Your 2011 Huntsville Stars

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville's Steffan Wilson started his journey to All-Star Game with U-turn

By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- As Steffan Wilson drove along Monday morning, there came the unmistakable robotic voice of a GPS device, helping him plot his way toward Jackson, Tenn. He was navigating his way west toward tonight's Southern League All-Star Game.

The GPS device was telling him to turn left. But the way Wilson got to the All-Star Game was with a U-turn, from an injury-wracked, statistically-anemic 2010 into a solid season with the Huntsville Stars and All-Star recognition.

Wilson and Huntsville outfielder Erik Komatsu will start for the North squad in tonight's game, set for 7:15 (CDT) at Pringles Park in Jackson, Tenn.

Starting pitchers Wily Peralta and Michael Bowman will also represent Huntsville. Reliever Dan Meadows was selected to the team as well, but was promoted to Class AAA Nashville a week ago.

For both Wilson and Komatsu, in fact, U-turns were essential parts of their career journey.

Komatsu had a concussion, broken wrist and torn hamstring during the 2009 season. His numbers were weak. But he responded in 2010 as a Florida State League All-Star, batting .323 while remaining healthy. As he has said, "My main focus last year was staying healthy and performing."

Steffan Wilson is Erik Komatsu Version 2011.

After beginning 2010 with a long and impressive spring training look-see with the major-league Brewers, he "started tinkering with my swing and messing with it and I didn't have a lot of confidence."

Wilson had just begun to tunnel out of an abysmal start when he broke his hand diving for a ball.

"When I came back, it was like the season started all over again," he said. But in mid-July, he dislocated his shoulder. He finished with a .201 average in 60 games, then had to spend much of last fall in rehab at the Brewers' year-round facility in Arizona.

"Certainly a frustrating year," he said.

Now, 66 games into this season, Wilson is batting .279. Nice new direction.

Wilson earned almost instant immortality in Stars' lore in September 2009. Less than 24 hours after he was informed of a promotion to Huntsville from Class A Brevard County, he cranked a three-run homer to give the Stars a win in the first game of the Southern League playoffs.

Interupting some cherished off days might be a nuisance for some, but to Wilson -- making his first pro ball All-Star appearance -- it was a pleasure to wind his way to Jackson on Monday.

"It's probably one of the cooler things, playing with guys you wouldn't normally get to know and then track their careers," he said.

"I'm happy and thrilled to be an All-Star," said Wilson. "And I'm extremely happy to be healthy."

All-Star lineups: Jackson's Jarrett Grube will be the starting pitcher for the North squad, against Montgomery's Matt Moore. Appropriate decisions there, with Grube as the home-team pitcher and Moore having just thrown a no-hitter against Mobile in his last start.

The North starting lineup will consist of Tennessee catcher Steve Clevenger (one of a record 12 Smokies picked), Chattanooga first baseman Scott Van Slyke, Jackson second baseman Kyle Seager, Tennessee shortstop Marwin Godwin, Wilson at third and an outfield of Komatsu, Jackson's Jake Shaffer, Tennessee's Matt Spencer with Tennessee's Rebel Ridling as DH.

The South starting lineup will be Jacksonville catcher Luke Montz, Mobile first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, Birmingham second baseman Tyler Kuhn, Mississippi shortstop Tyler Pastronicky, Montgomery third baseman Daniel Mayora, outfielders A.J. Pollock of Mobile, Kevin Mattison of Jacksonville and Ollie Linton of Mobile, with Birmingham's Christian Marrero as the DH.

Huntsville third baseman Steffan Wilson / Mobile Press-Register Photo

http://media.al.com/sports_impact/photo/9720120-large.jpg

[CheezWizHed]

Can anyone comment on Wilson's defense at 3B? His offense is better this year, but not earth shattering. If he can play good defense at 3B/1B and even some at LF/RF, he might have a shot as a MLB backup.

[battlekow]

Stars in the Southern League All-Star Game (box score):

• Steffan Wilson: 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI
• Erik Komatsu: 1-4
• Wily Peralta: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 23 pitches, 11 strikes.
• Michael Bowman: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 3 pitches (!), 2 strikes.

The North side (the good guys) won 6-3.

Peralta's inning:

SOU South All-Stars Top of the 3rd

Pitcher Change: Wily Peralta replaces Will Savage.

• Tyler Kuhn lines out to first baseman Scott Van Slyke.
• A. J. Pollock walks.
• With Paul Goldschmidt batting, A. J. Pollock steals (1) 2nd base.
• Paul Goldschmidt strikes out swinging.
• Luke Montz singles on a ground ball to left fielder Jake Shaffer. A. Pollock scores.
• Christian Marrero doubles (2) on a sharp ground ball to right fielder Matthew Spencer. Luke Montz to 3rd.
• Daniel Mayora strikes out swinging.

