Your 2014 Helena and Maryvale Rookie League Brewers -- Latest: Kodi Medeiros Audio, Troy Stokes Q&A

[MTBrew]

Not sure if the MiLB roster is accurate, or maybe there have been some moves

but Alan Sharkey has been in Helena this week.

Munoz has also been taking some infield at 2B.

[WV Brew]

Thanks MT. I'm really looking forward to following this team this year. (Also Maryvale).

[Mass Haas]

Brewers released this handy sheet today, note that 14th round Puerto Rico high school SS Jonathan Oquendo has now signed.

 

[And That]

Tanner Norton still listed as a catcher and... Liu Rodriguez?

[Mass Haas]

Tanner Norton still listed as a catcher and... Liu Rodriguez?

 

Rodriguez is on board similar to Lance Roenicke - detailed links here from last January.

[WV Brew]

Sharkey's it for 1B at both rookie teams? Norton and DeMuth have already played there. I guess they do have Denson so maybe there isn't a big need for more natural 1B.

 

It will be interesting to see what Max Walla can do on the mound. I wish him well.

[Mass Haas]

New voice of Brewers hits the air

by Amber Kuehn, Helena Independent Record

 

Radio broadcaster Dustin Daniel can think of no better way to spend his summer than by calling the action at Kindrick Legion Field.

 

Daniel, 23, replaced Steve Wendt as the voice of the Helena Brewers this season. Wendt left after 10 years to take a job with the Inland Empire 66ers in the California League.

 

“There’s just something about being at the ballpark,” said Daniel, who moved to Helena from Salem, Oregon. “Weirdly enough, I don’t really like watching baseball on TV. It really just doesn’t do it for me. But being at the ballpark is a completely different experience. So being able to call the games is a lot of fun.”

 

Daniel majored in archaeology at Willamette University, despite being interested in sports and communications since he was a freshman in high school. He thought then his dream job would be being a sportscaster for ESPN.

 

“Toward the end of high school, I just thought it was unrealistic for whatever reason,” he said. “I guess I got kind of jaded from that.”

 

So, in college he studied everything from music education to economics, and, finally, archaeology. But he began writing for the school newspaper and working for the college radio station his junior year, and it hit him.

 

“At some point it just kind of clicked with me that you can fail just as easily in something you don’t like as you can chasing your dreams,” he said. “So I figured I might as well try to become a broadcaster while I still have some time.”

 

He took an internship doing some play-by-play with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in the Northwest League last summer. It was unpaid, and Daniel estimates that some weeks he worked more than 90 hours for no money. His mom helped support him while he lived at home, trying to get whatever experience he could to eventually land his first paid gig.

 

That, he originally thought, was going to be as media relations assistant for the Helena Brewers. But when he spoke with Brewers president and GM Paul Fetz and found out they were in need of a radio broadcaster, he immediately threw his hat into the ring for the job. He sent in his reel in early March and when he came to Helena in May he interviewed and was given the job. He is serving as both the play-by-play announcer and the media relations contact. Daniel is also still working 10 nights a month as a researcher for ESPN, panning the Internet from midnight to 2 a.m. for sports news that may have broken overnight.

 

He said these first couple weeks in Helena have just been spent trying to get to know the players. The first few broadcasts went by fast. So far he is enjoying himself.

 

“People have goals of getting to the major leagues; I just want to be happy,” he said. “If that’s staying in Helena and calling games I’ll do it. I’d rather stay in Helena and be happy than be in Milwaukee and be miserable.”

 

TYING THE KNOT

 

Most players would likely list the day they signed a contract to play professional baseball as one of the best days of their life. For Helena Brewers pitcher Brandon Moore, that day was extra special for another reason.

 

Drafted by Milwaukee in 2013, Moore proposed to his girlfriend of one-and-a-half years the same day he signed his contract. He and Jackie, who has accompanied him to Helena this summer, were married this past October.

