Minor League Transaction Thread

[Mass Haas]

First, a link to the pre-draft transaction thread

 

***

 

Now we kick off the new thread --

 

The first 2012 draft pick to sign tweeted a picture of his contract.

 

21st round RHP Austin Blaski, RHP, Marietta College

 

Marietta is the Division 3 two-time champion, having just won the national tournament in Appleton.

 

Current Timber Rattler and now Midwest League All-Star RHP Mark Williams was signed out of independent ball last summer. His college career was also at Marietta, so he'll be thrilled.

 

From earlier this week --

 

Blaski's focus now is upcoming draft

By Ben Federici, Findlay (Ohio) Courier Staff Writer

 

MARIETTA -- Austin Blaski's resume is pretty impressive:

 

-- Two-time All-American.

 

-- American Baseball Coaches Association Division III Pitcher of the Year in 2012.

 

-- 2011 NCAA Division III World Series MVP.

 

-- Major League prospect.

 

But if you ask the former Pandora-Gilboa student-athlete what his favorite award is, none of those accolades will be mentioned.

 

Instead, he will tell you about how his Marietta College team won back-to-back NCAA Division III national championships.

 

"(Assistant) Coach (Mike) Deegan told us before that final game that we had a chance to be 'the greatest of all time' at Marietta," Blaski said of the Pioneers, who defeated Wheaton (Mass.) College 7-2 in the championship game of the NCAA Division III World Series last week.

 

"We needed different guys to step up every game. It took everyone we had to get it done. We all wanted to prove ourselves. All 25 guys on the roster made big contributions."

 

Marietta head coach Brian Brewer speaks highly of Blaski's contributions on the field as well as off.

 

"There is not a selfish bone in that young man's body," Brewer said. "He is just a great all-around guy, mild mannered, professional and gives you everything he's got every time out."

 

Blaski was originally headed to Heidelberg. Instead he was steered toward Marietta by his high school coach Larry McCullough, who played for the Pioneers in the early '90s.

 

In his freshman year, Blaski, who entered college as a shortstop, had to adjust to becoming a full time pitcher.

 

"It took a lot of work," Blaski said. "I completely changed my mechanics and I had to learn how to pitch, what pitch to throw when, and how to change spots."

 

Blaski credits the Marietta coaching staff and his teammates with his transformation from position player to pitcher.

 

Blaski showcased his mental and physical preparation by leading the Pioneers in innings pitched as a junior and senior, throwing 110 innings this season, only 17 shy of the Marietta all-time record.

 

The final 25 1/3 of those innings came in over 14 days during the regional and national tournaments. He made four starts, allowing just nine earned runs.

 

"He is a perfect gentleman, but when he gets on that mound he is a heck of a competitor," Brewer said. "Its fun to watch."

 

Some of that tenacity might be attributed to his pregame ritual. Before every start, Blaski made sure to find his dad, Steve Blaski, who would give his son a Snickers bar and a pep talk after he was done warming up.

 

"He did it before my first start this year and I pitched well, so he just kept doing it," Austin Blaski said.

 

Going into his last start May 29, Blaski led all NCAA divisions with 13 wins. He admits, though, to not being fully satisfied.

 

"I gave up the lead (in his final start) and forced our coaches to use extra pitching to get through," Blaski said. "That 14th win could have made it easier for the team to win."

 

Blaski definitely made it easier for his teammates. In his 16 appearances, the Pioneers went 15-1 as he held opposing batters to a .202 average and posted a 1.23 earned run average.

 

Blaski finished his college career by earning his second D-III national championship ring. Now he turns his attention to the Major League Baseball first-year player draft.

 

"I have worked as hard as I could for the past four or five years," Blaski said.

[And That]

The first 2012 draft pick to sign tweeted a picture of his contract.

 

...and then apparently thought better of it and deleted the photo. I'm sure the Brewers nudged him a little on that one.

[Mass Haas]

RHP Ronald "R.J." Johnson (2010 stats), the Brewers 36th round pick in 2010 out of a Mississippi high school, has been released, as per Baseball America.