Bowman's:

SOU South All-Stars Top of the 8th

• Pitcher Change: Michael Bowman replaces Cole St. Clair.
• A. J. Pollock singles on a ground ball to left fielder Brett Jackson.
• Paul Goldschmidt grounds into double play, shortstop Marwin Gonzalez to second baseman Ryan Flaherty to first baseman Scott Van Slyke. A. J. Pollock out at 2nd.
• Pitcher Change: Rafael Dolis replaces Michael Bowman.
• Stephen Vogt flies out to right fielder Kyle Russell.

[Mass Haas]

North wins Southern League All-Star Game -- again

By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times

 

JACKSON, Tenn. -- The Huntsville Stars' Steffan Wilson was stuffing a couple of bats into an equipment bag in a dark corner of the dugout. Chattanooga's Scott Van Slyke was at home plate, in the figurative spotlight, being handed a new bat, emblematic of his selection as the Southern League All-Star Most Valuable Player.

A strong case could be made, after Tuesday's 6-3 North win over the South, those positions could have been reversed.

Van Slyke, son of ex-major leaguer Andy Van Slyke, had a pair of singles and scored two runs.

However, Wilson, the Huntsville third baseman, was 3-for-4, with a two-run double in the first off Matt Moore, the league's top pitcher, that gave the North a lead it never relinquished.

The win makes the North a perfect 7-0 in the Southern League All-Star Game since the league adopted its North-South geographical alignment in 2005.

"He's my All-Star MVP," teammate Erik Komatsu said of Wilson.

There were no sour grapes on the part of Wilson, who would've/should've been Huntsville's first All-Star MVP since Terry Steinbach in 1986.

"(Van Slyke) had a great game. It's a great honor. Good for him," said Wilson, who was making his first professional All-Star appearance.

While Wilson had three of the eight North hits, Komatsu went 1-for-4.

Pitcher Wily Peralta gave up two hits, walked one, struck out two and gave up a run in the South third. Michael Bowman pitched to a pair of batters in the eighth, giving up a single to Mobile's A.J. Pollock, then getting Paul Goldschmidt, the league's home run leader, on a 6-4-3 double play.

For other players from Alabama teams and their performances, click the link above for the full article text.

The South nicked Peralta for a run in the third but otherwise the North pitching was flawless -- as was four innings of South pitching until Montgomery's Chris Archer gave up two doubles and a Wilson infield hit in the sixth for a 6-3 North advantage.

All-Star Notes: The Southern League owners tentatively approved the 2012 schedule, though it must now be approved by the parent clubs. The league will continue to use the five-game series format. ... Buster Olney of ESPN, whose sportswriting career was launched in Nashville, was the speaker at the All-Star luncheon. ... The Southern League All-Star Game will be hosted by the Tennessee Smokies next season. ... Stars owner Miles Prentice did not attend the All-Star Game. He was at opening night for the Connecticut Tigers, a Norwich-based team in the short-season New York-Penn League that he also owns. ... The 2012 All-Star Game will be hosted by the Tennessee Smokies.

 

[Mass Haas]

Stars open second half of Southern League season with sense of optimism

By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times

 

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- The Huntsville Stars have gone through the aging process. Now it's time to see just how the maturation pays off.

 

The Stars were one of the younger teams in the Southern League in the first half and they occasionally showed their youth. They could be dreadful - an eight-game losing streak in early May that was part of a 5-15 stretch - or red-hot, as they were in finishing the half with eight wins in their last 11, salvaging a 37-33 record.

As they start the second half tonight, opening a five-game series at Carolina, manager Mike Guerrero said, "I think we're going to be an improved team in the second half, once the guys know what they're facing. We had a pretty good finish. I think the guys know what they need to overcome. They're a little more experienced and they're confident.

"We're going to be pretty good," Guerrero said. "I'm not claiming any title, but we'll be there."

This is historically the time of the season where roster upheaval takes place. Drafted players begin to fill spots at the lower-level clubs. Class A players earn their way to promotions. Class AAA players who have reached a plateau become expendable.

There were no changes announced before the Stars left for Carolina and Guerrero is loathe to discuss the possibility of any moves.

"It's out of my control," he said. "All I can do is give my best to the guys I have now."

Hunter Morris, the Grissom High and Auburn product who made a splash in a brief call-up in May, is batting .276 with 10 homers and 38 RBI at Class A Brevard. The Manatees' hottest bat belongs to 25-year-old outfielder Brock Kjedgaard, with 18 homers and a .281 average.

Working against Morris, who can play third or first, is that Huntsville is getting good production at both those spots, first baseman Sean Halton and All-Star third baseman Steffan Wilson. In turn, there is little room now for advancement for those two, with Mat Gamel and Taylor Green putting up good numbers at first and third, respectively, at Class AAA Nashville.

