Off-Season Transactions -- Latest: Miscellaneous Updates

[Mass Haas]

RHP Jason Karnuth, signed as a minor league free agent this offseason, has voluntarily retired. Here's the write-up the Nashville Sounds prepared upon his signing:

Karnuth, who will turn 32 in May, carries a 3.70 career minor league ERA in 459 lifetime outings (73 starts) and joins his fifth different organization with the Brewers in 2008. The veteran right-hander has spent the majority of the last four seasons pitching in the Detroit Tigers organization, where he was a member of back-to-back International League championship clubs with Toledo in 2005 & 2006. Last season, he went 2-2 with six saves and a 3.41 ERA (18er/37.0ip) in 30 relief outings for Triple-A Toledo. Originally drafted by the Cardinals in 1997, Karnuth has previously pitched in the PCL with Memphis (2000-02) and Sacramento (2006). He has made Major League appearances in seven games in his career during stints with St. Louis (2001) and Detroit (2005).

[Mass Haas]

Adam McCalvy's latest Minor League Report focuses on Abraham Nunez but also offers the following updates:

 

Jitters: It has not been a great week for some of the young arms getting an opportunity in big league games.

On Monday against the Padres, Erasmo Ramirez, Robert Hinton, Steve Hammond and Josh Wahpepah combined to surrender 10 runs on seven hits and nine walks in 2 2/3 innings. The Brewers lost, 10-4, in three hours and 19 minutes. Yost ran out of coffee in the dugout.

"It was all their first outings," Ned Yost said. "They're all wanting to impress, and they're overthrowing. They're not pitching; they're just kind of firing it in there.

"They'll be OK next time."

Injury report: Minor League catcher Lou Palmisano's left knee is still sore and he will undergo a second MRI scan Wednesday.

Palmisano was sidelined earlier in camp by the injury, but an MRI last month did not reveal any torn tissue, so he was able to participate in hitting drills. He never progressed to the point of catching, Yost said.

The Brewers said the latest MRI results would be available on Thursday.

Making a mark: An American League scout assigned to the Brewers this spring said he was particularly impressed with infielder/outfielder Hernan Iribarren. The Brewers will use Iribarren both at second base and center field this spring.

"Every swing looks smooth," the scout said. "I really like him."

Iribarren is a career .324 hitter in six Minor League seasons since signing with the Brewers in 2002. He hit .307 last year at Double-A Huntsville with 72 runs scored, 39 extra-base hits and 18 stolen bases.

He's No. 1: Outfielder Matt LaPorta, the Brewers' first-round selection in 2007's First-Year Player Draft, got off to a hot start in Cactus League games. He batted .571 (4-for-7) in his first four games with a double and a run scored. LaPorta is in his first big league camp.

 

[yoshii8]

I hope Hernan doesn't get traded, I would rather have him as an extra bench player than Abraham Nunez. It seems like every spring they talk about how good Hernan looks.

[wvpowerblkwel]

Interesting link including one of our own! from the pages of ESPN!

[Mass Haas]

Palmisano to undergo knee surgery; Catcher likely to miss first three months of season

[wvpowerblkwel]

Alcides was 2 for 4 today...seems like he's getting a lot of time in big league camp...any thoughts on where he begins the season? Seems like so far so good!

[pogokat]

my initial inclination is AA, but that might move him up to AAA...i hope not, however, as that seems unnecessary

[battlekow]

I assume Palmisano will be placed on the 60-day DL; any word on who will take his spot on the 40-man?

[And That]

I'd be surprised if Escobar weren't placed in AAA. I haven't heard anywhere that the Brewers are thinking of keeping him in AA to start the year.

[bork]

I assume Palmisano will be placed on the 60-day DL;

Not likely. If he's on the 60 day DL, he's getting major league service time and major league pay. That's why he was optioned now, to avoid paying him a major league salary.

 

Plus, there will be 40-man spots opening up at the end of spring when guys without options get sent down (Nelson, Rivera, McClung)

[Mass Haas]

Brad Nelson does have an option left -- they will be able to send him to Nashville without worrying about waivers. You are correct in that Rivera and McClung do not.

[Mass Haas]

After their options to Nashville Friday night, Zach Jackson and Brad Nelson are out of options, which will next be a factor in 2009 (they can be sent back and forth this year if need be).

 

Hernan Iribarren and Luis Pena each have one option left which will be available in 2009, we believe.

