2017-2018 Offseason Minor League Transaction Thread

[Mass Haas]

A link to the now-closed 2017 regular season transaction thread, viewed nearly 36,000 times this season.

 

We had detailed quite a bit about non-drafted free agent C/1B Kyle Beam earlier this summer here.

 

Beam had moved from the restricted list to the suspended list since that last linked update, but was reinstated to the Helena roster this week. We don't see players return from those lists too often, but the Brewers will welcome him back this spring.

 

On to the offseason moves, we'll track them here.

[Mass Haas]

Increasing to 19 the number of international prospects signed to 2018 contracts (nearly all of whom will likely debut in the Dominican Summer League next June), the latest two Brewers signings are Venezuelans --

 

OF Oswal Leones, turned 17 on Friday 10/6, bats L, throws R - here he is as a 13-year-old receiving a mini HR derby trophy from Omar Vizquel (TWEET)

 

RHP Kleiber Bordones, turned 17 on 10/12, here's a 2016 photo of the youngster.

 

Up to 21 now, the latest:

 

INF Francis Gonzalez, turns 18 in March, switch-hitter

 

RHP Moises Ruiz, a Brazilian who turns 20 next March

[Mass Haas]

RHP Jorge Ortega - 2018 Minor League Deal (re-signed)

[markedman5]

Lots of guys gone......Ramirez is a bit of a surprise

 

[LouisEly]

The question is whether they didn't offer those guys, or if they did and they refused and chose to leave.

 

Likely some of both, injury recovery may have played a role with some (Nolin, Barrios), but if the "better" guys on that list were offered but chose to leave, there may be some reverberations from how the Brewers handled roster selection out of spring training (Cravy, Scahill, etc.) and pitchers feeling like they won't get a fair shake if they have to pitch in Colorado Springs.

 

We'll likely never know for most of them.

[DHonks]

Lots of guys gone......Ramirez is a bit of a surprise

 

 

They aren't gone necessarily. They are just testing the free agency waters like they are allowed to (and should) do.

[Mass Haas]

Miller Park Prospects -- PENA, MEJIA SIGN NEW DEALS AS FREE AGENCY OPENS

 

The earlier list of the potential minor league free agents has been updated, not a single one added to the 40-man, and those retained on minor league deals not some of the names we expected (like Nick Ramirez or Dustin Houle).

[pacopete4]

If Nick Ramirez goes elsewhere and becomes a dominant reliever and hits dongs... someone's head should roll.

[brewmann04]

I agree Brew especially him being a Lefty

[TURBO]

If Nick Ramirez goes elsewhere and becomes a dominant reliever and hits dongs... someone's head should roll.

 

man, it's a bummer he is out there for someone to grab up...

 

agreed.

[Mass Haas]

As per @RosterRoundup, the Brewers have made their first signing of the minor league free agency period, inking 2017 Athletics big league right-handed starter/reliever Michael Brady (career stats and transactions).

 

Brady made his big league debut at age 30 this past summer, making 16 relief appearances covering 31.2 innings (5.68 ERA, 1.23 WHIP). Brady had been outrighted from the A's 40-man roster on November 6th.

 

This February 2017 article provides some background, as Brady was a 24th round pick of the Marlins, drafted as an infielder, had a brief catcher experiment, and then was converted to pitcher. Most of his career minor league appearances came as a reliever, but you'll see in Brady's stat line linked above that he's made many starts in recent seasons.

 

Article upon learning of his call-up:

 

Former Cal infielder makes it to The Show as an A’s reliever

 

Via SBNation:

 

Oakland A’s call up Michael Brady

 

And finally, Brady discusses his repertoire in this San Jose Mercury News article --

 

“Usually the guys who convert are more power arms, at least among the guys I’ve met, the guys who can really bring the noise. I’m probably pretty unique in that way, there aren’t many who conversions that aren’t power pitchers or specialized lefties (Doolittle is both). You have to just find your way. If it’s not for you, you find out pretty quick.”