 

“I was still waiting for the ring to come in, because she has really small fingers,” he recalled of the day they were engaged. “I ended up going to Walmart that morning and buying a kind of cheap ring just to propose with because it needed to happen that day.

 

“It was cool to be able to know that I was going to start a professional career and start a new chapter in my (personal) life.”

 

After the newlyweds spent the bulk of their time since the wedding apart — they were separated all of spring training and extended spring training — they knew that it was important to spend the summer together in the Capital City.

 

“That was very tough,” Moore said of the distance between him and his new bride. “I don’t recommend being away from your spouse for any extended period of time.”

 

Jackie was only able to attend one game in Helena last season as she was doing an internship in San Francisco.

 

Moore said Jackie has been incredibly supportive through all of the ups and downs a rookie goes through.

 

“There were times, newly married, that I just wanted to stay with her and not go play,” he said. “She knew for a long time it’s what I wanted to do was play baseball. She kept me focused on what the goal was, just to play and hopefully play in the big leagues, and I’m thankful she did.”

 

The couple met while attending college at the University of Arkansas. It was a whirlwind romance.

 

Jackie has gradually come to love baseball, a sport her brother grew up playing.

 

“My dad was a football coach when I was growing up so that was my main sport,” she said. “But I’m learning baseball as we go and I’m loving it.”

 

Being married to a minor league baseball player has its challenges, she noted. The travel is intensive and so is the time and effort her husband puts in. She said they rely on their faith to get them through it and believes this is where they are meant to be.

 

“I just pray a lot,” said Jackie, who is currently applying to grad schools. “We ask God for direction in every decision we make. You’ve just gotta stay grounded.”

 

Moore isn’t the only pitcher on the Helena staff to pop the question right around the draft. Milwaukee’s 2014 third-round selection, Cy Sneed, got engaged earlier this month.

 

IN REMEMBRANCE

 

Fans may have noticed something new at the ballpark this year. A POW/ MIA chair was dedicated at Kindrick Legion Field in May, in honor of the sacrifices of service men and women who were taken as prisoners of war or went missing in action. A plaque next to the black chair says “You are not forgotten.”

 

The chair, blocked off by a silver chain, is to remain unoccupied until all are brought home or accounted for. “God Bless You. God Bless America” the plaque continues.

 

The chair was dedicated at a ceremony on May 17. Helena Brewers president and GM Paul Fetz said when he was approached about the chair he agreed it was a good idea.

 

There are still 55 POW/MIA from Montana: eight from WWII, 28 from the Korean War, 18 from Vietnam War and one from the Cold War.

 

Their names are listed on the plaque beside the chair. Dog tags that read “Keeping the promise” also hang from the plaque.

[Mass Haas]

8th round Villanova RHP J.B. Cole made his Helena debut on Thursday with two scoreless innings. Here's a detailed feature article on the 21-year-old.

[Eye Black]

For anyone looking for some video of the Maryvale Brewers batters in game action this YouTube channel has a bunch of at-bats posted from various AZL games (not just Brewers games). Here is a taste from a couple Jake Gatewood at-bats:

 

 

[Mass Haas]

Burkhalter feeling his way through the minor leagues

by Tabby Soignier, Monroe (LA) News Star

 

It’s understandable for an athlete to get a little homesick the first time he leaves the place he was born and raised.

 

It’s even more so whenever you go from a team full of players that you grew up with to the Minor League Baseball system, such as the case with former Ruston Bearcat turned professional pitcher David Michael Burkhalter.

 

“It’s the same ole, same ole,” the sixth-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers said. “You’ve still got to throw strikes and get guys out. Also, practice is a little different for me. I’m so used to being team-oriented. Here, everybody’s job is kind of like you. There’s still certain workouts and stuff, but everyone is on their own schedule.”

 

“Here,” is Arizona where the rookie league is located. Burkhalter has not had to endure the long, infamous bus rides of the minor leagues with every team being within 45 minutes, but he has been initiated into the league with his first outing.