[Mass Haas]

From Tom's blog:

The Brewers also made some player moves this morning, optioning right-hander Tim Dillard to Class AAA Nashville and reassigning catcher Andy Bouchie and outfielder Matt LaPorta to the minor league camp.

LaPorta, the Brewers' first-round draft pick last year, batted .353 in nine games and generally made a good impression in camp. He was sent to the minor league camp to get regular action in games there.

This was Dillard's first option. He can be bounced to AAA again in 2009 and 2010.

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers have signed minor league free agent RHP John Axford, he'll turn 25 in a couple of weeks.

He's another native Canadian out of Ontario, and has pitched for the Canadian National Team in the past, although he was not a member of the team that just qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Axford, 6'5" made his pro debut in 2007, signing with the Yankees out of Canisius College. His one-year stint at Canisius followed a three-year stint at Notre Dame. He pitched at four levels for the Yankees last year, from low-A to one AAA mop-up appearance.

August 2006 Blog Post:

Hometown Breakdown note: Pitcher John Axford of Port Dover, Ont., a 6-foot-6 right-hander who throws serious high-90s smoke and whom yours truly was lucky enough to interview a couple times in my former role as Simcoe Reformer sports editor, has signed a free-agent contract with the Yankees. Congratulations to John and his family.

For lack of an original way to say it, Axford has had a lot of ups and downs in the past five years. He was Seattle's seventh-round pick in the 2001 MLB draft but passed up the Mariners' money to play college ball at Notre Dame. His career in South Bend got off to a great start, but in the space of a couple months in '03, he lost his pitching mentor and close friend, Doug King, who died of a heart attack, then blew out his right elbow, leading to Tommy John surgery in November 2003.

Axford didn't pitch for Notre Dame again until the spring of '05, and only briefly, but was drafted by Cincinnati in the 42nd round. Again, he didn't sign, choosing to pitch one more year of NCAA ball at Canisius College near Buffalo.

This summer, he was pitching for the Melville Millionaires in something called the Western League. He had 19 strikeouts in a seven-inning start, and whiffed 17 batters in another contest, before the Yankees decided to give him a chance to join their organization. Yes, it's the Evil Empire he's joining, but you can't help but be excited for him and his family.

Now, after all that, it will only get harder for here to climb the baseball ladder, especially since he is 23 years old, although as a Canadian, he probably doesn't have as many miles on his arm as some 23-year-old American pitching prospects. Wish him well.

Notre Dame Detailed Player Bio

April 2007 Blog Entry -- AAA Outing

John Axford Career Statistics

Good April 2007 Article (pdf)

You'd think Brevard County might be a logical launching point for Axford in 2007.

http://www.canisius.edu/athletics/dbimage2.asp?iNewsID=3967&iImageID=1

[Mass Haas]

This Q&A is from a 2007 Baseball America chat:

 

Q: Brian from Ontario asks: Being a baseball fan from the the Great White North I like to follow my fellow Canadians through their promising careers. One particularly that I remember reading about and following, begining about 6 years back, was the right hander John Axford. Everything seemed so promising for this young flame thrower in his first couple years at Notre Dame. I remember that he had Tommy John Surgery, basically didn't pitch his last two years at ND and tranfered. I hadn't heard anything about him again until I saw, on Baseball America, that he signed a free agent contract for the 2007 season! Now, I don't know what state his arm is in, but the Yankees must have seen something they liked! What kind of projections do you see for him if his arm is healthy and he returns to the John Axford of old?

 

A: John Manuel: Long, long question . . . Brian, Axford used to have serious stuff. He was pegging 94-95 mph on the gun in the 2002 College World Series as a freshman, and sat at 92-93 as a starter in '03 for Notre Dame, when he was in 9 games. But he hurt his elbow and had Tommy John surgery, and he pitched for Canisius in '06 (long story short, the coach at Canisius is Canadian, and Axford knows him, already had his ND degree and went to pitch for his guy), and he walked 75 in 70 innings. I just don't think he's ever going to be what he was pre-surgery. TJ is not a magic elixer. The track record for the surgery is good, but not perfect.

[Mass Haas]

Infielder Eric Newton, the Brewers' 33rd round pick in 2006 out of Santa Clara University, has been released, according to his agent, who posts here at Brewerfan.