 

Brady found it was for him. He throws in the low-to-mid 90s and has a pitch he calls a cutter that is more of a cutter/slider hybrid. His command of both pitches earns him multiple looks. He can throw either pitch on the corners and at the knees, meaning he doesn’t walk many.

 

“My biggest asset is my location. I don’t walk a lot of guys,” Brady said. “I don’t throw 95-plus, but I don’t throw slow, either. My ball has late life and carry and it plays well.”

 

***

 

Brady was added to the Marlins' 40-man roster in November 2013, but was designated for assignment four months later, and the Angels claimed him. Anaheim then outrighted him that June and retained his rights as he cleared waivers. In December 2015, this happened --

 

Washington Nationals traded cash and 3B Yunel Escobar to Los Angeles Angels for RHP Michael Brady and RHP Trevor Gott.

 

Brady signed a minor league deal with the A's a year ago that included a big league camp invite.

 

No word as of yet whether the Brewers' signing includes such an invite. If it does, the Brewers will announce that.

 

So the former Marlin-Angel-National-Athletic Brady will be eligible to be taken in the December Rule 5 draft, unlikely, but noting that formality.

 

http://www.milb.com/images/572728/t556/180x270/572728.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Likely heading to Maryvale this spring, and currently playing in the Australian League --

 

Perth Heat duo Jess Williams, Alex Hall sign MLB deals with the Milwaukee Brewers

 

Williams a LH-hitting shortstop

 

Hall a switch-hitting catcher

 

[KeithStone53151]

 

Dustin Houle is back

[ClosetBrewerFan]

Maybe he can play catcher. All that kneeling has strengthened his knees

[TURBO]

 

Dustin Houle is back

 

YES!

[ZBTMP]

Likely heading to Maryvale this spring, and currently playing in the Australian League --

 

Perth Heat duo Jess Williams, Alex Hall sign MLB deals with the Milwaukee Brewers

 

Williams a LH-hitting shortstop

 

Hall a switch-hitting catcher

 

 

Admittedly, its a little odd seeing a player's signing ceremony with the Brewers with a advertisement for an Australian program to curb the effects of alcohol usage.

 

Anyway, good to know we are actively scouting Australia.

[Outlander]

Glad to see Angel Ventura is back, really intrigued to see how he does this year.

 

[Eye Black]

Per the Brewers Player Development Twitter account...

 

@BrewersPD: The following players have been released: Beam, Dalton Brown, Cross, Gomez, Guenette, Hanes, Holifield, Iskenderian, Lawrence, Lindell, Frank Lopez, Martir, Nunn, Oquendo, Serigstad, Simmons, SmithJ, Texiera, Thorne & Vasquez.

 

Caleb Whalen has retired.

[Eye Black]

I translated to full names and positions below. I believe these are correct. If anyone notices a mistake please let me know.

 

Released Players

Kyle Beam, C

Dalton Brown, RHRP

Colton Cross, RHRP

Jose Gomez, RF

Alexandre Guenette, C

Cameron Hanes, RHRP

Landon Holifield, RHRP

George Iskenderian, 3B

Tyler Lawrence, C

Karsen Lindell, RHP

Frank Lopez, LHRP

Kevin Martir, C

Branden Nunn, RHRP

Jonathan Oquendo, 2B

Scott Serigstad, RHP

Kadon Simmons, RHRP

Jake Smith, RHRP

Brandon Texiera, RHRP

Tyler Thorne, RHRP

Yoel Vasquez, DH

 

Retired Players

Caleb Whalen, LF

[DHonks]

wasn't Lindell highly thought of????

[Mass Haas]

On the players released this week:

 

All player name links lead to their respective page at MiLB.com --

 

Pitchers

 

RHP Dalton Brown, 24 as of last September, was drafted in the 30th round of the 2016 draft out of Texas Tech (and found out about it in a unique way). After splitting 12 relief appearances between Maryvale and Helena in '16, Brown opened 2017 on the Wisconsin roster (along with two other pitchers named "Brown", Zack and Daniel). After two rough games as a Timber Rattler, Dalton Brown was placed on the disabled list on April 14th, where he remained for the season. To our knowledge, his specific injury status was not released at any point during the season.

