Minor League Transaction Thread -- From 2013 All-Star Break to 2014 Opening Week

[dacbrewers]

I'm shocked to see Jenkins and Harris on this list but I would guess that means players like Neuhaus and Castillo are pushing those guys out, which should be a good thing from our perspective.

Another shocker is Taylor Wall...is he hurt?

[TheCrew07]

Wall wasn't flashy from a stuff perspective but exhibited decent command and knew how to pitch, he was pretty awesome for WI last year. I remember posting multiple times that he should have been bumped to A+ at the break. The Brewers have this weird pattern of letting lefty relievers go early, I hope this one doesn't come back to hurt us.

 

You would think it has to be something along the lines of injury or discipline because his performance was anything but awful. He was never going to be a high strike out rate type pitcher and his walk rate was tad high, but not excessively so. He had a slower start giving up 5 runs in the first 2 months and settled in nicely as the weather warmed only giving up 7 runs the rest of the year.

[dacbrewers]

Wall wasn't flashy from a stuff perspective but exhibited decent command and knew how to pitch, he was pretty awesome for WI last year. I remember posting multiple times that he should have been bumped to A+ at the break. The Brewers have this weird pattern of letting lefty relievers go early, I hope this one doesn't come back to hurt us.

 

You would think it has to be something along the lines of injury or discipline because his performance was anything but awful. He was never going to be a high strike out rate type pitcher and his walk rate was tad high, but not excessively so. He had a slower start giving up 5 runs in the first 2 months and settled in nicely as the weather warmed only giving up 7 runs the rest of the year.

 

I'm having thoughts of Theilbar...

[TheCrew07]

... and Lucas Luetge who still has control issues but managed almost 78 MLB innings over the last 2 years.

[MTBrew]

Tough day indeed for these kids, all played in Helena at one time.

I am most surprised to see Harris on this list. Terrific athlete, clutch hitter, I thought he might have a shot with a move to 2B.

[JohnBriggs12]

As many of these on this list prove, if you aren't picked high, you don't have the luxury of an off year after a promotion. You have to keep proving it every year. McMahan is a good example. He had a fine year at Appleton in 2012 then slipped a bit at Brevard last year but in just 246 PA. Had he been a top 5 round pick, he'd undoubtedly get another shot at Brevard. But alas 23rd rounders don't get the benefit of the doubt. Indy leagues are full of guys like that.

 

Wall though is a stunner. 2.15 ERA and a 1.152 WHIP last year?? If he's healthy some organization will pick him up.

[82brewcrew11]

There has to be some back-story on some of these guys that we don't know about. I know the organization has a glut of fringy middle relief types and a similar glut of fringy infield types, but really? The organization feels better about Shea Vucinich and Greg Hopkins than it does about Renaldo Jenkins or Jalen Harris? Alan Sharkey does nothing for two years, but Weiss and Giacalone get the boot? You could probably fill two entire pitching staffs with guys 25 and older that have had worse results than Wall or Williams, but they all stick? What am I missing? In most of those cases, it certainly is not draft status.

[Mass Haas]

Just like we did in the fall when there was a batch of players released, we'll post something during the overnight tonight that properly recognizes the following players who were let go today by the Brewers:

 

RHP Jono Armold

C Brent Dean

1B Adam Giacalone

1B/3B Jalen Harris

2B Renaldo Jenkins

RHP Santo Manzanillo

OF Ben McMahan

RHP Eduard Reyes

C Tyler Roberts (previously noted)

RHP R.J. Seidel (previously noted)

LHP Taylor Wall

1B/DH Jesse Weiss

LHP Alan Williams

 

Best wishes to all these guys, it's a tough business.

 

Alphabetically on the releases specifically announced Thursday, links point to career stats via MiLB.com:

 

25-year-old RHP Jonathan (Jono) Armold, 30th round, 2012 - Armold was with the Timber Rattlers for all of 2013, tough to overcome being drafted at nearly 23 1/2 years old and then spending most of your rookie summer in Maryvale. Mike Fiers is a rare example, Fiers was nearly 24 when drafted. Helena's Steve Wendt interviewed Armold late in the 2012 season upon his arrival in Montana.

 

27-year-old C Brent Dean, undrafted out of UCLA, signed in February of 2010 after a brief independent ball stint in 2009 - Dean was also 23 when he signed, and only saw action in 104 games in his four Brewers seasons, often acting as the flex guy/bullpen catcher standing ready on the phantom disabled list. He had pursued undergrad coaching in the past, hopefully he stays in the game in some manner.

 

22-year-old 1B Adam Giacalone, 16th round, 2012, out of a Kansas community college - Apparently the Brewers focused on Giacalone's .636 OPS to begin his 2013 season at Wisconsin, and not his .842 OPS in 425 Helena at-bats. First base is crowded throughout the system, but this still seems like a tough cut. Similarly profiling and three years older Cody Hawn is still floating around the high-A level. Giacalone was a four-time interview guest of Helena's Steve Wendt in his two years there.

