Your 2005 Huntsville Stars, Latest: All-Time Stats Leaders

[MassBrew]

Stars' Portnoy moves to Triple-A

By MARK McCARTER

Huntsville Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com

 

The past two summers, Stars broadcaster Robert Portnoy has seen countless Huntsville players being promoted to Triple-A. Now, it's Portnoy's turn.

 

Portnoy, who celebrates his 38th birthday today, will join the broadcast team for the Indianapolis Indians of the International League. He will partner with Indianapolis fixture Howard Kellman, who has broadcast Tribe games since 1974. He will work both home and road games and handle some sales responsibilities.

 

Ironically, Indianapolis had been Milwaukee's Triple-A affiliate, so Stars making their way toward the big leagues would typically be promoted to Indy. The Indians are now a Pittsburgh affiliate, with Milwaukee having aligned with Nashville last October.

 

His departure is another in an off-season of upheaval in the Stars' front office, which has lost general manager Bryan Dingo, assistant GM Robin Bellizzi and other key personnel.

 

Team owner Miles Prentice said he has been seeking a replacement general manager.

 

Portnoy has made his home in Huntsville the past two years with wife Tami and 4-year-old daughter Dana.

 

Along with his play-by-play duties with the Stars, he has served as the team's director of media relations and handled several sales accounts.

 

"In the two years I worked with him, not only did he have a great voice on the radio but he had a great knowledge of the game and a great rapport with the players and the staff,'' said Dingo.

[MassBrew]

Wow -- congratulations to Robert, a true professional. You will be missed.

 

Here's hoping Indy gets their web audio link squared away in 2005 for Pirate fans http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif .

 

I've always found the comings-and-goings of minor league broadcasters intriguing, and have read quite a bit on the subject in the past two years. Every so often, you'll see an announcer move from a AAA or AA club to one that is lower in class (or even independent), but if the new team is in a larger media market, then that's a key for additional opportunities. In this case, Robert not only moves to AAA, but moves to the larger market as well.

 

I had recently communicated to Robert that we were hoping the Stars' site would archive their pre-game interviews for us, as Robert excelled in those. This is something Nashville does -- nice! Here's hoping Stars' management is looking into this still, and here's to hoping for a replacement with as much knowledge and ability as Robert. Good luck to this friend of Brewerfan nation.

[batman]

That really sucks... for us, not for Robert. He oozes awesomeness and will really be missed. Isn't it ironic that he is moving to our former Triple-A team?

 

Best of luck, Robert, and thanks for lots of wonderful broadcasts and interviews - they were very much appreciated! Hopefully the next news we hear about you involves a promotion to the big leagues!

 

~Bill

[MassBrew]

City excites Stars GM

Van Schaack assumes duties this week after stint with Phillies affiliate

By MARK McCARTER

Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com

 

One lost election in Pennsylvania may turn out to be a significant victory in Huntsville.

 

Tom Van Schaack, 41, has been hired as the new general manager for the Huntsville Stars. He replaces Bryan Dingo, who resigned in December to accept a position with Buffalo Rock.

 

Van Schaack had been hired last February as the general manager of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, the Triple-A affiliate of the Phillies.

 

The Red Barons are controlled by the Lackawanna County Stadium Authority, which is overseen by the Lackawanna County Commission.

 

When two new Republican commissioners were elected to take majority control of the commission, they seated two new Republican Stadium Authority members. They voted Jan. 10 to dismiss Van Schaack.

 

"They said it was nothing personal,'' Van Schaack said. "I just wasn't their guy.''

 

Within two days, International League President Randy Mobley gave Van Schaack a call and a message: There's a job opening in Huntsville.

 

"I was surprised something was even available,'' Van Schaack said. "I wasn't holding a lot of hope. Obviously this was a pleasant surprise.''

 

He went to New York to interview with Stars majority owner Miles Prentice and visited Huntsville early last week for a tour of the stadium and the city.

 

"What I saw, I got excited even more about the job,'' Van Schaack said. "You always want to see a community and the ballpark before you take a job. After the visit, it didn't discourage me at all.''

 

When he arrives later this week to begin his duties, he'll find the calendar a bit challenging.

 

"Opening day is right around the corner,'' he said. The Stars' first home game is April 15.

 

The Stars' existing staff "has been working all fall and winter getting things ready even though they haven't had a GM,'' said Van Schaack, who, like Prentice has done, praised Dingo for his work in the transition process.

