July / Aug Transactions - Brewer draft pick spurns Oregon St

[Mass Haas]

The now-closed June transaction thread link:

 

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

 

Also a link to the now-closed dizzying May transaction thread that saw the organization make at least 80 individual moves, all tracked here at Brewerfan for you.

 

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

 

The Brewers have transferred RHP J.T. King, the 2006 22nd round pick out of an Oklahoma junior college, and LHP Mike Ramlow, the 6'6" draft-and-follow from the 2005 draft (24th round, an Ohio junior college), from Helena to Arizona.

 

The Helena staff is thus reduced from 15 pitchers to 13 for now. No subsequent moves have been made.

[1e Corbeau]

In what appears to be the first of the two corresponding moves to the above, 23 year old 2006 39th Round OF out of Oklahoma Chuckie Caufield now hacks for Helena, according to the MiLB box score.

 

He previously was on the AZL Brewers roster.

[Mass Haas]

Evansville Otter (Independent Frontier League) Press Release:

 

Evansville, IN-The Evansville Otters professional baseball team has announced that the Milwaukee Brewers have purchased the contract of left-handed pitcher Kyle Pawelczyk. Pawelczyk is the second Otter pitcher to have been signed this season, joining right-hander Scott Souther who signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 14. Pawelczyk has been assigned to the West Virginia Power, Milwaukee's affiliate in the South Atlantic League.

 

Pawelczyk saw action in 11 games for Evansville this season, posting a 1-2 record and 2.84 ERA with 25 strikeouts against only five walks in 19 innings. He appeared in 18 games for the Otters in 2005, finishing with a 0-1 record, one save, and a 4.91 ERA, striking out 14 batters in 18.1 innings.

 

Milwaukee will be Pawelczyk's third major league organization, as he signed with the San Diego Padres in February and appeared in seven games for the Fort Wayne Wizards of the Midwest League this spring, with a 1-0 record and 5.56 ERA.

 

Pawelczyk also spent three seasons in the Anaheim Angels' organization, combining for a 7-9 record and 6.00 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 111 innings while playing for the Arizona League Angels, Provo Angels, and the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

 

Anaheim drafted Pawelczyk in the third round in 2002 out of Chipola Junior College in Florida. Pawelczyk posted a 6-1 record and 2.14 ERA for the Indians in 2002. He was previously drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 11th round during his freshman season at Chipola, when he finished 2-0 with a 1.82 ERA.

 

Career Statistics (pre-2006, 2006 numbers mentioned above):

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...czyk.shtml

 

We'll have a Brewerfan Player Index Page in place over the next day or so.

[Mass Haas]

20-year-old SS Hector Bernal, the 2006 14th round pick out of El Paso Community College, has been transferred from Arizona up to West Virginia. No word at this time on if one of the Power infielders is hurting, we'll work on it...

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Press Release:

Fractured left wrist -- ouch...

 

The West Virginia Power, Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers have made another roster move.

 

Today, middle infielder Scotty McKnight was placed on the disabled list, and Hector Bernal, Milwaukee's 14th round pick in the 2006 draft has been promoted from the Arizona League to take his place.

 

Bernal, a shortstop hit .385 over five games with the Arizona Brewers and knocked in five runs during that stretch. He is a first year player out of El Paso Community College.

 

McKnight was placed on the disabled list due to a fractured left wrist. McKnight began the year with West Virginia, and then spent most of May with Brevard County in the Florida State League. McKnight hit .294 over 18 games with the Power before heading to the disabled list.

[Mass Haas]

Looks like the Brewers have signed another Carlos Lee out of Panama; this is pretty wild.

 

EDIT: A quick search indicates that this is indeed the brother of Milwaukee Brewers All-Star outfielder, Carlos Lee. The two brothers share the same name.

 

So if the original Carlos leaves via free agency, Doug can say "no, he didn't. He's working on some things down on the farm."

 

This Carlos Lee was released by the White Sox organization on April 28th after a brief stint with AA Birmingham.

 

A catcher, he'll be 25 in September. So the catching corps grows again, although Lee will jump up soon, you would think, after getting his legs back under him with the Arizona Brewers, where he debuted as the DH today.

 

Lee's 2005 high-A Carolina League season in 2005 was decent (.797 OPS, 14 HR's).

 

Here are the career numbers for Carlos Humberto Lee; we'll try to find out if he's related to El Caballo:

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...ee-1.shtml

[Mass Haas]

Two recently turned 20-year-old LHP's have been transferred from Arizona to Helena: undrafted free agent signing Brian Logan, a Virginia kid who pitched at a two-year school in North Carolina, and Venezuelan find Jose Romero, who dazzled in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2005.

 

If you've read us all off-season, you know that we've been on the Jose Romero bandwagon, jump on board, say you were among the first!

