Offseason Moves -- Japanese OF Tatsuya Ozeki

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers have signed 28-year-old minor league free agent catcher Chris Curry (five years in the Cubs' system, three in the Giants). While no offensive force, this signing, along with that of J.C. Boscan earlier this winter, indicates some emphasis on signing catchers who can assist in bringing pitchers along...

 

Story from TheCabin.net in Conway, Arkansas -- link requires free registration, text follows:

 

thecabin.net/stories/0120...0027.shtml

 

Curry hopes to find his niche with Brewers

 

Conway's Chris Curry has found a new home in baseball, one he hopes will be a breakthrough to the major leagues.

 

Curry, a former all-state catcher at Conway High who went on to an outstanding career at Mississippi State, has for seven years bounced around in the Cubs and Giants organizations. Entering free-agency for the first time, he signed this week with the Milwaukee Brewers and will join either their AA team at Huntsville, Ala., or their AAA ballclub at Nashville (the Sounds).

 

"I feel like it's a new, great start for me," Curry said. "I'm really excited about going to an organization where I think there is a real chance for me to move up. The Giants had a logjam with catchers in their organization and there really wasn't much of a chance for me to move up. Plus, the Giants have a general philosophy of not moving new players up through the system but using their minor league prospects to make trades for veteran players. They usually want experienced major leaguers. Can't knock it. It's worked for them.

 

"The Brewers put more emphasis on developing their own players. And they have a real need for catchers. Their Nashville team won the Pacific Coast League title last season. I'm told they have some good pitching prospects they would like for some catchers to steady them and bring them along, which I feel goes to one of my strengths. I think God has provided a great opportunity for me."

 

Nashville is in the same PCL division as the Memphis Redbirds and plays regularly in Memphis.

 

"I feel there are just a lot of positives in this," Curry said. "If I go to AAA, we'll be in Memphis several times so more friends and family can see me play. Even if I'm in Huntsville, that's in the Southern League with Jackson, Tenn., and Jackson, Miss.

 

" ... And Nashville is a lot closer to home than I was (he finished his Giants' contract in Connecticut). If we go on a long road trip, my wife is just a half-day away from family. That's more of a comfortable feeling when your wife is close to family and can be taken care of and has a place to go when I'm traveling."

 

From his minor league experience, Curry has learned the realities of the differing philosophies of big-market and small-market teams.

 

"You will find a lot of times the higher-profile, big-market teams, like the Yankees, will not have very many good teams on the minor league level," Curry said. "If those teams have an opening, they just go out and try to buy the best player available that year to fill that opening. Their top minor league players were used to give them the edge on making a deal for a high-level experienced player.

 

"The smaller-market teams like Milwaukee can't afford to do that, so there is more of an emphasis on developing players in their system. They have to develop their own prospects to survive.

 

"And catcher is a position they want to develop. If they have any money to spend, they're going to spend it on pitchers or hitters or outfielders."

 

Curry will report in March to the Brewers' spring training camp in Phoenix.

 

"That's another part that will be comfortable for me," he said. "Both the Cubs and the Giants train in the Phoenix area and I've been going there the last seven years. I feel right at home out there."

 

From an article earlier this winter, prior to the signing:

 

Curry still feels he is capable of becoming a least a backup catcher for some major league team.

 

"What I need now is a chance to play regularly and get in a rhythm," he said. "I'm at the point that I need to play every day to develop my skills. I'm not the type of player who is going to go out and hit 40 home runs a game. But I can offer someone a player who is a student of the game, who knows how to handle pitchers, who will work hard and will continue to play and work on good, fundamental baseball.

 

"I like to believe there is a place for that. In fact, in you look at some of the teams that are having success, baseball officials seemed to be looking to build teams not as much with great individual talent, but people who will play in a team concept and execute the fundamentals."

 

Catcher Chris Curry's Career Statistics:

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...urry.shtml

 

This is the current catching corps in the Brewer organization, in general terms based on pro experience and level:

 

Damian Miller

Chad Moeller

 

Mike Rivera

Mark Johnson

J.C. Boscan

 

Wild Card -- Vinny Rottino

 

C.J. Medlin

Kade Johnson

Chris Curry

 

Lou Palmisano

Carlos Corporan

 

Nestor Corredor

Garry Savas

Jimmy Stanfield

 

Angel Salome

Clay Blevins

Bryan Opdyke

Brad Willcutt

 

Ruben Angoma

Bernie Dennis

Isaac Palencia

 

A reminder that breakdowns like that can be easily culled via the Brewerfan Player Index (sort on position).