Grounds for Guerrero's optimism is the offensive provided by Halton, Wilson and others like outfielders Erik Komatsu and Lee Haydel. Logan Schafer has 24 games of Class AA experience now, with a .309 average, and gives Huntsville some speed at the top of the order.

"Our pitching staff is starting to come around," Guerrero said. "Our offense has been OK for the most part. We need to catch the ball behind our pitching and not make as many mental mistakes."

The Stars yielded the fourth-most unearned runs in the Southern League; conversely, they were last in home runs and eighth in run production.

"We'll play better the second half," Guerrero said. "The (young) guys hadn't faced that kind of competition (before). They hadn't experienced this level, the way they pitch, the way they do things."

Guerrero then lit a caution light.

"The second half is going to be even tougher. They know you and they know your weaknesses. And you have to adjust to that."

How much maturity helps adjustment will be revealed between now and Labor Day.

[battlekow]

Scarpetta named Player of the Week: June 13-19

Huntsville Stars

HUNTSVILLE, AL – The Huntsville Stars starting pitcher Cody Scarpetta has been given the Southern League’s Pitcher of the Week honors for June 13-19. In that span, Scarpetta has won both of his starts, striking out 14 batters in 14.0 innings of work. He walked six and allowed just seven hits for a 1.29 ERA during those starts. Both 7.0 inning starts were Scarpetta’s longest of the 2011 season.

On June 13, the Brewers’ top two prospect, as ranked by Baseball America, allowed just four hits in seven innings to the second-place Jackson Generals. He struck out five of the 28 batters he faced and didn’t allow a run. On June 18, he allowed just three hits to the Birmingham Barons and was tagged with two earned runs. He fanned nine of 26 batters and only walked two. Scarpetta threw 202 pitches between those two starts, 128 for strikes.

Scarpetta is 4-3 with a 3.97 ERA this season in 14 starts for the Stars. He’s struck out 68 batters in 70.1 innings of work. The Rockford, IL native was drafted by the Brewers in the 11th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft.

The Stars continue a five-game road trip to start the second half of the season at Carolina. They return home on Wednesday, June 29 for a six-game series against the Mississippi Braves. There will be post-game fireworks for Independence Day on Sunday, June 3. All games start at 6:43 p.m. with the exception of a double header on Thursday, June 30 that starts at 4:43. Visit huntsvillestars.com for more information!

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Press Release:

FIERS NAMED PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Right-Hander Allowed Just One Hit in Start

HUNTSVILLE, AL – Huntsville starting pitcher Michael Fiers has been named the Southern League’s Pitcher of the Week for June 27 – July 3. Fiers allowed just one hit in his outing on June 29 against Mississippi.

 

In six innings of work, Fiers struck out a total of nine batters and walked just two. None of the 22 batters he faced reached home plate again, as he kept the M-Braves scoreless. He allowed just one hit and kept batters to a .050 batting average.

 

Fiers is currently 5-3 with a 2.64 ERA in 22 games (eight starts) for the Stars. He’s allowed just 14 walks and struck out 63 batters in 61.1 innings of work. Fiers was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers.

[Mass Haas]

RHP Wily Peralta landed on Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet -- click to see where --

 

Team: Double-A Huntsville (Southern)

Age: 22

Why He's Here: 1-0, 0.00, 13.2 IP, 9 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 11 SO

 

The Scoop: Peralta has steadily improved each season since Tommy John surgery knocked him out for all of 2007. After posting a 3.61 ERA and a 29-24 K-BB mark in eight starts last year with Double-A Huntsville, Peralta's ERA (3.95) is up slightly this year, but scouts have been more impressed. He throws a low-90s fastball that reaches the mid-90s, and he has improved his strikeout-to-walk numbers, with 86 whiffs and 36 walks in 87 innings. He's also the rare pitcher who gets both strikeouts and groundballs. If he can stay healthy, Peralta has the potential to be a solid mid-rotation starter.

[battlekow]

Huntsville's power-hitting prospect Brock Kjeldgaard propelled into baseball by historic homer

Mark McCarter/Huntsville Times

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- It was Oct. 23, 1993, a date that lives on richly in Canadian history. A 2-2 Mitch Williams pitch, one out in the bottom of the ninth, and Joe Carter hammered it for a three-run homer, only the second walk-off World Series-winning homer in history.

It gave the Toronto Blue Jays their second consecutive championship and convinced more than a few Canadian lads to add some baseball spikes to go along with their hockey skates in their sporting goods collection.

Guys like a tall, skinny Ontario kid named Brock Kjeldgaard.

"What got me hooked on baseball was when the Blue Jays won the World Series in 1992 and 1993," Kjeldgaard said. "I remember watching that with my dad and thinking that was the best thing ever. It was so exciting.