 

"The people there are capable of doing their jobs. I'm just going to go down there and see where they stand.

 

"The first thing, obviously, is to make sure the sales and season tickets are on schedule. We've got to get the program put together, outfield signs sold. But the staff is actually ahead of last year's pace. Hopefully I'll blend right in.''

 

Prentice said he has faith in the club's newest addition.

 

"We're fortunate to get a seasoned baseball operator," Prentice said. "I'm excited to have him, and I believe he can carry on the fine work of Don Mincher and Bryan Dingo."

 

Van Schaack, who is single, is a native of Oswego, N.Y., where, ironically, his father Herbert, a college professor, is a former county legislator.

 

Van Schaack attended SUNY-Brookport and majored in broadcast journalism. His previous stops in baseball include Richmond, Va., Watertown, N.Y., Sarasota, Duluth, Minn., and Syracuse, where he was the assistant GM before moving to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He had briefly been a disc jockey before visiting a friend who worked with a minor league team in Burlington, N.C., "and I stayed. That's how I got into baseball. I've been in it ever since.''

 

Well, except for two days this past January ...

[batman]

I'm going to go ahead and assume that TGJ will be back at Huntsville for the purposes of sharing this article. ~batman

 

"Pop, where's my swing?"

The San Diego Union-Tribune

By Chris Jenkins, February 9, 2005

Available Online at:

www.signonsandiego.com/sp...gwynn.html

 

At the age of just 22, after little more than one full season in the minor leagues, Anthony Gwynn already has done something his famous father never could.

 

Tony Gwynn could hit like nobody since Ted Williams, winning eight batting titles and a few Gold Gloves. But on his best month ? his best year ? he couldn't grow a beard to save his collection of Silver Bats. Still can't, actually, aside from the few specks of salt on his chin.

 

Like father, unlike son.

 

"The beard," said Anthony Gwynn, rubbing the considerable growth on his cheek and jawline, "represents the struggles I've had."

 

Because he is very much his father's son, Anthony Gwynn punctuated his sentence with a chuckle, his voice pitched high by heredity. But, also like much of what his father said in playful jest, there was a deeper truth to the lad's mention of his "struggles."

 

"How messed up was Anthony last year?" said Tony. "Man, he was messssssssssssed up."

 

Now, there are families in which that could mean any number of things, all of them bad and all of them suggesting more serious problems. But this particular dad was talking about the trouble with his son's swing of the bat, and in that household, few things are given such importance.

 

To be sure, Anthony has had some serious disappointments since being whisked away from his father's program at San Diego State by the Milwaukee Brewers, who drafted the swift outfielder in the second round in 2003. Almost every day since Dec. 1, Anthony has been back at San Diego State, hitting the weights and hitting baseballs off the tee in an effort to keep 2004 from happening again.

 

The younger Gwynn was impressive enough in his professional debut, skipping over Rookie Ball and still batting .280 in an abbreviated season with Class A Beloit (Wis.), but the jump to Double-A last year went miserably (.243). Things got even worse (.167) in the Arizona Fall League.

 

"I did bad, and when I say bad, I mean really bad," Anthony said. "Oh, God. It started in spring training. I got to Arizona and my mechanics were not good. I still made the Double-A squad, but by the end of the season, I was just trying to get through it.

 

"I'd never dealt with failure like that. I hit .400 in high school and improved my game every year in college. But then I'm in a minor league park, looking up at the scoreboard and it says .250. It was eating me up, eating me alive. I couldn't sleep. I'd go back to my room and sweat and toss and turn all night. My cell phone bills were ridiculous."

 

His speed dial, naturally, was set to Poway.

 

"At first the calls were once a week, then three times a week, then damn, the phone's ringing again," said Tony. "You could hear it in his voice. He'd hit the skids."

 

Tony and Anthony's mother, Alicia, went to Alabama to see their son play and give him a boost. They found a normally unflappable kid flinging his bat and helmet in frustration. When he visited Anthony in the Arizona Fall League, Tony went armed with a bag full of Wiffle balls.

 

Slumps and bad mechanics don't just go away, simple as that, even when the man trying to help you through was the greatest contact hitter of his era. Also your dad.

 

"My swing was so out of whack," Anthony said, "I needed to come home to Pops."