 

Johnson missed all of 2011 with what the Brewers listed as "right shoulder impingement syndrome", it's unclear if he underwent surgery at any time. As recently as a couple of weeks ago he tweeted about his first mound effort in a long time, but apparently it wasn't to be.

 

Good luck, young man, parlay any Brewer promises of college money into a nice future.

[Mass Haas]

Stole the two-way player from the University of Tennessee with a 16th round pick, drafted as a first baseman. Below is from the Tennessee site.

 

ADAM GIACALONE (1B / Shawnee, Kansas)

 

One of the top junior college players in the country, Adam Giacalone is entering his second season at Neosho Community College. In his first year, the Shawnee, Kansas, native was spectacular at the plate and on the mound, claiming NJCAA First-Team All-American honors as well as all-region and all-conference accolades while leading the Panthers to a 29-7 record. A right-handed pitcher and first baseman, Giacalone went 10-1 with a 2.10 ERA and four complete games in 12 starts, spanning 83.3 innings on the mound, while pulling double-duty at the plate where he hit at a .396 clip with 18 home runs and 102 RBIs in 60 games.

 

Coach Dave Serrano on Giacalone: “We feel that Adam is possibly the top junior college player in the country. He was recruited by TCU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Nebraska among many others and has a chance to be an impact player for us immediately, both with his bat and on the mound.”

 

Giacalone on Tennessee: “I chose UT because I felt really comfortable on my visit and the teammates were awesome. The whole coaching staff sold it for me just with the history they have, especially together. It really felt like a family relationship

 

***

 

2012 Stats

 

His own tweet

 

***

 

Signing bonus update

 

After the 10th round, teams are limited to $100K bonuses. Those bonuses do not count against the bonus pool. Any dollar amount over $100K counts against the bonus pool. In essence, the "slot" value of every pick from round 11 to 40 is $100K.

 

***

 

Contract photo

[DHonks]

Great news on signings, but I feel bad for RJ Johnson. There was an article at the time regarding how the Brewers were going to let him play both ways, then he got hurt. Best of luck in the Indy leagues

[DKM4Boston]

Not sure if this was posted elsewhere, but Victor Roache signed for $1,525,000.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/2012/06/roache-brewers-agree-on-1-525-million/

[Mass Haas]

Thank you, sir. We'll build Brewerfan Player Index Pages for these signed draft picks as the Helena / Maryvale seasons draw near.

 

Here's Roache's PerfectGame report from our Draft Forum.

[Mass Haas]

Two more draft signings -- 30th round Flagler College RHP Jono Armold and 33rd round BYU RHP Austin Hall, drafted as a RHP, but a player who did almost anything but pitch in his college career.

[Mass Haas]

12th round RHP RHP Eric Semmelhackout of UW-Milwaukee (and Oak Creek) just tweeted his good news.

[Mass Haas]

Brewers land Otterman in MLB draft

By John Kurucz, Coquitlam Now (British Columbia, Canada)

 

With the Milwaukee Brewers now in command of his future, Coquitlam's David Otterman will now look to return the favour.

 

Taken in the seventh round - 245th overall - by the Brew Crew on Tuesday, Otterman and those around him know that velocity and arm strength can only get you so far.

 

Now, it's all about location, location, location. "By no means is my delivery perfect," Otterman told The NOW Wednesday. "There are some things in there that I have to clean up, and if I can get my velocity up a few more miles an hour and the command is there, then the results should come."

 

Listed at six-foot-three, the left-handed UBC product was the highest B.C.-born player taken in this week's Major League Baseball draft. As of Sunday, Otterman will report to Helena, Montana, where he'll suit up with the Helena Brewers, the MLB club's advanced rookie team that plays out of the Appalachian League.

 

"I didn't really have any idea going into the draft where the Brewers had me or anything like that," Otterman said. "When they took me I was shocked. It was crazy."

 

That's not to suggest the Brew Crew didn't have a good look at the life-long Coquitlam minor baseball product. Otterman attended a one-day, pre-draft workout in the Wisconsin city last week and was suitably impressed by what life in the bigs could look like.

 

"As far as the experience went, it was incredible. To be able to play at Miller Park, or any big league park like that, is an absolute privilege," he said. "I thought I threw the ball really well there, and obviously they did too."