"When Joe Carter hit that home run, I think that might have been what got me hooked on baseball."

It hasn't worked out badly for Kjeldgaard, a recent arrival with the Huntsville Stars.

Kjeldgaard (pronounced kel-guard), 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, is a power-hitting outfielder who, before his promotion from Class A Brevard County on June 28, broke Brevard's franchise home run record of 18, in less than half a season.

It's the kind of power where it looks like, as Huntsville manager Mike Guerrero put it, "he's playing pepper with the outfield wall."

Guerrero is not a manager given to hype, but what he saw of Kjeldgaard and the potential he's seen here have him all but gushing.

"What I'm seeing is there are not too many people that have the strength that guy has when he hits the ball," Guerrero said. "The ball sounds different off his bat.

"When everything clicks in all the cylinders, he might be impressive. When you're talking about legit strength, this is legit. I mean raw power. Prince Fielder (power) and above. The kind of power where you go, 'Huh?!?'

"He has the tools to develop into a great player. Hopefully things are going to work out for him."

His big numbers at Brevard - .268 with 49 RBIs to accompany his homers - have yet to translate at Class AA, considered the toughest leap in baseball. Going into today's doubleheader against Carolina, Kjeldgaard had only three hits in 23 at-bats in nine games for the Stars. He has 10 strikeouts, the bugaboo that bothered him at Brevard and often plagues long, tall power-hitter types.

"Lately it's been kind of a little bit of a struggle trying to get back to where I was," Kjeldgaard said, standing outside the Stars' batting cage Friday evening, leaning on bat the same color as a Canadian ale and emblazoned with a maple leaf.

Kjeldgaard, 25, may be a power hitter simply because he didn't get the chance to hit - for power or otherwise - for two seasons and "that took away some of the bad habits I had."

He was drafted out of high school as a first baseman but instead went to Indian Hills Community College in Iowa. He pitched there, increasing his velocity enough to impress Milwaukee scouts who drafted him as a pitcher in 2005.

After two years in Helena described by Kjeldgaard as "mediocre," the Brewers called after the 2007 season.

"They told me to show up at spring training ready to swing the bat and play first base," he said. "I was shocked at first. And a little disappointed. I quickly began to realize it was a fresh start. I got excited about it and started working at it."

"It looks like," Guerrero said, "it's going to pay off for him."

http://media.al.com/sports_impact/photo/9779451-large.jpg

(Eric Schultz/Huntsville Times)

[Mass Haas]

Whirlwind visit leaves Scarpetta inspired for longer stay

By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times

 

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- If nothing else, R.J. Seidel got to work. Cody Scarpetta got good seats for a big league game, a few nifty souvenirs - and untold inspiration.

 

http://media.al.com/sports_impact/photo/scarpettajpg-a14c345d1288b385.jpg

 

And, through it all, the nation's flagging airline industry continued to get a boost from the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

Oh yeah, almost as a footnote to the travel, the Huntsville Stars were swept in a doubleheader by the Carolina Mudcats, 6-2 and 6-2 Monday night in front of 880; the Cats also swept a pair on Saturday to steal the series 4-0.

Scarpetta was called up to the Brewers for Sunday's game because the Brewers had worn their bullpen thin. Though Scarpetta didn't pitch and was sent back to Huntsville on Monday, the Brewers had already sent Seidel up from Class A Brevard County to fill Scarpetta's spot.

For the airfare and the hassle, Seidel worked three innings, allowing four runs and two hits and sustained the loss in the second game. When he was removed at 8:20 PM, you wondered if it was so he could hustle to a late flight.

Scarpetta, 5-4 with a 4.40 ERA on the season, was told around 10 PM Saturday by manager Mike Guerrero that the Brewers needed him. He left to pack his bags, had a 4:30 AM wakeup call and 6:25 AM flight.

He went straight to Miller Park and "that's when it really set in," Scarpetta said Monday night. "It was awesome. The guys were great. They really took me in as part of the team. It was very enjoyable. Walking onto the field, hearing the fans cheer for the Brewers, that's one of those things you just can't explain."

The turnaround was nothing for him compared to his parents, Dan and Leeanne. They were in Huntsville to watch him pitch Sunday, then took off driving to Milwaukee after he received the news. They got to their home in Rockford, Ill., Sunday morning, took a deep breath, then on to Milwaukee, another hour or so north.

"A whirlwind for them as well," Cody said.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke made a point to save the lineup card posted on the dugout wall that has Scarpetta's name on it, and will have it autographed by other players and framed for him.

A souvenir is nice. A longer stay would be even better.

"It just makes you want to work twice that hard, getting that little taste," he said. "It just makes me want to get there and stay there. That's why we play down here. We all play here to make it to the big leagues. Being up there just for that day, seeing how hard those guys work, it puts an idea in your head how hard you have to work."

