Link Report for Fri. 7/27 - Rogers and Jungmann venture moundward (actually Rogers bumped for big league start Sunday)

[Mass Haas]

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF!

 

All times are Central

 

Nashville: RHP Mark Rogers at home vs. Memphis (Cardinals), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime

 

Free Live Audio Link

 

Jeff Hem is the new play-by-play voice of the Sounds; follow him on Twitter @jeffhempbp; we'll link to his blog updates at On the Air…and Off

 

MiLB.TV -- for subscribers; all Nashville games, home and away, will be available to watch via MiLB.TV's $39.99 season-long package ($9.99 to pay for a single month). We imagine the audio feed is from the home team. All MiLB.TV details available at the link.

 

**********

 

Huntsville: RHP Evan Anundsen at Pensacola (Reds), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:00 gametime

 

Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Huntsville feed from the MiLB main audio page

 

Alex Cohen is the new play-by-play voice of the Stars; follow him on Twitter @alexmcohen. It's fantastic that Huntsville is returning to what will be a traditional broadcast format this year. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be broadcast.

 

MiLB.TV subsciption note: Huntsville road games in four locales (Mississippi, Tennessee, Jacksonville and Pensacola) will be broadcast.

 

**********

 

Brevard County: RHP Taylor Jungmann at Fort Myers (Twins), 6:05 PM gametime

 

Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Fort Myers feed from the MiLB main audio page

 

Once again this season, Brevard does not have its own audio coverage. It appears two teams in the Manatees North Division (within which the majority of games are played) have audio, and all six teams in the South Division have audio (at least for their home games), so there will be opportunities to listen to approx. 70% or Brevard's games this season, just all from the opponent's perspective. There are no Florida State League games on MiLB.TV this year.

 

**********

 

Wisconsin: RHP David Goforth at Kane County (Royals), 6:10 PM pre-game, 6:30 gametime

 

Free Live Audio Link - 1280 AM WNAM

 

Chris Mehring is back to do his customary fantastic work as the Voice of the Rattlers. Follow him on Twitter @CMehring; we'll link to Chris' infamous blog often -- Rattler Radio.

 

MiLB.TV -- for subscribers; Wisconsin is one of only two (Great Lakes) Midwest League clubs that have all their home games available via MiLB.TV; Chris' call provides the audio. So for the $39.95 season-long package, fans in Brewer Nation can watch all Sounds games, all Timber Rattlers home games, and Stars' road games from four Southern League locales, plus one July Helena series (11th-13th).

 

**********

 

Helena: LHP Will West at Billings (Reds), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime

 

Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Helena feed from the MiLB main audio page

 

We're lucky to have Steve Wendt back on board for another H-Crew season.

 

**********

 

Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): at the Indians' complex in Goodyear; 9:00 PM gametime; never audio for games in this league

 

**********

 

DSL Brewers: at the DSL Blue Jays, 9:30 AM, although game data won't be available until late afternoon at the earliest

[Mass Haas]

Follow Friday's action as it happens with box score / game log links:

 

Nashville

 

Huntsville

 

Brevard County

 

Wisconsin

 

Helena

 

Maryvale

 

DSL Brewers

[Mass Haas]

STANDINGS:

 

AAA - Pacific Coast League American Northern Division

 

AA - Southern League North Division

 

High-A - Florida State League North Division

 

A - Midwest League Western Division

 

Rookie Advanced - Pioneer League North Division

 

Rookie - Arizona Summer League

 

DSL - Dominican Summer League San Pedro de Macoris Division

 

***

 

NOTE: AAA Nashville does not play a split schedule. The other leagues, including the rookie leagues, do. When you click on a standings link for Huntsville, Brevard County or Wisconsin, you'll then be able to choose 1st half and/or overall standings in addition to the current 2nd half standings.

[Mass Haas]

To see tweets as to when the Link Report has been technically "completed" with available links, as well as to know when the new day's Report has been posted, please follow @Mass_Haas on Twitter.

[Mass Haas]

FWIW, I googled "venture moundward" as I've typed in the opening post headline to today's thread, and it appears those words have never been uttered, so there's that.

 

Enjoy your summer Friday!

