Your 2006 Brevard Manatees, Latest: Space Coast Repairs

[Mass Haas]

Adam McCalvy, MLB.com on Mark Rogers:

 

milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com...p;c_id=mil

[billyhallfan]

Maybe this is finally the pitching prospect that doesn't blow out his arm coming up through the Brewers farm system.

[brewcru1]

Quote:

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Maybe this is finally the pitching prospect that doesn't blow out his arm coming up through the Brewers farm system.

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You mean Ben Sheets?

[billyhallfan]

Quote:

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They need him to work on that. That was his problem in the second half last year, IMHO.

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Who currently is having shoulder problems.

 

I'm not saying that Sheets is done, but it doesn't look good. On WS Teams, Sheets is not an ace. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Sheeter, but, compare him to other aces, Santana, Oswalt, Peavy, ect...

 

I hope he comes back at full strength, but I'm a Brewers fan, and this crap has happened before.

[colbyjack]

Let's not bring the "Sheets isn't an ace on a good team" conversation to this forum. First, that has been debated plenty on the MLB forum, and personally I think it is a ludicrous statement to begin with.

[rluzinski]

Are people purposely trying to be misleading by calling a muscle strain of the lat a "shoulder injury?" If a pitcher pulls thei bicep is it an elbow injury? Of course not. It's not an injury to the joint, it's an injury to the muscle. BIG difference.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS

 

Whites Creek grad Rasheed fights injuries

Wants move up in Brewers system

By MAURICE PATTON, Tennessean Staff Writer

 

PHOENIX ? Both Hasan Rasheed and the Milwaukee Brewers are convinced that good things can happen for the Whites Creek High (Tennessee) graduate ? if he can stay on the field.

 

Drafted in the 26th round three years ago and signed after his freshman season at Lake City (Fla.) Community College, Rasheed was slowed by a pulled groin last year. However, he recovered to hit .305 in 79 games at Class A West Virginia.

 

This spring, he's battled a blister on the middle finger of his left (throwing) hand that has only recently allowed him to resume activities.

 

"He hasn't been able to throw," said Reid Nichols, director of player development for the Brewers. "We've got to get him healthy first. You can't make the club in the tub."

 

At 5-feet, 8-inches and 161 pounds, Rasheed's game is predicated on speed. But he said his high school and college years were plagued by hamstring problems.

 

"I wasn't stretching enough, but now I'm getting stretching from the trainers," he said. "I'm a little stiff. I just have to stretch and keep my legs good."

 

At rookie-level Helena in 2004, Rasheed played 49 games and hit .299 with 45 runs, seven doubles, two triples and 13 stolen bases in 21 attempts. Last year, he scored 41 runs with 11 doubles and 14 steals in 19 tries.

 

"He's a contact hitter," Nichols said. "He can run the ball down in the outfield. He's got a little speed."

 

Working on making more contact and taking advantage of that speed is the key to Rasheed's development. In 128 career games, he's struck out 116 times.

 

On the other hand, improving on that facet was a factor in his latest injury.

 

"I was bunting and got hit with a pitch, and busted my whole finger," he said.

 

"I had a pretty good year last year, but I want to cut down on my strikeouts and bunt more. I'm just trying to stay healthy the whole season, play every game. I want to get to the big leagues as quickly as possible, so I just want to work hard, and hopefully start at high-A."

 

It's still to be determined whether Rasheed will reach high-A Brevard County (Florida State League) to open the season or return to West Virginia (South Atlantic League) for a second year.

 

"He's competing for an outfield spot," Nichols said. "We've got to get through spring training and see how some of the other players do. It's hard to say."

[Mass Haas]

Interesting write-up if you're planning to visit the Melbourne / Viera area for a game:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503

[Katuluu]

Who currently is having shoulder problems.

 

When is an injured muscle on his back a "shoulder injury" for $200 Alex.

[Mass Haas]

This is probably the last affiliate we'll get an official roster for, hopefully this weekend...

 

From Adam McCalvy of MLB.com:

 

The Class A Brevard County roster will include a number of prospects including third baseman Ryan Braun and pitchers Mike Jones and Luis Pena. According to Ash, Jones and Pena will be limited to 45 pitches per outing to start the season.