 

The worst part of my job is finding out a player you have has been released. We had two casualties today, both players I am very close with. Eric Newton of the Brewers and Travis Talbot of the Marlins. I have grown very close to both players off the field so this news is especially devastating. Newton has massive power but can't shake the injury bug while Talbot was a victim of a numbers crunch. I will do everything I can to get them back to affiliated ball this week but if I can't I hope both guys keep it going in indy ball because I know in my heart both guys can still play and someone will eventually give them a second shot.

 

Newton, 6'1", 212, who will be 24 in June, had only played 40 games in Maryvale / Helena in two seasons. Nineteen of his 36 hits were for extra-bases, including seven home runs in only 131 AB's.

 

It's very likely other cuts are happening this week and next -- they do every year. We'll remind folks that as we await word on minor league rosters, please do not speculate as to who may be released at this time. It's a sensitive time for all the kids on the bubble, and we'll hold back on any release news until we have confirmation of some sort.

[Mass Haas]

Vinny Rottino and Mitch Stetter optioned to Nashville, Rottino can be optioned again in 2009 and Stetter in '09 and '10.

 

Any discussion should be here.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Site:

 

Reliever Franklin Nunez, who was signed late in the 2007 season out of the independent leagues and joined the Sounds for the final week of their season, was released from the Brewers' minor league camp.

 

Career stats for the former big league Devil Ray

[Mass Haas]

It was a rough week to be a backup infielder in Brewers' camp. In addition to Eric Newton (see prior post), Baseball America reports the following cuts:

 

23-year-old Scott McKnight , 2005's 28th round pick out of a California community college, posted a .558 OPS in 365 career AB's, 81 AB's came at Brevard County in 2006. He fractured his right wrist midway through that '06 season.

 

Ryan Barba, also 23 years old, posted a .592 OPS in 137 AB's with Brevard County last season. He was signed in July or '06 as an undrafted free agent out of the University of New Mexico.

 

Zach McAngus turns 24 in May. An undrafted free agent signee in June of '06 out of Washington State, the native Hawaiian appeared in 41 games at Maryvale in '06 and 31 games at Helena in '07.

 

Bryan Crosby only turned 20 in December, yet his Brewer career comes to an end after 56 Maryvale AB's (.179, ten singles). Crosby was a 44th round 2006 pick out of a Nashville high school, and was signed as a draft-and-follow out of an Ohio community college in the spring of '07.

 

Outside of the backup infielders, there were these additional cuts.

 

RHP Chris Spurling -- you know his story, Nashville's staff was looking awfully full

 

OF Jovanny Felix turned 21 last November. He saw fairly extended play the last two seasons in Maryvale (stronger in 2006), but the Dominican farmhand hit only .229 in 310 AB's (25 BB's, 100 K's, .545 OPS). Felix moved from the infield to the outfield in 2007.

RHP Yeison Cruz won't even be 20 until November, but the 6'2", 200 lb. Dominican signing from August '06 will only have his 2007 line to show for: 13 relief appearances in Maryvale covering 30 innings, 6.30 ERA, 21 K's, 32 BB's, 3 HBP's, 9 wild pitches -- the Brewers have given young latin pitchers another chance after worse lines in the past, but that won't be the case with Cruz.

[Mass Haas]

26-year-old LHP Jeff Housman was released this week.

 

Jeff had six seasons in the system and spent the 2004 season as a member of the 40-man roster. Not bad for a 33rd round pick in '02 out of Cal-State Fullerton. Housman's numbers in 2007 as a middle reliever in Huntsville were not strong.

 

We wish Jeff well, as we do for all the young men saying goodbye to the Brewers this spring.

[bork]

Did we know that Ned Yost IV is no longer a player, but may become a coach?

 

Ned Yost IV no longer is a player in the Brewers' farm system. But the manager's son might soon be a coach.

After being told he was "on the bubble" to make the Huntsville roster, Yost IV was offered a coaching job in the system by farm director Reid Nichols. He returned home to Atlanta to mull his plans.

 

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=732599

 

Edit: oops, missed the other thread.

[Mass Haas]

We'll be seeing other names, but among confirmed releases are:

 

RHP D.J. Lidyard, 22 years old, who made his pro debut in '07 after being drafted in the 43rd round in 2006. Lidyard posted respectable numbers, as he struck out 70 and walked 32 in 69 relief innings (34 appearances) at West Virginia, posting an ERA of 4.83.