 

21-year-old 1B/2B/3B Jalen Harris, 41st round, 2011, out of a British Columbia, Canada high school - Harris displayed infield defensive flexibilty and posted a .732 OPS at Helena in 2013. We especially appreciated his inspirational story, as he discussed his past in athletics and how being born deaf had changed his life and his career in this July audio interview with Steve.

 

Just-turned 21-year-old 2B/SS Renaldo Jenkins, 19th round, 2011, out of a Georgia high school - So many days in the extended spring training Maryvale heat for these lower-profile high school draft picks, not an easy route. Jenkins seemed to tighten up his defense after a rough rookie campaign, but the Brewers apparently didn't see a spot for him with the Rattlers this coming summer, even in a utility role. Here's Helena media video/audio of Jenkins.

 

25-year-old RHP Santo Manzanillo, signed in the fall of 2005 out of the Dominican - Still just 25, really? We'll always have his age 17 numbers in Maryvale: 16.1 IP, 47 walks, 10 HBP! And yet his heater would eventually net him 40-man roster status. Darn that shoulder injury in a 2011 car accdent.

 

24-year-old OF Ben McMahan, 23rd round, 2011 - The University of Florida product posted an .835 OPS in 109 games as a 22-year-old at Wisconsin in 2012 and is now gone -- yikes, tough crowd. Brevard County 2013 seemed uneven - playing time, nagging injuries, but this still has the feel of a premature drop.

 

23-year-old RHP Eduard Reyes, signed out of the Dominican in February 2010 - Two and a half years in the DSL, a Maryvale stint, and then some less-than-pretty numbers during a full 2013 Helena campaign. Reyes was suspended for 50 games to begin 2011 for PED use during his rookie season. All his pre-Helena numbers had been promising.

 

(We had commented on Tyler Roberts and R.J. Seidel earlier in this thread when their releases became public.)

 

24-year-old LHP Taylor Wall, 22nd round, 2012 - Someone's going to have to explain this one to us. The Rice University product posted a 1.15 WHIP in 50.1 innings out of the Wisconsin bullpen in 2013, including a .208 BAA vs. left-handed bats. Given the organization's weak track record of producing servicable LH relief arms, this is a real puzzler. Steve Wendt spoke with Wall twice during his 2012 season there.

 

23-year-old 1B/DH Jesse Weiss, 36th round, 2013 - Weiss simply couldn't find his way into Helena's lineup last summer, just 15 games (all but two as the DH). Weiss was out of four-year Kenyon College in Ohio, and I know two Midwest League broadcasters who will be very disappointed Weiss won't be a Timber Rattler in 2014 because of a pop culture connection - twitter conversation.

 

Just-turned 24-year-old LHP Alan Williams, signed out of independent ball in May 2011 - This one stings. Williams was immediately dominant upon his signing, striking out 49 in 32.2 innings in his first go-round with the Crew at Helena and Wisconsin. This really looked like it was headed for Brandon Kintzler-type indy ball-find success. 2012 was solid if not as spectacular, and then this happened -- "received a 50-game suspension after a second positive test for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program on May 21, 2013 while with Double-A Huntsville". If that continued to be a factor in this decision (and we don't know), then it's just a shame for the young man and the organization that it didn't go differently.

[TooLiveBrew]

22-year-old 1B Adam Giacalone, 16th round, 2012, out of a Kansas community college - Apparently the Brewers focused on Giacalone's .636 OPS to begin his 2013 season at Wisconsin, and not his .842 OPS in 425 Helena at-bats. First base is crowded throughout the system, but this still seems like a tough cut. Similarly profiling and three years older Cody Hawn is still floating around the high-A level. Giacalone was a four-time interview guest of Helena's Steve Wendt in his two years there.

This is one I was surprised to see. Just 22, & was only in the system for a year+ ... ? Why make this cut at this time?

[JohnBriggs12]

22-year-old 1B Adam Giacalone, 16th round, 2012, out of a Kansas community college - Apparently the Brewers focused on Giacalone's .636 OPS to begin his 2013 season at Wisconsin, and not his .842 OPS in 425 Helena at-bats. First base is crowded throughout the system, but this still seems like a tough cut. Similarly profiling and three years older Cody Hawn is still floating around the high-A level. Giacalone was a four-time interview guest of Helena's Steve Wendt in his two years there.

This is one I was surprised to see. Just 22, & was only in the system for a year+ ... ? Why make this cut at this time?

 

Couldn't agree more. Giacalone and McMahan defy logic (other than their relatively low draft status) for an organization short on bats. You'd think the organization could have found them room someplace.

[Firstpitchstrike]

Have the Brewers decided to only keep power arms? Is this a system paradigm shift? First Luetge isn't protected, then they try to make Meadows a submariner and release him, and now Wall gets cut after posting really good numbers at low-A. All were lefties having very effective careers, but none are hard throwers. Can't understand not keeping good lefties, unless it's a velo thing. If it is that, the Brewers are being really short sighted.

