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Alumni Thread -- Through 4/25, Now Closed

Mass Haas

By Mass Haas,
in Brewers Minor League Talk

mls4 Draft Eligible

mls4

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Besides Zoccolillo, several other alumni are listed on WBC provisional rosters. Henry Blanco, Marco Scutaro (Venezuela); Julio Mosquera (Panama); Francisco Campos, Rigo Beltran (Mexico); Danny Klassen, Cody McKay, Matt Stairs, Reggie Rivard (Canada); Ron Villone (Italy); Jonathan Phillips (S.Africa); Craig Counsell (US); Jose Hernandez, Javier Valentin, Jose Valentin (Puerto Rico); Ron Belliard, Julio Franco, Jorge Sosa (Dominican Rep.); Trent Durrington, Dave Nilsson (Australia). And of course Buck Martinez is the US manager.
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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Didn't Breslow get some time with the Pads this year and do well? Why would they let him go?

 

Breslow didn't specifically discuss his non-tender from the Padres, but this is an excellent Boston-based interview with him this week in which he also discusses his Brewer stay:

 

www.redsoxnation.net/foru...opic=19743

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Link while active, text follows:

 

www.canariesbaseball.com/news.asp?id=691

 

FORMER MAJOR LEAGUER SIGNS WITH SIOUX FALLS CANARIES (Independent American Association)

 

Sioux Falls, SD ? The Canaries have signed outfielder and first baseman Jim Rushford to a contract for the 2006 season. Rushford brings Major League experience with him to Sioux Falls. In 2002, he was a September call-up for the Milwaukee Brewers. Rushford has spent the last three seasons playing triple-A baseball in the Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Philadelphia Phillies organizations.

 

?Jim Rushford will be a superstar in the American Association,? said Canaries Manager Mike Pinto. ?We are happy to have Jim on our roster, but realize that it may not be long before he is getting the call from a Major League team that wants him in their organization.?

 

Pinto worked closely with Canaries Director of Player Procurement Pete Caliendo to get the deal with Rushford signed. ?Pete has done great work for us, and deserves all the praise for bringing Jim to Sioux Falls,? said Pinto.

 

?I am ecstatic about Jim coming to Sioux Falls,? said Caliendo. ?He is not a guy scouts initially recognized as someone who had the tools to make it to the big leagues, but rather someone who had the intangibles to grit his way there.?

 

Rushford played college ball for San Diego State University. After graduating, he spent one year playing professional baseball in the independent Heartland Baseball League before being released. Rushford was working as a pizza delivery man for Milo?s Pizza near the campus his of alma mater in 1999 when he traveled cross-country to return to his native Chicago and attend an open tryout for the Schaumburg Flyers of the Northern League. Rushford made the team thanks to the recommendation of Caliendo, who was then the Flyers? Director of Baseball Operations. After two seasons in independent baseball he was signed by the Brewers. Rushford quickly climbed the ladder in the Brewers organization before receiving a September call-up in 2002.

 

Rushford?s Major League highlight came on September 13, 2002 in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Rushford broke a seventh-inning tie by hitting a home run off Rick Helling to catapult the Brewers to an 8-4 win over the defending World Series Champions.

 

The Chicago native had the fourth-best average in the triple-A International League last season, hitting .312 for the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Red Barons. Rushford finished the 2005 season with 10 home runs and 63 RBI in 117 games. In 2004, he was named to the International League?s All-Star team in the triple-A All-Star Game. Rushford has finished three of the last four seasons as one of the top ten hitters in the International League.

 

Jim Rushford Career Statistics:

Jim will be 32 in March...

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...ford.shtml

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Only fitting that Jim Rushford and Pete Zoccolillo are back-to-back in our Alumni thread:

 

Rotoworld on Zocco's New Home:

 

Rockies signed outfielder Peter Zoccolillo to a minor league contact.

In his only major league action, Zoccolillo hit .108 in 20 games for the Brewers in 2003. The 29-year-old is coming off a season in which he hit .261/.333/.423 in 222 AB for Triple-A Memphis. He'll just be competing for a spot on the roster at Triple-A Colorado Springs.

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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The latest transactions from Baseball America list several former Brewer players and/or farmhands, most mentioned in this thread already. Among the new names:

 

OF Cristian Guerrero re-signs a minor league deal with the Nationals. Guerrero will be 26 in April.

 

Guerrero Career Stats:

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...rero.shtml

 

OF Jeff Deardorff and C Jeff Winchester signed with the Cubs.

 

Deardorff Career Stats:

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...orff.shtml

 

BA's monthly list:

All the Brewer moves reported here previously...