 

***

 

RHP Colton Cross turns 25 next March. A three-year pro, Cross was drafted in the 31st round in 2015 out of Shorter College (Rome, GA), draft day college press release. Like so many late-drafted college pitchers, Cross fared well in Maryvale (2015) and Helena (2016). Cross was jumped over Wisconsin direct to Carolina to begin 2017. Cross struggled in eight Mudcat relief appearances though, spent a month on the disabled list, and upon his return, was transferred to the Timber Rattlers for the remainder of the season. Cross posted solid numbers in Appleton, including no earned runs in his final seven games.

 

***

 

RHP Cameron Hanes had recently turned 25 when he was signed as a non-drafted free agent this past June out of Florida Southern, where he closed games. Hanes had served a two-year mission through his church after high school. A brief and successful five-game stint in Maryvale led to Helena where one rough outing out of nine (four runs in 2.1 IP) skewed the numbers some. The Brewers went non-drafted free agent (NDFA) heavy this past June, and unfortunately for several, their pro adventure turned out to be brief. And yet expect another overload next June when the Brewers hope to unearth and/or develop a dominant hidden gem, it's not exactly a fair roulette wheel. Hoping Hanes (and the others) enjoyed their opportunity while it did last.

 

***

 

Like Hanes, RHP Landon Holifield was a NDFA sign last June, except Holifield didn't get to experience an actual fan experience in Helena. Perhaps Holifield can cruise back to broadcasting opportunities. Holifield turned 23 last August, and after performing well in Maryvale, maybe we'll see him seek the independent ball route, and of course, another affiliated chance. The one-season Maryvale-only cuts when the numbers are good seem the cruelest - the Brewer scouts obviously saw something to offer the job.

 

***

 

A 2015 9th round pick out of an Oregon high school (University of Washington commit), RHP Karsen Lindell did have opportunities over three summers, but as the numbers show (career WHIP of 2.01), it never quite came together in a Maryvale season and two Helena campaigns for the young man, who won't turn 22 until next June. This isn't the first time a Brewers top 10 high school pick didn't reach full season ball, as 2011 6th round RHP Mitch Keller comes to mind.

 

***

 

LHP Frank Lopez turns 24 in February, but is entering his 8th pro season. Released by the Rangers this past June, he was scooped up by Milwaukee and assigned to Carolina for swing-man duty, with at best, middling results. We had been following Lopez in Venezuela for winter ball.

 

***

 

RHP Branden Nunn signed as a NDFA with Milwaukee out of Missouri Baptist five days before his 22nd birthday this past June. Like Landon Holifield (above), Nunn pitched well in the desert heat, but based on the sheer number of bodies the Brewers brought in this summer post-draft, never had an opportunity in Helena or beyond. The Brewers went with a greatly reduced number of players in their Instructional League camp this season, and one wonders if that hurt some of the players on this list of releases.

 

***

 

RHP Scott Serigstad was Milwaukee's 15th round pick in 2016 out of Cal State Fullerton, and as such, was assigned directly to Helena that year. It was rough going, unfortunately. Serigstad, who turned 23 last month, made only two brief July 2017 appearances in Maryvale. There is no formal disabled list at the rookie levels, so we did not learn anything more about Serigstad's health status -- perhaps it helps explain his 2016 struggles. Regardless, like all on this list, we wish him well in both baseball and non-baseball efforts moving forward.

 

***

 

Yet another Maryvale non-drafted free agent short-timer, 2017 signee RHP Kadon Simmons out of Texas-Arlington turns 23 next April. Simmons finished very strong (eight relief appearances, one earned run), after having allowed at least one earned run in seven of his first eight pro games. And is often the case, one really rough outing (.1 IP, 5 ER) skewed the overall picture.

