Any Mark Rogers Updates? Latest: Journal-Sentinel

[Gasman41]

I just wanted to say that I for one hope that Mark is doing better. I know him very well (I am from his home town) and nobody has worked any harder than he has throughout his High School career, his minor league career and his rehab. The kid eats, sleeps and drinks Baseball. I think if there is anyone out there who deserves this it is him. If he reads this I hope he knows that the whole state of Maine is proud of him and that we all want to see him make that pitch in Miller park. I hope he keeps that strong work ethic and that he knows that we are all behind him 100%.

[Mass Haas]

I'm a fellow New Englander rooting big-time for Mark, but man, is this getting old or what?

 

Journal-Sentinel:

 

Spinning his wheels

Right-hander Mark Rogers, the Brewers' first-round draft pick in 2004 who missed the entire 2007 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, is still stuck in extended spring training.

Assistant general manager Gord Ash said Rogers was still experiencing "occasional" pain in his shoulder when he pitches off the mound. The plan is to pitch Rogers one inning today in extended camp to see whether he has discomfort.

"Then we'll meet with the doctors and see where he goes next," Ash said. "There's some concern that he doesn't want to let it go for fear of experiencing pain. It becomes a little psychological."

If Rogers, 22, gets past this test, he'll continue on his throwing program. If not, the decision might be made to perform arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder to see if there is another problem.

[twobrewers]

I feel bad for the kid.

 

Jeffress has been out smoking pot wasting away all of his talent, while Mark seems like a great guy who just can't catch a break.

 

It would be a real shame for him to never pan out just because of his injuries.

[PlayerHader]

So you think he should start smoking some drugs?

I agree this just isn't good. Hopefully it's more of a psychological hump and he'll be back at it sooner than later.

[Gopher74]

I'm a fellow New Englander rooting big-time for Mark, but man, is this getting old or what?

Not as old as it's getting for Mark Rogers I'm assuming.

 

[Never Outhustled]

I can't wait to hear an update tomorrow. Hopefully, he'll get a little adrenaline going in a game like situation and get threw it. I keep reminding myself Parra had setbacks while trying to forget Jones had setbacks.

[gregmag]

Jeffress has been out smoking pot wasting away all of his talent, while Mark seems like a great guy who just can't catch a break.

Isn't this a bit harsh? Jeffress is doing his time, and I've heard nothing to suggest he isn't a great guy too. Lots of great guys -- all of them, presumably -- do dumb things at times. Anyway, I've also heard nothing to suggest that Jeffress is a great guy, or for that matter that Rogers is. All I know is that they're a couple of young guys who play baseball. I hope they both end up playing a lot of games for the Brewers.

 

Greg.

[twobrewers]

I don't think I said anything factually incorrect.

 

Jeffress did smoke pot. (And has been busted 3 times) He is also wasting his talents by serving a 50 game suspension for it, instead of pitching in the minor and improving.

 

I didn't say Jeffress was a bad guy.

[JoeHova]

There's a school of thought that says that any time a guy as young as Jeffress doesn't have to throw many innings, it's actually good, not bad. If Jeremy was a position player, I would be more worried about the 50 missed games affecting his development. With a pitcher, it's just less possibility of him getting injured before his body matures.

 

edit: I'm not saying the suspension was a great thing or that all young pitchers should smoke weed and get suspended, just that if he stops testing positive, it's hardly a big deal.

[Gopher74]

gregmag1 wrote:

Isn't this a bit harsh? Jeffress is doing his time, and I've heard nothing to suggest he isn't a great guy too. Lots of great guys -- all of them, presumably -- do dumb things at times. Anyway, I've also heard nothing to suggest that Jeffress is a great guy, or for that matter that Rogers is.

Frankly...not really. And I'm usually the first guy to speak up when I think someone's been a little too harsh on a young kid simply because he's in the spotlight.

 

Jeffress isn't a terrible guy because he smokes weed, but he is an idiot...or at least he's acting like an idiot while Rogers isn't doing anything but trying to get to the big leagues and working his tail off. Each guys on the shelf right now...one because of his own actions, one because of his body won't allow him to move on.

 

I have a lot less sympathy for one Jeremy Jeffress.

 

[TheCrew07]

Here's hoping Mark recovers and takes a Parra type route to MLB.

 

As far as young JJ is concerned, I personally wrote him off after he tested positively on a Brewer administered test again at the end of last year. Yes kids will make mistakes, but to do it multiple times suggests that there are bigger issues going on here than "he made a bad decsion". I really hope he turns it around because his arm is electric, but it's hard to for me to still be excited about him at this time.

[colbyjack]

I've seen a couple of people reference Manny Parra in relationship to Mark Rogers, but I want to point out that while Parra was shut down for what, three years in a row, he still managed to pitch at least 70 innings IIRC in each of those seasons, or roughly half the season. Rogers has been on the shelf since late in the 2006 season, missing all of last year and still experiencing problems this year.

 

Plus, Parra could always pitch. Rogers even before he was shelved had a long way to go to master the strike zone, meaning there was a smaller learning curve for Parra.