[TooLiveBrew]

Hmm, I just noticed this in perusing Huntsville's media notes from Tuesday:

 

In addition to Stars OF Josh Prince leading the Southern League in stolen bases with 36, Pensacola BlueWahoos shortstop Billy Hamilton has taken the base paths by storm this season

Sorry I'd missed that he was leading the SL in my link reporting thus far. I'd caught that he's the leading basestealer in the Brewers organization, but not that he was tops in the SL, too. In any event, his season tally heading into tonight's game stands at 37 (37/51, 73%), which is still good for the SL lead. Hak-Ju Lee of the Montgomery Biscuits (TBR affiliate) is right on Prince's heels with 36 SBs (36/44, 82%), as is Tyler Saladino of the Birmingham Barons (CHW... 34/41, 83%).

 

In completely-semi-unrelated news, Saladino might have the creepiest player pic in all of MiLB --

 

http://www.milb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_573135.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Catching up on "rare" Huntsville video:

 

Khris Davis hits a two-run homer in the Stars' 6-1 Tuesday victory

 

(At first I thought the link above was a horrific home run call, as the ball, hit to very slight right-center, is described as going to right field with the left fielder tracking it down. Then I realized the call of "left fielder" is the position that Davis plays.)

 

Hunter Morris slugs his second longball in the Stars' 6-2 Wednesday win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos

 

And for posterity, Billy Hamilton's 113th SB this season, but his only vs. the Stars in three games thus far

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Media Notes

 

Wisconsin Media Notes

 

Both ridiculously awesome as usual for tidbit consumption...see our transaction thread for a real Sounds catcher conundrum.

 

Is this guy available?

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RYu1LaAKhQE/ToD5eSAU-ZI/AAAAAAAAA7w/fbOg7IkS2HQ/s1600/BNB%2B1977%2B05%2BMike%2BEngelberg.png

[Mass Haas]

MISTER ROGERS: Right-hander Mark Rogers has won his last three starts (3-0, 0.95 ERA, 2 ER / 19.0 IP) while striking out 20 in his 19 innings; prior to this stretch, the 26-year-old had never recorded back-to-back winning starts during his nine-year pro career. His 1.88 July ERA (5 ER / 24.0 IP) in four starts is the 4th-best mark in the PCL.

 

OK, Nashville Media Notes, you just blew me away.

[TheCrew07]

I have a hard time believing that's true, but it must be, great tidbit Nashville and MH.

[TheCrew07]

I mentioned this before but damn if it doesn't piss me off that Jack Z's group has once again built a tremendous system but this time on pitching...

 

Danny Hultzen has been a stud all year and now one my favorite RHP Taijaun Walker gets the #1 on this weeks BA Hot Sheet.

 

Finally, if all of the Billy Hamilton love wasn't enough, the best name in baseball DiDi Gregorius has taken off. It must suck to be the Reds and have 3 legitimate SS between AA and MLB. I wonder who gets moved to a different position or team and what the return will be?

 

No. 11 JUNIOR LAKE, SS

CUBS

Team: Double-A Tennessee (Chicago)

Age: 22

Why He's Here: .400/.438/.800 (12-for-30) 6 R, 3 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBIs, 1 BB, 7 SO, 2-for-2 SB

The Scoop: Lake missed all of April recovering from a back injury and his power was slow to return. He hit four homers in his first two months, but he nearly matched that total this week by crushing three bombs. This hot week has pushed his season line to .290/.341/.430, an above-average line in the Southern League. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Lake primarily played shortstop in the lower minors, but with one of the strongest arms in the minors he's played about a third of his games at third base this season.

 

IN THE TEAM PHOTO

It's been a big year for Cubs 3B Josh Vitters. After seemingly being stuck in neutral for two years, the third overall pick in the 2007 draft has put together his best year since low Class A. The 22-year-old Vitters is walking more, hitting for more power and continuing to hit for average. This week he hit .379/.419/.759 (11-for-29) with two home runs and 11 RBIs. He may not be a star in the making, but he has a decent shot at being a productive big leaguer . . .

 

With Zack Cozart playing a solid shortstop for the first-place Reds, there's no need for DiDi Gregorius any time soon, but the 22-year-old ought to make Cincinnati's decision interesting when he's ready. Gregorius batted .367/.406/.733 (11-for-30) with three home runs for Triple-A Louisville this week . . .

[TheCrew07]

BA Hot Sheet Chat

 

trok (North Side): What kind of tools does Dan Vogelbach possess? He's already been promoted, so he must be doing some good things. Is he a 1B/DH for sure?

 

 

Jim Shonerd: He's 6-foot, 250 pounds, and there's no doubt first base will be his defensive home. But, his bat can carry him. He's got tremendous raw power and enough feel for hitting to put up solid averages

Doug (Flushing): What is Gregorius's upside? Does he have any shot at the SS job in Cincinnati anytime soon between Cozart and Hamilton(who both the Reds and the entire fantasy world are praying can stick at SS)?

