June Transactions

[fredsfan]

I guess when some of these guys start at 16, 20 is a seasoned player. Good Luck Brantley you will be missed in WV.

[fredsfan]

1 step up and 2 steps back....

The spirit of is all good in WV right now this may be just what he needs.

[Katuluu]

Moss does seem to be the bottleneck. My guess is after the first half ends he'll get bumped up and that should free up positions and playing time at all the lower levels.

[Mass Haas]

Link, text follows:

 

slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseba...2-sun.html

 

The Milwaukee Brewers didn't waste any time getting their drafted players to put pen to paper.

 

Jay Lapp, eastern Canadian scouting supervisor, signed three Canadian players.

 

The Brewers signed first baseman Cameron Robulack, of the Ontario Blue Jays on the weekend.

 

Robulack, the second-highest area high school player chosen in the annual draft of high schoolers and collegians, was a 20th-round selection on Friday. He had signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Nebraska.

 

Milwaukee also signed center fielder Ryan Jensen, of Langley, B.C. and right-hander Adam Arnold, of London, Ont.

 

Jensen was chosen in the 33rd round, while Arnold was a 41st-round choice attending Thompson River University in Kamloops, B.C.

 

These were among the few Brewer draft picks we had little info on from this past weekend's research (see Draft Forum for Official Thread). All the new draft picks will have their Brewerfan Player Index Pages built when the dust settles on signings late this week.

[Mass Haas]

Our fearless webmaster Brian reported earlier today in the darft forum that 5th round CF Caleb Gindl is now Brewers property for $144,900:

 

p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...amp;stop=4

[colbyjack]

17th rounder Erik Miller has also signed.

[Never Outhustled]

The Brewers have anounced half the teams picks have signed.. They decline to release the whole list , but Lucroy and Farris are among the signings. Negotiations are close with Laporta.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.orlandosentinel.com/s...s-baseball

 

Umatilla's Lucroy signs pro contract

The 3rd-round draft picks gets a $340,000 signing bonus

Joe Williams

Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer

 

Umatilla's Jonathan Lucroy spent Monday in Milwaukee, touring Miller Park, the stadium where he hopes to one day play as a major-leaguer.

 

Two days earlier, on Saturday night, Lucroy said he signed a professional baseball contract including a $340,000 bonus with the Milwaukee Brewers, the team that drafted him in the third round with the 101st overall pick during Thursday's first day of Major League Baseball's amateur draft.

 

"They [the negotiations] were very easy," Lucroy said. "I told them that I would sign for slot money and that is what I did."

 

Lucroy said he decided to sign after meeting with Brewers scout Brian Sankey, who had followed him during his collegiate career.

 

Lucroy, 20, said it was time for him to get on with the next phase of his baseball career. After starring at Umatilla High School and at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, where he just finished his junior season, he said he was ready to begin his career as a pro.

 

Late Monday, Lucroy was flying from Milwaukee to Phoenix, Ariz., for a week's worth of orientation and practice at the Brewers' spring training facility before heading to Helena, Mont., to play for the Brewers rookie team in the Pioneer League.

 

"I am very happy," he said. "College baseball was very good to me. Now it is time for me to move on and pursue professional baseball. The coaches [at Louisiana-Lafayette] are very happy for me."

 

Lucroy finished his junior season as one of the Ragin' Cajuns top players. His 18 home runs this season is the second-best season in school history. He leaves the school as its all-time RBIs leader with 184. He also was the team's leading hitter with a .360 batting average and had 19 doubles and 68 RBIs this season.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.thecrimson.com/articl...ref=519262

 

Wilson Foregoes Senior Season, Signs With Brewers

Third baseman was Milwaukee's 28th-round pick

By JONATHAN LEHMAN

Harvard Crimson Staff Writer

 

Harvard third baseman Steffan Wilson has signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, who selected him with the 851st overall pick in the 28th round of the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Friday.