 

As he spoke, Anthony was sitting in the empty stands of the SDSU diamond that also bears the name of his father, the Aztecs product and Padres great who's a couple of years away from certain enshrinement in Cooperstown. Big cleats to fill.

 

"Nobody's ever said, 'You're supposed to hit like your dad,'" said Anthony, "but in the back of their mind, you know they're thinking I should be able to hit like he did. That's not to say I could never hit the way he hit. But there's only one Tony Gwynn, and that's Tony Gwynn. Tony Gwynn was one gifted individual."

 

The long-suffering Brewers may be generating some hype, but not doing the prospect any favors, by having Anthony referred to as Tony Gwynn Jr.

 

For his part, Anthony said he has grown accustomed to dealing with the inevitable references to his dad. Indeed, he always seemed happy and proud to be alongside his father at Qualcomm Stadium, even taking an active part in the many testimonials to the Padres right fielder as his career wound down.

 

On the night of his retirement ceremony, the lineup from Tony's first Padres game was reunited in the field. The one coming out to take his place in center field, where Tony made his major league debut, was Anthony.

 

Only now, though, can the son truly appreciate what the father went through just to get to The Show.

 

"Being a professional player has made me respect even more what my dad did so well, and for so long," Anthony said. "He did it at such a high level, and he made it look so easy. I mean, he worked hard at his craft, but he even made the grunt work look easy. It's like it wasn't work for him. It's fun. That's what he imparted on me. That the game is fun."

 

Clearly, too, the Brewers are big believers in baseball genes. When first reporting to Class A, Anthony struck up a fast friendship with Prince Fielder, a former Milwaukee first-round pick and son of ex-major league slugger Cecil Fielder.

 

The second-generation players shared a room in Beloit as well as famous parentage, but they came from far different circumstances as far as their father-son relationships. A couple of years ago, stories were widespread about Cecil Fielder blowing his millions in gambling and leaving his wife to deal with creditors.

 

"With all the stuff he was going through, Prince said he admired the stability I had in my family," Anthony said. "He said he wished his family was like mine. I'm a little older than him, so I kind of took on the big-brother role for him.

 

"At the same time, having him there took the focus off me. If not for him, everything might have been on me, simply because my name's Gwynn. He had to go through that alone the year before. Once we were together, we sort of split the 'son' thing."

 

Chances are, they'll be split this year. Approaching his third professional season, Fielder is ticketed for Triple-A, along with celebrated Brewers prospect Rickie Weeks. Each could be with the parent club before the end of the season.

 

Gwynn is headed back to Huntsville, Ala., and he goes with no complaints about anything except last year's average.

 

After years of hearing major leaguers tell horror stories about the minors, Gwynn said he was "petrified" when first going off to play for pay, but he's found it a surprisingly positive experience in most respects. Likewise, whatever reticence he might have had about playing in the Deep South were allayed by the people of Huntsville, who he said have treated him graciously.

 

For just a hint of home, Gwynn most enjoyed the games against Mobile, the Padres affiliate that was co-champion of the Southern League last year. He said he had most of his best games against the BayBears, including a homer off prized pitching prospect Tim Stauffer, and some of his best outings came with Padres General Manager Kevin Towers, player-development director Tye Waller or scout "Chief" Gayton in the stands.

 

But then there were many other Southern nights that weren't so gentle. Such as that series at West Tennessee.

 

"I had six straight strikeouts to start out," Gwynn said. "After each of the four strikeouts (the first night), I went back to the dugout and everybody was encouraging, saying I'd get 'em next time and all that. After the strikeouts in the first two at-bats the next night, there was total silence in the dugout. They were waiting for me to go nuts.

 

"They were ugly at-bats, too. Strike one, strike two, swing at a ball in the dirt. Just horrendous . . . but I still had my defense."

 

By virtually all accounts, Gwynn's play in center field already is big-league caliber, and he's becoming more of a force as a baserunner. Whereas his father made his living with his eye-hand coordination, Anthony says his game is in his legs.

 

Then again, according to the Brewers' minor league hitting instructor, Gwynn's offense wasn't nearly as bad as Gwynn makes it sound.

 

"(Anthony) is his own worst enemy," said Jim Skaalen. "He has a very nice swing. When he's off, he's so close, but he feels like he's way off. Fact is, he was playing at a very young age in a pretty darn good league last year, and a lot of players in Double-A are going straight to the majors these days. I thought he did a nice job, too, although I'm sure he thought it was terrible."