In losing the doubleheader, it isn't a great omen for the Stars' second-half potential. The Mudcats tied a record for the worst half in Southern League history. They were 19-46 before a late surge. Carolina has since won 13 of 23, going 7-2 against Huntsville in that stretch.

The Mudcats, who'll be the Pensacola Pelicans next season, pounded three homers - by Denis Phipps, David Cook and Neftali Soto - in the opener. The Stars had a solo shot from Erik Komatsu and an RBI single from Zelous Wheeler.

A leadoff homer by Phipps in Game 2 and two Huntsville errors and a wild pitch in the fourth were plenty to doom the Stars.

[ramssuperbowl99]

Keith Law has Wily Peralta as an honorable mention for his top 50 and said he recently hit 98 in one of his starts. Wow.

EDIT: KLaw on Peralta:

Tito (Boston)

What has Wily Peralta done to go from outside the Top 100 to honorable mention for the Top 50? His numbers from this year seem relatively pedestrian

Klaw (2:03 PM)

Heard he was hitting 98 repeatedly in the matchup against Eovaldi last week - and he's getting groundballs, too.

[ramssuperbowl99]

Wily Peralta comes in at #7 on the BA Hot Sheet, making him the highest ranked Brewer on the list.

The Scoop: The Brewers system may be thin on talent, but that does not make it completely bereft of future big leaguers. In a system with a better reputation, Peralta might be mentioned in the same breath as other pitching prospects. But with Milwaukee, he does not benefit from the halo effect. Even in relative obscurity, Peralta has made a name for himself with a fine season in Double-A. He throws hard (up to 95 mph), he throws strikes (3.3 walks per nine innings) and the throws three pitches. He ranks fourth in the Southern League with 9.0 strikeouts per nine, behind some guys named Matt Moore, Chris Withrow and Nathan Eovaldi. And he's trending in the right direction. In five second-half starts, Peralta has gone 2-0, 2.15 with a shiny 25-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 29 1/3 innings. You can bet he'll be on the tip of the tongue of any general manager who proposes a trade to the Brewers next week.

[TooLiveBrew]

Thanks for posting the Hot Sheet updates, rams. Like you said in another post, awesome week for the Brewers on the farm.

 

 

You can bet he'll be on the tip of the tongue of any general manager who proposes a trade to the Brewers next week.

 

This makes me cringe.

[ramssuperbowl99]

Thanks for posting the Hot Sheet updates, rams. Like you said in another post, awesome week for the Brewers on the farm.

 

 

You can bet he'll be on the tip of the tongue of any general manager who proposes a trade to the Brewers next week.

 

This makes me cringe.

Just because they'll ask doesn't mean we'll listen. I'm sure the Rays have gotten a call or two about Matt Moore, and I'm sure they responded with a prompt dose of the dial tone.

I think Peralta is now the best prospect in the Brewers' system, and I actually think there is a significant gap between him and Thornburg or the #1 draft picks (if we want to count our chickens).

 

[Mass Haas]

John Sickels features Wily Peralta as his Prospect of the Day feature.

[reillymcshane]

John Sickels features Wily Peralta as his Prospect of the Day feature.

Nice write up by Sickels.

 

I like it that we might have a true, solid SP prospect available in 2012 (when Wolf, Greinke and Marcum are all FAs). While I imagine the Brewers will work to sign at least one or two of that group, it would be nice if Peralta continues to progress. I don't mind him at AAA next year, having him ready if there's an injury. But come 2012, it would be cool if he was ready to take spot at the back of the rotation - at least to start.

[TooLiveBrew]

Peralta's body type reminds me a little of a young Bartolo Colon, except Wily's taller.

 

 

EDIT: Also, found a Colon bio of sorts on a random astrological website. Here's the picture they credit as being Bartolo:

 

http://i.imgur.com/m2EMe.jpg

 

Nicely done, random astrological website. I see what you did there.

[battlekow]

PERALTA NAMED SOUTHERN LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE WEEK: JULY 25-31??

Huntsville Stars

HUNTSVILLE, AL – As if pitching a seven-inning, one hitter Sunday night wasn’t impressive enough, the Huntsville Stars’ starter Wily Peralta has been named the Southern League’s Pitcher of the Week for July 25-31. In that span, the ace won both his starts, tossing a combined 14 shutout innings. In those starts, he allowed just five hits and seven walks while fanning 13 batters.

On July 31, the Brewers’ third-best prospect (according to Baseball America) threw a seven-inning shutout against the visiting Carolina Mudcats, allowing just one hit. He walked four and struck out nine. Of his 94 total pitches, 56 were strikes.