[Mass Haas]

Finally for tonight, we can tell you that the Brewers continue to seek out young Latin players for their system, although they continue to hunt and peck to focus on higher-end candidates, since as you know their full-blown Dominican and Venezuelan programs have been disbanded in favor of the new approach. We won't know more about these players until the spring media guide comes out, and you won't see Brewerfan Player Index pages for them until that time. Each player will debut with the Maryvale Arizona Rookie League team this summer:

 

RHP Noel D'Leon

RHP Wily Peralta

Switch-hitting infielder Jovanny Felix

 

Earlier we had mentioned:

 

RHP Santo Manzanillo

RHP Guillermo Salinas

[brewmann04]

good news brewers signed Mike Jones to a new contract.

Hopefully he continue to stay healthy.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Site:

 

INF/OF Jermaine Clark - The 29-year-old Clark, a left-handed hitter, has spent the majority of the last five seasons at the Triple-A level and carries a .287 average in 920 minor league games over his nine professional campaigns. Primarily a second baseman, he is also adept at playing third base and manning the outfield. In 2005, he batted .250 in 70 games for Triple-A Sacramento in the A's organization, adding four games with Oakland in May. He missed six weeks of action last season while on the D.L. due to a fractured fifth metacarpal in his right hand. Clark, who was initially selected by Seattle in the 5th round of the 1997 draft, has appeared in the majors in 46 cumulative games for Detroit (2001), Texas (2003), San Diego (2003), Cincinnati (2004), and Oakland (2005) in his career.

 

Jermaine Clark Career Statistics:

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...lark.shtml

[dadofandrew]

Nice OBP for roster filler.

[strawbossisevil]

He has put up great numbers in Spring Training the last three years. He's never really been given much of a chance up in the big leagues, but if we had a rash of injuries, he seems like a potentially solid insurance policy.

[colbyjack]

I remember eyeing up Clark in the Rule 5 draft a few years ago. As Al noted, he has a really nice OBP, and he adds speed to his game. It's too bad he doesn't play SS, although if he did he would have already had his chance to stick.

[And That]

Clark is a neat signing, and it is surprising he was still around this late in the offseason. He's easily better than Brian Dallimore, and if Dallimore has a good spring, Clark may allow us to trade Brian for something worthwhile.

[brettac1]

I like Jermaine Clark a lot. I'd much rather have him around than Sorensen.

[clancyphile]

Agreed. A nice 25th man.

 

A bench of Moeller, Hart, J. Clark, Cirillo, Hall, and Gross would be pretty good.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Site:

 

Not the former Milwaukee Brewer utility infielder...

 

INF Luis Lopez - The 32-year-old Lopez, who splits time between first base and third base, returns to American soil with the Brewers organization in 2006 after spending last season in Japan, where he hit .223 (75-for-336) with 12 home runs and 49 RBIs in 118 games for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (batted .314 with runners in scoring position). This off-season, Lopez participated in the Puerto Rican Winter League, where he batted .280 (23-for-82) with one homer and seven RBIs in 23 regular-season games for league runner-up Ponce. An 11-year pro, Lopez has spent time in the Blue Jays, A's, Expos, & Braves farm systems and appeared in 41 games for Toronto in 2001 and 11 games for Montreal in 2004. He carries a .311 career average and .377 OBP in 1069 minor league contests. Nashville fans will remember Luis as the "Sound killer" in the 2003 PCL Championship Series, when he won series MVP honors in Sacramento's 3-0 sweep of Nashville.

 

Luis Lopez Career Statistics:

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...opez.shtml

[dadofandrew]

Again, roster filler, but roster filler that can egt on base.

 

I was I could be roster filler.

[mls4]

According to Rotowire.com, the Brewers have signed Japanese OF Tatsuya Ozeki to a minor league contract and spring training invite.

 

"Update: Ozeki announced that he's reached terms with the Brewers on a minor league contract with a spring training NRI, JapanBall.com reports. Ozeki, who turns 30 in July, is an eight-year vet of the Japanese leagues and won rookie of the year honors there in 1998.

 

Recommendation: According to the report, Ozeki took part in a tryout for multiple MLB teams in Los Angeles last week and evidently impressed the Brewers with his outfield defense. Good thing, because his numbers at the plate were awful last year. Playing for Seibu, Ozeki hit just .198/.256/.296 with no homers in 47 games (86 at-bats). He has had success in Japan in the past, hitting .314 as recently as 2002, but his forte is speed, not power (80 career stolen bases in Japan against just 16 homers). He may compete for a fourth outfielder role in Milwaukee's camp, but it's hard to see Ozeki winning that job."

[diomedeh2]

BA release regarding Wily Peralta...

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...ralta.html

 

I'm excited to follow these young fireballers!

 

Duly noted in another thread...