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Your 2017 Biloxi Shuckers

Mass Haas

By Mass Haas,
in Brewers Minor League Talk

Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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We will begin to see some formal minor league roster announcements soon. The formal announcement will come directly from the Shuckers, not the Brewers. All four minor league affiliates will likely send out their press releases within an hour or so of each other once the Brewers have given them the official go-ahead to do so.

 

Opening Night is Thursday 4/6!

 

NOTE: Last season, the affiliates released their rosters on Monday AM (as if the Brewers' big league season opener didn't make it a busy enough day!)

 

Feel free to link to any formal notices you see here.

 

Often we learn via farmhand tweets, who has been assigned where, prior to the formal affiliate announcements. We'll link to any of those posts in this thread as they come out.

 

As you might know, we use the "Your 2017" threads to post and link to feature stories that are outside the scope of game activity covered in the Daily Link Report.

 

These threads have become among the most popular for viewing here, and we look forward to kicking them off formally.

 

Please don't speculate here at this time, this is an anxious time for many on the farm, and unfortunately we're also likely going to learn about more player releases in the next few days, in addition to those players excited about their assignments.

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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AUDIO via Chris Harris' Shuck Dynasty Blog Sun. 4/2: "Chris previews the 2017 Biloxi season and is joined by special guests LHP Nick Ramirez, 2016 Shuckers' RHP Brandon Woodruff and Brewers Farm Director Tom Flanagan"

 

The Ramirez and Woodruff interviews were also linked on this forum last week in YouTube form, so you may have seen those. The Flanagan chat begins at the 16:05 minute mark at the link above.

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Greenleaf1 Draft Eligible

Greenleaf1

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Nathan Kirby isn't listed here or with Carolina, anybody heard what's up with him. Is he staying in Arizona for extended ST?

 

Looks like I got my answer:

 

Tom‏ @Haudricourt

He might be held back in spring training for a bit. Was a little behind Taylor Williams in recover from Tommy John surgery.

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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FYI - Converted catcher, now RHP, Parker Berberet was formally placed on the Helena paper roster. Not sure if he'll be with the Biloxi squad in person or in extended spring training in Maryvale.

 

Note that catcher Natanael Mejia is listed as being on the "Temp Inactive" roster with Biloxi.

 

Status of RHP's Junior Rincon and Josh Uhen unknown...

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Nottingham, Roache lead Shuckers to 6-0 win over the William Carey Crusaders

1,504 attend benefit exhibition to raise funds for tornado relief

 

***

 

VIDEO: Nottingham goes deep

 

"I'm just trying to get a good pitch to hit and hit something hard," Nottingham said. "I got a good pitch and put a good swing on it."

 

Nottingham appears in good shape headed into Thursday's season opener at Montgomery.

 

"I had my ups and downs (during the spring)," he said. "I had a little shoulder problem. I've been battling that a little bit. Once I got healthy everything felt good."

 

***

 

Biloxi Sun-Herald: Photo gallery accompanies game story

 

***

 

VIDEO via WXXV in Biloxi: Game highlights

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Two photos at link...

 

Plenty of buzz follows Dubon into Shuckers’ opener

By Patrick Magee, Biloxi Sun Herald

 

On a Shuckers roster full of players familiar to fans at MGM Park, Mauricio Dubon stands out as the biggest arrival for the 2017 campaign.

 

The speedy shortstop with a gifted bat was acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers in December through a trade with the Boston Red Sox.

 

Shuckers manager Mike Guerrero got excited when he saw video clips of Dubon when he first learned that he would be joining the Brewers’ system. After spending the spring working with Dubon, Guerrero is even more impressed.

 

“He’s a supermarket. He’s got everything to offer,” Guerrero said. “He can do everything. There is no limit to him. I hope everyone stays healthy because there are a lot guys here that have a lot to offer.

 

“Defensively, (Dubon) is really good. He’s a shortstop, but he can move around and play second, play centerfield. Offensively, he can hit. He showed last year that he can hit and steal bases.”

 

Dubon, 22, has hit at every level as he’s climbed the minor leagues. He played 62 games at Double-A Portland last season and batted .339 with six homers and 40 RBIs. His career batting average is .306.