 

 

Jim Shonerd: Gregorius has a better chance of being a major league shortstop than Hamilton, from a defensive point of view. He's got decent offensive upside, but I can see him being the one squeezed out.

Bolita (Illinois): Javier Baez or Xander Bogaerts? Who is the better prospect?

 

 

Jim Shonerd: I'll take Baez. Better chance to stay at short and scouts see the bat being a bit louder.

[TheCrew07]

Lutz's unique journey began overseas

German outfielder working his way through Reds' system

By Benjamin Hill / MLB.com

 

http://www.milb.com/images/2012/07/26/3W4gGe8i.jpg

Donald Lutz is batting .273 with 18 homers and 58 RBIs this season. (Ricky Bassman/MiLB.com)

 

A quick glance at Donald Lutz's MiLB.com profile doesn't reveal anything out of the ordinary. Visitors to the page learn that he's a 23-year-old first baseman (and now, outfielder) in the Cincinnati Reds organization, recently promoted to the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos after bashing 17 home runs over 63 games with the Class A Advanced Bakersfield Blaze. He's 6-foot-3, bats left, throws right and was born in Watertown, N.Y.

 

And not only has the power-hitting Lutz recently made the leap to Double-A, but he's currently on the Reds' 40-man roster as well. With this sort of baseball pedigree, it's easy to assume that he grew up immersed in the sport -- playing on the local youth fields by day and, perhaps, rooting on the New York-Penn League's Watertown Indians at night.

 

Except, no. Lutz was born 1989 to an American serviceman father and a German mother, and when his parents divorced the following year, he relocated with his mother to her native Germany. He grew up in Friedberg, located in the southwest portion of the country. Lutz describes Friedberg as "a small town, with about 60,000 people. Real nice place, the closest big town is Frankfurt."

 

And in Friedberg, as with virtually all of Germany, baseball is a sporting afterthought. Lutz grew up playing handball and hockey, but playing baseball -- let alone making a living at it -- was never something that crossed his mind.

 

Late bloomer

 

Lutz can't remember exactly when it was that he played baseball for the first time but guesses that it was at the age of "15 or 16." The impetus was his brother, Sascha, who is five years older. Sascha had began to play baseball himself -- he is now a member of the German National Team -- and one day he invited Donald to come along and watch him practice. It was love at first sight.

 

Almost.

 

"They gave me a chance to start hitting, and I hit right-handed at first because I threw with my right hand," recalled Lutz. "And it just didn't feel natural. I said, 'I don't know, this is not my thing,' but then [sascha] told me to try hitting the other way. So I started swinging left-handed and crushing the ball everywhere. From then on it was a lot of fun -- hitting the ball, watching it carry, watching other people hit -- it was all a fun time. Like, 'Okay, let's do this.' ... A week later they had me on the field, and I didn't know what I was doing. They just told me to swing the bat. I remember that my first at-bat was an inside-the-park home run. The next three, I struck out."

 

The baseball bug may have bit Lutz at a late age, but once it did, there was no going back. The next couple of years were a whirlwind of activity, as his sporting career ascended to heights that he had, quite literally, never imagined.

 

"As soon as I started playing, I tried to learn about the game. They don't show baseball [on TV] in Germany, so I went online -- MLB.com and all that," said Lutz. "After a year of playing, I switched to the second-highest league in Germany and started swinging a wooden bat. Before I knew it, I was on the German national team. "We started traveling and playing in international competitions, and a bunch of Americans came over and ran clinics for us. ... Soon I switched to the Regensburg Academy, a baseball academy that MLB actually supports, because prospects come out of there. They have a really good program set up, and I was working on my skills every day. Before it had been practice one day a week, and then games on the weekend. Now they were teaching us the proper way, school every morning and baseball the rest of the day."

 

But throughout most of this time, Lutz maintains that he was still playing for fun more than anything else. "I didn't even know what Minor League Baseball was," he says, and it wasn't until a scout approached him in 2006 that he realized that he might be able to play professionally.

 

"[The scout] asked for my email, and I thought, 'Why would he want that?'" Lutz said. "He explained that there was a chance that I could play in America, and that's when I started Googling the Minor Leagues."

 

The Mets and Twins showed interest in Lutz, but he was signed by Reds scout Jim Stoeckel on July 15, 2007, as an international free agent. The following season, at the age of 18, he returned to the country of his birth and embarked on his still ongoing professional baseball odyssey.