 

The decision effectively ends Wilson?s collegiate career and paves the way for the hard-hitting right-hander to join the Helena Brewers of the rookie-level Pioneer League this summer.

 

A rising senior, Wilson had the option to sign with the club or return to the Crimson next spring, but the opportunity to join the professional ranks was too good for the State College, Pa., native to pass up.

 

?After looking at the package and the different things that I had on my plate, I decided that going was the best thing,? Wilson said. ?This is something that I?ve been dreaming about for a long time?all little kids do. It was just tough to pass up once I got offered.?

 

Wilson, in his first year of draft eligibility, is coming off what he called a ?relatively poor? junior season in which he hit .331 but managed only three home runs and a mere 17 RBI. Opposing pitchers were careful with him as the squad?s lone bona fide slugger and he earned a team-leading 20 walks. His 12 extra-base hits and .484 slugging percentage were career lows. That may have led to Wilson, who admitted getting nervous as the draft wore on, lingering on the board longer than expected.

 

?Obviously, everybody hopes to go higher,? Wilson said. ?But they took me in the 28th, and maybe I deserved to go there. I think it?s going to work out just fine, so I?m not too worried about where I got picked, but I was just starting to worry that I wasn?t going to go at all.?

 

Wilson was in the midst of practice with his Cape Cod Baseball League team when he received the news. It was on Cape Cod where Wilson vaulted onto scouts? radars with a standout 2006 summer in the wood-bat league, regarded as one of the nation?s premier proving grounds for collegiate talent.

 

Wilson continues in a line of recent Harvard non-seniors confronted with the option of departing school early to test their fortunes in the bushes. John Wolff and Frank Herrmann, a late-round pick and a free-agent pickup, respectively, both left Cambridge after their junior campaigns in 2005. Zak Farkes elected to return to campus in 2004 to improve his standing after being taken by his hometown Boston Red Sox in the 39th round following a 14-homer sophomore season. But Farkes was not picked again the next summer and inked a free-agent deal with the Red Sox, foregoing his senior year.

 

?To be honest, I didn?t really think about what they had done and what they had decided, because for everybody it?s an individual choice,? Wilson said. ?I knew that completing school was possible, even though it?s going to be a semester late, and I liked that they had tested the waters on that because there?s no way I would walk away from finishing up my degree.?

 

Wilson said he plans to attend classes during the fall semester before heading to Spring Training and hopes to return to Cambridge to finish his requirements the following fall.

 

Throughout the decision-making process, Wilson sought the counsel of his family and former coaches, including Crimson skipper Joe Walsh.

 

?He was supportive,? Wilson said of Walsh. ?He began the conversation saying, ?Regardless what you decide, I?m going to support your decision,? which is great. He wanted to make sure that I didn?t rush into anything and that I thought it through?I think he would?ve preferred me to come back, but I think he understands.?

 

Wilson also benefited from the advice of his older brother Jon, a right-handed pitcher who was a 27th-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2005.

 

?He played a few seasons, and now he?s older and wiser and has been around the scene that I?m starting to get into,? Wilson said. ?He?s going to be, I?m sure, a great help to me and it?s been great having him around and helping me make some of the decisions.?

 

Although he was rated the top professional prospect in the Ivy League in the preseason by Baseball America, Wilson was ultimately the fourth Ivy player snatched up in this weekend?s draft. He trailed Brown catcher Devin Thomas (seventh round), Yale first baseman Marc Sawyer (15th round), and Princeton catcher Sal Iacono (26th round).

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.bellinghamherald.com/...02491.html

 

Paciorek signs pro contract

Bellingham (WA) Herald

 

Blaine?s Joey Paciorek is officially a professional baseball player.

 

After being drafted in the 15th round of last week?s entry draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, Paciorek signed his first contract with the club on Monday afternoon.

 

?He is ecstatic,? said Brandon Newell, the Brewers? Northwest scouting supervisor who signed Paciorek. ?His dad was there, and they were both really excited that Joey is going to play professional ball.?

