Minor League Transactions

[Mass Haas]

Here is the link to the transaction thread from the opening of the regular season until Day One of the draft.

This kicks off the new thread.

The next transaction will be the first for the post-draft portion of the regular season.

[battlekow]

First official signing! Welcome aboard, 3B Jalen Harris! You will no doubt be shocked to learn that Mr. Harris is Canadian, drafted out of an Ontario high school in the 41st round. He's represented by Josh Kusnick, who broke the news in the DDSM thread.

 

The Brewers also signed as an undrafted free agent SS Brandon Macias out of the University of Kansas.

[Mass Haas]

Here's a post from our draft forum that will tell you why Jalen Harris is a bit unique.

[Mass Haas]

Former Ashbrook, G-Braves pitcher drafted, signed by Milwaukee Brewers

Richard Walker, Gaston (NC) Gazette

GASTONIA – When his senior baseball season at Elon University began, former Ashbrook High standout Mitch Conner knew major league scouts were showing interest in his pitching talents.

 

That interest became real on Wednesday when the Milwaukee Brewers selected Conner in the 36th round of the Major League draft. Conner signed with the team later that day and will be headed to the Brewers’ training facility in Phoenix, Ariz., where he expects to be assigned to that organization’s summer league roster.

 

“All season, I’d get a phone call here and there asking information about me,” said Conner, a 2007 Ashbrook High graduate. “And I’d been given some questionnaires in the mail. But I never got ahead of myself.”

 

And when Conner’s big moment came, not even a frozen computer could kill his enthusiasm.

 

“I was watching the draft on my computer and my computer froze up,” Conner said. “Then my friend from Canada called to congratulate me and then the Brewers scout called. So it was a pretty exciting day for me.”

 

Conner got calls from Brandon Dhue of Toronto, Ontario and Dan Nellon. Dhue and Conner helped get the Guilford Tech baseball program started in 2008 and Nellon was the Brewers’ scout who recommended his organization draft the Elon relief pitcher.

 

Conner’s selection makes him the fifth player in Ashbrook history to be chosen in the major league draft – joining Wes Helms (1994), Brian Horne (1996), Brad Correll (1999) and Devin Harris (2009, 2010) – and it means Gaston County has had at least one player picked in the draft in eight straight years.

 

“I’d always hoped I’d get the chance to play, so this is a dream come true for me,” said Conner, who played two years at Guilford Tech before spending the last two years at Elon. “I’ve thought about playing pro baseball since I started playing baseball.”

 

A 6-foot-3, 209-pound right-handed pitcher, Conner also became the fourth Elon player chosen in this year draft and 20th Phoenix player selected in the past four drafts.

 

A two-year Gaston Braves American Legion performer, Conner was a reliever at Guilford Tech and Elon during his college career. His best season was this past spring when he went 1-2 with eight saves and a 2.32 ERA in 26 appearances.

[LouisEly]

Conner’s selection makes him the fifth player in Ashbrook history to be chosen in the major league draft – joining Wes Helms (1994)

 

That Wes Helms?

[jwill535]

Did anyone else find some humor in the Brewers drafting "Mitch Conner"?

[YoungGeezy]

Seems really quite on the signing front so far. Wonder if they are planning to release a bunch of names at once because I believe I read as early as Thursday that they had many of there top 10 signed or close to having them signed. It seems like in past years we would have heard more than 3 names by now.

[TheCrew07]

Yea but we usually found those out through local stories or through other means, the team usually releases batches of names.

[Mass Haas]

At Wisconsin, RHP Jameson Dunn goes on the DL and RHP Tyler Cravy comes off.

 

Looks to be just a matter of balancing workloads or some other unique non-serious injury situation, particularly for Dunn, as Chris Mehring tweeted to "try not to read a lot into that".

[Mass Haas]

Peterson Signs with Milwaukee Brewers
LHP Stephen Peterson will report to the Brewers' rookie league team in Arizona

KINGSTON, R.I. - The University of Rhode Island's Stephen Peterson has signed with Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent and will report to the Brewers' rookie league team in Arizona.