 

“He brings a lot of energy and instincts to play the game,” Guerrero said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him play the whole year. Hopefully, we’ll turn him into a big leaguer.”

 

If he does make the climb to Milwaukee, he will become the first Honduran-born player ever to reach the big leagues.

 

“It’s a blessing. I love it. I love that attention,” Dubon said of the possibility of representing his native country in the Major Leagues. “There are not a lot of times you hear a name and they’re the first one to do something. I’ll work hard for it and I’ll get it.”

 

Dubon, who spent his junior and senior years of high school in Sacramento, California, appears set to bat out of the leadoff spot when the Shuckers begin the season at 7:05 PM on Thursday at Montgomery. Biloxi’s home opener is set for April 12 against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

 

With 30 steals in each of his last two seasons, Dubon should put plenty of pressure on opposing pitchers and defenses this season.

 

He had 19 at-bats with the Brewers during spring training and hit an impressive .368 with three RBIs with two runs scored.

 

The 6-foot, 160-pound Dubon believes his spring was a productive one.

 

“I learned so much from (manager Craig Counsell and bench coach Pat Murphy),” he said. “I learned a lot from Jonathan Villar and Jesus Aguilar. They taught me a lot by just listening to them.”

 

Early rotation

 

Right-hander Aaron Wilkerson will be the starting pitcher for the Shuckers in Thursday’s season opener in Montgomery, Alabama. He split time between Double-A and Triple-A last year, going 8-9 with a 3.73 ERA in 28 games.

 

Jorge Lopez will get the start on Friday while Taylor Williams and Jon Perrin appear set to split duties on the mound on Saturday. Luis Ortiz will be the starting pitcher on Sunday and Angel Ventura will get the ball on Monday.

 

“I think we’ve got four or five guys that give us an opportunity to win a ball game,” Guerrero said.

 

Lonely lefty

 

Nick Ramirez, who is making the switch from first base to relief pitcher this season, will be the only lefty on the Shuckers’ pitching staff this season.

 

That doesn’t mean Ramirez will be busier than his other bullpen mates.

 

“We’ve got to be smart,” Biloxi pitching coach Chris Hook said. “This is the first time he’s done this in a while so we’re going have to be conscious of that and just make sure we’re staying in constant communication with him and see how he’s feeling. I don’t think we’re going to go crazy. He’s going to let us know how he feels and we’ll adjust day by day.”

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Jenkins5 First Round Pick

Jenkins5

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Starting rotation according to MiLB.com for Shuckers is as follows:

 

1. Aaron Wilkerson

2. Jorge Lopez

3. Taylor Williams

4. Luis Ortiz

5. Angel Ventura

 

Jon Perrin & Bubba Derby both coming out of bullpen

 

Isn't Williams and Perrin piggy-backing? Would make sense with inning limits with Taylor's come back

Proud member since 2003 (geez ha I was 14 then)

 

FORMERLY BrewCrewWS2008 and YoungGeezy don't even remember other names used

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Article link includes Victor Roache VIDEO interview, with quotes within below, you'll also see older archived Roache videos --

 

A top pick for Milwaukee Brewers is getting ‘back to basics’ in Biloxi

Patrick Ochs, Biloxi Sun-Herald

 

Victor Roache is ready to go back to college.

 

Not in the literal sense, but mentally.

 

The former first-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers has had varying levels of success since being drafted out of Georgia Southern in 2012.

 

His rookie year he clobbered 22 homers with Class-A Wisconsin to tie the team record — he homered in his first professional at-bat — and followed it up by hitting another 18 homers in 2014 with High-A Brevard County.

 

Since then, however, Roach, 25, has seen the pendulum of his career swing back and forth for several reasons.

 

Injuries have been an unfortunate constant with Roache. During his draft year, Roache broke his wrist while diving for a ball and missed the remainder of his junior season.