 

The right hander made his minor league debut last Monday with the game tied against the Indians rookie league team and gave up the eventual game-winning run in his two innings of work. However, Burkhalter still managed to work through his nerves after the hits were just small and fortunate enough to fall in, instead of getting rocked and chased off the mound.

 

“I knew all day I was going to be throwing that night,” said Burkhalter, who is used to being a starting pitcher throughout his career. “It’s a little different for me coming out of the pen, being in there and being really antsy and anxious and ready to go.”

 

His name finally got called in the seventh inning.

 

“Whenever it was time, I just got up and got going,” Burkhalter said. “All the guys were making fun of me, saying, ‘You’re obviously not a bullpen guy.’ Throughout the game I was still stretching making sure I was ready. I’ve got to get used to the bullpen.”

 

Burkhalter’s parents already made the trip west to see their son’s minor league debut, which came at a good time since he admitted to feeling a little homesick in the beginning.

 

However, it does help that he has a local player to remind him of home to make the transition smoother.

 

Former Sterlington standout Chad Reeves was drafted in the 33rd round by the Milwaukee Brewers after one season at LSU-Eunice. The left hander finished his prep career in 2009 and originally signed with ULM before taking some time off from baseball.

 

Both Reeves and Burkhalter were All-NELA Pitchers of the Year following their senior seasons in high school.

 

In his one outing so far, Reeves threw one inning and gave up one hit in last Tuesday’s win against the Indians. Reeves came in with the Brewers already winning 9-1 in the eighth inning.

 

Burkhalter cut his ERA in half this past Friday night when he came on in relief with the game tied again, this time against the Padres rookie team. The righty pitched the fifth and sixth innings and allowed no runs on one hit, one strike out and one walk.

 

The pitchers are on a five-day rotation with the team on a schedule of four days on and a day off.

[Mass Haas]

DeMuth flourishing in pro ball

By Zack Eldridge, LaPorte (IN) Herald Argus Staff Writer

 

For Dustin DeMuth, getting drafted professionally and signing was the culmination of a lifelong dream.

 

After playing four years of college baseball for Indiana University, the former La Porte High School baseball standout was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth round of the Major League Baseball draft with the 146th overall pick on June 6.

 

It was the second time DeMuth was drafted. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the eighth round of last year's draft, but decided to return to IU for his senior season.

 

"I was happy to get drafted again and to get it out of the way," DeMuth said. "And I could finally find out where I was going and who I was playing for. I didn't really technically know of any certain team or didn't really lean towards any team that I thought could pick me."

 

DeMuth has begun his pro career at Helena, Montana, with the Helena Brewers, the Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

 

And he's thrived in Helena, despite playing only 11 games. Through Sunday, DeMuth is hitting .422 with six RBIs. He has 19 hits, including three doubles, a triple and a home run. He hit his first professional homer on Saturday, a solo home run.

 

DeMuth credited Indiana University for aiding his fast start in Helena.

 

"IU helped me a lot, just maturing in college," DeMuth said. "It helped me a lot. It helped me realize the game doesn't forgive much. You've got to work hard every day, and if you do go 0-for-4 or 0-for-5 one day, the next day you won't go 0-for-4. Kind of playing with an even keel, not getting too high or too low. Just trying to focus on what I can control."

 

He added he will be playing a mixture of third base and first base in Helena.

 

Prior to getting drafted, DeMuth finished his sensational college career.

 

His robust .374 batting average led the Hoosiers this past season. He also belted five home runs and had 40 RBIs. He earned All-Big Ten Conference first team honors and helped IU win the conference.

 

For his career, DeMuth hit .344 and was a two-time All-American. His 63 career doubles are the most in Hoosier history and he closed his career with the second-most hits in program history with 316. He is one of just three Indiana players to ever surpass the 300-hit mark in a career.

 

"It was a great four years," DeMuth said. "I wouldn't change any of it for anything. There were a lot of ups and downs, and I'm thankful for coach Tracy Smith for giving me the opportunity at IU. I love IU. I love everything about it. I enjoyed my time there."

