July Transactions, Latest: Reliever Acquired From Rockies

[Mass Haas]

First a link to the now-closed June transaction thread:

 

p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...mp;stop=40

 

In addition to 9th round pick infielder Carlos Hereaud signing and being sent to Arizona (see Draft Forum), the Brewers announced the following:

 

Jimmy Stanfield, an undrafted catcher, also signed with the club and will join the Arizona Brewers; Stanfield is a recent graduate of Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn. and stands six-feet tall and 215 lbs.

 

In the summer heat of rookie ball, you really need to rotate through four catchers with the 20+ arms available, so this free agent pickup makes sense in that regard.

 

We'll look up more info on Stanfield for you later this evening...

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.goleeflames.com/info/...ewsid=2841

 

In a year of many firsts for Lee University athletics, add the name of Jimmy Stanfield to the list. Stanfield has officially signed a professional minor league free-agent baseball contract with the Milwaukee Brewers of the National League.

 

Several former Flames have played or are playing with independent professional teams, but Stanfield is the first to place his name on the dotted line with a major league club.

 

"I had just about given up," said the former Flames' catcher as he packed his bags and prepared for his Wednesday afternoon flight to join the Arizona Brewers of the Arizona Summer League (ASL). "I actually missed the first call from the scout on Tuesday night. I'm glad he called back and I was able to get this opportunity."

 

The Arizona Brewers are the Rookie League affiliate of the Brewers. Stanfield was signed by local scout Rick Hunter of Chattanooga and Area Scout Joe Mason from Millbrook, Ala.

 

Stanfield enjoyed two outstanding years with the Flames. He batted .363 this past season with 14 home runs and 19 doubles. He tied Lee's single-season RBI record by driving in 61 runs. A solid defensive catcher, Stanfield was named to the Southern States Athletic Conference first team. He was also an All-Region XIII catcher and second team NAIA All-American.

 

Stanfield was also vital in helping the Flames win two regular-season conference titles, one region tournament title and being a key factor in Lee's first trip to the NAIA World Series. Over two years, the Flames posted an impressive 96-35 record.

 

"I believe Jimmy has a chance to play a lot of pro ball," said head coach David Altopp. "I've been around the game a long time and I haven't seen many better catchers. I also know really good catchers are hard to come by at any level. I'm very happy for Jimmy. He wanted this opportunity badly. He gave us two great years at Lee and I think he has prepared himself to move higher."

 

Stanfield said he had not played baseball since the Flames played their final game in the NAIA College World Series in Lewiston, Idaho on May 28. "I will get a physical on Thursday and get to take some batting practice and work with the pitchers in the bullpen on Friday," he pointed out. "That should help me get ready to play again."

 

?We are extremely excited that Jimmy has gotten this opportunity," said Lee assistant baseball coach Mark Brew. "It has been a dream of his that has turned into a reality. He excelled behind the plate for us and helped lead us to our most successful season in Lee University history (55-16). Jimmy posted great numbers offensively and handled a very talented pitching staff. We wish him the best of luck and hope he gets an opportunity to move up through the Brewers' organization.?

 

Lee University Roster Page:

 

www.goleeflames.com/info/...;sportid=3

 

http://www.goleeflames.com/images/athletics/news/stanfield-watson-bryanAAA.jpg

[Mass Haas]

All 30 Major League Organizations Have Indy Players,

With San Diego (15), Milwaukee (14) at the Top

By Bob Wirz, Independent Baseball Insider

 

Let?s hear it for the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers. The Padres and Brew Crew are the best friends an Independent Baseball player can have.

 

In this corner?s annual survey, San Diego continues to be the organization with the most former Independent players. Our records, not including any players still in extended spring training, show the Padres with 15 former Independent players, one more than Milwaukee.

 

A total of 194 players show up on the Independent Baseball Insider?s list with six of the 30 organizations?one more than one year ago?with 10 or more Independent players trying to work their way to the major leagues.

 

Fifteen of the 194 players?slightly less than in recent times?are in the majors now, not counting Los Angeles Angels outfielder Curtis Pride and Chicago Cubs reliever Joe Borowski, who were designated for assignment this week.

 

World Champion Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle and Tampa Bay have 10 players apiece, and every major league organization has someone. Detroit and Minnesota only show up one time apiece.

 

The number of former Independent players per organization:

 

Team No. Team No.

San Diego 15 Atlanta 5

Milwaukee 14 Baltimore 5

Boston 10 Chicago-NL 5

Philadelphia 10 Cleveland 5

Seattle 10 Florida 5

Tampa Bay 10 Cincinnati 4

Pittsburgh 9 Los Angeles-NL 4

Chicago-AL 8 Washington 4

Houston 8 Arizona 3

Kansas City 8 Toronto 3

Los Angeles-AL 8 New York-NL 3

Oakland 8 New York-AL 2

San Francisco 8 Texas 2

Oakland 8 Detroit 1

Colorado 7 Minnesota 1

[And That]

That suprises me that Minnesota only has one. Their farm system is nominally equal to the Brewers, yet they decide to fill gaps with system players and not with outside help.