 

Once promoted to the Biloxi Shuckers in 2015, Roache had some success early, hitting .247 with eight homers, 35 RBIs and a .430 slugging percentage in 67 games. But he was limited to just 51 games a year ago due to fracturing his left fibula. It was a tough blow just when Roache felt he was just starting to heat up. He finished the year with a .243 average, four homers, 15 RBIs, a .412 slugging percentage and a .749 OPS — numbers well below what made him the 28th overall selection four years prior.

 

In an attempt to continue his ascension through the Brewers’ farm system, the power-hitting left fielder has watched more film from his Georgia Southern days. During the subsequent film study, Roache noticed he’s gotten away from the 30-homer sophomore who was drafted 28th overall by Milwaukee.

 

“I looked at video from when I was in the Cape Cod League and when I was in school,” Roache said before the season. “I was spread out a little bit. I had a pretty wide base and it was very simple. I’m just trying to get back to that — be short to the ball and whatever happens after that happens.”

 

Roache didn’t have any sort of epiphany that a change was needed. It was more of a gradual realization.

 

“I think when you come out of college or high school and don’t have immediate success, you might think something is wrong: Something’s wrong with my mechanics, I have to change something,” he said. “Usually it’s your approach or your mindset. After a couple of years of doubting what I’ve been doing, my natural swing and stance, I’ve just been like, ‘I have to get back to the basics.’

 

“... It’s one of those things where, if I’m going to go down, I’ve got to go down doing it my way.”

 

The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Roache said his ideal batting stance is a little bit wider than in recent seasons and certainly more quiet, meaning less extraneous motion.

 

At times in the past, Roache has combined swaying in his hands or body with a toe tap. The combo proved to be too much.

 

“It throws my timing off,” he said. “I don’t want to be moving around too much because when it’s time to get your foot down and get ready you kind of get caught in the middle.”

 

In addition to a more simplistic stance — with a wide base and letting his natural movement dictate his swing — Roache plans to be more aggressive in his approach.

 

“I can’t be passive and timid and hope for stuff,” he said. “I have to go in there with an aggressive mindset.”

 

His changes seem to be paying off early in the 2017 season. Rotating with fellow outfielders Clint Coulter, Johnny Davis and Michael Reed in the outfield, plus others at designated hitter, Roache played in four of the Biloxi Shuckers five games at Montgomery last week. In 16 at-bats, he hit .313 with two doubles, two RBIs, a .353 OBP and .438 slugging percentage.

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Four photos via Tim Isbell at the link --

 

Brewers prospect thankful for ‘second chance, second life’ in Biloxi

Patrick Ochs, Biloxi Sun-Herald

 

Art Charles has lived out the ebbs and flows of his baseball career in real time.

 

A former 20th-round selection of the Philadelphia Phillies, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound first baseman earned all-star honors in 2011 and again in 2014 during his ascension through the organization’s farm club. Following a lackluster Double-A campaign a year later he was released, left to wonder if he’d get another chance. Then an amazing thing happened: Charles saw his career rejuvenated as he put up career numbers in independent ball. His .352 batting average with 29 homers, 101 RBIs and .699 slugging percentage were enough to get him a second shot. After signing with the Cincinnati Reds, Charles was scooped up by the Milwaukee Brewers in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft. The last transaction sent Charles to Biloxi to open the 2017 season with a new lease on what once looked like it could have been a stalled career.

 

“It was definitely hard being released and being told they don’t want you,” he said. “I was at a low and feeling sorry for myself but then I kicked myself in the butt and was like, ‘hey man, it’s time to go to work. You have more to give to the game.’ “I believe in my abilities and knew that given the opportunity and at-bats that I would go out there and put up some numbers.”

 

“Being here now is huge. I kind of get that second chance, second life to show what I’m capable of doing.”

 

In independent ball, he reinvented himself. Against a smorgasbord of players whose experiences ranged from Major League Baseball down to Class-A, the baseball all of a sudden looked like a beach ball.

 

Charles has always been known for his power, totaling 66 homers in 517 games in the minors. His low contact rates, however, held him back. During his year in independent ball, Charles made consistent contact, which led to his statistics ballooning.

 

“The biggest thing was my mental approach and telling myself that something had to change,” he said. “What I was doing before wasn’t working, you know? I got released for a reason so I made sure that I went out there and made changes. I talked to people about their approaches, mentally and physically, in the box. I just added some of those things to my game and was able to have success doing that.