 

DeMuth added the biggest adjustment between Division I college baseball and Minor League A Level baseball is kind of the manner in which the game is played.

 

"It's a little different," he said. "A little different pace, different atmospheres. I'm just kind of getting used to the way professional people think, and the way pitchers think, and the way pitchers try to attack you. Getting used to that. And getting used to playing every day, not having many days off."

[Noche]

Hey guys, seeing how our system is really breaking out, I thought it would be fun to rank prospects by current affiliate. Doing it this way sure makes it easier! It also helps me start building my tiers for our community lists.

 

US Rookie League Brewers Top 12

 

1. Kodi Medeiros - RHP: Yet to debut but I am believer.

 

2. Monte Harrison - OF: Incredible signing. Surely other teams were surprised we pulled this off. Just an .875 OPS that is OBP heavy through his 1st week+.

 

3. Jacob Gatewood - IF: Supreme talent. Good kid. If he simplifies a bit, he has all the tools.

 

4. Brandon Diaz - OF: 1.5 years younger than PL average with a 137 OPS+. Huge sleeper nationally. Already matched 2013 HR total in 126 fewer AB’s.

 

5. Devin Williams - RHP: Long, loose and with juice. Shaved off 2 BB/9 in 2014 while striking out a batter per inning. High grade prospect.

 

6. Tucker Nuehaus – 3B: Reports have been promising and the BB’s and power are up so far this year. Good candidate to have a big 2nd half.

 

7. Milton Gomez - RHP: Projectable guy who has had success at every stop. If stuff can tick up, he will skyrocket.

 

8. Cy Sneed - RHP: Pitching well in Montana so far. Has a SP repertoire.

 

9. Dustin DeMuth - IF: Very similar skill set to Hunter Morris with a little less pop and a little more contact.

 

10. Troy Stokes - OF: Spark plug type who will probably bat in front of Gatewood and Harrison his whole career. ++ Speed.

 

11. Daniel Leonardo - IF: Switch hitting middle IF with an idea at the plate. Dynamic.

 

12. Carlos Belonis - OF: Built like Carlos Gomez. Similar offensive profile. Huge potential.

[Mass Haas]

Fun tweet from @BrewersPD:

 

LHP Kodi Medeiros is scheduled to make his professional debut on Friday, July 11 at home against the AZL White Sox. Good seats are still available.

[dacbrewers]

When does the other guy from Hawaii ( Jordan Yamamoto ) start pitching?

[TheCrew07]

When does the other guy from Hawaii ( Jordan Yamamoto ) start pitching?

 

This reminded me that Benjamin Onyshko still hasn't signed, he's the last player I'd really want from the 2014 draft class, mostly because we don't have enough lefties and one can always dream on a HS player picking up 2-3 MPH. One of the articles I read said that he was leaning towards going to college but I'm still hopeful.

 

To answer your question I'm not sure, he didn't sign right away, but I would expect him to start pitching sometime here after Medeiros.

[Mass Haas]

Congrats to Helena RHP Brandon Moore, named the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week.

 

In two extended relief outings, Moore tossed six innings of scoreless ball, allowing only four hits, no walks, while fanning five.

 

The 22-year-old Moore was drafted in the 17th round of the 2013 draft out of the University of Arkansas.

[Eye Black]

After a curveball in travel plans, baseball player gets a lift from Horizon

By Cole Cosgrove / Alaska Air

 

When a recently promoted minor-league baseball player mistakenly got off the airplane in the wrong city, a Horizon Air employee stepped up to the plate to deliver him to his final destination 90 miles away.

 

Customer service agent Andrew Joshu drove from Great Falls, Montana, to Helena to help Sthervin Matos make it to the ballpark just in time for the first pitch.

 

Moments later, in his first game with his new team, Matos hit a home run.

 

“I just want to say thank you for everything they did for me,” Matos said this week through an interpreter. “That’s something not a lot of people would do. They gave me good treatment and they were really nice. One day, if I get called up (to the Major League team), I am still going to remember what they did for me.”