[dadofandrew]

Years ago, Kerry Lightenburg was offered to the Twins after a successful indy season, and MIN proudly stated, "We don't sign indy league players", according to Sid Hartman.

 

Sounds like it's still the case.

[Mass Haas]

As is being discussed elsewhere on the forum, this from the Helena Independent Record:

 

Ryan Braun's stay in the Capital City was a short one. The first-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers this season was promoted to Class A West Virginia Wednesday night. He was hitting .372 in nine games with Helena. RHP Eric Thomas (2002, 3rd round) and LHP Steve Hammond (2005, 6th round) were also promoted to West Virginia.

 

To compensate for the promotions, shortstop Scott McKnight (2005, 28th round) and right-hand pitcher Will Inman (2005, 3rd round) were moved to Helena from the Arizona League.

 

The Charleston Gazette explains how the Power roster will make room for the three Helena reinforcements:

 

RHP Forrest Martin was promoted to high Class A Brevard County (Fla.) while RHP Dave Johnson and third baseman Tony Festa headed to the disabled list.

 

As is often the case, no specifics released regarding injury specifics for minor league players at this time -- Mass Haas

[Cyanogen5]

Sweet, Mega in West Virginia! Does anyone know if he will be a starter or reliever? I have been waiting to see his lines int he box score...he did well in his short stint in Helena. Hopefully he can also do well with the Power. Nice to see Braun and Hammond promoted as well. Maybe the Power can do a little better in this half season than they did the last.

[ja002h]

Looking forward to seeing Braun in WV!

[BrewCrewWS2008]

Braun will really help this team with there hitting cuz they really only have Escobar Iribarren Rasheed hitting consistant than Richardson is up a down and Murray is now over .200 Maybe Yost will throw him a party like is planning to do with J.J. So i think Braun is a upgrade from Murray.

 

Im excited to hear that Inman is coming to Helena. I really didnt follow him in Arizona cuz are Arizona team is pretty ugly this year. Last year they were loaded with good players and this year its not so great. Im right now im only really watching Mercedes(not lookin so hot) De la rosa (playing very well)and Cain

[hsvstarsfan]

From a press release just obtained by e-mail from Bryan Neece, Ty Taubenheim has been promoted to Huntsville from Brevard County...... Manny Parra has been placed on the disabled list..... Ryan Miller has been released after battling soreness the past two seasons in his shoulder. Miller was 0-0 with one save in four appearances for the Stars this season.

 

Also Mitch Stetter, named to the SL All-Star team, was promoted to Nashville. Stetter won last night's game in relief, although he nearly lost the game for them in the 9th. He finished 2-3 with 8 saves for the Stars.

 

Parra was 5-6 with a 3.96 ERA.. In his last five appearances he was 2-3 with a 4.15 ERA, and 26 Ks, 9 BBs in 30 2/3 IP.

[ja002h]

Ty Taubenheim has been promoted to Huntsville from Brevard County

 

Excellent. Now to get CV up there...

[bork]

Good to see the promotions. But that Huntsville disabled list is getting longer than the active roster.

[Mass Haas]

Injury Updates on the Two West Virginia DL Assignments:

 

Dave Johnson, a reliable option out of the bullpen before being placed on the DL with a sore right lat, was 3-2 with a save and a 3.71 ERA in 15 appearances.

 

Tony Festa, the third baseman, was hitting .129 with 5 RBIs over 19 games with the Power before he was sent to the DL with a right wrist contusion.

[homer]

Quote:

---

according to Sid Hartman

---

 

Sid Hartman's a self-rightous hack. Consider him a poor man's Peter Gammons but with half the writing acumen.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Press Release (Andy Pratt to Huntsville):

 

The Milwaukee Brewers have swapped out left-handed relievers at their top two minor league affiliates, promoting Southern League All-Star southpaw Mitch Stetter to Nashville and reassigning Sounds hurler Andy Pratt to Double-A Huntsville.

 

Stetter, 24, leads the Stars with eight saves this season in his team-best 32 appearances, all in relief. The left-hander has compiled a 2-3 record and 2.61 ERA (15er/51.2ip) on the season, his first above the Class A level. He held the opposition to a .241 batting average and struck out at least one batter in 27 of his 32 outings while with Huntsville.

 

The Brewers? 16th-round selection in the 2003 draft, Stetter participated in the 2004 Arizona Fall League, where he posted a 3-0 record and 5.06 ERA in 12 relief outings for Scottsdale.

 

Stetter, who was named to the Southern League mid-season All-Star team last week, will join the Sounds in New Orleans and will be in uniform for their 7:05 p.m. CT series finale with the Zephyrs this evening. He will make his career Triple-A debut with his first appearance.

 

Pratt, 25, has spent the entire 2005 campaign with the Sounds and posted a 4-4 record and 8.35 ERA (47er/50.2ip) in 23 appearances (eight starts).