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Site:

 

WINKELSAS HANGS ?EM UP: Sounds reliever Joe Winkelsas announced his retirement prior to the game. The 32-year-old right-hander took a loss in his final Nashville appearance on Saturday evening after surrendering three runs in the ninth inning of a 3-2 defeat. Winkelsas opened the season at Double-A Huntsville before earning a late May promotion to Milwaukee, where he posted an 0-1 record and 7.71 ERA in seven relief outings. He went 1-3 with one save and a 5.06 ERA (6 ER / 10.2 IP) in six relief appearances for the Sounds, taking losses in three of his final four appearances.

 

From the Tennessean:

 

Nashville reliever Joe Winkelsas announced his retirement prior to Monday's game.

 

Still affected by a neck injury that required surgery in 2002, the Buffalo, N.Y., resident is ending his playing career after 11 seasons ? and seven relief appearances with the Brewers this year, in which he went 0-1 with a 7.71 earned run average.

 

"I made it to the big leagues, which was a dream come true," said Winkelsas, who, in his only other major league appearance, threw one-third of an inning in relief for the Braves in 1999. "I'm at peace with it; I have contentment with what I've done. It was a great ride."

 

Winkelsas, who was 1-3 with a 5.06 ERA and a save in six appearances with the Sounds, aspires to stay in the game as a pitching coach.

 

"I'd like to get a pitching coach job as soon as possible," the 32-year-old said. "You don't want to be out for too long."

 

***

If you had heard any of his interviews with the Sounds' Chuck Valenches or the Brewers' Jim Powell -- I imagine Brett Pollock must have had Joe on-air as well in Huntsville, you knew Winkelsas was very unique, as was this decision as well. Good luck in life, Joe...

[craigharmann]

As much as Joe Winklesas as a pitcher wasn't that great, the interviews and things I read about him as a person made me stop and take notice. I hope he gets a job as a pitching coach. Good luck Joe!

[And That]

The Brewers have inked Washington State senior third baseman Zach McAngus to a deal, and sent him to Arizona to begin his pro career. He was born in Hawaii and used to be in the Air Force Academy. Other interesting facts can be found at his WSU Cougars bio page, here:

 

Cougars bio

[hawing]

Ah, Garbageman, we hardly knew ye. Good luck, Joe.

[thumperden]

Has there already been a roster replacement named since Joe retired? I haven't seen or heard of a replacement yet.

 

Good luck in your future endeavors, Joe. Your story is inspiring.

[Mass Haas]

LH closer Joe Thatcher has been promoted to Brevard County from West Virginia. Thatcher was supposed to open at high-A in April before a bathtub slip extended his spring training.

 

Overdue move, good luck to Joe, 25 years old, in Brevard.

 

No corresponding moves have been made to the A-ball rosters as of yet.

[Mass Haas]

Overdue move, good luck to Joe, 25 years old, in Brevard.

 

Actually, Joe Thatcher is still 24, won't be 25 until 10/4/06. The MiLB roster site lists his birthday as 4/10/81, transposing the date. The Brewer media guide has it right, and now, so does the Brewerfan Player Index.

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Press Release:

 

The West Virginia Power, Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers have made another roster move.

 

Today, left handed pitcher Joe Thatcher was promoted to High Class A Brevard County of the Florida State League, and lefty Kyle Pawelczyk was added to the roster to take his place.

 

Pawelczyk, originally drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2000 and then by the Motreal Expos in 2001, didn't begin playing professional baseball until he was drafted by the Angels in the 3rd round of the 2002 draft. He spent three seasons in the Angels minor league system before spending the 2005 season in independent ball. In 2005 with the Evansville Otters, Pawelczyk went 0-1 with a save and a 4.91 ERA over 18 appearances. He was signed a couple of days ago by Milwaukee and will be in uniform for tonight's game.

 

Thatcher, who was used as the primary closer for the Power, becomes the first Power pitcher to be promoted to Brevard County this season. The second year player from Indiana State University went 1-3, with a 2.43 ERA and led the team in saves with 10.

[Mass Haas]

Pretty big undrafted signee class this year, as the Brewers again dip into the college ranks to fill roster spots at the lower levels.

 

The latest is Ryan Barba, a shortstop out of the University of New Mexico.

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Former Lobo Ryan Barba became the fourth member of the 2006 team to sign a professional contract with a Major League Baseball team, committing to the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this week. He is already in Phoenix getting ready to play for the Arizona Brewers, one of Milwaukee's two Rookie League teams.

 

Barba is coming off an exceptional season at shortstop, turning 52 of UNM's nation-leading 75 double plays. He hit .329 (72-for-219) with 56 runs, 10 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 43 RBI, nine sacrifices and three stolen bases, starting in all 59 games. Barba led the MWC in assists (202), third in double plays (52), fifth in sac bunts (8), ninth in runs (56) and 10th in triples (3). He garnered MWC Player of the Week honors for his efforts against Utah and Arizona, including a .500 avg. (6-for-12) in four games vs. Utah (4/21-23), scoring a team-high seven runs and was a double shy of the cycle vs. Utah (4/22).

 

Lots of information squeezed into Barba's official bio:

 

golobos.cstv.com/sports/m...yan00.html

[Mass Haas]

Official Nashville Press Release:

 

The Milwaukee Brewers have promoted Sounds left-hander Dana Eveland and All-Star catcher Mike Rivera to the big leagues.