 

Gwynn said he felt fortunate to have Skaalen, a North County resident, on his side. Formerly the player-development director of the Padres, Skaalen clearly had no problem with this case of a father coaching his son.

 

"Tony Gwynn has formed so many of my thoughts as a hitting instructor," Skaalen said. "I've stolen nearly everything I've ever heard come out of his mouth and tried to apply it to what I do. Everything he ever said about hitting makes so much sense to me."

 

Skaalen's presence is yet another reason Anthony is with the right organization at the right time. For all their desultory history, the Brewers are fertile ground for young players, and the trade of Scott Podsednik to the Chicago White Sox moved Gwynn up the chain of outfielders. Milwaukee's starting center fielder this season is expected to be Brady Clark, a 1996 graduate of the University of San Diego.

 

Some things, though, just are not to be rushed. Such as a swing gone bad. Or a really good beard.

 

"You go in with a timetable for your career," Anthony said, "and after half a season in the minors, you throw that timetable right out the window."

[JoeHova]

I still think drafting Tony was an ok move. Tony Sr. was a late-bloomer and Tony will probably (because of his D) be good enough to at least play in the majors for a little while, something which most 2nd round picks don't do.

[DHonks]

I'm a fan of Tony because the scouting report screams of his father. But I'm not expecting him to be a clone. I met him in the Fall League and he's a good guy, and he said he really appreciates all the thoughts from us fans, and that it means a lot knowing we check out the boxscores and game recaps each day/night.

 

I still have some hope for Josh Murray, but he'll need a big spring training, since we've got some other low level Shortstops

[lend d money]

Talk about a patronizining remark. He has a good swing, but just misses(repeatedly)...give me a break. He is always behind the fastball and can be played at little league depth. Yes, he is an excellent defender, but his bat will hold him back. With our present outfield depth within the organization, we would be wise to trade him while someone perhaps thinks his lineage will translate to success on the field. How many major league hits does Pete Rose Jr. have?

 

As far as Murray is concerned, TGJ is twice the player he is. Murray has no range and can't even hit low class A pitching. He is as good as gone.

[DHonks]

He has a good swing, but just misses(repeatedly)...give me a break.

 

so lend, I take it you don't play softball or golf then, because surely anyone who plays them knows what this means.

 

Heck, I reported in the Fall League that Gwynn took the second best BP of anyone I saw (behind only Lance Niekro, whose knuckler amazed me). Gwynn absolutely pounded the ball, and to all fields. If I saw Weeks take 50 swings during the Fall League, one was a homer, 10 were true basehits, and at least 15 didn't make it to the pitchers' mound. I know that doesn't mean much, but it's all a matter of translating practice into game performance.

[dadofandrew]

Tony Jr. will likely have a long career even if he never does hit, as he has great speed and defense. Given he's still just a year and 3 months out of college, I think he'll be better than many think.

[lend d money]

Comparing batting practice to live pitching is nuts. What is the object of batting practice...ALLOW the person to hit the ball. Such is not the case in a game. Bill Hall put on a BP at Wrigley Field last year I will never forget(hit the apartment building across the street on the fly), but I don't think he will be mistaken for Jeff Kent. Gwynn CANNOT pull the ball with any authority in game conditions. I made two trips to Huntsville last year and he was played the same way on each trip--shallow and toward left field. He had hits taken away from him in left center due to the "depth" of the outfield. His AFL numbers didn't shock me in the least. Playing him against the best was a certain setup for failure. What all of this has to do with golf or slow pitch softball(where the object is basically screaming at you to hit it, rather than avoiding you) is beyond me.

[DHonks]

What all of this has to do with golf or slow pitch softball(where the object is basically screaming at you to hit it, rather than avoiding you) is beyond me.

 

that was to the "good swing, but misses it." To me that means he's hitting the ball, but rarely in the sweet spot. And the sweet spot is the whole key in any swinging sport. Whether it's mechanical, reaction time, poor hand-eye coordination, or whatever, that's what that quote means. What's the difference? An inch or two closer to the hands and it's a broken bat. An inch or two farther away and it's a squibber off the end of the bat. A half an inch too high or low is a chopper or soft popup. Without seeing much of him, it sounds like it's a problem with keeping his elbows in. In most swinging sports, the athlete is left scratching his head after seemingly good swings when the swing gets a little long.