 

He opened the season as a member of the Nashville starting rotation and went 1-4 with an 8.81 ERA (31er/31.2ip) over his eight starts before being transferred to the bullpen in mid-May.

 

Pratt was tagged for eight earned runs over his final four outings for the Sounds (21.60 ERA in 3.1 IP) after surrendering no earned runs in his previous six relief appearances (7.2 IP).

 

The southpaw is slated to join Huntsville on Friday.

[Mass Haas]

Keep in mind that you can click on the word "Transactions" from the Home Page section or the Menu Bar above and be brought to a summary screen from which you can sort by Transaction type, go back as far as you wish, etc.

 

All the recent activity has been logged for your review.

[Mass Haas]

Not to be lost among this flurry of activity is the release of Ryan Miller, 9th rounder, 2000.

 

Sixth year in the system, as high as # 35 in the Power 50 -- our best to him as injuries derailed his hopes late in his Brewer career.

 

Ryan Miller Power 50 History:

 

www.brewerfan.net/ViewPow...layerId=21

[zape40]

Do they bat in AA ? If so, watch him hit too! Was a great hitter back in his h.s. and college days

 

 

 

Well deserved tauby

[colbyjack]

Some very nice and exciting promotions. Although all of them are tainted by Parra's move to the DL. I just hate to see that he is still having shoulder problems. Not good.

[Mass Haas]

From Mark McCarter at the Huntsville Times:

 

Stars RHP Jerome Gamble, at times overpowering in 12 relief appearances, will come off the disabled list this weekend at some point.

 

Manny Parra (shoulder) and Dennis Sarfate (blister) are going onto the disabled list to make room for Ty Taubenheim and Gamble.

 

We'll probably see Dennis back in a week or two -- considering his workhorse background, this may be a nice opportunity to rest up a bit...

[And That]

Gamble could be really, really good. Just needs work on his off-speed stuff. Right now he's Kane Davis-lite.

[RyDogg66]

Yeah, if Out of the Park Baseball 6 is any indication, Gamble could be a steal. He kills in my game, and is actually in by 2006 starting rotation.

[Mass Haas]

Online web readers of Baseball America might get confused by the latest list of Brewer transactions covering the period of May 26th - July 12th. It combines transactions from last season, and recent Minnesota Twins transactions -- a real mish-mash.

 

Here's how it reads (incorrectly):

 

Milwaukee Brewers:

 

Signed RHP Brandon Hundt. Released LHP Matt Ford, RHPs Dan Grybash, Tim Crabtree and Oscar Montes and OF Dallas Bates. Signed 1B Ed Yost, RHP Brett Evert, 3B Jose Jimenez and C Mike Rivera. Released RHPs Miguel Garcia, Greg Moreira, Brandon Hundt and Joel Needham and OF Dallas Bates. Signed 3B Dan Berg, RHPs Aaron Craig, Mathew Kretzschmar and Josh Louis and LHP Derek Miller. Released 3Bs Rick Bell and Kevin Orie, RHPs Evan Meek and Chad Paronto, IF Charlie Lozada and LHP Sam Narron. Placed OF Joel Rivera and LHP David Welch on restricted list.

 

Here's how it should read:

 

Milwaukee Brewers

 

Released LHP Matt Ford, RHPs Dan Grybash and Oscar Montes and OF Dallas Bates. Signed 1B Ed Yost, RHP Brett Evert, 3B Jose Jimenez and C Mike Rivera. Released RHPs Miguel Garcia, Greg Moreira, Brandon Hundt and Joel Needham and OF Dallas Bates. Signed RHPs Mathew Kretzschmar and Josh Louis and LHP Derek Miller. Released 3B Kevin Orie, RHP Chad Paronto, IF Charlie Lozada and LHP Sam Narron. Re-signed LHP Sam Narron. Placed OF Joel Rivera and LHP David Welch on restricted list.

 

We had mentioned all these transactions earlier, with the exception of David Welch's restricted list stint. But Welch is pitching for Helena this evening (his fifth appearance), so if he was restricted earlier, it was a very brief stay.

[Mass Haas]

Milwaukee has released soon-to-be-20-year-old RHP Alvaro Martinez Sosa from the West Virginia disabled list (he did not pitch in 2005). The tall Venezuelan signee struggled with control throughout his three-year minor league career, including with Helena in 2004.

 

Alvaro Martinez Sosa career statistics:

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...sosa.shtml

 

Still waiting on confirmation of the status of LHP Carlos Ramirez, who was a shining star and Power 50 favorite after his 2003 Helena season but missed all of 2004 and 2005 thus far.

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers have indeed released LHP Carlos Ramirez, the Dominican prospect not quite 21 years old. This just adds to the list of promising Brewer arms that didn't pan out health-wise, not to mention the list of failed Latin American pitching prospects.

 

Carlos Ramirez Career Statistics:

 

www.sports-wired.com/play...p?ID=22200

 

Ramirez peaked at # 25 on the Power 50. Always fun to review Toby's past comments:

 

www.brewerfan.net/ViewPow...ayerId=156