaction official. Pitcher Mike Fiers was promoted to Nashville and Pitcher R.J. Seidel was also promoted up from Brevard County to Huntsville. Our roster is back to its 24-man limit. Today at 2:00 pm CT a press conference will be held at Joe Davis Stadium for the members of the media. You can log onto www.ustream.tv/channel/huntsvillestars if you want to watch.

 

Every now and then we get an email asking why our players aren't out in the community more. Our players actually do participate in a lot of community events, but most of them aren't pubic knowledge. If you ask the guys they don't volunteer for publicity, they do it because they want to and aren't asking for a pat on the back.

 

Most of the guys will visit a school or read to kids at a library, etc., without any fanfare and yesterday was another example that would've just gone unnoticed. But I'm going to brag about the players here even though they probably wouldn't want me to.

 

Yesterday we had a young boy visit the stadium who was treated by the players and coaches to any Little Leaguer's fantasy. The boy's family home was destroyed by a tornado, wiped off the face of the earth on Wednesday, April 27th leaving them with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The boy's bedroom was a shrine to baseball and naturally, there are certainly more important things to worry about than if your kid has posters, photos, card collections, etc., after everything you have owned is now gone. But the team found out about the kid and yesterday the players and coaches got him to the ballpark for a 'visit' that turned into an all-day event that included batting practice with the team, gifts to restart his baseball collection, autographs, BP top and cap, first pitch at the game and more. The players and coaches made this guy feel like a champ and many times the players and coaches don't get recognized or thanked for their actions, so today I just wanted to brag about the guys who made a 10-year old boy feel like a champion, whether they want the recognition or not. Thanks, guys, it was amazing!

[battlekow]

Hunter Morris makes a splash in his historic Huntsville Stars' debut

Mark McCarter/Huntsville Times

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Jeff Morris couldn't any more sit down during a baseball game than you could stay awake having brain surgery. Such is the incurable habit of a baseball father.

He found a good spot Saturday night, holding up a concourse wall at Joe Davis Stadium, him and his thoughts and the occasional passersby, while nearby the rest of the extended Morris family watched, doted, beamed and otherwise marked the grandest, most historic family reunion in Joe Davis Stadium lore.

Morris was there, stoic on the outside and "surprisingly, not as (nervous) as I thought I'd be," to watch his son Hunter finish 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored.

The result - a 9-6 Stars loss to Montgomery, their 14th in 19 games - was but a footnote to an evening in which Hunter Morris became the first Huntsville native to play in a Stars uniform.

He was a baseball prodigy who grew up to become All-City at Grissom High, then was initially drafted by the Red Sox in the second round in 2007. He went on to play three seasons at Auburn, being named MVP in the Southeastern Conference last year, before being selected in the fourth round by Milwaukee.

Immediately after the draft, the buzz began: Morris will probably play for the Stars one day.

The buzz reached a crescendo Saturday night in front of 1,998, some of whom weren't even on the Hunter Morris friends-and-family plan.

"I was definitely looking forward to it," Morris said afterward. "The minor leagues is not the greatest lifestyle. But to spend it at home with friends and family, with my wife and son, that makes it that much better and that much easier on me. To be able to do that is satisfying."

Morris admitted "there were some nerves. Not so much nervousness as excitement" over the massive turnout of support.

"I'm glad to have Game 1 over with. Put that one behind me," Morris said, "and continue on."

There is no guarantee how long he'll be here. He is a replacement for Sean Halton, who has gone on the disabled list. The conventional wisdom was that the 22-year-old Morris, for whom Saturday was only his 112th regular-season pro game, was ticketed for Huntsville much later in the season.

"I wouldn't say I've been great, but I've performed pretty well (in Class A). To have the opportunity to come up here, whether it's while Halton is hurt or if it's permanent, it's my job to play hard and do what I can to help this team win."

Morris was batting .317 with a league-leading 16 doubles when promoted from Class A Brevard County. His Huntsville debut, on his first swing on the first pitch he faced, should have been a double. Alas, Biscuits left fielder Reid Fronk, no sentimentalist he, went skidding on his knees at the foul pole to rob Morris.

The next at-bat was a long fly to left that was hauled in on the warning track. In the seventh, when the previously somnambulant Stars awoke for five runs, he legged out a chopper to short that bounced like a Super Ball.

The signature moment was a screaming triple down the first-base line in the ninth. It led to the sixth Huntsville run - and a massive celebration inside the skybox reserved for the occasion by Adam Moseley, Morris' former Grissom coach. In the box seats behind home plate, one of the family held up a sign, as if being lifted by Hunter's infant son Tripp, that read, "Welcome Home Daddy."