 

Braun was Milwaukee's first-round draft pick in 2005 and batted .352 in his first pro season.

 

"We'll see what's what in June. If he's hammering the league than we'll think about moving him up," Ash said. "Hopefully he'll finish up in the [Arizona] Fall League."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.timesrecord.com/websi...endocument

 

Don't worry, this ace is doing just fine

Former Mt. Ararat HS standout pitcher Mark Rogers putting in his time in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system

Marc_Meyers@TimesRecord.Com (Maine)

 

PHOENIX ? Numbers can be deceiving, but in baseball ? bound to its statistics and percentages ? numbers can unfairly be the major measuring stick of progression and ability, especially when those numbers are being viewed from afar.

 

Take former Mt. Ararat High School student/athlete and Milwaukee Brewers prospect Mark Rogers. He posted a 2-9 record and a 5.13 earned-run average in his first full season in the minor leagues with the single-A West Virginia Power after being selected fifth overall by the Brewers in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft and given a $2.2 million bonus.

 

Flop? Bust? Hardly.

 

"Mark is doing fine," said Milwaukee Brewers director of scouting Jack Zduriencik. "He's progressing nicely. He is not a lot different from any player that enters professional baseball, in that he is learning and adjusting in every facet of the game to prepare himself for a long and productive career as a major league pitcher."

 

Rogers spent all of last year learning proper mechanics to take pressure off the pitching arm to torque up a 98 mile-an-hour fastball and to maintain command and consistency with his pitches. Obviously, it takes a little time to modify what Rogers had been getting by with for over a decade.

 

Now, Rogers has grown more comfortable with the mechanics and confident heading into this season, which he is apparently going to begin at the Brewers' high Class-A club, the Brevard County (Fla.) Manatees.

 

'A great idea'

 

From the time he was drafted, Rogers did not have an impression of any adjustments that he needed to make to the power-pitching style that he had used to mow down Maine hitters. Following a fall short season with the Arizona Brewers of the Arizona Rookie League in 2004, instructors in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league organization began making changes to Rogers' delivery to relieve pressure on his arm from his throwing motion and increase pitch consistency. Lots of changes.

 

"He is being developed and honed in every area of his game, as is every other young player who is in minor league camp," said Zduriencik. "With Mark and every other player, we take a big picture approach in his development and improvement."

 

It was all new for the 6-foot-2-inch, 215-pound Rogers as he began working on the positioning of his hips and proper balance to improve consistency and accuracy with his pitches. His mechanics were tinkered with to alleviate the pressure a cross-body delivery could have on his arm.

 

"I was very comfortable with how I threw the ball," said Rogers, who turned 20 years old on Jan. 30. "I didn't think there should be these drastic changes. I'd never had any arm problems. When you're throwing high 90s and you're a power pitcher, problems can happen. It was stopping a problem before it started."

 

Rogers opened the season at the Brewers' single-A club in Charleston, W. Va., the West Virginia Power of the South Atlantic League. His performance was less than powerful as he struggled with the changes and dropped his first seven decisions. He started the season opener (falling 9-1), but then spent time out of the bullpen ? including being out with a blister on his pitching hand ? before being inserted into the five-man rotation.

 

Rogers' first professional win did not come until July 12 when he allowed two runs and struck out six in a five-inning performance over the Lakewood Blue Claws, an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, by a 3-2 score. But two starts later, he was tagged with a loss in a six-run, four-inning performance. For a pitcher who went 9-1 with 164 strikeouts in his senior year at Mt. Ararat, this was hard to take.

 

"I knew in the first half (of the season), it was going to be difficult for me," said Rogers. "It's not something that's going to happen overnight. It was tough to swallow."

 

While Rogers didn't instantly warm to the changes, he now refers to his development and the modifications to his style as a "great idea."

 

A major reason is that Rogers has begun to get it. His numbers (2-9 in 25 games with 70 walks, 109 strikeouts and a 5.13 ERA) do not indicate a positive season, but Rogers felt down the stretch that the improvement was coming along.

 

"It was different because I was used to being successful," said Rogers. "There was so many changes. I knew it would be successful, but it was difficult."