 

Newell could not disclose terms of the contract, but said the contract is ?basically more than fair market value for (the 15th) round.?

 

Paciorek will leave for the Brewers training facility in Phoenix, Ariz., on Sunday, where he will participate in camp for a few days before the Arizona Rookie League begins play on June 23, Newell said.

 

?Hopefully he?ll do well down there and maybe even end the season up in Helena (of the rookie-level Pioneer League),? Newell said.

 

Newell said he believes the biggest adjustment Paciorek, who will start his career at third base, will have to make is the speed of the professional game.

 

?He hasn?t seen a tremendous amount of quality pitchers up here,? Newell said. ?The speed of the game is going to pick up, and it?s going to take him a little bit of time to adjust. If he?s used to seeing 80 mph, and all of a sudden everybody is throwing 85, it?s a big deal. If he?s used to seeing 88, and then they?re throwing 90, it?s not that big of deal. It?s all relative. In a few weeks, I?m sure everything will start looking like its 80 mph again.?

[MadScientist]

Brewers.com is reporting that as of yesterday half of the draftees have been signed LINK

 

They of course don't say which ones, other than not LaPorta.

[JoeHova]

I knew Paciorek's name sounded familiar. His dad and 2 uncles played in MLB and several of his cousins got drafted, though none made the majors.

[Mass Haas]

Haven't seen this reported elsewhere yet:

 

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Infielder Joe Dillon:

The Brewers have taken one of their two available 40-man roster spots and assigned it to the super utility man Dillon; he was then optioned to Nashville.

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-12.mp3

 

The 31-year-old Dillon is having a fine season (.899 OPS):

 

Joe Dillon 2007 Statistics

 

Career numbers include his 2005 stint in Florida (four defensive positions):

 

Joe Dillon Career Statistics

 

Unless Dillon had a clause in his contract that would allow him to be a free agent by a certain date this season if not on the 40-man roster, not sure why the Brewers needed to make this move now.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailyhome.com/sports/...2v1122.htm

 

Headed West

Will Heath, dailyhome.com (Alabama)

 

In less than a week, Childersburg?s Zealous Wheeler has gone from being surprised by the Major League Baseball draft to making flight arrangements.

 

The 5-10, 220-pound alumnus of Wallace State in Hanceville ? drafted on Friday by Milwaukee with the 581st pick ? made official his plans on Tuesday. Wheeler will leave the Birmingham International Airport today for Arizona, and by Saturday will be preparing to start play for the Helena Brewers, a rookie-ball franchise in the Milwaukee organization.

 

?I feel pretty good,? he said Tuesday. ?It?s something I?ve been wanting to do, and I finally made it.?

 

That means Wheeler will forego the remainder of his collegiate career; he?d signed a scholarship with UAB earlier this spring. The chance at the pros, it turned out, was an offer he couldn?t refuse.

 

?Just talked to my parents, just had to make the decision, go to UAB or go to the league,? he said. ?My parents, (Childersburg head) Coach (Chad) Slaten, they just wanted what was best for me, whatever I think.

 

?I?m going to the league.?

 

Wheeler admits he?s never been quite so far away from home in his life.

 

?Summer ball, travel, I?ve been away,? he said. ?I?ve been to Colorado for my JUCO team (during last year?s NJCAA World Series), but that?s about it.

 

?I?m gonna miss it.?

 

The shower of good news follows hard upon the heels of a banner season from Wheeler, whose Wallace State squad finished the ?07 season with a final record of 40-10.

 

Playing 50 games at third base, Wheeler finished with a batting average of .412, and a slugging percentage of .701. He had 73 hits, 10 home runs and 19 doubles. For the season, he drove in 51 runs and scored 59.

 

Zealous also had the chance to watch his little brother, Bryan, put up some great numbers as well as a junior at Childersburg High. Bryan Wheeler finished as MVP of the state finals during Childersburg?s 4A state title run, and was dubbed 4A Player of the Year.