This wasn't Morris' first game at the stadium by any means. Grissom played some games here and he played in a high school all-star game at the park. He was usually too busy playing to attend many games, but did make a point to be here with a couple of old friends - Lee High grad Craig Kimbrel and Atlanta native Jason Heyward, who played here with Mississippi en route to their jobs with the Atlanta Braves.

"I don't know how much emotion plays into it (for me)," said Jeff Morris, who fetched his son from the airport but had only two hours to visit before Hunter reported for duty. "The thing that hits home the most is I didn't have to drive four hours or change planes twice to get to where he was playing. Being close to home is kind of an odd feeling. It's been a long time since he got to play close to home."

http://media.al.com/huntsville-times/photo/9602295-large.jpg

(Bob Gathany/Huntsville Times)

[paul253]

Nice to see Morris get the bump up to Huntsville. He was hitting well in BC and deserved it. I look forward to following the Huntsville box scores even more now (I am also checking out Komatsu's line). Hopefully Khris Davis isn't too far behind.

[Mass Haas]

In what could be a one-time deal or is hopefully a "what have you been waiting for?" situation, RHP Michael Fiers gets the start in Game Two of the Stars' doubleheader Friday night.

 

Dan Merklinger are Michael Bowman are listed as future rotation scheduled probables, as one would imagine Cody Scarpetta would be.

 

RHP Jesus Sanchez has an awful 24-to-28 K-to-BB ratio in 41.2 IP (nine starts), so Fiers' bump up from the bullpen would be a welcome sight.

[battlekow]

Komatsu prospering

Tom Haundricourt/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

You can't accuse outfielder Erik Komatsu of sitting on the laurels of being named the Brewers' minor-league player of the year in 2010.

Moving up a notch from high Class A Brevard County to Class AA Huntsville, Komatsu has been an on-base machine. Through 40 games, he was batting .340 - third in the Southern League - with a .431 on-base percentage.

Komatsu, 23, an eighth-round draft pick in 2008 out of Cal-State Fullerton, has displayed impressive plate discipline. While drawing 22 walks, he had struck out only 15 times. Last season with Brevard, he batted .323 with 68 walks and 61 strikeouts.

"He has been doing a good job at swinging at strikes," said Brewers farm director Reid Nichols. "He has been selective at the plate and he puts the ball in play. He's a good hitter."

Komatsu has been playing center field for the Stars and is a solid defender. Because he does not have plus-speed, however, Komatsu does not necessarily project to playing center in the majors, according to Nichols.

"He's playing there out of necessity," said Nichols. "He could get by for a while (at center in the majors) but you'd probably want somebody a touch faster.

"I think he does have a chance of playing in the majors because of his plate discipline. He's a decent outfielder, just not a prototypical center fielder."

Komatsu will be moving to a corner outfield spot for the Stars. Logan Schafer, considered the Brewers' top center-field prospect, moved up to Huntsville from Brevard over the weekend after recovering from a broken thumb suffered during an exhibition game with the Brewers during spring training.

[paul253]

Does Komatsu have the arm to play RF?

[CheezWizHed]

I wonder how he compares defensively to Brady Clark or Scotty Po? If his bat keeps up a high ave/obp, he probably would make a fine RF, also.

[Mass Haas]

The 2011 Southern League All-Stars have been named.

 

OF Erik Komatsu, 3B/LF Steffan Wilson and LH reliever Daniel Meadows make the squad.

 

Team individual stats page

 

Wonderful reward for the unheralded 49th round pick, Meadows. Totally deserving.

 

A nice honor for Wilson, his 32 RBI outdistancing a somewhat pedestrian .718 OPS. Sean Halton perhaps made a better case for a slot. No one else really has an argument.

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Media Relations:

Marietta, GA – Three Huntsville Stars players have been named to the 2011 Southern League All-Star roster. Infielder Steffan Wilson, outfielder Erik Komatsu and RHP Daniel Meadows have all been placed on the mid-summer classic roster.

 

Wilson has been named to the All-Star roster as a third baseman. He’s split time at first base, third base and the outfield in 54 games for Huntsville this season. He is batting .277 (54-195) with three home runs, 10 doubles and 32 RBI. When playing third base, Wilson is 34-for-119 (.286) with 24 RBI.

 

Komatsu started the season on the Helena Brewers’ roster, before joining the team on May 13. He has played 50 games, splitting time between center and right field. He’s gone 53-for-170 (.312) with an on-base plus slugging percentage of .818. He’s walked 25 times and only struck out 18.

