Jim Goulart

Video interview plus article via the Post-Crescent: Timber Rattlers outfielder Michael Ratterree off to strong start as pro

Lance Roenicke Video Report -- Brewers manager’s son going from player to coach

A must-read from Kyle Lobner at Timber Rattlers media day, great stuff here. I asked Kyle about David Denson stating that he was 19. All his MiLB.com or B-Ref pages have him born in November 1995, which would make him 18. If he was actually born in 1994, it's still a big jump, just not quite as epic a jump. Seven players on the Opening Day roster are under 21 years of age, and 14 are 2013 draft picks in their first full professional season. Nice!

4/1: WSSP w/Bill Michaels -- Adam McCalvy WSSP w/Bill Michaels -- Jonathan Lucroy ESPN 540 -- Tom Haudricourt ESPN 540 -- Bill Schroeder WSSP - Jim Henderson (go to the 26:45 minute mark)

We don't want this thread to include full-blown "Alumni" updates (meaning going back indefinitely), but we will include updates on the most recent organizational releases. RHP R.J. Seidel has signed with the infamous St. Paul Saints of the independent American Association.

The DSL players who were highlighted in this post should be considered Maryvale players now. It's possible one or two will return to the Dominican this summer, but more likely they will play for either Maryvale or Helena this summer.

You can click on these two links from our Brewerfan Player Index to see the players still in extended spring training, whether it's for injury reasons or just waiting for the short seasons to begin. Helena Maryvale Reliever Andy Hillis is one guy I was really hoping to see in Appleton to begin, coming off his spectacular debut. Keep in mind some of the DSL guys were in Maryvale this spring, we'll transfer them to the Maryvale roster shortly.

Slugging (and patient) David Denson looks to get the everyday at-bats for the Rattlers at first base in that roster. The young man doesn't turn 19 years old until November. I'm giddy about this kid's future. *** 20-year-old Venezuelan RHP Victor Diaz is making the jump from two seasons in the Dominican Summer League all the way to Wisconsin for his stateside debut.

If you click on this link to the Rattlers site for that article, each name has their associated MiLB.com career stat page link embedded.

Rattlers announce tentative 2014 roster By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - Training camp is over in Arizona and the 2014 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are heading for Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The roster for the Midwest League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers is almost set for the season opening game on Thursday, April 3 against the Peoria Chiefs. There are six Timber Rattlers who are members of Baseball America's Top 30 list of Brewers Prospects, seven players who have played for the Rattlers prior to the 2014 season, and eleven players who were selected by Milwaukee in the 2013 draft. The Milwaukee Brewers have announced that Lance Roenicke, son of Brewers manager Ron Roenicke, will join the Timber Rattlers as a player/coach on the coaching staff of manager Matt Erickson. Roenicke, who played with the Rattlers in 2012 and 2013, is listed on the disabled list to begin the season. The remainder of Erickson's staff is Elvin Nina as the pitching coach, Chuckie Caufield as the hitting coach, Athletic Trainer Jeff Paxson, Strength and Conditioning Coach Mike Hoffman, and video intern Garrick Chaffee. Catcher Clint Coulter, who began the 2013 season with the Timber Rattlers, is the #11 prospect in the Brewers system according to Baseball America and he returns to Wisconsin as the highest rated prospect on the team. Other players listed in the Baseball America prospect list include: RHP's Taylor Williams (#19) and Barrett Astin (#22), outfielder Omar Garcia (#26), LHP Anthony Banda (#27), and outfielder Michael Ratterree (#28). Ratterree, a 10th round pick out of Rice University in 2013, has already made some noise in the state of Wisconsin. Last year's Pioneer League Most Valuable Player hit a home run at Miller Park off Jeremy Guthrie in the Brewers exhibition game on March 29. Ratterree and Garcia will be joined in the outfield by Johnny Davis and Jose Pena. Chris McFarland is the only 2013 Timber Rattler infielder to return to the team this season. The other infielders to join the team at the start of 2014 are Taylor Brennan, Francisco Castillo, David Denson, Steven Halcomb, and Angel Ortega. Three catchers broke camp for the Rattlers. Coulter, Paul Eshleman, and Rafael Neda, a member of the 2012 Midwest League Championship squad, will be the backstops for Wisconsin. Fourteen pitchers have made the trip north. Williams, Astin, and Banda are those to make Baseball America's list. RHP's Rodolfo Fernandez, Preston Gainey, Harvey Martin, and Chris Razo spent time with Wisconsin last year. LHP's Tyler Alexander and Tyler Linehan, and RHP's Tristan Archer and Trevor Seidenberger were drafted in 2013. RHP's Victor Diaz, Zach Quintana, and Tyler Spurlin will round out the pitching staff. Wisconsin will need to make a pair of roster moves before Thursday's game to reach the 25-player limit. Fans will get their first chance to take a look at the 2014 Rattlers on Tuesday, April 1 at Fan Fest. The free, open house event will take place at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium from noon to 5:00 PM. Thursday's game against the Peoria Chiefs is scheduled to begin at 6:35 PM. The first game of Wisconsin's 20th anniversary season features an All Fan Giveaway of former Timber Rattler - and current Brewer - Scooter Gennett. Tickets are available for the game. The Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium Box Office is open from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM Monday through Friday and Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Individual game tickets for the 2014 Timber Rattlers season are on sale now. Fans may purchase their tickets in person, by calling (800) WI-TIMBER or (920) 733-4152 or online through timberrattlers.com. Tickets for groups of 20 or more may be ordered in person or over the phone.