 

The right track

 

During the offseason, Rogers ? although you might have seen him during a brief stretch back in Orr's Island helping coach the Mt. Ararat hockey team or out on a run ? spent more time improving his craft in the Arizona Instructional League.

 

"I'm obviously still working," said Rogers. "I'll always be working at it."

 

Not to mention another craft that is more primed for the Arizona heat than the Maine winter.

 

"If you ask my girlfriend, golf takes up a lot of my time out here," said Rogers, who claims an eight or 10 handicap after picking up the sport over the past couple of years.

 

At the beginning of this year, Rogers began the process of getting to business in baseball with running and conditioning to go along with more mechanical work. Instructional league began with working on organizational plays with team defense and bunting.

 

"It's actually been going pretty good," said Rogers. "I've been going strong pretty much ever since January 5."

 

Mechanics haven't been the only changes to Rogers. He's added a slider to his pitching repertoire along with his well-known fastball, change-up and curveball.

 

"It started as a cutter," he said of the slider. "It's turned into a good pitch for me, especially against left-handers."

 

Last week, the minor league spring training docket began. Rogers said he pitched in two games in the opening week. Both were three-inning appearances and he was limited to 45 pitches, but he was pleased with the results.

 

"The outings went pretty good," said Rogers. "My arm feels good. I feel healthy."

 

Despite all of the modifications to his pitching style and less-than-par statistics, Baseball America's editorial staff included Rogers on its list of the top 100 prospects. The list is created after consulting with general managers, scouting directors, farm directors, scouts, managers and instructors.

 

Rogers was No. 44 on the list. To put it into perspective for area Boston Red Sox fans and Portland Sea Dog followers, that's just behind pitcher Jonathan Papelbon (37th) and ahead of pitching prospect Craig Hansen (54) and second baseman Dustin Pedroia (77).

 

"Because he was a first-round selection, the spotlight seems to shine a little brighter on him," said Zduriencik. "But Mark has an advantage, as do a lot of kids who enter professional baseball at an early age, in that he is receiving the finest instruction and tutelage and creating the foundation that will allow him to be the best he can be over the long haul."

 

But Rogers is not nearly ready for the Major League level that the Sox trio anticipates to see in the next two years. All signs point toward the Florida State League's Brevard County Manatees, the Brewers' highest Class A affiliate, for Rogers.

 

"I'm very excited to get into the season and just break camp and get on the right track," he said.

 

Zduriencik is pleased with the progression he has seen with Rogers.

 

"We can all see and envision him having a long and productive career, as he like every other young player, learns and develops his game," Zduriencik said.

[steve267268]

Ben Sheets, when healthy, is definitly an ace on ANY team.

 

He may have to share that honor with some players, but he is definitly one of the top starting pitchers in the game.

 

When he's healthy he can touch 98 mph, add to that a REDICULOUS curve ball and GREAT control and you have an ACE.

 

Look at his K/BB and you will see what i mean.

[colbyjack]

Brevard County would seem to be the team to watch this year. Kind of nice change, as the Brewers haven't had a high-A team to watch for several years now.

[1e Corbeau]

Brevard County should have quite the speed and athleticism. They've got burners everywhere--Iribarren, Escobar, Rasheed, Braun, Fermaint, Katin, perhaps Ezi or Chapman, too! Lots o' fastballs to hit with those guys on base.

 

That staff should be great to watch, too, hopefully... I'm looking forward to seeing how fast Hammond moves.

[Mass Haas]

The beginning of what is unfortunately overall, extremely lackluster media coverage of the Manatees -

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.floridatoday.com/apps...20323/1002

 

Manatees could boast quite a bit of talent

BY MIKE PARSONS

FLORIDA TODAY

 

So the Washington Nationals have moved north for the summer, and if you are a baseball fan, you are wondering what to expect this summer in Brevard County.

 

In fact, the Brevard County Manatees could be one of the better Florida State League teams this season.

 

For sure, at least early in the season Brevard fans will be in for a treat. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee's top pick and No. 5 overall selection in last year's draft, could make his home in Brevard to start the season at the high Class A level. Braun, on the fast track to the majors, didn't disappoint last season in West Virginia, hitting .355 with 35 RBI in 37 games.