 

My point with the BP thing was to show that I think it means he's more than capable, all he has to do is make the adjustments.

 

But for him to succeed this year, a first step will be increasing his walks by about 20 while decreasing his strikeouts by at least that much. Gotta figure that as a contact hitter, just making contact should at least yield a few more hits. Another year in AA should be of great benefit, especially since he's in the same lineup as Cruz, Bibbs, Van denberg, E. Cruz, and possibly Mendez, Crabbe, Palmisano, Anderson, and Rottino. Not a great lineup, but should be fairly deep.

 

The real question I have is...how good is his defense? We've heard great reviews from scouts, and lukewarm fan comments. Which is it?

[lend d money]

As much as I dislike him as a hitter, he is a very instinctive outfielder. He doesn't have Krynzel's ability in the field, but few do. By no means, would TGJ be held back on account of his defense.

[MassBrew]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...251550.xml

 

Many Stars already in Arizona before training camp

Brewers have mini-camp for four dozen prospects

By MARK McCARTER

Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com

 

These days, it's hardly becoming a date on the calendar worth circling.

 

Friday, March 11 may be the official reporting date to spring training for the Huntsville Stars, but there are likely as many Huntsville players already in Arizona as there will be landing later this week.

 

The Milwaukee Brewers have been holding a mini-camp for four dozen of the top minor league prospects, a concentrated program recently instituted that has essentially made the complex in Maryvale, a west Phoenix suburb, a year-round operation.

 

Once everyone is in camp, the clubs will hold a week's worth of fundamental days before the first of 12 spring training games.

 

The Stars' first spring game will be March 19 against Oakland's Double-A Midland team. The Midland franchise is owned by Miles Prentice, who also owns the Stars.

 

Stars name trainer: David Yeager, previously in the Red Sox and Diamondbacks organizations, has been named the Huntsville trainer. He replaces Greg Barajas.

 

Money's been busy: Don Money, the Stars' new manager, has had a busy spring already. He's been in the Brewers' major league camp, lending a hand to Milwaukee manager Ned Yost. Stars coach Sandy Guerrero has also been in big league camp. Pitching coach Rich Sauveur has been working in the minor league's mini-camp.

 

Injury update: Pitchers Mike Jones (labrum) and Chris Saenz (elbow) are both likely out for the season. Both have been recovering from surgery. According to Milwaukee officials, "the best-case scenario'' is to have them ready by late this summer, though a return in the Arizona Fall League is more likely.

 

Catcher Kade Johnson is recovering from wrist surgery. There are no further repercussions from his late-season suspension from the Stars.

 

Pitcher Manny Parra is in mini-camp and having no arm problems.

 

Season-opener: The Stars will break camp on April 4, work out at Joe Davis Stadium, then depart for Carolina and the April 8 season opener in Zebulon, N.C. The Stars home opener is April 14.

 

Veterans Gone: A number of older minor league players, some familiar to Stars fans, have departed the organization as free agents. Pitcher Paul Stewart is with the Pirates organization. Pitcher Matt Childers was a free agent signee of the Braves and invited to Atlanta's big league camp. His brother Jason is with Boston. Outfielder Jamie Gann was released, pitcher Saul Rivera was a sixth-year free agent and not re-signed and utility infielder Johnny Raburn went to Tampa Bay in the free agent draft.

 

Starbrites: Huntsville fans will have to grow accustomed to some new names within the organization. Not players - cities. Three other Brewer affiliations have changed, with Nashville of the Pacific Coast League - go figure that geography - replacing Indianapolis at the Triple-A level. Brevard County, Fla., in Viera, is the high-A affiliate, replacing High Desert (Calif.) and Charleston, W. Va., of the Sally League is the low-A affiliate, replacing Beloit, Wis. Helena remains the site of the rookie league team. ... Charleston, which has changed its name from the Alley Cats to the West Virginia Power, opens play in a new $23 million stadium, replacing its 55-year-old previous home. ... The Brewers have a new owner, Mark Attanasio, whose purchase was officially endorsed by fellow owners last week. ... Former Star Ben Sheets was to pitch one inning Thursday. He is coming off minor back surgery. ... The Brewers' farm system, ranked No. 1 by Baseball America last fall, is now rated No. 3.