"Like every kid who grows up playing baseball, I've dreamed about this my entire life," said Peterson, 23 years old. "I'm just really thankful for getting the opportunity to go out there and achieve my goals."

Peterson, who missed the 2009 (transfer from Marist) and 2010 (injury) seasons, wrapped up the year with a perfect 6-0 record in Atlantic 10 conference games. He tossed two complete-game shutouts and led Rhody's starters with a 3.06 ERA.

The Danvers, Mass. native also struck out a team-best 69 batters (85.1 innings) while holding opponents to a .231 batting average, en route to earning All-Conference and All-New England honors. At the annual NEIBA All-Star game, he was tabbed Pitcher of the Game after allowing just one hit over two shutout innings.

"I couldn't be happier for Stephen," said head coach Jim Foster. "He proved to be an integral part of our weekend rotation this year and is very deserving of this opportunity."

Peterson is the seventh Rhode Island baseball player to sign with an MLB team under Foster's guidance. Last year, Tim Boyce was selected by the Seattle Mariners following a 2009 season where Eric Smith (Arizona), Nick Greenwood (San Diego), Dan Rhault (Tampa Bay) and Luke Demko (San Francisco) were all taken in the Draft. Zach Zaneski signed with the Texas Rangers in 2008 while the New York Mets selected Steve Holmes in 2006.

Stephen Peterson's Bio Page from URI

***

URI’s Peterson Silencing A-10 Batters After Two Years AwayBy Kat Cornetta, collegebaseballdaily.com
May 16, 2011

When a student-athlete makes the difficult decision to transfer to another program, they must mentally prepare for having to sit out a season. University of Rhode Island starting pitcher Stephen Peterson prepared to sit out a year after leaving Marist, but then found himself out longer than he ever expected.

“I knew when I transferred, I would have to stay out that year,” the now-redshirt senior Peterson reflected on the 2009 season, the year NCAA guidelines forced him to watch on the sidelines due to his transfer. “I was prepared for that. I had some things to work on myself, and I was going to take that time to do so. I wasn’t just going to sit there, I was going to use that time to get better and get ready to contribute in 2010.”

After making great strides in his pitching during the year he sat out, the Danvers, Massachusetts native took his refined skills to summer ball with the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL.)

“I was having a great summer. I was pitching well, really hitting a good stride,” the left-hander said of his summer with the Gulls. Peterson pitched the Gulls through the semifinal round of the NECBL championship (which they won), but found out soon after that he would need Tommy John surgery. After an entire collegiate season out of the game already, the lengthy rehabilitation and unknowns that the surgery presented could have derailed Peterson’s college pitching plans. Peterson, however, saw it as just one more obstacle to persevere through.

“I remember vividly the morning after the Tommy John surgery. Dr. (James) Andrews had done my surgery, and I was down in his facility down South. That morning, I went straight to rehab, and there were all of these big league guys around me, guys who had the same surgery as I did. I saw them working hard, and I just joined right in. I wasn’t going to take a break, or be sad, or get down on myself. This was just going to be another step in the process, and I was going to have to work hard at coming back.”

Key to Peterson’s recovery was keeping his passion for baseball at the forefront. “I never lost that love of the game. This injury put my back up against the wall, and I was going to have to fight. You always have those around you who whisper, ‘He’s not going to come back, He’s not going to make it,’ and I wanted to prove them wrong. I have overcome another obstacle before by transferring. I was going to overcome this injury too.”

After sitting out yet another season, Peterson prepared to return to the lineup during fall ball. He finally started his first collegiate game since 2008 and his first for URI on February 20th against McNeese State, a 11-5 loss. Peterson’s first three starts (including at #1 ranked Florida) were losses, but he didn’t panic.

“My maturity definitely helped. After those first couple losses, I knew I had to do something. I think I took those first two weeks to heat up. I didn’t let myself get down. I talked to my coaches and my teammates, and I focused on just improving and looking at things little by little.”

He had a sense things would settle down heading into URI’s March 20th 3-2 win against the College of Charleston, which Peterson points to as his favorite game of the season so far. “I knew I was getting the ball Sunday against the College of Charleston. I knew if we got out of there taking two out of three in this tournament, against these ranked teams, it would bode well for our team down the stretch.