 

“I feel like it helped me to be released because it helped me realize those things. It was definitely a motivator.”

 

Because of his circuitous route to Biloxi, he terms his second chance “a blessing.” Now he’s got to make the most of it.

 

“Everybody’s path to ‘The Show’ is different, so I have to keep that in mind,” he said. “... I know regardless of what happens I have to perform. I have to go out there and compete day in and day out and handle my business. That’s what it all depends on anyway.

 

“If I go out there and play as good of baseball as I possibly can, and I’m consistent with it, I know I’ll get an opportunity to be on the big league club and make my dreams come true.”

 

Charles has gotten off to a slow start in Biloxi, where he’s been in a rotation at first base and designated hitter.

 

Entering Tuesday night’s game at Chattanooga, he had just 19 at-bats in eight games for the Shuckers. He was hitting .105 with a .227 on-base percentage, one double, one RBI and three walks.

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Link includes a brief video conversation --

 

Brewers prospect Jorge Lopez back in stellar 2015 form

Patrick Magee, Biloxi Sun-Herald

 

After a bumpy 2016, Jorge Lopez has been sparkling early on this season for the Biloxi Shuckers.

 

Lopez split the 2016 campaign between Triple-A Colorado Springs and Double-A Biloxi, finishing with a 3-11 record and 5.78 ERA.

 

Lopez pitched better when he was sent back to Biloxi for his final eight starts last year, putting up a 3.97 ERA and 2-4 record. But there was still reason to be concerned with his 6.81 ERA in 17 appearances at Triple-A.

 

This season, Lopez has reverted back to his dominant form from 2015 when he was the Milwaukee Brewers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year, earning a late call-up to the big leagues. He was 12-5 with a 2.26 ERA in 25 starts at Biloxi that season, striking out 137 and walking 52.

 

A look at the numbers reveals that Lopez has actually been sharper this season than he was during his breakout 2015 campaign.

 

He is 2-1 with a 1.73 ERA in five starts. In 26 innings, he has 30 strikeouts compared to just four walks. Since giving up four earned runs in his start against Pensacola on April 13, Lopez has allowed one earned run over his last 14 innings.

 

His 30 strikeouts are tied for fifth-best in the pitcher-friendly Southern League and his WHIP of 0.81 is the fourth best in the league.

 

Lopez, who has a fastball that can reach the upper 90's, used winter ball in his native Puerto Rico to try to regain his form from 2015.

 

He admits to trying to be “too perfect” during the 2016 season.

 

“This year, I'm more trusting my delivery,” Lopez said Monday during a phone interview. “As soon as I got (to Biloxi) last year, I started feeling much better. But it wasn't until I got to winter ball in Puerto Rico (that he made significant progress).”

 

WBC stint

 

Lopez also benefited from a two-week stint with the Puerto Rico's national team in the World Baseball Classic. He made two starts in the WBC, including a 4-3 win over the Netherlands in the semifinals in Los Angeles. He finished with a 1-0 record and 3.86 ERA in 7 innings.

 

“I've been playing hard and having fun every day. That's kind of the way we played in those two weeks,” Lopez said. “That's something that was unbelievable for me and I'll never forget.”

 

Lopez has been at his best while working under Shuckers pitching coach Chris Hook, who has helped Lopez put up a combined record of 16-10 in 37 starts at Biloxi. On every other level of the Brewers' minor league system, Lopez is a combined 19-29 with an ERA north of 5.00.

 

“Since my first time with him in 2015, he's always pushed me,” Lopez said. “He's a hardworking coach who loves working with us every day. I really enjoy the philosophy of all Brewers coaches.”

 

Lopez appears on pace to make the climb back to Milwaukee, but he'll have to continue to prove himself with each start.

 

“I'm going to stay with what I'm doing,” Lopez said. “I'm not going to change. It doesn't matter if I get a call up. I'm just going to try to help my team no matter what. That's my goal right now. It doesn't matter where I am. I'll be the best teammate guy and I'll try to be the best pitcher when I take the mound.”

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