[MassBrew]

Looks like the Stars' site features a nice series by "correspondent" Jim Sandoval, currently visiting Maryvale. Not much here for the minor league gurus among you, but a nice little "extra" for their website. We'll promote some traffic there by linking here as updates arrive. Today's pictured player is Brad Nelson:

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=542

[MassBrew]

Unfortunately, it looks like the Stars' site lost the first Maryvale report, so we'll post both the link and the text this time around. The pictured player at the link is Manny Parra, so a reason to visit the Stars' site...

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=543

 

Maryvale Musings: Brewers Spring Report

 

This report was written by Jim Sandoval. Sandoval is serving as a correspondent for the Huntsville Stars official web site at the Milwaukee Brewers Spring Training site in Arizona. His reports will be posted from time to time on the site until the start of the season.

 

With the big league club playing on the road I took the opportunity to visit the minor league camp today. It is a baseball fan's paradise. Players were working out on four fields, all visible from where I stood. Pitchers threw just behind me and hitters took batting practice behind the pitching area. I must have looked like a bobble-head doll as my head turned frequently to see everything going on around me.

 

Most of my attention was directed to an intra-squad game taking place on Robin Yount Field. Each of the fields in the complex is named for a former Brewers player. Many of the Brewers prospects not with the big club participated in the game. On the mound first was big right hander Dennis Sarfate. Baseball America?s # 18 prospect Sarfate was pitching in his back yard, having signed out of Chandler-Gilbert Community College. He had good stuff, with a sharp slider but had some trouble with the ball staying high in the strike zone.

 

Left-handed Manny Parra, the # 11 prospect also threw and looked sharp. He showed a live fastball and a good breaking ball that was especially tough on the left hand hitting players. While final decisions have not been made there is a good chance Parra will open the 2005 season in Huntsville?s rotation.

 

Last on the mound was # 5 prospect and last June?s 1st round draft pick Mark Rogers. Rogers? performance was the most impressive. Showing an excellent fastball he mixed in a devastating curve ball to strike out the first three batters he faced and four in two innings of work. He definitely has # 1 starter potential.

 

Hitters who impressed were Hernan Iribarren and Vinny Rottino. Rottino, a bat in search of a position, ripped two doubles. Iribarren showed a smooth swing with quick hands. A little guy, the ball jumps off his bat like he was much larger man.

 

I ended my day watching a live batting practice session conducted by Stars manager and hitting coach Don Money and Sandy Guerrero. Players Stars? fans would recognize hitting in the session included Chris Barnwell, Steve Scarborough, Brandon Gemoll and Joel Alvarado. Former major leaguer Kevin Orie, signed by the Brewers in December, hit in the session as well.

 

This report was written by Jim Sandoval. Sandoval is serving as a correspondent for the Huntsville Stars official web site at the Milwaukee Brewers Spring Training site in Arizona. His reports will be posted from time to time on the site until the start of the season.

[molitor fan]

Last on the mound was # 5 prospect and last June?s 1st round draft pick Mark Rogers. Rogers? performance was the most impressive. Showing an excellent fastball he mixed in a devastating curve ball to strike out the first three batters he faced and four in two innings of work. He definitely has # 1 starter potential.

 

 

Music to my ears.

[MassBrew]

Brewerfan loves it when the Huntsville Times' Mark McCarter makes his annual journey to Maryvale:

 

www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...221770.xml

 

Speed thrills in new Stars outfield

Gwynn will likely be flanked by quick learners

By MARK McCARTER

Huntsville Times Sports Staff

markcolumn@aol.com

 

Without so much as a shovel, screwdriver or hammer, major renovations have been accomplished at Joe W. Davis Stadium.

 

The outfield has grown smaller - at least for visiting teams.

 

The wide gaps have been turned into little pizza slices, the entire acreage shrunk from the Ponderosa to a walk-in closet.

 

The Huntsville Stars of 2005, now in the early days of their spring training schedule, could be fielding one of their fastest, most ground-covering outfields ever.

 

Tony Gwynn Jr., last season's center fielder, is expected to return to the club, according to new manager Don Money.

 

In the spacious left field will likely be Kennard Bibbs, who played center in high A last year, and Nelson Cruz, a newcomer to the organization, will be in right.

 

Gwynn was called last year "one of the best defensive center fielders I've seen'' by a renowned college coach and ESPN analyst. Well, OK, sure, it was his father, Tony Sr., who said it, but there's more than just a father's pride there.