 

That he threw the ball really well in his third year at UBC helped get the scouts attention, as Otterman struck out 69 batters while posting a 5-4 record. His earned run average sat at 2.96, while he kept opposing batters to a .196 batting average.

 

In fact, it was only during this past season that at least one member of his family thought Otterman's big-league aspirations would come to fruition. His stepfather Steve recalled a game in May during which Otterman's advisor left little to the imagination as it pertained to David's future.

 

"In his Texas drawl, he said to us 'There's not much there not to like. I want to get this boy into a warm climate where I can really see how he can throw,'" Steven recalled.

 

"At that moment I knew things were getting pretty serious. We are just over the moon about David being drafted."

 

UBC coach Terry McKaig had a front row seat as the scouts routinely came to get a look at Otterman, particularly over the course of the most recently completed campaign. However, drawing a line between what was needed in the here and now, and what's looked at for future success, proved to be a balancing act for McKaig's staff.

 

"The tough thing for a guy like David this year was that every time out, there were numerous, numerous scouts in attendance. The No. 1 they're there to see is what their radar gun says, so David is forced to throw as hard as he can almost every single pitch. Well, that's not always the recipe for success in terms of throwing where it's supposed to go. So you're kind of caught in between these factors."

 

A life-long Coquitlam resident, Otterman came up through Coquitlam Minor Baseball before making the jump to the Coquitlam Reds of the B.C. Premier Baseball League for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

 

"He was a dominant left-handed pitcher in the league," said Reds manager Kyle Williams, who was still serving as the club's assistant during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. "He threw hard, he had a really curve ball and he was wild. His pitch count was always up, but my understanding is that he's really fixed that at UBC. He has learned to throw strikes and it's taking him to the next level.

 

Not only did Otterman leave his mark on the league during those two years, he also left his name in the club's record books: his 11 wins in 2008 sees him tied for the third most wins in a season in franchise history.

 

"David's come right up through Coquitlam - he's a true Coquitlam kid," Williams said. "Right from the days at Mackin Yard in little league and all the way through to us, so it's a really good to see a Coquitlam kid getting to the next level because of the programs in this city."

[Mass Haas]

More on 16th round 1B Adam Giacalone, including a local news video / audio interview report

[Mass Haas]

We're going to place this young man in the signed category --

 

Link to article, text pasted below --

 

Former St. Cloud State pitcher Nick Anderson was chosen in the 32nd round by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 995th overall selection.

 

Anderson transferred to Mayville (N.D.) State for his senior year after spending his first three years at SCSU.

 

Anderson went 2-2 with a 3.27 ERA in eight starts for Mayville this spring.

 

Anderson was working on his sister’s car at his parent’s home in Brainerd when he found out the news.

 

“My mom and my sister came running out of the house and they were just frantic. I figured it out pretty fast after that,” Anderson said.

 

I got a call a few minutes later from the scout. I just stood their in shock.

 

“My mom was crying and shaking. I didn’t know what to do. I’m just glad I’m getting the opportunity.”

 

Anderson knew the Brewers were probably going to take him. He worked out at Miller Park last week with Milwaukee scout Drew Anderson.

 

“They were giving me the most attention,” Anderson said.

 

“That was the only workout I did for a team. After I went to Milwaukee, I really wanted to go there.”

 

Anderson said he expected to sign with Milwaukee as soon as Wednesday evening. Once Anderson signs his contract, he’ll be assigned to rookie ball.

[Mass Haas]

We won't put him on the board quite yet, but it's just a formality. Read about Harvard LHP Brent Suter via this link.

[Mass Haas]

OnMilwaukee.com: Brewers make a dream come true for UWM pitcher Semmelhack

[Mass Haas]

We have our first high school signee -- 13th round: Alan Sharkey, 1B, Coral Springs (FL) High School

 

His Tweet

[Mass Haas]

From Chris Mehring:

 

Roster moves for the TimberRattlers: IF Carlos George to the DL (retroactive to June 7). OF Ben McMahan activated for tonight.

