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Alumni Thread -- Through 4/25, Now Closed

Mass Haas

By Mass Haas,
in Brewers Minor League Talk

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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From Baseball America's latest transaction update -- we reach pretty deep into the obscure Brewer alum pool with some of these names:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...trans.html

 

Minor League Transactions

January 6, 2006

 

Atlanta Braves signed RHP's Ken Ray and Travis Smith

 

Chicago Cubs signed LHP Brian Adams (nice for Brian, who did not pitch professionally in 2005)

 

Cincinnati Reds signed LHP Tommy Phelps (mentioned elsewhere on the forums here)

 

Detroit Tigers signed OF Jackson Melian

 

Houston Astros signed SS Danny Klassen

 

Philadelphia Phillies C / 3B Chris Coste and LHP's Andy Pratt and Brian Mazone.

 

Interesting -- we'll have to check and see if LHP Andy Pratt was indeed allowed to leave and sign with the Phillies.

 

San Francisco Giants signed RHP Oscar Montero (bonus points if you recognized Montero as a former Brewer ('96 through '99 at the Latin and Rookie League levels)

 

Tampa Bay Devil Rays signed RHP Ruddy Lugo (the Brewers' 3rd round pick in '99, he'll be 26 in May. Remember the Devon White trade?)

 

Toronto Blue Jays signed 1B Kevin Barker and SS Luis Figueroa (there are two middle infield Luis Figueroa's, this is likely the Brewers AAA 2004 version.)

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Mass Haas

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As 33rd round high school picks go, Anthony Iapoce had a pretty good run. That name will mean something to those who have been following the Brewer farmhands pre-Brewerfan.net.

 

www.railcatsbaseball.com/...asp?ID=591

 

Gary, Ind.? Gary SouthShore RailCats outfielder Anthony Iapoce, Most Valuable Player of the 2005 independent Northern League Championship Series, announced his retirement from professional baseball as an active player today, completing an 11 year career. The New York City native who now resides in Schererville, Indiana will become the hitting coach for the Florida Marlins? affiliate in the New York/Penn League, the Jamestown Jammers.

 

Iapoce was the clubhouse leader of the RailCats 2005 Northern League Championship Club while batting .285 in 71 games. He missed three weeks with a broken thumb late in the season but sparked the club?s climb to the championship with his return. RailCats manager Greg Tagert considered Iapoce to be the league?s best defensive player and credited him for much of the team?s success.

 

?Our team last season was an example of what talent plus character can accomplish, and Anthony was our leader, the heart and soul of the 2005 RailCats,? said Tagert.

 

?Nothing showed his impact on the club more than the night he was injured and the feeling of being punched in the gut that knocked us down for awhile. But within a couple of weeks, he was practicing every day, preparing to play and the whole club responded. He will be missed and we certainly will not be able to replace everything he brought to the club. Anthony will be an outstanding coach with a great future.?

 

Iapoce, who also spent the 2004 season with the RailCats, is the club?s career leader in runs scored. He is second on the RailCats career list in base hits and at bats, trailing only Curt Lee in both categories.

 

The 32-year-old Iapoce began his professional career in 1994 in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He enjoyed his best season in 1998 with El Paso, batting .314 and stealing 35 bases while earning a spot of the Brewers? 40-man roster. Iapoce spent the 2002 and 2003 seasons in the Marlins? organization. He saved his best work for the final days of his career, batting .450 in the 2005 Northern League Championship Series to earn the series MVP award.

 

Iapoce has served as the lead instructor at the John Mallee ProStyle Camp in Crown Point, Indiana. Mallee is the Marlins? Minor League Hitting Instructor.

 

Anthony Iapoce Career Statistics:

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...poce.shtml

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Mass Haas

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Link while active, text follows:

 

www.news-journalonline.co...010606.htm

 

Ex-Brewer Listach to manage D-Cubs

 

By SARA KIESLER

Daytona Beach News-Journal Staff Writer

 

Pat Listach got to the big leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1992 and went on to win rookie-of-the-year honors. He knows how thrilling it is for a young man to make it to the major leagues.

 

On Thursday, Listach officially was named manager of the Daytona Cubs for the 2006 season. Now he's in position to help other players live out their big-league dreams.