 

Lost in translation

 

The third-base prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers organization started his day July 5 in Phoenix, where he was promoted from the team’s training facility in Arizona to the Helena Brewers. The organization bought his plane ticket that morning and sent him to Seattle, then to Montana.

 

When his Alaska Airlines flight operated by Horizon made a scheduled stopover in Great Falls, the eager 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic stepped off the plane, ready to impress his new team and take the next step up in his fledging professional baseball career.

 

The only problem: he should have stayed onboard until the flight reached Helena. The brief stopover was lost in translation for Matos.

 

By the time Matos realized his mistake, the plane had continued on without him.

 

“I was feeling good because I had been called up,” Matos said later. “But at that time, I was feeling a little bit down.”

 

Matos approached the customer service agents at the gate.

 

“The coach said I have to be in the game tonight,” he told them.

 

Door-to-door service

 

The next flight to Helena wasn’t until 11:30 p.m. – too late to make it to the game. The only bus between the cities had already left for the day and a taxi would have been expensive. Matos doesn’t have a driver’s license, so he couldn’t rent a car.

 

“Luckily, it’s pretty rare that someone mistakenly gets off,” said Miranda Holmstrom, a Horizon customer service agent who tried to find alternate transportation for Matos. “But Saturday was one of those days.”

 

Instead of a three-mile hop to the ballpark from the Helena Airport, Matos faced a 90-mile drive from Great Falls, which takes more than an hour. It looked as if Matos would miss his Pioneer League debut.

 

“He was definitely worried about it – he was adamant that the coach told him to be in the game that night,” Joshu said. “That’s when I thought, let’s just take him. I was getting off work and it’s a beautiful drive, so I figured, why not? It worked out.”

 

Joshu stopped at a grocery store to buy Matos a red Powerade sports drink and they were on their way.

 

“He’d never been to Montana,” Joshu said. “He said we have a very beautiful state, which we do,”

 

Going the extra mile

 

Joshu, who has worked for Horizon in Great Falls for almost 10 years, has made the drive to Helena or even Bozeman for customers who were confused or don’t speak English. For him it’s what it means to say “I am Alaska,” where he quite literally goes the extra mile in the name of customer service.

 

Joshu dropped off Matos at the front gates of Kindrick Legion Field in Helena with a mere 15 minutes to spare, but with just enough time to take a picture.

“I’ve been following his stats, and he’s been tearing it up ever since he got to Helena,” Joshu said. “I got a picture with him and an autograph. Maybe someday he’ll be a Major Leaguer and I can tell my kids that story.”

 

In the fourth inning, Matos, batting cleanup, crushed his first home run for the team.

The ball sailed about 415 feet and appeared to hit the side of the house across the street from the stadium, according to The Independent Record newspaper.

 

“That’s a testament to him, showing pretty good fortitude,” Helena Brewers manager Tony Diggs told the Record. “He traveled all day and he comes in and makes an impact. Was he a little tired? Maybe. But I think adrenaline takes over.”

 

Adrenaline, and a lift from Horizon.

 

http://alaskaairblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/baseball-player-sthervin-matos-with-andrew-joshu.jpg?w=999&h=600&crop=1

[TooLiveBrew]

Great find, EyeBlack!

[Hammer]

That's an AWESOME story....nice find!

[Mass Haas]

Josh Uhen, Tyler Willman tackle pro baseball together

Jake Van Camp, thenorthwestern.com (Oshkosh)

 

When Josh Uhen was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth round of the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft, he went into the draft process blind. He had no idea what to expect, or how to prepare for it.

 

When Tyler Willman was preparing for the same thing this year, Uhen made sure Willman didn't have that same helpless feeling.

 

Now, despite being nearly 1,200 miles apart, they've formed an even tighter friendship in the minor leagues as they continue their quest in professional baseball.