 

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

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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A unique update on 6'7" LHP Nate Teut, who pitched for AAA Indianapolis in 2003 (Teut pitched in two games for the Florida Marlins in 2002 -- amazing how many players see that one quick call-up and that's it):

 

From broadcast discussion site callofthegame.com:

 

The Iowa Cubs have selected former player Nate Teut to fill our #2 broadcast position. Nate pitched for the Iowa Cubs in 2001, 2003 and 2005 ? and pitched briefly with the Florida Marlins in 2002. He is an Iowa native, pitched at Iowa State University, and has worked for the Iowa Cubs in sales during the off-season since 2001. He will join the Iowa Cubs? full-time staff in sales and broadcasting.

 

We first posted this opening on this site and at the Winter Meetings in early December. In mid-December, Nate expressed an interest in the broadcast position should he decide to end his professional playing career. That, obviously, changed our selection process. His time here ? in sales (every thread on this board always comes back to sales, not that there?s anything wrong with that) and in other departments ? made him the front-runner. The fact that owner Michael Gartner and President/GM Sam Bernabe like Nate as a person and a staffer didn?t hurt either. The final decision to hire Nate full-time was made this morning.

 

We took our search seriously ? broadcaster Deene Ehlis listened to every CD, and we took the time to visit with candidates in Dallas, in Des Moines, on the phone and by e-mail. (We had 60-some applicants, and we had our top candidates selected should Nate not be the guy.) As you know, there are a ton of great broadcasters out there, and we thank everyone for their interest and patience in this process. And, to be honest, Nate isn?t the best broadcaster who applied. He has sat in with Deene on broadcasts on occasion in the past, and will be learning the ropes this season. But his time spent here in the offseason made him a familiar and comfortable choice for our owner, our GM and our broadcaster.

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Have to admit that we haven't posted every alumni transaction we've seen this off-season, particularly when it comes to independent league ball. We will hope to include an independent league section of the alumni thread for you this summer, though, when those seasons kick into high gear. When the newly-begun Alumni thread comes out some time in late April, and this thread is retired, we hope to make it more all-encompassing than ever before.

 

27-year-old Elio Ayala, last seen as Brewer property in High Desert in 2002, is stll plugging away in the independent ranks:

 

Nashua Pride (Can-Am League) team officials announced today that Elliott Ayala has been signed for this upcoming season. The Bronx resident is headed into his ninth year of professional baseball.

 

Ayala was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 23rd round of the 1998 draft and spent five years with the Major League organization. The right-handed infielder / outfielder has also played for the Pennsylvania Road Warriors of the Atlantic League and the Grays of the Can-Am League. The former Brewer put up solid numbers last year in the Frontier League with the Mid-Missouri Mavericks when he hit for a .342 average and a .433 on base percentage in 40 games.

 

Ayala reacts to signing with the Pride, ?I am real excited about joining the Pride?s organization. It is going to be great to play for an experienced manager like Butch Hobson. I have been keeping in shape in the off season and can?t wait to start playing again, especially in a competitive place like the Can-Am League.?

 

Elio Ayala's Career Statistics:

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...yala.shtml

 

Soon-to-be 23-year-old 1B Carlos Gallardo, who played with the Arizona Brewers in 2004 and Helena in 2005, has signed with Coastal Bend (Corpus Christi, TX) of the American Association.

 

Carlos Gallardo Career Statistics:

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...ardo.shtml

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dadofandrew ACL Brewers

dadofandrew

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Deardorff could still make a splash in the bigs in a utility role. He's nearing or at his prime, so he'll need to impress someone pretty quickly.

 

I'd say he's AAA roster filler. He projects to about .300/.400. Unless he's a C or SS, I sure don't see him in the bigs.

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Normally when the Brewers release one of their very young Latin products after a season or two in the Arizona Rookie League, the player is never heard from again. So give credit to now 22-year-old RHP Victor Arias, who just signed with Worcester (Mass.) of the independent Can-Am League.

 

I remember being surprised Arias was let go after his 2004 Arizona campaign - stats:

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...rias.shtml

 

You'll notice in this story that the same indy team inked RHP Fernando Rijo (Huntsville '04), the PTBNL when the Brewers traded INF Alejandro Machado to the Nationals.

 

www.telegram.com/apps/pbc...009/SPORTS

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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LHP / OF Mark Hamilton, who saw action both on the mound and in the outfield with High Desert in 2004, has signed to play independent ball with Nashua (NH) of the Can-Am League. He didn't play professionally in 2005.

 

And yes, we can get pretty obscure with these alumni references, but the diehards will recognize the names...

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