 

"There's nothing like seeing the reaction of a player after you tell him he's going to the big leagues," Listach said from his home in Houston.

 

Listach was the interim manager for Triple-A Iowa in 2001 and the team went 27-28. Now he gets his first full-season assignment as manager in the high Class A Florida State League.

 

"Sending players on to Double-A will be a thrill, too, because those guys aren't that far away from the majors," Listach said. "Look at our organization and you'll see guys like (pitcher) Rich Hill and (outfielder) Matt Murton who went from Double-A to Chicago last year."

 

Listach, 38, is the only real newcomer to the Daytona staff. Longtime coach and two-time manager Richie Zisk will be back as Daytona's hitting coach, and pitching coach Tom Pratt, who spent five seasons here before going to the Peoria Chiefs for the 2005 campaign, also returns.

 

Listach was a shortstop for the Brewers, reaching American League Rookie of the Year status in 1992 after hitting .290 with 54 stolen bases. However, because of knee injuries he never achieved the same success again. He played in the majors each of the next five seasons, but in 1998 -- after Triple-A efforts with Cleveland and Philadelphia -- he retired.

 

Listach's own experiences will be a resource for Cubs players rising through the minors.

 

"I can tell them from personal experience what it takes to get to the big leagues and what it takes to stay there," Listach said. "You're only one injury away from it all ending."

 

Cubs players can expect a no-nonsense approach from Listach.

 

"Be on time, be professional and play hard," Listach said while explaining his philosophy. "If you do those things you'll be as successful as your talent allows you to be. If they have a problem understanding that, I'll get out there and show them how to do it."

 

But at the same time, he said he isn't going to take the fun out of the game.

 

"We're gonna keep fun in the game," Listach said. "If you can't have fun in this game, man, you ought to take the uniform off."

 

A big part of that fun, he conceded, goes along with winning.

 

"If you teach them how to win, they'll develop and have fun, too," Listach said.

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Mass Haas

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Rotoworld:

 

Yankees signed RHP Matt Childers to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Childers, 27, spent part of May in the majors with the Braves last season and had a 3.93 ERA in 73 1/3 IP for Triple-A Richmond. He'll head to Columbus.

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Mass Haas

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Hometown article update on RHP David Bradley, plucked by Oakland in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft:

 

Link while active, text follows --

 

newsandsentinel.com/sport...011606.asp

 

Bradley would like to pitch for Oakland A's

By RON JOHNSTON

Parkersburg (WV) News and Sentinel

 

VIENNA - Dave Bradley's baseball dream is alive and well.

 

The Parkersburg native - who starred for Parkersburg High, American Legion Post 15, and Marietta College - will be in his seventh year of pro ball this upcoming season. His ultimate goal, of course, is to one day pitch in the major leagues.

While he's not there yet, he's getting closer.

 

"I'll be flying out to Phoenix, Arizona, and reporting to the Oakland A's minor league complex March 8," said the 28-year-old Bradley, who was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 14th round in 1999.

 

"From there, I'll end up pitching in either Double-A (Midland Rockhounds) or Triple-A (Sacramento River Cats). My goal, of course, will be Triple-A."

 

If the right-handed-throwing Bradley does happen to hurl and perform well at the Triple-A level this summer, a future promotion to the parent club (Oakland) is not that farfetched. He knows, though, that he'll have to earn it - but he wouldn't want to make it to "the show" any other way.

 

Interestingly, after last season, Bradley figured that he might get a shot to pitch Triple-A ball in 2006 for the Nashville (Tenn.) Sounds in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. After all, he'd had a solid summer (6-5 with a 3.35 ERA) with the Huntsville (Ala.) Stars, a Brewers' Double-A affiliate.

 

But a "funny" thing happened in the offseason, courtesy of the Rule 5 draft. And, as a result, Bradley - quicker than you can say "Nick Swisher" - is now a minor league pitcher in the Oakland Athletics organization.

 

"It really took me by surprise," Bradley said. "I mean, I didn't expect it. But Milwaukee didn't protect me."

 

Briefly, under Rule 5, minor leaguers get the right to become free agents after six seasons. Those left unprotected (and not on a major league team 40-man roster) are available to other teams as Rule 5 picks.

 

The idea behind the rule is to prevent major league teams from stockpiling talent in its minor league system.