 

Meadows has been added to the All-Star roster as a relief pitcher. He started the season with the Stars and in 18 appearances has a record of 5-2 with a 1.85 ERA (34.0 IP / 7 ER). Opposing batters are hitting just .208 against Meadows. He’s surrendered one home run and eight walks while striking out 29. Of the 14 runners he’s inherited, he’s allowed just one to score.

[Mass Haas]

In this kick-butt photo gallery from the Mobile Press-Register, we get our first glimpse of INF Hainley Statia in a Stars' uniform, we see a couple of Steffan Wilson throwing grimaces, we see LHP Dan Merklinger's elbow skin reaching its limits, and OF Lee Haydel may never live down this eyes closed, rockin' the stache photo -- all photos by G.M. Andrews

http://media.al.com/mobile-press-register/photo/9672357-standard.jpg

[CheezWizHed]

Are you sure that is Lee Haydel or Earl Hickey?

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers press crew reports via Bruce Seid that Wily Peralta was added to the All-Star Game squad. Well, it is only a ten-team league, so not every player is going to have stellar stats.

[TheCrew07]

Seid cited the all-star selections as proof the system wasn't depleted last night and I did a quick run down of who were actually deserving, and who was there on reputation in my head. I wasn't going to say anything over here because I feel like I've been too hateful this season, but Peralta is another player clearly playing in an all-star game on reputation alone, and many of players who earned all-star selections aren't true prospects.

 

Look at AA... I really like Meadows, have since WI, but he's a reliever who get results but won't excite you... Wilson is a fringe prospect at best, and Komatsu profiles like a 4th OF in this organization, I'm not sure how they'll ever fit his bat in the line-up.

 

At A+... I think Davis is legit, Bucci is growing on me again (the baby faced assasin is the best moniker ever), but Gennett wasn't deserving of an all-star appearance and said so himself.

 

In WI Dennis shouldn't even be playing there for a 3rd season in a row, Walker and Ross are tough to get a read on because they are college players, and I'm sure pretty much everyone agrees that Thornburg is legit.

 

From where I'm sitting I see 4, maybe 5 true prospects in those lists and that's stretching it much farther than I would have in recent years.

[CheezWizHed]

and Komatsu profiles like a 4th OF in this organization, I'm not sure how they'll ever fit his bat in the line-up.

 

I think it depends a lot on how you build your team. As reports come out that Komatsu isn't going to handle CF on a consistent basis, I've wondered how well he would fit in RF. It seems that defensively, he would handle RF well (from what I've heard). With Hart in RF right now, I would think that Komatsu would improve on that.

 

It would seem that Komatsu will provide a high OBP and low(er) SLG RF with decent defense. Then it occurred to me that it sounded a lot like Ichiro Suzuki. Not saying Komatsu would be that good, but his profile sounds very much the same. He could also double as your backup CF (as Ichiro has done in the past).

 

I can see him providing a ~800 OPS (based on a high OBP) and being a #1 or #2 type hitter in the lineup while at RF.

 

Now, I tend to agree that his most likely location would be as a 4th OF, but I don't think its that big of a stretch to think he could meet those expectations also.

[Mass Haas]

Southern League Northern Division All-Star Starting Lineup --

 

Order Name Position Team

1 Jake Shaffer Left Field, Jackson

2 Kyle Seager Second Base, Jackson

3 Matt Spencer Right Field, Tennessee

4 Scott Van Slyke First Base, Chattanooga

5 Rebel Ridling Designated Hitter, Tennessee

6 Steve Clevenger Catcher, Tennessee

7 Steffan Wilson Third Base, Huntsville

8 Erik Komatsu Center Field, Huntsville

9 Marwin Gonzalez Short Stop, Tennessee

SP Jarrett Grube Pitcher, Jackson

[Mass Haas]

RHP Michael Bowman, a 2010 Southern League All-Star as well, is 2-3 with a 4.58 ERA in 11 starts this season, opponents at a .276 average. He's now been added to the 2011 All-Star roster.

 

***

 

Congratulations to Michael. We're not going to over-quibble the numbers vs. the honor.

[CheezWizHed]

Hmmmm... We have talked about how poor our system is, but is that an indication of how poor (at least the Southern League) other team's minor league systems are also? No disrespect to Bowman. Numbers don't always tell the tale, but those are pretty poor for an All-Star.

 

I just wonder if we have been so used to having a top 10 minor league system, that maybe there is a big drop off between the top X teams and the rest? We might be around the worst, but maybe there are a lot of teams in the same boat... Seems like there are some other questionable All-Stars than just at AA also.