 

Willman, a former Oshkosh West standout, was drafted in the 12th round by the Oakland Athletics on June 7 and was sent to Arizona for Rookie League. He said despite the distance between Phoenix, Arizona and Helena, Montana — where Uhen plays for the Helena Brewers — Uhen has been with him every step of the way.

 

"Me and (Josh) have been talking back and forth all summer, we've talked through the whole process leading up to the draft and everything and he said to just have fun with it," Willman said. "He texted me on draft day and said congrats and we've been checking up on each other every couple weeks just to make sure everything is alright."

 

A former Oshkosh North pitching standout, Uhen was just happy to see someone he knew going through the same thing he did. He enjoyed helping in the process.

 

"It's definitely a cool experience for the both of us," Uhen said. "We've always been good friends, growing up and playing on the same teams, so when I went through (the draft process) everything was new to me and I had to lean on teammates that I played with at UW-Milwaukee and kind of teaching myself.

 

"It was actually fun giving him pointers and ideas that I went through. It was cool how it all worked out."

 

After a year in the Arizona rookie league in which Uhen posted a 2-6 record with a 4.54 ERA in 14 appearances, he struggled out of the gate this summer with the Helena Brewers in the Pioneer League.

 

Over his last six appearances however, he seems to have figured something out.

 

Uhen posted an 8.10 ERA through his first six outings — three starts and three relief appearances with Helena — but has since gone 0-2 with a 2.86 ERA in 21 innings. During that time he's allowed only 17 hits and three walks while striking out 12.

 

"This year I've definitely improved on throwing strikes, I've cut my walk percentage almost in half and I just have a better feel for what I'm doing out there," Uhen said. "My feel for being on the mound has changed night and day compared to last year."

 

Uhen also got some great news late last week, learning he's been invited to advanced instructional league with the Milwaukee Brewers. The advanced instructional league is a league full of players that the professional club sees as more advanced lower-level prospects.

 

He will be there from September 14 through October 12, down in Maryvale, Arizona.

 

"When I found out I was (going), it was cool, it's definitely a positive thing that the organization sees me in a positive light and I'm excited to get down there," Uhen said.

 

Roughly 10 of his teammates from Helena will also be there.

 

Willman has struggled a bit in the Arizona rookie league, posting a 0-2 record with a 6.35 ERA in 17 innings. He has racked up 21 strikeouts in those limited innings, but admits it has taken some adjusting getting used to baseball being a full time job.

 

"It's definitely a big jump," Willman said "You go from school where you have practice five times a week for three hours a day and then you come here and it's every single day. I'm here from 1:30-9:30 p.m. every single night, so it's really a full time job. But I love it."

 

The biggest adjustment Willman said he needs to make his learning how to become a pitcher instead of a thrower. He said in professional baseball, everyone can hit pitches out over the plate, no matter how hard pitchers throw.

 

"They draft you as a thrower, but they're going to teach you how to be a pitcher," Willman said. "Just little things like working the inside and outside corners that weren't really a big deal in college are preached and stressed big time here."

[Mass Haas]

Kyle Lobner linked to this in his Frosty Mug this AM --

 

Arizona League Breakdown: Milwaukee Brewers

 

Focuses on all the top picks, naturally, but still some worthwhile first-hand insights...

[Mass Haas]

From Wednesday --

 

Speaking of consistent, 20-year-old 3rd year pro and undrafted Puerto Rico signee RHP Joshua Torres simply forces me to mention him each and every outing (14 appearances, seven starts), WHIP now 1.10 in 51.2 innings, kudos, sir.

 

Baseball America's Matt Eddy pointed out to me that Torres won the Arizona Rookie League ERA crown (1.92, ERA 1.18 in final ten appearances).

[Mass Haas]

Miller Park Prospects: Brad's alphabetical player-by-player review of the Maryvale squad, everyone's included.

[Mass Haas]

Miller Park Prospects - Helena review

[Mass Haas]

Chris Mehring does a nice job consolidating the Baseball America Rookie Leagues Brewer-related chat material at his blog.