 

Long ago, the late, great Roberto Clemente - who had been playing in the Brooklyn Dodgers organization - was acquired in this manner (Rule 5 draft) by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

"Anytime you're selected that way, it's very flattering," Bradley said. "It shows, I guess, that they (Oakland) really want you."

 

During this offseason, Bradley has been throwing and working out at the Marietta College gym. His pitching repertoire includes a fastball, slider and change.

 

"I feel very good physically, and have had good velocity on my fastball," Bradley said. "But I'm not a power pitcher that can throw 95 mph all the time."

 

Bradley's also a very versatile pitcher, having been both a starter and reliever during his pro career.

 

"Last season at Huntsville, I was a middle reliever for the first half of the season," he said. "Then they put me in the rotation. I had a good year."

 

Both on the professional and personal levels.

 

Since the end of the 2005 campaign, Bradley's been helping his wife, Julia, take care of their two children, infant daughter Isabelle and new-born son Roman. And, that's pretty much a fulltime job in itself.

 

"Playing pro baseball can be a tough life for a married guy," Bradley said. "But hopefully someday, it'll all be worth it."

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Mass Haas

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No fewer than five individuals with Brewer ties mentioned here:

 

St. Paul Saints (independent American Association) Press Release:

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.saintsbaseball.com/news/?id=3439

 

January 25, 2006 - Jeremy Frost?s best professional season drew the attention of more than just his manager. The 26-year old catcher has signed a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays organization for the 2006 season. He is expected to contend for the starting job at New Hampshire in the AA Eastern League.

 

Frost (pictured) is the 81st player in team history (and 21st since George Tsamis became manager in 2003) to sign with a major league organization, the most of any independent pro team. ?Jeremy has power, a good arm and runs better than most catchers I have ever seen,? Tsamis said. ?This is a good situation for him to show what he can do.?

 

He is the third member of the 2005 team (and the second in a week) to sign with a major league organization. Last week, LHP Matt Hammons (another former Brewer farmhand) signed with the Colorado Rockies? organization. P Brian Steffek had his contract sold to Kansas City during the season last year.

 

Frost had the best season of his pro career in 2005 in St. Paul, setting career highs for batting average (.278), home runs (17), RBIs (49) and stolen bases (19). He started the season in the outfield and serving as a second catcher. When (yet another former Brewer farmhand) Tim Marks was traded to Schaumburg in early June, he went behind the plate as the number one guy and blossomed in the role. His 41 assists ranked second in the Northern League for his position. He has a .271 batting average for his four-year pro career.

 

The Floridian was a 10th round pick of Milwaukee in the 2002 draft. He spent three years in their system, advancing as to High Desert in the Class A California League before joining the Saints last year. Ironically, he twice played for former Saints? manager Tim Blackwell during his stay in Milwaukee?s farm system. ?Jeremy?s offense has never been an issue,? Tsamis said. ?He knew he needed to get better defensively if he wanted to move up. I thought he did so here last year.?

 

Of the previous 80 players to have their contracts sold to major league organizations, 15 eventually made it to the major leagues. With spring training a month away, the franchise has three alums on big league rosters. 1B Kevin Millar, who played in the franchise?s first season (1993), recently signed with Baltimore. OF J.D. Drew (1997-98) has recovered from an injury and will open the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Former Brewer prospect) C Eliezer Alfonzo, who was on Tsamis? first team here in 2003, is on the Giants? 40-man roster.

 

Frost hopes to follow the path of the only other ex-Saint who signed with the Blue Jays. 3B Luis Lopez, who played here in 1995, worked his way through the system, making it to the majors with Toronto in 2001. Lopez also saw time with Montreal in 2004 and is currently playing winter baseball in Puerto Rico.

 

http://saintsbaseball.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2/NewsManager/1581.jpeg.300.jpeg

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Mass Haas

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LHP Craig Breslow, non-tendered by the Padres earlier, has signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox.

 

www.boston.com/sports/bas...eslow.html

 

Boston's certainly not prone to going with young relievers, but they have no LOOGY to speak of and Breslow could find himself filling that bill at some point this season. Nice for the Connecticut native, and gives me a Brewer-related reason to enjoy Pawtucket games again, something which has been missing since the AAA move to the Pacific Coast League by the crew.

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