 

Bibbs can flat out fly, and has great instincts. That'll be an advantage in the oversized left field, where it's 345 feet down the line.

 

"Normally in a minor league outfield you can see a brown spot in left and you can see a brown spot in center and you can see a brown spot in right and that's where (the outfielders are) playing,'' his High Desert manager, Mel Queen, said last summer. "I don't care whether it's King Kong hitting or Mickey Mouse hitting, they're in the same place.

 

"Bibbs doesn't do that. He knows where to play the hitters and that's rare for a kid at this level. And he's got a good first step.''

 

Cruz, with the Oakland system last season, enjoyed a breakout year, with 26 homers and 42 doubles as he climbed from the California League all the way to a late-season stint in Triple-A. He has a sensational throwing arm; he had 14 outfield assists last season.

 

"He can run 'em down, and he's got a good arm,'' said Money, who faced him two seasons ago at Beloit. "And he's got some pop.''

 

At this point in camp, few of this season's Stars are even on Money's Huntsville roster, and many decisions remain. The Brewers are still carrying well over their 25-man roster, so cuts will be made there and players will begin to filter down.

 

Though it would seem Callix Crabbe will be at second base, almost any other spots on the squad - especially the pitching staff - are almost impossible to forecast right now, Money said.

 

Starbrites: Money was with the Brewers in major league camp much of the spring, then worked with the Triple-A Nashville club for a while as ex-Stars manager Frank Kremblas remained with the big league staff an extra week. ... Catcher Kade Johnson is still nursing some soreness in his shoulder and wrist. He had offseason surgery. ... Pitcher Ben Diggins, a highly touted prospect who was with the Stars in 2003, should return here to begin the season. He spent last season on the shelf after arm surgery. ... Dana Eveland, who pitched impressively in a brief tenure with Huntsville, has been impressive in big league camp and might leap all the way to Triple-A. ... The Stars open their season April 7 at Carolina, with the home opener set April 14. Tickets are available at 882-2562.

 

About the only thing we might question here is Nelson Cruz' assignment. And if Brad Nelson is in Huntsville, will he remain a LF? -- MB

[molitor fan]

Dana Eveland, who pitched impressively in a brief tenure with Huntsville, has been impressive in big league camp and might leap all the way to Triple-A.

 

This lil nugget is interesting too....i was certainly not expecting AAA for Dana this soon.

[squarepusher]

I'm guessing the LF experiment could be over for Brad Nelson. That's too bad, as it almost ensures he won't see the majors for the Brewers, unless he's relegated to backup duty.

[colbyjack]

Is it for sure that Brad Nelson will be in Huntsville? While he didn't have the best of seasons last year, he was the Stars only All-Star, hit a bunch of home runs and had a good chunk of RBIs. I'm not sure if people are just losing patience with him or what, but I would make sure to find a spot for him in the OF since Prince is obviously our 1B of the future. With Nelson Cruz in the system, if one is at AAA the other would be at AA, at least it would seem so to me.

 

Although I wouldn't be surprised to see Nelson traded at some point. He probably would be better suited in the AL anyway, and probably back at 1B like Brian alluded to.

 

Some interesting recent notes overall. Nice to hear about Parra & Rogers pitching, along with Eveland possibly making the jump all of the way to AAA.

[dadofandrew]

Brian, I sure don't see Brad Nelson not playing OF, unless he has an arm injury. The article would seem to have him in AAA, which may have changed in the last week or so.

[endaround]

I see no reason for the Brewers to move Nelson back to 1B. Even if he never plays in Milwaukee and instead is traded, why not let the other team move him?

[squarepusher]

I based my assumption off the fact that Brad Nelson was optioned to AA. Of course, we have Nelson Cruz being optioned to AAA, so i'm not sure what the real story is here.

[DHonks]

I still think it's very possible to have Cruz, Nelson, Krynzel, and Fielder all on the Nashville squad.

It's likely that we'll have the DH for over half our games. Throw in that Cruz/Hart will occasionally play CF for Krynzel, Cruz/Hart will occasionally need days off in the OF, and Fielder will need probably 2 days off a month, and it should be very easy for all 4 players to get 20-25 starts a month.

At the same time, the lineup in Huntsville could probably use Nelson. He had a great first half, but the second half really put a damper on the previous success.