In articles linked here over the winter, Neuhaus has made it clear he's now a third baseman. I'd also expect him to play at Helena this summer.

Stars' 2014 roster loaded with experience by Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times This just killed scorecard sales for the Huntsville Stars. Typically, there's a need for fans to buy a program to learn about the new players. This year, Huntsville seems to be part of a recycling plan by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Stars will open their 2014 season this week with one of the most experienced teams in the three decades of franchise history. Some 19 players on the roster spent part of the season in Huntsville last year and only six are being promoted from Class A for their first Double-A season. Jason Rogers, the organization's minor league player of the year, will return to Huntsville because of a log-jam at first base and Josh Prince, a standout in 2012 who had some playing time in the majors with Milwaukee last season, are among the veterans on manager Carlos Subero's roster. The Stars fly east from their Phoenix-area spring training headquarters on Monday, going to Brevard County, Fla., where they'll work out and play against the Brewers' Class A team before the season opener in Jacksonville on Thursday. Outfielders Kentrail Davis and Brock Kjeldgaard will also be back in a Huntsville uniform, as will pitcher Taylor Jungmann, a 10-game winner for the Stars last year, one of 11 pitchers on the staff who were in Huntsville last year. The roster is subject to change pretty much up until the time the flight leaves, but here is the tentative roster as release by Stars on Sunday afternoon. Same link as posted above

Only because the Timber Rattlers' amazing Director of Media Relations / Radio Announcer Chris Mehring was comfortable enough to mention himself this week that he lost his dad, we will note it here. The services are this week, and I'm sure Chris will know that all of you will be keeping him in your thoughts. It's very possible that the Brewers have not authorized the release of the Wisconsin roster yet, but since Chris is so involved, thorough and meticulous in all-things Timber Rattlers, under the circumstances, we'd be comfortable waiting until lineups are announced as late as Opening Night on Thursday to find out. Our condolences to you, Chris, and thanks for all your efforts -- past, present, future.

While we wait for the Wisconsin roster, there appear to be three players who finished up at Brevard in 2013 who are not yet listed for 2014. C Rafael Neda OF Lance Roenicke RHP Alex Moore Among the players still in Wisconsin limbo, the biggest surprise for me to not be in this Manatee thread yet is 24-year-old Cuban RHP Rodolfo Fernandez, looking forward to his 2nd U.S. season after he missed 2012 with a fractured pitching hand.