 

Braun was promoted to Brevard County late last season, but a shoulder strain cut his season short. The third baseman should drive in plenty of runs this season for the Manatees, as a couple of speedsters figure to hit ahead of him.

 

One is shortstop Alcides Escobar, who is still raw at just 19 years old but stole 30 bases and hit .271 last season with West Virginia. Escobar is also good with the glove and already has teamed with second baseman Hernan Iribarren. They should turn quite a few double plays for the Manatees this season.

 

Iribarren is one of the Brewers' better prospects. Last season, he definitely didn't disappoint as he hit .290 at West Virginia and showed speed on the basepaths. He is a line-drive hitter who stole 30 bases in 2005. If Iribarren can keep the strikeouts down, he too will be on the fast track to the majors.

 

As was the case last season, the Manatees will have a solid crop of starting pitchers, led by a couple of good prospects.

 

Yovani Gallardo is a right-handed pitcher who posted a 2.75 ERA last season with low Single-A West Virginia. Gallardo is a power pitcher with some decent breaking balls. He struck out 110 hitters last season, walking just 51 in 26 games.

 

Mark Rogers should also be in the starting rotation. He had a rough first season but has tweaked his mechanics, and the Brewers are expecting him to rebound with a solid season. He struck out 109 batters last season, but lack of control hurt him as he walked 70 in 98 innings of work.

 

The Manatees should be an exciting team to watch this season. You can get your first look at them on Wednesday evening when they play an exhibition game against Florida Tech at Space Coast Stadium.

[plowjockey]

www.jsonline.com/watch/?watch=2&date=4/2/2006&id=4265

Here are the rosters for the Brewers' Class A teams:

Brevard County Manatees:

 

Josh Allison, Ryan Braun, Carlos Corporan, Nestor Corredor, Carlos De La Cruz (dl), Alcides Escobar, Travis Ezi, Charlie Fermaint, Yovani Gallardo, Jeremy Hall, Steve Hammond, Hernan Iribarren, David Johnson (dl), Mike Jones, Brenden Katin, Jeremy Lewis, Josh Murray, Freddy Parejo, Luismar Pena Haran Rasheed, Grant Richardson, Mark Rogers, Steve Sollmann, Ben Stanczyk, Joseph Thatcher, Josh Wahpepah.

[Mass Haas]

Thanks Plow, was just going to post that -- let's tidy it up a bit:

 

Starters:

RHP Yovani Gallardo

LHP Steve Hammond

RHP Mike Jones

RHP Luis Pena

RHP Mark Rogers

RHP Josh Wahpepah

 

Bullpen:

RHP Josh Alliston

RHP Bo Hall

RHP David Johnson (DL)

LHP Jeremy Lewis

RHP Ben Stanczyk

LHP Joe Thatcher

 

Infield:

3B Ryan Braun

SS Alcides Escobar

2B Hernan Iribarren

3B Josh Murray

1B Grant Richardson

2B Steve Sollmann

 

Outfield:

Carlos De La Cruz (DL)

Travis Ezi

Charlie Fermaint

Brendan Katin

Freddy Parejo

Hasan Rasheed

 

Catchers:

Carlos Corporan

Nestor Corredor

[Mass Haas]

Where's closer Robert Hinton -- a late addition to Huntsville?

[DKM4Boston]

Edit: Nevermind....Mass already asked about Hinton.

[bork]

I only see 24 active names. Could Hinton be an oversite?

[plowjockey]

Sorry Mass, I did not want to step on your toes, but I figured you were still out at the ol' ball yard.

[And That]

Why are Lewis and Sollmann repeating? They must have had bad springs or something.

[Mass Haas]

Sorry Mass, I did not want to step on your toes, but I figured you were still out at the ol' ball yard.

 

We welcome any update any reader comes across (local newspaper story of interest, transaction news, etc.). Never an issue, thanks.

[Mass Haas]

OK, closer Robert Hinton is on the latest Manatees roster we've received.

[Mass Haas]

Ryan Braun representing his faith at the top of this list -- former Brewers represented as well...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp

 

Ryan Braun is hitting .274 with four homers, 20 RBIs and nine stolen bases this season. (Jerry Hale/MiLB.com)

 

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2006/05/10/mIWUDlHE.jpg