 

Childersburg head coach Chad Slaten talked about the success of the Wheeler brothers in an earlier interview.

 

?It?s always good to see a guy you?ve coached go on to do bigger and better things,? he said. ?Every kid in Childersburg, their dream is to play pro baseball. Zealous has that chance and I know that?s been a lifelong dream of his.

 

?I really believe he?s got a chance to make it to the big leagues, just because he?s a great hitter, and he has a great work ethic and he?s such a great person.

 

?It all comes back to his mama and daddy. They?ve done a great job of raising two wonderful boys. There?s so many kids that year in and year out with great ability, but they don?t have the work ethic, and he?s got it. They both do.?

 

Wheeler is one of 46 players selected by Milwaukee in last week?s draft, and as of today, 26 of those selections have already been signed. According to an official release from the organization, 13 of the signees were assigned to Helena, while another 13 were assigned to Arizona.

 

Helena is scheduled to begin play on Tuesday, June 19 on the road against Missoula.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active (includes photo), text follows:

 

www.pensacolanewsjournal....30350/1002

 

Former Patriot Gindl signs with Brewers

Chuck Corder

ccorder@pnj.com (Pensacola, FL News Journal)

 

There are no manners in baseball.

 

Just ask Caleb Gindl.

 

The former Pace High star and Milwaukee Brewers newbie learned a quick and valuable lesson when he showed up for rookie ball Monday: Call no one "sir" or "coach."

 

A slip of the tongue costs him big bucks. A whole dollar, in fact.

 

Ah, such is the constant harassment process a rookie ballplayer, such as Gindl, must quickly adjust to.

 

Gindl signed a contract -- a package of more than $200,000 -- with the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday and reported to the team's rookie club Monday in Phoenix.

 

"It's hard not to say 'sir,' especially for a kid like me from down south," Gindl said from his cell phone in a Phoenix hotel.

 

"But, like (teammates told him), 'You're no longer a kid; you're a man. It's time for you to step up.' "

 

He stepped up for the first time Tuesday. Gindl practiced less than a week after the organization drafted him in the fifth round with the 161st overall pick of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

 

Four players with Pensacola Junior College ties, including a pair of Pirates signees, also have joined their respective teams. Drew Cumberland, Gindl's former teammate at Pace, is expected to begin contract negotiations with the San Diego Padres today.

 

"It went great," Gindl said, assessing his first day. "It's kinda hard to think that I'm getting paid to do this because it's such a fun job to have right now."

 

Not that Gindl necessarily was thinking that when he awoke at 4 a.m. to catch the rookies' bus to the Brewers' facility.

 

Still, once he rubbed the sleep away, Gindl fit right in. The toughest adjustment was figuring out how to rein in his excitement.

 

"(Coaches) don't want you to go full speed," he said. "Everything was 50 percent. They just don't want you to get hurt. Everything's nice and easy and laid back."

 

So far. Business promises to pick up come Thursday when Gindl finds out if he'll stay in Phoenix or be moved to Helena, Mont., home to the Brewers' advanced rookie league.

 

Gindl feels confident the latter is where he'll land. That made it easier to sign and bypass a baseball scholarship that awaited him at Troy.

 

"Sometimes, it only comes around once," Gindl said. "A lotta times you don't get drafted as high the second time around. "I figured I had to take my shot."

[Brian the Automator]

[ The Brewers have taken one of their two available 40-man roster spots and assigned it to the super utility man Dillon; he was then optioned to Nashville. ]

 

What's the purpose of adding someone to the 40-man if he's not being called up, and we're not risking losing him in the Rule 5?

[DrWood]

I assume he had something in his contract that would make him a free agent if not on the 40 man at mid year.

Do you get service days for being on the 40? I didn't think so. If not, it's strictly a vanity move for Dillon.

[pg44]

And another outfielder? Good, we don't have enough of them. My guess is he had a clause in his contract that said he needed to be added to the 40-man or released by June 15th, so they added him. Can't see where they could use him unless 3 guys get hurt.