[Mass Haas]

Here's WSSP's audio interview with RHP Eric Semmelhack, the 12th round University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee product. Fun interview, we learn that he'll be flying directly to Helena -- no Maryvale.

[Mass Haas]

Via Adam McClavy:

 

Brewers 25th rounder Lance Roenicke, son of the skipper, signed yesterday & will report to Helena after finals at UCSB.

[Mass Haas]

You won't have trouble locating Brewers links regarding the signing of 1st round high school catcher Clint Coulter, and Adam M. indicates via Twitter that Coulter will begin his pro career with the Maryvale Brewers.

[Mass Haas]

After playing in Friday's Brevard game, 24-year-old OF Scott Krieger was told he was to report to Huntsville, Krieger's first stint at AA since an eight-game stay in 2010.

 

No word on the move to make room with the Stars, hopefully not a return to the DL for Khris Davis (conjecture).

 

The Manatees will play one short at 24 for now.

[Mass Haas]

MOBILE, Ala. – The Milwaukee Brewers and Huntsville Stars have made a couple of roster moves prior to tonight’s game against the Mobile BayBears. OF Khris Davis was placed on the disabled list, retroactive to June 7. Davis was just activated off the DL on June 4. To fill the vacant roster spot, OF Scott Krieger has been promoted from High-A Brevard County.

 

With these moves, the Stars active roster sits at 25, the Southern League limit.

 

***

 

We believe it's still the calf injury Khris can't quite shake.

[TheCrew07]

I find this Khris Davis situation especially irritating, how about sending him back to AZ where he can get regular treatment and rehabilitation?

[Mass Haas]

American Fork, Utah and Utah Valley University product Mangum signs with Brewers

Neil K. Warner - Provo (Utah) Daily Herald

 

The Major League Baseball draft came and went last week and it seemed as though so did Taylor Mangum’s chances of playing professional baseball.

 

Mangum was hoping he would be chosen in one of the 40 rounds of the draft, but when the draft ended on Wednesday and he wasn’t chosen, the American Fork native decided to get away from the disappointment and distractions of the draft.

 

Mangum spent Saturday afternoon hiking with his girlfriend in American Fork canyon. That’s when he saw one of the strangest things - his mother driving up the canyon, honking the horn, trying to get his attention.

 

“The Milwaukee Brewers have been trying to get a hold of you, they want to sign you.”

 

Free agency is a beautiful thing.

 

Mangum, 22, thought he may not get a chance to see how his 94-95 mile-an-hour fastball would fare at the next level, but now he will.

 

On Sunday, he was bound for Arizona where he will join the Brewers farm system and likely begin his career in Phoenix or in Helena.

 

If he is assigned to Helena, that means he would get a chance to pitch against the Orem Owlz. The Helena Brewers could feature three local players since BYU’s Austin Hall and Utah’s Tyler Wagner were both drafted by the Brewers.

 

“It’s a dream come true. Being at Utah Valley was a great experience for me,” Mangum said. “Dave (Carter) and Eric (Madsen) did so much for me. I’ve grown a lot and was given a great opportunity to play at home.”

 

Carter, UVU’s pitching coach, thought Mangum would be drafted somewhere between rounds 15-20. His velocity and ability to throw an above average slider and curveball made him an intriguing prospect, so he wasn’t surprised the Brewers wanted to sign him as a free agent.

 

“The dumb thing is to think you know how it’s (the draft) going to pan out. It’s like trying to predict the score of a game,” Carter said. “He’s got a chance. He’s touched 95 before and when his ball is moving and he throws strikes he’s pretty effective. He’s very capable he’s going to have a chance.”

 

Mangum finished his career at UVU with a 6-0 record. He had a 5.44 ERA in 44 innings of work.

 

Photo at link above

[Mass Haas]

As noted in our Helena thread this AM, 20th round SS Mike Garza out of Georgetown has signed and is attending workouts in Montana.

[Tedaldtada]

Sounds like Nelson got the bump to AA.

 

From Jimmy's roomie @GregHolle44:

 

Cong Raaaats to @Jimmy_J_Nelson promoted to AA. Good luck lunkhead! #hashtaaaaaag #900000forrentbymyselfnow