 

***

 

Nicholls State RHP Jake Smith (22 as of last August) was also a NDFA, but he got two summer chances (2016, 2017) to impress in Maryvale. Overall, Smith fanned 45 in just 30.1 IP with a .156 batting average against, but also walked 28. My goodness, harness that control somehow, and that's an arm that likely has a chance at new opportunities.

 

***

 

RHP Brandon Texiera technically was an independent league signing, but the NAIA college arm had yet to debut in the Frontier League when the Brewers obtained his rights. Already 24 years old upon signing, Texiera was able to bypass Maryvale and spent the summer on Helena's staff. Texiera would make 17 appearances, posting Pioneer League-type crooked numbers.

 

***

 

Stop us if you've heard this before. And maybe the Brewers' 2018 non-drafted signings shouldn't stumble upon this thread, although most will be thrilled with their initial opportunity. RHP Tyler Thorne recently turned 23, and the Stanford product spent his summer in Maryvale as well. Thirteen relief innings (26 K, 6 BB) later, he's on this list, unfortunately.

 

***

 

By the way, congratulations to RHP Kody Rock, the Canadian native who was seemingly the only 2017 non-drafted free agent pitcher who survived the purge (Mayville State, ND).

[Mass Haas]

Continuing the release summaries with --

 

Position Players

 

You need catchers to work with all these arms, and five catchers appear on the list.

 

Catcher Kyle Beam's "septic tank employee" backstory was one of the most entertaining of 2017, but the Old Dominion product ended up appearing in only four Maryvale games, but did homer for his only professional hit. Beam spent most of the summer on the restricted/suspended list; we don't know the full story behind that.

 

***

 

OF Jose Gomez (39th round, 2016) also had a great backstory, given his 5'3" frame, as was covered in this Helena Independent feature. Seems like a fine young man, and someone easy to root for moving forward.

 

***

 

Catcher Alex Guenette, another 2017 undrafted rookie (UC-Irvine), did the Maryvale/Helena split last summer.

 

***

 

Infielder George Iskenderian (24 next February) was the Brewers' 7th round pick in 2015 out of the University of Miami. Iskenderian bypassed Wisconsin, jumping from Helena to Brevard County in 2016, but was placed on the restricted list late in April of 2017 from the Biloxi roster when he left the team (and apparently baseball); he was off to a 3-for-35 AA start in 14 games.

 

***

 

Catcher Tyler Lawrence, 23 last month, was brought in from Murray St., as yes, another undrafted free agent post-draft last June. He played in 15 games in the Maryvale heat, caught a ton of bullpens, we're sure, and did crack a home run among his eight professional hits.

 

***

 

Catcher Kevin Martir never officially suited up for the Brewers. An 18th round 2015 draft pick of the Astros, he was signed by the Brewers last April after his release by Houston. We never did learn what injury issue prevented him from being active.

 

***

 

Infielder Jonathan Oquendo was a four-year Brewer, drafted out of a Puerto Rico high school in the 14th round in 2014. Oquendo, still just 21 years old, split 2017 between the Timber Rattlers and Mudcats. A career .550 OPS overshadowed his defensive versatility.

 

***

 

Another 21-year-old is Venezuelan catcher Yoel Vasquez, was an international signee in 2014. He missed the 2015 season (wrist, if I remember correctly), and saw limited action in Maryvale and Helena subsequently.

[Mass Haas]

OF Caleb Whalen, 25, retired, as noted previously in this thread. The 2016 38th round pick (and son of Brewers scout Shawn Whalen) split time in a backup role between Wisconsin and Carolina last summer.

[LouisEly]

wasn't Lindell highly thought of????

You may have him confused with Nash Walters, their 3rd round pick from that year. Lindell was their 9th round pick.

 

Walters might very well not make full season ball himself.

[Jenkins5]

Walters needs to learn strike zone this year or he’s a goner. Very prospectable coming out & he has filled out and added velocity you’d hope for but man oh man the kid couldn’t find a strike zone if it hit him in the head. Walks 23% of hitters over 3 year career