[Brian the Automator]

[ Do you get service days for being on the 40? I didn't think so. If not, it's strictly a vanity move for Dillon. ]

 

I'm pretty sure that a player only accumulates service time if he's on the 25-man roster or the MLB DL.

[pogokat]

he doesnt accumulate service time, but he should make a good deal more money...

[Mass Haas]

This story out of Maryland includes an update on both a signed draft pick and one which is forgoing a pro career at this time to pitch for the Crimson Tide of Alabama. Because of that, I'll post it both here and in the Draft Discussion Forum.

 

Link for Casey Baron photo while active, text follows:

 

www.gazette.net/stories/0...2363.shtml

 

Baseball: County is feeling a draft

Four county products selected in last week?s Major League Draft

by James Peters | Maryland Gazette.net Staff Writer

 

With a fastball registering in the mid-90s and a pre-draft call from the Milwaukee Brewers, Damascus resident Connor Hoehn knew he would be drafted in the early rounds of last week?s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

 

Hoehn, who played for St. John?s College High (D.C.) the last four years, was, in fact, told he would be taken in the fourth round during the draft?s first day last Thursday. He, however, slipped to the 21st round, selected by the Brewers as the 641st pick overall.

 

Wait a minute. What happened?

 

According to Hoehn?s mother, Dedee, three Major League teams -- the Brewers, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, expressed interest Thursday in selecting the flame-throwing pitcher. But because none of those teams were prepared to pay Hoehn more than the slotted money allotted for players taken in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds, the family decided Connor would wait to begin his professional career and head south to the University of Alabama instead, where he has a scholarship waiting.

 

??Going in, I knew I was going to get drafted,? Hoehn said. ??The Brewers called and said they?d take me with their fourth pick in the fourth round. We were hoping they would go out of the slot money but they couldn?t so we weren?t going to sign. Each pick in the Major League draft is only allowed a certain amount of money.?

 

Hoehn, who compiled a 5-1 record with a 2.32 earned-run average this past spring, signed with Alabama, who he chose over North Carolina, last November after a busy summer of showcases.

 

He participated in the PG National Showcase at the University of Arkansas last June and was then invited to pitch in the 2nd Annual Cape Cod High School Classic in July, which was televised on MLB.com as well as ESPNU. In August, professional scouts selected him to go to their East Coast Professional showcase in North Carolina.

 

??Basically, what it comes down to, I value my education more than starting my professional career right now,? said Hoehn, who finished his high-school career with a 16-3 record.

 

The Brewers did land one county player for certain in former Paint Branch High and University of Maryland hurler Casey Baron, who was taken in the 34th round (1,028th pick overall). He signed with Milwaukee Saturday and headed to Phoenix Monday for a five-day ??Brew Crew? mini-camp before heading to Helena, Mont., where he will play in the Pioneer League for the Rookie League Helena Brewers, said his father Tom Baron, a long-time professional scout.

 

Helena opens the season June 19 on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate with its home opener set for June 22.

 

Baron, a lefty thrower, completed his Maryland career with an 8-10 record and a 4.54 ERA in 57 appearances, 25 of which were starts. He compiled a 4-5 record with a 4.06 ERA in 16 games this past spring. Baron was Maryland?s Friday night starter, meaning he opened the team?s three-game league series each weekend.

 

??We got some indication from 3-4 clubs that something might happen Thursday but no guarantees,? Tom Baron said. ??Then it was Friday and it?s getting up to the 20th round and no phone calls. No nothing. So Casey takes his fiancé and they go out. He got the call while he was out. He said, ?Dad, I should have stayed home. I got the call while shopping at Target.? He?s excited. He?s jacked up.?

[dadofandrew]

Pogo is right, if you're on the 40, you make a lot more money. I would assume the choices were put him on the 40 or allow him to be a FA.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseba...2-sun.html

 

Three London Majors taken in draft

By MORRIS DALLA COSTA -- Sun Media (Canada)

 

Roop Chanderdat was hoping that recruiting for the London Majors was done for this year.