Former St. Cloud (MN) State pitcher Scott Lieser is going through extended spring training with the Milwaukee Brewers organization, hoping he'll get his turn to be called up by Andy Rennecke, St. Cloud Times PHOENIX – There was good news and bad news for former St. Cloud State pitcher Scott Lieser (2013 Maryvale stats) on Thursday night. Lieser found out he would be staying in extended spring training with the Milwaukee Brewers after only throwing three innings in minor league camp. The good news for the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Browerville High School graduate is that he wasn't released like many other players were. "My initial reaction was indifference, to be honest. I'm an optimistic guy and I look at the glass as half-full. They signed me as a free agent and they could have cut me, but I'm staying in the organization," Lieser said. "I'm not on a team yet, that's the part that stinks." Lieser signed with the Brewers as a free agent last summer after he wasn't drafted. He played rookie ball in Arizona and threw 18 innings in 11 games out of the bullpen. He finished with an ERA of 3.38 and had 19 strikeouts and three walks. Lieser's always been known for impeccable control and that continued in his first experience in professional baseball. Experiencing his first spring training was a bit overwhelming for him at first, but he settled into a routine after a while at the Brewers' complex in Phoenix. "I've had a blast down here," Lieser said. "It's a lot different than I thought it would be. It's eye-opening. I was shocked at the amount of guys down here. We had two locker rooms full of minor-league players. There were guys sharing lockers. The Brewers brought in a lot of guys this year. "They're trying to rebuild and they wanted us to come in and compete. I certainly wasn't the only free agent they signed last summer." Lieser is throwing between 88-90 mph this spring. He got up to 92 at the end of last season. He's still throwing a fastball, change-up and slider, but he's started to incorporate a split-finger fastball. "I needed a strikeout pitch," Lieser said. "The split is coming along. I threw it during my senior year. I'm trying to get more consistent with it. That's a big deal for me. I'm hoping that and my slider can be my punch-out pitches." Getting hitters out at the minor-league level is a lot more challenging than what Lieser faced in the NSIC. He always thought teams like Minnesota State-Mankato, Winona State and Augustana were solid programs, but there aren't any players from Minot State or Minnesota-Crookston in the minors. "Everybody is solid, one through nine, down here," he said. "In the bottom two-thirds of the NSIC, the six-through-nine hitters weren't very good. All of these guys were mostly Division I players and they all hit in the 2-3-4 holes for their college teams." The Brewers also signed Minnesota State-Mankato pitcher Harvey Martin last summer. The former All-American for the Mavericks became a good friend of Lieser's this spring. Martin was assigned to Class A Appleton (Wis.) on Thursday. "We've hung out and reminisced a lot about the NSIC. He's a great guy," Lieser said. "One day he's your enemy and the next day he's your best friend. I'm not surprised he made a team right away. He's had decent numbers since he signed. I know how good he is. You can't not like that guy. He'll go in there, throw strikes and compete." Lieser's just happy to be playing baseball. Extended spring training isn't exactly paradise, but being in Arizona is. He knows he still has a lot to learn about the professional level. If an injury pops up at Class A, Double-A or Triple-A, he could get a call-up. "It happens all the time if they need somebody right away," Lieser said. "I'm just waiting my turn. I'm just happy to be playing pro baseball. My goal coming out of college was to get drafted and that didn't happen. My goal this spring was to get assigned to a team and that didn't happen. "I might have my back against the wall my entire career. I just have to keep pushing forward." *** FYI reminder - Scott's the leg kick guy.

Undrafted free agent and HBP machine Nathan Orf also made the Helena-to-Brevard jump. Sorry for the oversight, Nathan.

The Manatees will need to find a home for one player before opening day, likely a pitcher -- roster now at 26 (13 pitchers, 13 position players).

Devin Williams tweet 2013's top pick will begin 2014 in extended spring training, as confirmed by Jason Arndt. That doesn't mean he's destined for Helena, he could be bumped up to Appleton prior to that.

Nashville will have to make three roster moves by Thursday's opener to get to the 25-man active limit. Sounds currently at 13 pitchers, 15 position players -- and that's after jettisoning several vets to Huntsville, as noted above. Going to need some creativity to maintain that level of depth at both AAA and at AA (not saying it's super quality depth, it's just very heavy in sheer numbers right now). Huntsville also needs to pare three players.

Just as the Sounds announced they have three moves pending to get down to a roster of 25, the Stars will also need to make three moves before Thursday's opener (legitimate DL's, phantom Dl's, transfers, or releases). Currently listed are 14 pitchers, 14 position players.

Six 2013 Manatees move up to AA -- LHP Brent Suter, RHP Tyler Cravy, 1B Nick Ramirez, IF Greg Hopkins, and OF's Mitch Haniger and D'Vontrey Richardson. Versatile players Josh Prince and Hainley Statia move down from AAA. Otherwise, your 2014 Stars look an awful lot like your 2013 Stars...

Huntsville roster in online PDF format

Brewers Release Stars Tentative Roster (Huntsville, AL) – The Milwaukee Brewers have released the tentative 2014 Opening Day roster for Double-A affiliate Huntsville Stars. A pair of third year players highlights the arrivals. Outfielder Mitch Haniger, the Brewers’ #5 top prospect, will begin the season in Huntsville after splitting time with Single-A Wisconsin and High- A Brevard County in 2013. Brewers #9 top prospect Taylor Jungmann is back in Huntsville after winning 10 games as a starting pitcher in the 2013 season. 2013 Minor League Player of the Year Jason Rogers returns to the Stars after hitting .270 and driving in 87 runs at first base. Outfielder Brock Kjeldgaard, who led the Southern League with 24 home runs in 2013, rejoins the team along with infielder Josh Prince, who played for Huntsville in 2012 and brings major league experience to the roster. They join pitchers and other Brewers’ Top 20 Prospects David Goforth and Drew Gagnon as notable returnees. The Stars will open their 2014 season against the Jacksonville Suns in Jacksonville, Florida with a five game series before returning home for the home opener on April 9th. For more information on the Huntsville Stars, visit huntsvillestars.com or call (256) 882-2562. You can keep up with the Stars on Facebook, Twitter, or sign up for the team's official newsletter!

Just learned that all the players listed in this post will be in Huntsville.