“I gave up two early on in the first inning, but after that I got into a groove. I don’t think that groove has left. I’ve just built on that from then on. I felt I was coming into my own, and I had finally put everything behind me. It was a complete game for everybody. We learned what we had inside us as a team, and (the game) had us excited for entering Atlantic-10 play and then opening up our home season.”

Since the College of Charleston game, Peterson took a no-decision against Charlotte, but then started on a roll in league play. He has gone 6-0 in league play, and is the only pitcher in Atlantic-10 to be undefeated. After URI’s May 8th 4-1 win against UMass, Peterson struck out 10 batters, having only allowed five runs in his last 35 innings pitched.

Peterson also gives a lot of credit to his teammates, many of whom look to him as a leader in the clubhouse. “To be honest, these guys have taken me in like I came in three years ago with all of them. It doesn’t matter to them that I transferred or couldn’t play. We’re all working towards the same goal, and it is really refreshing to be around a team like that, where we aren’t all looking for individual honors. We honestly all root for each other.”

For Peterson, his hot streak and fit in this season’s URI lineup has only reaffirmed his dedication during his two year layoff. “I worked my butt off to get where I am right now. To be honest, I feel better than I ever have and I am pitching better than I ever have.”

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers also signed as an undrafted free agent SS Brandon Macias out of the University of Kansas.

To follow up, Macias, while not drafted, is perceived to have more value if he can stick at shortstop, according to KU bloggers.

 

Macias, a senior from Flagstaff, Ariz., finished the year hitting .248 with four home runs, 19 RBIs and 34 runs scored. He batted .290 in his junior season with KU and made a handful of spectacular plays at shortstop, according to online reports.

 

Brandon Macias Roster Profile Page via the KU site

Macias is 22 years old (10/10/88).

[battlekow]

At Brevard County, SS Josh Prince comes off the DL, with IF Mike Brownstein going down to Wisconsin to make room. No word on who's out for the Timber Rattlers.

[battlekow]

Tyler Lockman reports that the Brewers have signed 14 draft picks, including 38th-round RHP Chad Pierce from UWM, who will be assigned to Helena, which means they must like him a little. No word yet on who the other 11 are.

[battlekow]

Okay, Adam McCalvy has the full list:

rd/pick

9/281 CF Malcolm Dowell LaGrange H.S. (Ga.) Arizona

10/311 LHP Michael Strong Oklahoma State Helena

14/431 RHP Jacob Barnes Florida Gulf Coast Univ. Helena

15/461 RHP Andrew Moye Georgia Southern Univ. Helena

31/941 RHP Sean Albury Nova Southeastern Univ. Helena

34/1,031 C Adam Weisenburger Miami (OH) Univ. Arizona

36/1,091 RHP Mitch Conner Elon Univ. Arizona

37/1,121 RHP Casey Medlen Univ. of North Florida Arizona

38/1,151 RHP Chad Pierce UW-Milwaukee Helena

41/1,241 3B Jalen Harris Lambrick Park SS (Toronto) Arizona

45/1,361 SS Adrian Williams UCLA Helena

48/1,451 LHP Mike Francisco Villanova Univ. Arizona

49/1,481 2B Gant Elmore Yale Univ. Helena

50/1,511 RF Matthew Franco St. Thomas Aquinas H.S. (Fla.) Arizona

Undrafted RHP Gregory Davis UC Santa Barbara Arizona

Undrafted RF Brandon Macias Univ. of Kansas Arizona

Undrafted LHP Stephen Peterson Univ. of Rhode Island Arizona

Macias was a shortstop at Kansas, so being listed as a right fielder could be a clerical error.

[jjgott]

Did anyone else find some humor in the Brewers drafting "Mitch Conner"?

 

Oh Yeah.

 

http://static.tvfanatic.com/images/gallery/cartman-and-mitch-connor_400x300.jpg

 

 

[TheCrew07]

I've been intrigued by Dowell since draft day, happy he's in the fold early... Harris playing SS in Arizona, I like that too.