 

Ramblin' man

 

Save for one week-long family vacation, Lutz had never spent time in the United States after age 1. But the Reds have given him one heck of a thorough tour, as thus far his career has taken him from sweltering Sarasota, Fla., backlots to the wide open spaces of Billings, Mont., to the Dayton Dragons' perpetually sold-out Midwest baseball carnival to the no-frills WPA-era environs of Bakersfield's Sam Lynn Stadium.

 

And now here he is in Pensacola, home of the Blue Wahoos.

 

"I had to Google that one, too," said Lutz, of hearing his team was named after a fish indigenous to the region. "I got my hat and said 'Oh, what's that? A Blue Wahoo?' ... But it's real nice out here, everything's top notch -- the field, the fans and this stadium, right on the water."

 

Lutz speaks in similarly charitable terms about all of the places he's been along the way, but there's no doubt that the American lifestyle has taken some getting used to.

 

"Everything is so spread out here," he said. "[in Germany] you can walk or take your bike, and the public transportation is really good so you don't have to worry. It seems like here, you need a car. And the food, everyone eats fast food every day. Back home there was one Burger King, but it's not a regular thing."

 

The level of competition has taken some getting used to as well. After dealing with some injuries earlier in the season, Lutz says that his goal now is to "finish strong" while continuing to hone his outfield skills after spending most of the year manning first base.

 

"I like both [positions], actually, but I'm starting to like the outfield a little better," he said. "I'm getting better reads on the ball, so it's been more fun."

 

Meanwhile, in September, Regensburg will serve as the host of the first qualifying pool of the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Lutz says that he'd like to represent Germany in the tournament, but that his main goal at the moment is to be selected for the prospect-laden Arizona Fall League.

 

There is still much to be determined, and those interested in learning more about Lutz and his unorthodox baseball journey can follow him on Twitter at @braunerhulk. "Brauner hulk," which translates to "brown hulk" in English, has been Lutz's nickname ever since his early days of bashing baseballs out of the park.

 

"Someone called me that when I first started playing, because I was way bigger than the other kids," he recalled. "And then, at one of the tournaments, I wore a jacket under my jersey. I looked really big, and after that everyone called me [brauner hulk]."

 

But no matter what you call him, Lutz's current mission in life is simple. In fact, his Twitter bio explains it all: "I wanna be the first German in the big leagues!"

[jjfanec]

Greinke gets traded and Rogers is skipped in his start. Will he get called up?

[TheCrew07]

Greinke gets traded and Rogers is skipped in his start. Will he get called up?

 

I wasn't going to speculate until my game summary but that does look like what has happened.

[trwi7]

Melvin confirmed Rogers is coming up.

[brewmann04]

It sounded like that was the plan according to Doug Melvin.

[Mass Haas]

Audio from Nashville — “(Donovan) Hand on Hand”

 

Jeff Hem's note -- Tonight’s interview is with Sounds reliever Donovan Hand, who owns a 1.40 ERA over his last 16 appearances. He discusses his upcoming start on Sunday in Game 2 of a doubleheader, what it would mean for the Sounds to get to .500 (they’re nine under) after a rough start to the season, how much enjoyed seeing his pal, Jim Henderson, make his major league debut on Thursday night and what things are like for a Triple-A player surrounding the July 31 trade deadline.

 

***

 

Very enjoyable listen...

[X-TAI]

Another HR for Khris Davis out in the ocean somewhere. Wow.. Stars trail by 1..

[X-TAI]

A run scoring triple for Billy Hamilton.wow that kid is fast..

[Mass Haas]

Brewers 2012 2nd round OF prospect supreme Tyrone Taylor has returned to Maryvale from Helena as per H-Crew broadcast. Rehabbing an arm injury -- exact nature and/or severity unknown.

[homer]

Another HR for Khris Davis out in the ocean somewhere. Wow.. Stars trail by 1..

 

 

And now a double. Kid can slug that's for sure.

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Media Notes

 

***

 

The Brewers will need to make room for all three newcomers from the Greinke trade at the AA level. Their roster is currently full at 25.

 

One pitcher will likely move up to backfill Mark Rogers' spot.

 

Look for all that to happen Sunday, when the Stars return to Huntsville to face first-place Chattanooga. The "Angel Three" (Doug's Angels instead of Charlie's Angels?) won't be in Pensacola for the road trip finale Saturday. Scott Martens and his staff certainly looking to set up Huntsville accommodations now for the trio.

[TooLiveBrew]

One pitcher will likely move up to backfill Mark Rogers' spot.

*cough* Hiram Burgos *cough*