Peralta carries a 9-6 record with a 3.24 ERA on the season. He hasn’t taken a loss since June 4 against Mobile. In his last nine starts, he’s thrown 56.1 innings, giving up just 12 runs (9 earned) on 37 hits. He’s also allowed just 21 walks and struck out 53 during that same time period.

The right-hander signed with Milwaukee as a non-drafted free agent on November 26, 2005. He is a member of the Brewers’ 40-man roster.

The Stars continue a ten-game home stand tonight against the Carolina Mudcats at 6:43 p.m. It’s a Case of the Mondays Monday, presented by Buffalo Rock! Fans can write down the dumbest thing their boss ever said for a chance to win a case of soda, courtesy of Buffalo Rock! Visit huntsvillestars.com for more information! Don’t forget to keep up with the Stars on Facebook, Twitter and their official newsletter!

Peralta will be honored on Monday, August 9 before the Stars game against the Tennessee Smokies at 6:43 p.m. Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Conner will be on hand to present Peralta with his award.

[jjfanec]

Peralta gets another mention in the Hot Sheet. He ends up at number 2. Pretty high praise for Peralta

"The Scoop: The hottest pitcher in the minors? It may not be Matt Moore.

 

 

 

 

As good as Moore's been, Peralta has allowed only three runs in his

last six starts for a 0.66 ERA over that stretch. Peralta is becoming a

regular on the Hot Sheet, as it's hard to drop a guy from the list as

long as he keeps posting zero after zero on the scoreboard. Peralta's

best start of that stretch was his last one—a one-hit, seven inning

masterpiece. In a system that's understandably thin after a series of

trades, Peralta and Tyler Thornburg are proving that the cupboard isn't

bare."

[yoshii8]

If he keeps this up the rest of the season, I'd love to see him brought up to replace Dillard or Estrada in the bullpen.

[battlekow]

Wily Peralta's long road to the cusp of stardom

By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Imagine being 11 years old and you've never even had a baseball glove of your own. You've developed your throwing skills with a lemon.

Still, baseball could be your ticket. It's the perfect opportunity on an island where the sport is a way of life, but also the best way to escape the difficult life on the island.

Down the road, you might be able to support your family, to supplement the meager earnings of your fisherman father, to help the three siblings. To do so, you'd have to move across the country, to the largest city, to say goodbye to your immediate family and move in with an uncle.

That was the path taken by Wily Peralta, half his life ago.

Now 22, he is the Huntsville Stars' best pitcher. On the heels of his two-hitter Sunday against Carolina, he's been named the Southern League Pitcher of the Week and the Milwaukee Brewers' Minor League Pitcher of the Month.

He's 9-6 with a 3.24 ERA going into Saturday night's start against Tennessee at Joe Davis Stadium. He hasn't lost since June 4 and in his last nine starts he's allowed only nine runs and 37 hits in 56 innings, striking out 53.

It could be because "I've been working hard on my mechanics," Peralta said.

It could be because "he's learned not to be so violent with his delivery," said manager Mike Guerrero.

It could be just because Peralta finally has let his Mohawk haircut grow back out.

Or, it could be because he's finally, truly healthy. He hasn't had the best of luck. Tommy John surgery in 2007, then a hamstring pull and root canal early this season.

He's now the Wily Peralta anointed as one of Milwaukee's top prospects, though, "I don't think about people talking about how I have to do good to be in the big leagues. I go out there and do my routine and get people out. And some da I'm going to have the opportunity."

Peralta grew up in Samana, Domincan Republic, a little finger of a peninsula on the northeast side of the island. To develop his baseball skills, he moved to Santo Domingo to live with his uncle Marcio. He gave him his first glove, a Rawlings model so generic it didn't even have a player's autograph etched in the pocket.

When he grew homesick, he'd phone his mother Milody, who still never has seen him pitch a game.

They'd talk and she'd have to encourage him, fighting back her own sadness.

"Do you like to play baseball?" she'd ask.

"Yes, Mama."

"Keep playing. Keep going to school."

And that's what Wily did.

"From home to school to the field, from home to school to the field," Peralta said, sharing his daily routine.

"It's not unusual," Guerrero said of players leaving home so young. "You do what you have to do. Baseball is a way to provide. Nobody has it easy. When you don't have food on your table, you do what you have to."

One day, when Peralta was 14 or 15, a Brewers' scout named Fernando Arango saw him working out in the outfield and noticed a powerful throwing arm. He met Peralta and followed up when Wily turned 16, of legal age to sign a contract.

Now, barely 22, here he is, just 11 years removed from a glove made of cardboard and lemons to play catch, and every scout in baseball knows his name.

"An amazing story," Guerrero said. "And a story where the ending hasn't been written yet."

http://media.al.com/sports_impact/photo/9865307-large.jpg
(The Huntsville Times/Eric Schultz)

[battlekow]

Language barrier still remains daunting challenge for Latin American baseball players

By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- In a university dining hall in Richmond, Va., a million miles from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Sergio Miranda would join his teammates. He sat there, silent as the salt shaker in front of him.