[Mass Haas]

In a very well-deserved promotion, LHP Daniel Meadows (career stats) is moved from Huntsville to Nashville. No word yet from the Sounds on a corresponding roster move to make room for the 2008 49th round pick out of Temple College in Texas.

 

Meadows is the type of arm that could make a Joe Thatcher-style rise to the big leagues before long.

 

To fill Huntsville's spot, RHP Darren Byrd is activated from the DL.

 

Miscellaneous catch-ups: back on 6/4, veteran INF Anderson Machado was transferred from Nashville to Huntsville while on the Temporary Inactive List. On 6/10, Machado was moved from the TIL list to the AA 7-day disabled list, retroactive to 6/8.

 

Finally, we noticed that catcher Jhonathan Javier, a catcher / DH type who made his way from the DSL in 2009 to Maryvale in 2010, was released some time this spring.

[Mass Haas]

That was quick. See now that RH reliever Justin James, the 40-man roster spot holder who really struggled in the Sounds' 16-14 loss on Sunday, has been placed on Nashville's DL. Thus Daniel Meadows' promotion.

[tstads20]

Wow, Meadows has had pretty solid minor league numbers, never really noticed. Just adding another arm into that pen depth chart, good luck to Dan.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Media Notes:

 

MEADOWS PROMOTED FROM HUNTSVILLE, JAMES PLACED ON D.L.: Left-hander Daniel Meadows has been promoted to Nashville after going 5-2 with a team-leading 1.70 ERA (7 ER / 37.0 IP) and 31 strikeouts in 19 games for Huntsville while being named to the 2011 Southern League mid-season All-Star squad. To make room for Meadows on the Nashville roster, right-hander Justin James has been placed on the disabled list. The 29-year-old has gone 1-2 with a 4.88 ERA (13 ER / 24.0 IP), one save, and 15 strikeouts in 18 games for the Sounds this season.

[DHonks]

I thought the catcher Javier was a pretty key member of the DSL teams. Did not see that coming

[CheezWizHed]

That's kind of ironic that we announce the signing of our round 48-50 draft picks for this year and then announce that a former 49th round pick moves up to AAA.

[Mass Haas]

On the third undrafted free agent signee announced above --

 

Gauchos sign contracts with MLB teams

Two UC Santa Barbara baseball pitchers signed free agent deals in the last week following the Major League Draft.

Greg Davis, a 22-year-old 6-foot-4 right-hander, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. Beck Wheeler, a 6-foot-3 right-hander, signed with the New York Mets.

Davis was one of the Gauchos' most reliable pitchers this past season, working as both a starter and a closer. He finished with a 6-5 record and a 3.40 ERA - best amongst UCSB starting pitchers. Davis began the season as the Gauchos' closer and Sunday starter, but earned his way to the Friday starting spot. "While I was a little disappointed my name wasn't called during the draft, I am very excited to join the Milwaukee Brewers organization and get a chance in the professional ranks," Davis said. "This is obviously something every player dreams about - becoming a pro - and I am thrilled to be able to take this next step in my career."

 

UCSB Player Profile Page

[Mass Haas]

From Chris Mehring of the Rattlers --

 

Some roster moves: OF Robbie Garvey & SS Yadiel Rivera down to Helena. OF Chad Stang & INF Mike Brownstein (Brownstien down from Brevard, as noted above) join team in Peoria tonight.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Media Notes:

KOTTARAS CALLED UP BY BREWERS; ARLIS ACTIVATED: Catcher George Kottaras had his contract purchased by the Brewers this morning and will join the club in Chicago today. He fills the roster spot of Wil Nieves, who was outrighted by Milwaukee. Kottaras was red-hot at the dish for the Sounds, hitting safely in 19 of his final 23 PCL games at a .395 clip (34-for-86). To fill Kottaras’ spot, catcher Patrick Arlis was activated from the Sounds’ disabled list. He has made only one appearance for Nashville this season.

***

The at-the-ready Arlis will give the Sounds a needed backup catcher until (and if) Wil Nieves arrives.