 

You can probably tell that I'm not very optimistic about his recovery, but I'm definitely rooting for the guy because when and if he gets healthy, no pitcher in our system profiles as a staff ace more than Rogers does.

[Mass Haas]

Tom Haudricourt in the Journal-Sentinel:

 

Right-hander Mark Rogers, the Brewers' first-round draft pick in 2004, is making very slow progress on his throwing program in extended spring training. Rogers had shoulder surgery in January 2007 and has yet to return to action. Assistant general manager Gord Ash said Rogers' velocity is "inching up" but there's no target date for Rogers to be assigned to a minor-league team. "Something's got to happen in three weeks because there's no more extended program," said Ash. "We're trying everything to stay away from another trip to the doctor."

 

Behind the scenes, we at Brewerfan also are not hearing anything positive at all. It really makes you wonder what could have been if then-pitching coordinaor Fred Dabney and the rest of the coaches had just left his pitching motion out of the Maine high school alone, or at least just tweaked it instead of overhauling it. We'll never know, and a career is in severe jeopardy.

 

 

 

 

[TheCrew07]

This news is very disheartening to say the least.

[Mass Haas]

Audio -- Brewers Director of Player Development & Scouting of Tom Flanagan with Jim Powell -- This will be posted on the draft forum as well -- draft talk (non-player specific, naturally) and a Mark Rogers update

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

He's still got time to get his velocity back up, but the deck is stacked against him considering the control issues he was having before the injury. I just want to see the guy back on the mound for Pete's sake!

[MoneyballMan]

It sure sounds like they should just open it up again and find out what's still wrong. At least if he needs more "fixing" he could potentially be ready to go next spring. And it is very disheartening as he seems like a very nice guy who is working his tail off to get past these problems.

[larlaro]

<< back to story >>

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Rogers travels slow road, but in the right direction Mark Rogers of Orrs Island is battling his way back from shoulder surgery, hoping for his chance in the big leagues. By GLENN JORDAN, Staff Writer June 7, 2008 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/includes/global2/cms/pph/080606/photos/1512637-m.jpg Mark Rogers If the Cubs sign the 41st pick in Thursday's baseball draft and send Ryan Flaherty to their spring training complex in Arizona, the Portland native might find himself digging in against the last high-profile draft pick from Maine. Mark Rogers, a right-handed pitcher from Orrs Island, signed a $2.2 million contract out of Mt. Ararat High after the Milwaukee Brewers made him the fifth pick in 2004. Unlike some of the players drafted after him that June -- such as Dustin Pedroia, Huston Street, Jeremy Sowers, Homer Bailey, Jered Weaver, Steven Drew, Phil Hughes and Hunter Pence -- Rogers has yet to reach the major leagues. Arm problems have prevented him from throwing a pitch above Class A. However, following shoulder surgery in January 2007, Rogers is back on a mound again, pitching in the closely monitored environment of Milwaukee's extended spring training headquarters in Maryvale, Ariz. ''I'm starting to feel a little bit of progress,'' Rogers said by phone in a predraft conversation from the suburb of Phoenix. ''It's slow and steady, not exactly as fast paced as you'd like it to be. But we're taking it day by day and slowly seeing the results.'' Rogers said there is no timetable for him to be sent to one of Milwaukee's minor league clubs -- most likely the Class A affiliate in Brevard County, Fla., on whose roster he is listed. He pitched in the Florida State League in 2006, compiling a 1-2 record and 5.07 ERA in 16 starts, racking up 96 strikeouts in 71 innings and walking 53. ''I'm under the watchful eye of the physical therapist, the farm director and the assistant farm director,'' Rogers said. ''I get a lot of one-on-one attention here. They want to make sure I build up a strong base.'' After missing all of 2007, Rogers began spring training this February with the hope of breaking camp with a minor-league club. Instead, he remained behind to continue rehabilitating his shoulder. ''They told me it could be 14 to 16 months (after surgery) before you'll feel good,'' Rogers said. ''Hopefully, it just continues to get better and better and I won't have to ever look back. I just need to have faith in the rehab and what the doctor did.'' The Cubs have their spring training headquarters in Mesa, Ariz., fewer than 25 miles away. Flaherty, the former Deering star and a junior at Vanderbilt, was chosen by the Cubs on Thursday as a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds. Although they were drafted four years apart, Rogers (22) and Flaherty (21) were born within six months of each other in 1986. They participated on opposite sides of the 2004 Class A state championship game, with Deering beating Mt. Ararat 6-1 before a capacity crowd of 6,770 at Hadlock Field. Staff Writer Glenn Jordan can be contacted at 791-6425 or at: gjordan@pressherald.com Copyright © 2008 Blethen Maine Newspapers << back to story >>

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[Mass Haas]

Tom H. with an update (Mat Gamel quotes as well)

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

I'm curious to see what Rogers' velocity will be when he gets back into the swing of things. That will be a good indicator on whether he can be a factor for the Big League Brewers.