"I'd sit around the table with the guys and pretty much move my head yes or no, because I didn't know anything else," recalls Miranda, now a Huntsville Stars infielder who came to the U.S. to play at Virginia Commonwealth.

Mike Guerrero watched soap operas on TV to pick up English words. Anderson Machado tried to absorb all he could from teammates. Wily Peralta was "scared to go to a restaurant and order the wrong thing."

Such is the impact of the language barrier for Latin American baseball players.

English, says Machado, a Stars' infielder, "is something you have to learn (so you can) survive."

And, if they can't, "You see so many players fall through the cracks," says Raymond Abreu, Director of Latin American Operations for the Oakland Athletics.

No major American sport is as bilingual as baseball. Twenty-seven percent of the opening-day major league rosters was Hispanic, according to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports.

Yet many of those players come to the U.S. ill-prepared for the cultural differences and poorly educated in English.

"Eighty percent of them are going to suffer a huge frustration when they get here," says Rolando Valles, the Milwaukee Brewers' Latin liaison.

Because of that, there is a "more focused emphasis on having these kids understand at a young age ... that the English language is important," says Abreu.

Imagine the emotions, being 18 years old in a foreign country, with peculiar customs, a language you can't understand and with your entire livelihood - and often the fate of a poverty-stricken family - at stake.

"I couldn't fathom being dropped into a country and not speaking the language, and my performance determining whether I continue as an employee," says Pat O'Conner, president of Minor League Baseball.

It may be a bit of a challenge to ask a player to express, in his second language, his feelings about being unable to speak that language.

"It's really bad," says Machado. "If you go to China or Japan, you don't know how to speak that language. You have to find a way to communicate, even by signs."

Machado says he got outside his comfort zone to "hang out with the American guys because they taught me a lot. That's the way I learned."

"You can call it frustrating and embarrassing," says Guerrero, the Stars' manager. "If you get embarrassed to speak and say the wrong words, you're never going to speak."

Easing the transition

Baseball has never been a sprinter when it comes to cultural change and welcoming diversity. The sport eagerly has been luring players from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and other Latin American countries since the 1960s, introducing superstars like Roberto Clemente, Juan Marichal, Luis Aparicio, Rod Carew and Orlando Cepeda.

It has moved more slowly in knocking down the language barrier.

More is being done now than, say, 1998, when Machado became a professional. That same summer, Abreu welcomed Huntsville visitors to the rustic Campo Juan Marichal, carved out of a Dominican Republic jungle an hour from Santo Domingo.

"It's night and day from then," says Abreu. "The facilities have improved a great deal. Ten years ago, I had a guy who was a teacher in the U.S. who taught English. Now there are institutions backed by the government, and we give them classes to help them finish high school."

Every major league club has a presence in the Dominican in which prospects are schooled in baseball fundamentals and taught English. One of the early camps, coincidentally, was established by Epy Guerrero, a long-time scout in the Dominican and the father of Mike Guerrero.

The Brewers hired Valles four years ago as their Latin liason, a position most organizations have in some shape or form.

Valles arranges for English tutors at the lower levels of the minor leagues and for thrice-weekly English classes for the Latin players in the Arizona Rookie League.

Even then, says Peralta, the former Huntsville pitcher, "it's pretty hard to learn in English class, because we take class right after practice and sometimes we get tired."

Much of his English, he says, he picked up by "asking my teammates, 'How do you say this, how do you say that?' "

"Baseball is approaching the Latin culture differently, and it's trying to make the transition easier," Valles said.

"It's one of the things we're going to do more as an industry," says O'Conner, who shares an anecdote from Manny Acta, the Cleveland Indians' manager, who played for a minor league team O'Conner once ran.

"Manny tells the story he ate Whoppers and Cokes for a full year, because that's all the English he knew."

"The Brewers and baseball know how tough it is for Latin players when they are not able to follow directions or go to a restaurant and eat, or not be able to get to the ballpark," Mike Guerrero says.

Bridging the cultural gap

"I almost decided to go back home," Miranda said. "My parents told me to hang in there."

Some don't hang in.

"Culturally, with the language barrier, there are tons of players with much better abilities than others (who don't make it)."

"I've seen so many people in my years in baseball walk out the door because they weren't able to adjust to the culture," Valles says. "And that's the sad part.

"After the years, I see some of them struggle back home. Eight years ago, that kid could have been a big leaguer if he wanted, but because of the cultural barriers, he couldn't adjust and his life ended up taking a different route."

Conversely, for players whose baseball route is cut short, absorbing the education they are provided puts them ahead of the general population in their countries.

"We're not always building baseball players," Valles says. "We're building good characters. When they go back to their country, they get to be a role model."