[CheeseheadInQC]

I'm shocked to see Jenkins and Harris on this list but I would guess that means players like Neuhaus and Castillo are pushing those guys out, which should be a good thing from our perspective.

 

And ideally Giacalone getting cut is freeing up first for Denson. Unfortunately I fear the opposite might be true and you have several guys making return trips to Wisconsin. Your Timber Rattlers infield this year could consist of Cooper, McFarland, Arcia and Brennan with Sermo coming off the bench.

[CheeseheadInQC]

The pitching heavy drafts the past few years have created a bit of a bullpen backlog, and something had to give. However, I'm really surprised they couldn't find spots for Wall and to some extent even Williams (although as earlier noted, there could be other considerations there). Giacalone and to a slightly lesser degree Harris and Jenkins are also surprises.

 

I'm not that surprised by McMahon, though. The third spot in Huntsville along with Haniger and Richardson was the only real full season starting spot up for grabs, and I have a feeling Kjeldgaard gets that one. After that, there's a decent-sized group competing for the Huntsville and Brevard County backup outfield spots many of whom have advantages over McMahon: ability to play center (Stang), ability to play the infield (Mittlestaedt), draft status (Walla), etc. Plus, Golson or Mattison could end up getting bumped down to Huntsville. McMahon just got caught up in a numbers game.

[brewmann04]

Having a Bullpen Backlog is good to have. But now we really need to have a Starters Backlog and all be good.

[TooLiveBrew]

22-year-old 1B Adam Giacalone, 16th round, 2012, out of a Kansas community college - Apparently the Brewers focused on Giacalone's .636 OPS to begin his 2013 season at Wisconsin, and not his .842 OPS in 425 Helena at-bats. First base is crowded throughout the system, but this still seems like a tough cut. Similarly profiling and three years older Cody Hawn is still floating around the high-A level. Giacalone was a four-time interview guest of Helena's Steve Wendt in his two years there.

This is one I was surprised to see. Just 22, & was only in the system for a year+ ... ? Why make this cut at this time?

 

Couldn't agree more. Giacalone and McMahan defy logic (other than their relatively low draft status) for an organization short on bats. You'd think the organization could have found them room someplace.

My thoughts exactly. I wonder if there were some 'behind the scenes' factors.

[And That]

Usually the first list of cuts contains some pretty obvious guys, like Weiss and Dean, but I am baffled at the releases of many of these guys. I imagine there's some back story to some of them, and there'd have to be for Wall and Williams (apart from his suspension).

 

Giacalone I'm less surprised about than most of you I guess. Limited to first base and not much power or athleticism.

[djoctagone]

2009 draft pick eric arnett released.

[DocLuna7]

Kind of sad all the way around.

[pogokat]

so, have the Brewers had a first round pick that fared worse than Eric Arnett? obviously, I mean of those that signed?

[Warning Track Power]

Good riddance...

 

Nothing personal, but he just reminds me of a bad time in Brewers history with CC leaving and then the Angels getting the pick that ended up being Mike Trout due to Mark Teixeira being worth more than CC in free agency. Absolutely maddening...

[TheCrew07]

Giacalone has very little power as a 1B, that move made total sense, he didn't have much of a future. A likeable kid, but you really can't play a corner position without power.

 

Michael Reed is going to eventually wind up in the same boat, there's quite a bit to like about him as well but he's not a CF and he doesn't have the power to player a corner OF position. He could be an awesome utility guy, but he won't be an everyday player unless he finds a power stroke from someplace.

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers also announced that RHP Andre Lamontagne (career stats) retired.

 

Lamontagne turns 28 on Monday.

 

He was drafted in the 11th round of the less-than-inspiring 2009 Brewers draft. Lamontagne reached AA Huntsville and pitched well there in just his 2nd pro season, but major shoulder issues limited him to just three appearances the following two seasons.

 

This was a worthwhile feature article on Lamontagne from last April, as he began his comeback attempt with the Manatees.

 

Andre was interviewed twice on Manatees broadcasts last spring - audio.

[Mass Haas]

Alumni transaction via Baseball America's Matt Eddy --

 

Braves release LHP Thomas Keeling, whom they acquired from Brewers in Juan Francisco deal last June.

[TooLiveBrew]

Giacalone has very little power as a 1B, that move made total sense, he didn't have much of a future. A likeable kid, but you really can't play a corner position without power.

Then why bother drafting him? I know the 16th round isn't exactly the 1st, but that's just throwing a draft pick away. I guess I think I know what your feelings will be to the following, but why not take a project-type HS arm at that point? Just really frustratingly inefficient.

[nate82]

so, have the Brewers had a first round pick that fared worse than Eric Arnett? obviously, I mean of those that signed?

 

Yes, Antone Williamson a 1st round (4th pick) in 1994 and Chad Green 1st round (8th pick) in 1996. Neither made it to the majors and were higher picks than Arnett was.