 

Infielder Brad Miller, also 22, was a 39th round pick in 2005 and debuted in '06 with the Brewers at Helena. He posted a .646 OPS in 117 AB's with West Virginia in '07.

 

It also appears as though the following three players, all promising LHP's, will be among those remaining in Maryvale to open the season -- Zach Braddock, Luis Ramirez, and Jose Romero (injury rehabs). No word, at least not yet, on their projected activation dates.

[Mass Haas]

As noted in the Nashville thread, the Brewers have added RHP Richie Gardner to their 40-man roster, claiming him off waivers from Cincinnati.

 

The Reds' Pitcher of the Year in 2004, Gardner underwent labrum surgery in 2005 that zapped a lot of his velocity, apparently.

 

His career stats indicate he was outstanding at high-A and AA in '07, and his AAA numbers with Louisville were rough. He made 13 starts below, and 13 at, AAA.

 

Gardner was only added to the Reds' 40-man last fall, so the Brewers can option him in 2009 and 2010 as well.

 

The Brewers still have one 40-man spot available if need be.

[Mass Haas]

From the B.C. Manatee thread:

 

So far, the players "missing in action" (released, extended spring training rehabs in Maryvale -- we'll work on getting updates this week) are OF Steve Moss, OF Mike Goetz, LHP Chris Cody, C Brian Munhall, C Nestor Corredor, C D.J. Neyens, RHP Mark Rogers (Maryvale), RHP Brett Campbell, RHP Juan Sandoval, RHP Matt Kretzschmar, RHP Dane de la Rosa, RHP Brock Kjeldgaard, OF Anthony Wycklendt, and 1B Ned Yost (mulling coaching offer). 2B Eric Farris should be in West Virginia in a couple of weeks. If I missed anyone that should be listed as "MIA", please chime in, not counting youngsters who are likely to repeat Helena and/or Maryvale.

 

Here are some updates - click on name for career stats:

 

OF Steve Moss has indeed been released. Drafted in the 29th round in 2002 as an 18-year-old, Moss finishes his six-year Brewer career with a .255 / .345 /. 382 line (.727 OPS). Steve had a lengthy Power 50 stint detailed here, peaking at # 16 and ranking as high as # 17 in June of '06. Moss turned 24 years old last January, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him resurface elsewhere.

 

Infielder Carlos Hereaud has also been released. He just turned 22 in February. A 9th round pick in 2005, he languished on obscure restricted lists for two years for reasons I'm not sure we ever figured out. He finally debuted with Arizona (Maryvale) in 2007, with a .719 OPS in 172 AB's. There was some early hype on draft day, but Hereaud became a wasted top ten selection.

 

OF Mike Goetz (corrected spelling, thanks, I had it right in the italicized text above, my bad) was let go, which will surely disappoint UW-Milwaukee fans. The 25th round pick in 2006 had an amazing 2006 colleigiate season in which he led the nation in hitting (.493). Goetz posted an .879 OPS in 132 Helena AB's before appearing in a single game with Huntsville.

 

Former big league RHP Brett Campbell (four games with the Nationals in '06) was selected by the Brewers from Washington in the minor league phase of last fall's Rule 5 draft. Campbell was among the recent releases, as was...

 

RHP Dane de la Rosa, the 6'6" reliever and former Yankee farmhand, who was picked up from an independent league squad late last season. de la Rosa turned 25 last February.

 

Finally for now, also released this week was OF Anthony Wycklendt, 24, who is from Glendale, Wisconsin. He was an undrafted free agent signee out of Northwestern in '06. He posted a .698 OPS, mostly at Maryvale and Helena, and did get six AB's at West Virginia last season.

 

Apparently, RHP Matt Kretzschmar, the 22nd round pick in 2004, has quit (retired). Until he files formal paperwork, the Brewers will retain his rights on a restricted list. He posted a career WHIP of 1.72 in three seasons (ERA 5.36) in his three-year pro career, which included 45 appearances (13 starts) at West Virginia.

 

We'll inquire about Cody, Munhall, Corredor, Neyens, Sandoval, and Kjeldgaard.

[DrWood]

feel sorry about moss and Goetz (o before e, Haas). I didn't think either would contribute to the brewers, but both were still young, played good D, and I thought could have been good organizational soldiers. there was a glut of OF, though, so I understand.