There is at least some bit of levity to the language barrier, "a funny way to learn," Machado said.

Some impish English-speaking players may include in their tutoring sessions words that shouldn't be uttered in polite company.

Said Machado, "It's the same way we teach the American guys bad words in Spanish."

[Mass Haas]

Memories of Dominican Republic visits return while reporting on language barrier

By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Every time I walk up the stairs in my house there is a reminder. It's there among a cluster of black-and-white family photos hanging on the wall at the staircase landing.

I am sitting on concrete bleachers, trying to look casual as 13 Dominican Republic boys, probably ranging from seven to 12 years of age, stare quizzically at the big, balding white man in front of them, or mug for the camera.

Among the ambitious projects this paper has indulged me in the last 13-plus years were a pair of trips to the Dominican in 1998. Even without the daily reminder, they remain unforgettable.

That's what makes the enterprise piece in Sunday's Huntsville Times and on al.com about the language barrier in baseball even more special to me.

Short version of the backstory: The Stars were then affiliated with the Oakland A's. Keith Lieppman, the Oakland farm director, was an old friend and suggested I should visit the Dominican to see the facility in La Victoria in which Oakland trained its young Latin American prospects. They were taught baseball fundamentals, English, nutrition and myriad other skills.

I pitched the story idea as a lark, but it was approved. The visit prompted a five-part series that summer.

It also prompted a return trip and outpouring of generosity.

Dottie Distelheim, the wife of our then-editor Joe Distelheim, saw a photo our Eric Schultz took of several kids playing ball with a cane stick and medicine bottle for a baseball. Dottie suggested we should collect equipment from readers and send to La Victoria.

We collected 415 pounds of equipment. I flew back to the Dominican the week of Christmas to distribute the equipment, meeting up with Raymond Abreu, Oakland's Director of Latin Operations, who facilitated both visits. We recreated the cane-stick-and-bottle poster with a real bat and scuffed up baseball, donated from the U.S. I visited the home, maybe a 20-by-12 shack with concrete floor and tin roof, of the kid holding the bat, 14-year-old Addy Prensa.

I talked to Abreu Thursday morning. He proudly told me how much the complex has grown and modernized. He talked about how much has changed in terms of educating Latin players about the English language and American culture.

Indeed, Stars manager Mike Guerrero, a friend of Abreu, didn't speak English himself before coming to the U.S., though Guerrero's dad was one of baseball's most prominent links between the U.S. and Dominican.

It's nice to see baseball, often a bit slow to move, making progress in helping the Latin American kids acclimate to our language and culture, as we relate in the story about the language barrier.

It's nice to hear of the progress at Campo Juan Marichal. There was some eerieness to it at first. Guards armed with machine guns were at the front gate. The jungle that crept up near the dormitory was said to be home to a voodoo cult not far away. It was so rustic that Abreu obtained us lodging in Santo Domingo, an hour away, and hired us a driver, Tito.

Before I left, Oakland general manager Billy Beane had warned me to "just keep an open mind." So I was semi-prepared when Tito rolled up to the airport 30 minutes late and confessed to Schultz and me, "I don't speak English."

He drove an old burgundy Mitsubishi van with one headlight and crash bars on the grille. In comparison to Tito, Dale Earnhardt Sr. was a timid driver.

"I saw Tito the other day," Abreu said. "He's driving a white van now."

That Tito is still driving -- or that Eric and I escaped -- is a miracle in itself.

I reminisced with Abreu about the visits and told him about the photo on my wall.

"Just talking to one of the kids who's probably in that picture," Abreu said. "He's working for me now at the camp."

I hope he remembers our city's generosity as well as I remember my adventures.

[Mass Haas]

The Southern League named their all-season All-Star Team today, no Huntsville Star was named.

 

From Buck Rogers, Stars' GM:

 

MARIETTA, GA – The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs is pleased to announce the 2011 Postseason All-Star Team as voted upon by the league’s field managers, radio broadcasters and print media.

The 2011 Southern League Post-season All-Star Team is as follows:

Catcher Stephen Vogt Montgomery

First Base Paul Goldschmidt Mobile

Second Base Tyler Kuhn Birmingham

Third Base Ryan Wheeler Mobile

Shortstop Tyler Pastornicky Mississippi

Outfield Denis Phipps Carolina

Outfield A.J. Pollack Mobile

Outfield Alfredo Silverio Chattanooga

Outfield Scott Van Slyke Chattanooga

DH Ernesto Mejia Mississippi

Utility Man Tyler Kuhn Birmingham

Best Hustler Kevin Mattison Jacksonville

RH Pitcher Nathan Eovaldi Chattanooga

LH Pitcher Matt Moore Montgomery

Relief Pitcher Rafael Dolis Tennessee