 

I'll warn that I don't follow other teams MiLB teams at all and am looking for a silver lining here...

[Mass Haas]

I think it's just a combination of a ten-team league, injuries elsewhere, perhaps more deserving kids getting promoted (like the starter Hand called up the other day by the Marlins, although that's in the opposite Southern League Division, you get the picture...)

[CheezWizHed]

I shouldn't have used a one point sample to prove the point, but I was too busy (lazy) to look at the other All-Star selections (although Gennett comes to mind, though reputation probably had a bit to do with him).

 

Thanks for the reminder on injuries though. I figured I was grasping for straws on this. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[battlekow]

Sanford resident a call away from majors

Jonathan Owens/Sanford Herald

SANFORD - Sanford resident Rob Wooten knows a thing or two about pitching in the College World Series.

As a junior at the University of North Carolina, Wooten set an NCAA record in 2007 by pitching in six different games in the CWS as the Tar Heels advanced to their second-consecutive championship series.

That season, Wooten posted a 6-1 record and a 2.35 ERA over 53 2/3 innings, striking out 58 as the Heels' closer. He allowed just one home run and nine extra-base hits all season, and was dominant in the postseason with a 1.56 ERA and a 3-0 record over 12 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, striking out 22 in the postseason alone.

Unfortunately for Wooten, that season ended just as the one before did - with the Tar Heels losing in the championship series to Oregon State.

On Saturday, Wooten told The Herald before his minor league game as a member of the Huntsville Stars, the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, that it will take a lot more than talent for the 2011 Tar Heels (where his cousin Garrett Davis now pitches) to get over the hump and come home from Omaha with championship rings this time around.

The Tar Heels had very little luck on Saturday, losing to Vanderbilt 7-3 in the opening game of the CWS, and must fight back from the loser's bracket if they are to win it all this year.

"They've made a nice run, but winning the national championship is tough," he said of his alma mater's chances. "Obviously you have to avoid errors, but honestly, you have to have a lot of luck on your side. Both years we went, we thought we were a much better team than Oregon State, but obviously everyone else remembers otherwise."

After college, Wooten and his wife, Sanford native Katie Thomas Wooten, moved to Sanford, and recently purchased their first home together in town. A native of Fremont and a graduate of Charles B. Aycock High School in Pikeville, he said he played a few games in Sanford as a youth and in high school, but never spent a lot of time there until he got married.

"I love it there," he said of living in Sanford. "It's got that small-town feel like the town I grew up in. It's feels like home to me."

But you'd be hard-pressed to run into Wooten at the Fairview Dairy Bar or at the grocery store these days. Wooten was drafted by the Brewers in the 13th round of the 2008 MLB June Amateur Draft, and is hard at work in the team's farm system trying to make it to the big league.

His pursuit of that dream hasn't come without major hurdles in the last four years in the minors. After a solid first two seasons in 2008 and 2009, where he moved from the rookie league all the way to Double-A, he suffered an elbow injury while playing in the Arizona Fall League and had to have his ulnar collateral ligament reconstructed in a procedure commonly known as "Tommy John surgery," named for the major league pitcher who first had it done and recovered to pitch again in the majors.

It was the second Tommy John surgery of Wooten's career. He also redshirted his first year at UNC in 2004 for the same injury. But that didn't make it any easier to sit out the entire 2010 season while recovering.

"It was a rough summer last year," he said of sitting out a season. "I felt I was so close to making the major league. Fortunately, I haven't had any major setbacks and my rehab is going well. It's been about 15 months since the surgery, and I'm close to where I was before.

"I felt like I had a good chance of being there before," he added about being called up, "but everything happens for a reason."

Now back in Double-A with the Stars, he's hoping to make an impression on the Brewers quickly.

"In Double-A you're only one phone call away from the majors," he said. "But so is everyone else so the competition is tough. It's hard for me to say if they'll call me up. They're not asking me to win the World Series pitching in the minors. I'm just focusing on getting better."

The Stars come to North Carolina this week for a five-game series with the Carolina Mudcats in Zebulon. It will be the first time he has pitched in his home state since leaving UNC, and he said he expects a big crowd to be on hand.

"I know my mom and Katie will spread the word around this week," he said. "It'll be good to see all my old friends. But hopefully not everyone. Hopefully the Tar Heels will still be in Omaha then."

[TheCrew07]

I didn't realize that surgery Wooten's 2nd TJ... hopefully he makes it up before his arm gives out.