 

That was before last week's major league baseball draft.

 

Three players from the Intercounty Baseball League team's roster were selected.

 

Catcher Chris Dennis from Amherstburg went to the Milwaukee Brewers in the 13th round. He was followed by first baseman Mitch Delaney from LaSalle in the 21st round to the Chicago White Sox.

 

Also going to the Brewers is right-handed pitcher Adam Arnold. The St. Thomas native went in the 41st round.

 

Dennis and Arnold have already signed and are heading to their teams later this week.

 

Chanderdat said he wasn't surprised they were drafted.

 

"But we just weren't sure what round they were going to go in," he said. "What I really didn't expect was for them to sign that quickly though. It's great for them and great for our organization, but it would be nice to have some sort of continuity and rhythm with the team. Now with the draft over, we can get back to business."

 

Despite having to go out and sign more players, Chanderdat is thrilled that his players were drafted.

 

"For the Majors, it's big," he said. "We have Adam for two years now. Chris and Mitch will probably tell you this: Coming to play for the Majors was key in their getting drafted. We played them full time and set up some showcase camps for them. It was tremendous for them here from Day 1."

 

Arnold, 21, is headed to the Arizona Rookie League in a week. "I got the opportunity to play and I wasn't going to say no," he said.

 

Arnold played in junior college in Michigan but at the beginning of his year, transferred to Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia.

 

"I very excited to learn about the game, pitching, just how to become a big leaguer," Arnold said.

 

Like many young throwers, Arnold has a strong arm and good velocity. He has to learn the intricacies of pitching, how to develop his off-speed pitches and his mechanics.

 

Losing a pitcher is difficult for Chanderdat. It's that aspect of the Majors game that needs help this year. The Majors are 6-9 and tied with Hamilton, 7 1/2 games back of leading Brantford.

 

"Our pitching needs to pick it up," Chanderdat said. "Tom Van Kestern has been the only one who's really been effective. I think we'll come around."

 

With Dennis signing and heading out, the Majors also lose one of their big bats. Dennis was among the league-leading hitters with a .394 average and five home runs.

 

Dennis, 18, agreed to a contract during the game Sunday and signed after the game. He too is headed to the Arizona Rookie League. He was one-for-two when he was pulled.

 

"I finished my at bat and when I got back to the dugout and Roop said, 'Chris, I've been told to pull you because now it's a liability factor," Dennis said.

 

Dennis said coming to London to play had an impact on his draft position.

 

"There's no doubt in my mind it helped," Dennis said. "I would have been drafted but coming to London it helped me out so much. I got drafted in a higher position because I was seen a lot more. The coaching really helped me improve as a player and teammates helped me get better. The atmosphere was extraordinary."

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Site:

Link, text follows --

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1216

 

Parra Promoted to Triple-A

 

The Milwaukee Brewers have promoted left-hand pitcher Manny Parra to triple-A Nashville. He is expected to be in uniform for the Sounds Friday night at home against Omaha.

 

Parra made 13 starts for Huntsville, going 7-3 with a 2.68 earned run average, the lowest of any qualifying pitcher in the Southern League. He won each of his last two decisions and five of his last seven since the start of May. Parra went seven shutout frames in his last start with the Stars Wednesday night, retiring 22 of 23 hitters before giving up two runs in the eighth inning in what turned out to be a 3-2 Huntsville victory. It will be his first opportunity to pitch at the triple-A level after joining the organization as a draft and follow in 2002.

 

Former Stars? pitcher Yovani Gallardo was called up to the major leagues from triple-A to replace the injured Chris Capuano, necessitating the promotion of Parra. Gallardo, a six-game winner for the Stars last season, was 8-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 13 starts for the Sounds and fanned 110 batters in 77 2/3 innings.

[brewmann04]

Mass

Who the logical choice to move up and take Parra spot.