 

Eveland -- who was scheduled to start tonight's series finale in Memphis for Nashville -- has been nothing short of dominant in Pacific Coast League play this season, posting a 3-3 record and miniscule 1.78 ERA (13 ER / 65.2 IP) that is good for second among PCL hurlers, trailing only teammate Ben Hendrickson's 1.77 mark.

 

Eveland made 11 starts for Nashville and struck out 74 batters while walking only 23 in his 65 2/3 innings of work.

 

The left-hander's final outing for the Sounds was the best of his young career. On July 1 against Round Rock, Eveland struck out a career-best 12 batters while allowing just one hit over 7 1/3 scoreless innings but took a no-decision in the contest following a late collapse by the Nashville bullpen.

 

Eveland, who went 0-3 with a 8.51 ERA (23 ER / 24.1IP) in five starts for the Brewers during an earlier stint with the club this season, was recalled to fill the spot of Carlos Villanueva on the Milwaukee pitching staff. Villanueva was optioned to Nashville and will join the Sounds in Round Rock on Friday.

 

Rivera, who was voted as the starting PCL catcher for next week's Triple-A All-Star Game in Toledo, had his contract purchased by Milwaukee and will make his first Major League appearance since 2003 when he enters his first game.

 

The 29-year-old backstop has spent the entire season with the Sounds and batted .297 (63-for-212) with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs in 59 games. He led Nashville with 14 multiple-RBI efforts and ranked second to Nelson Cruz in homers and RBIs.

 

Rivera was adept at receiving the Sounds' league-leading pitching staff, which posted a spectacular 2.86 ERA when he was behind the plate. He threw out 12 of 40 attempted basestealers (30 percent).

 

To clear a spot on their 25- and 40-man rosters for Rivera, the Brewers designated catcher Chad Moeller for assignment.

 

Following today's transactions, the Sounds' active roster stands at 21 players, three short of the limit (the roster will be at 22, two short, once Villanueva reports Friday).

[Mass Haas]

MLB.com, as discussed in the Draft Forum:

 

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers signed third-round draft pick Cole Gillespie on Thursday, the last of their top 10 picks in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft to sign.

 

Gillespie was selected out of Oregon State, the College World Series champions. One of the team's co-captains, he led the national champs in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, RBIs, home runs, and finished second in stolen bases and triples. He was named a first-team All-American by Baseball America and was named the Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Year.

 

Though the Beavers listed him as an infielder/outfielder, Gillespie projects to play a corner outfield spot in the Brewers system.

 

Gillespie will be assigned to Helena of the rookie league.

[Mass Haas]

Pretty pumped about this well-deserved promotion -- we've been pointing out that awesome K-to-BB ratio all season (now at 57-to-7 in 63.1 IP). Good for the 25-year-old...

 

Huntsville Press Release:

Link, text follows --

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=910

 

Bray Earns Promotion to Triple-A

 

The Milwaukee Brewers have announced that pitcher Steve Bray has been promoted to triple-A Nashville. The right-hander is expected to be in uniform for the Sounds when they open a weekend series at Round Rock on Friday night.

 

Bray made two starts and 27 appearances in relief for Huntsville this season, compiling a record of 5-4 with a 2.70 earned run average and one save. He won four straight decisions between April 24 and May 28 and earned his lone save on May 6 at West Tenn. Bray threw 15 1/3 shutout innings between April 24 and May 11 and went 34 1/3 innings before issuing his first walk of the season.

 

Milwaukee selected Bray from Kansas City in the minor league portion of the Rule V draft in December.

 

RHP Steve Bray's Brewerfan Player Index Page:

 

www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=877

 

http://www.huntsvillestars.com/images/news/Bray,%20Stephen%2036t.JPG

[bork]

I was just thinking about how Bray should get promoted to replace Winkelsas.

 

Now we just need the corresponding Lewis to Huntsville and Renkert to Brevard moves.

[And That]

By my count, the Stars actually need 2 pitchers now. They're down to 10, and the organization has usually kept 12 with the affiliates. I'd like to see Lewis and Alliston promoted, tho Parra might be ready for a promotion, too. That would allow Miller and Renkert to be promoted from West Virginia, and then everything would be groovy.

[bork]

But isn't the AA roster limit 23? 12 position players and 11 pitchers.

 

EDIT: Of course they could always cut Mabeus to make room.

[And That]

But isn't the AA roster limit 23? 12 position players and 11 pitchers.

 

That hasn't stopped them in the past. Many a Huntsville team has gone with only 2 (3 on a non-DH day) bench players.

[SoCalBrewfan]

By my count, the Stars actually need 2 pitchers now.

 

Based on a petition by the rest of the league, Yo! counts as 3.

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers have released oft-injured 26-year-old RHP Jerome Gamble, who had not pitched in 2006. Through seven years in the Red Sox system and then last year in Huntsville, the promise never could overcome the injuries.

 

Jerome Gamble Brewerfan Player Index Page:

 

www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=758