Jim Goulart

In this chock-full Calgary Herald feature, Jim Henderson talks about preparation, video work, developing a split-finger pitch or change-up for lefties, relocating from Calgary to Phoenix with his girlfriend (yes, a fellow Canadian), and more.

This article ran on August 28th -- have to admire the dream of undrafted Maryvale 2nd-year pro catcher Joe Andrade (MiLB player page), he'll turn 24 in April: Joe Andrade: Former Red Storm catcher experiences life in minor leagues

Surprise rode a six-run 6th inning to defeat Scottsdale Thursday afternoon, 10-5 (box). Since all three Brewers relievers (Cravy, Shackelford, and Goforth) seem to be on a sameday schedule (for now), and each pitched Wednesday, no update on them today. Haniger was 0-for-3 but did drive in a run with a sacrifice fly. Rogers singled in four trips, driving in a run as detailed below -- Surprise Bottom of the 3rd Brett Nicholas doubles (1) on a line drive to center fielder Mason Williams. Jason Rogers singles on a line drive to right fielder Cory Vaughn. Brett Nicholas scores. Tyler Naquin strikes out swinging. With Mookie Betts batting, Jason Rogers steals (2) 2nd base. Mookie Betts pops out to second baseman Tommy La Stella. Garin Cecchini strikes out swinging. That means Jason has stolen 32 bases in 41 attempts in his four-year pro career. Way to go, big man...

Mitch Haniger is batting cleanup and playing right field today. Jason Rogers is a 9th place hitter in today's lineup, starting in left.

It's an afternoon rematch withb Scottsdale Thursday afternoon. Here's a box score link to check in on later today.

Surprise lost 2-1 Wednesday, (box) as the Saguaros went 1-for-12 with RISP. Mitch Haniger singled and fanned twice in four trips, batting cleanup and playing LF. Jason Rogers and Adam Weisenburger were idle. Haniger's first K helped stifle an early rally that netted his club's only run. Surprise Top of the 1st Tyler Naquin singles on a line drive to left fielder Jarrett Parker. Joe Wendle singles on a sharp ground ball to right fielder Robby Hefflinger. Tyler Naquin to 3rd. Garin Cecchini singles on a line drive to left fielder Jarrett Parker. Tyler Naquin scores. Joe Wendle to 2nd. Mitch Haniger called out on strikes. Travis Shaw pops out to third baseman Kyle Kubitza in foul territory. Michael Ohlman walks. Joe Wendle to 3rd. Garin Cecchini to 2nd. Tony Wolters lines out softly to third baseman Kyle Kubitza. *** Let's talk pitching, in particular RHP Tyler Cravy. In his first outing October 8th, the 6'3" 24-year-old entered a bases-loaded one-out situation, surrendering just one run on a sacrifice fly. Then, on October 11th, Cravy inherited a bases-loaded two-out jam and escaped. Here's what happened Wednesday -- Scottsdale Bottom of the 3rd Kyle Kubitza singles on a ground ball to center fielder Tyler Naquin. Mason Williams singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman Garin Cecchini. Kyle Kubitza to 2nd. Elmer Reyes flies out to right fielder Dariel Alvarez. Kyle Kubitza to 3rd. Tommy La Stella grounds into a force out, second baseman Joe Wendle to shortstop Derrik Gibson. Kyle Kubitza scores. Mason Williams out at 2nd. Tommy La Stella to 1st. Robby Hefflinger singles on a line drive to center fielder Tyler Naquin. Tommy La Stella to 2nd. Pitching Change: Tyler Cravy replaces Eduardo Rodriguez. Tyler Austin walks. Tommy La Stella to 3rd. Robby Hefflinger to 2nd. Jarrett Parker strikes out swinging. And like his previous two outings, Cravy would go on to pitch an additional scoreless inning to maintain his 0.00 ERA: Scottsdale Bottom of the 4th Andrew Susac grounds out, second baseman Joe Wendle to first baseman Travis Shaw. Aderlin Rodriguez singles on a line drive to left fielder Mitch Haniger. Kyle Kubitza grounds into a force out, first baseman Travis Shaw to shortstop Derrik Gibson. Aderlin Rodriguez out at 2nd. Kyle Kubitza to 1st. With Mason Williams batting, Kyle Kubitza caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Tony Wolters to shortstop Derrik Gibson. Unfortunately, RHP Kevin Shackelford has not found early success, surrendering a single run in each of his three inning-long outings thus far, and his run allowed in the 6th proved to be the difference in this game as he was saddled with the loss. Scottsdale Bottom of the 6th Pitching Change: Kevin Shackelford replaces Shawn Armstrong. Tyler Austin grounds out, shortstop Derrik Gibson to first baseman Travis Shaw. Jarrett Parker singles on a line drive to left fielder Mitch Haniger. With Andrew Susac batting, Jarrett Parker advances to 2nd on a balk. Andrew Susac strikes out swinging. Aderlin Rodriguez singles on a line drive to left fielder Mitch Haniger. Jarrett Parker scores. Aderlin Rodriguez to 2nd on the throw. With Kyle Kubitza batting, passed ball by Tony Wolters, Aderlin Rodriguez to 3rd. Kyle Kubitza walks. Mason Williams grounds out, second baseman Joe Wendle to first baseman Travis Shaw. Meanwhile, RHP David Goforth's super-strong start to the AFL season continued. Scottsdale Bottom of the 8th Pitching Change: David Goforth replaces Noe Ramirez. Andrew Susac called out on strikes. Aderlin Rodriguez strikes out swinging. Kyle Kubitza grounds out, shortstop Derrik Gibson to first baseman Travis Shaw. Goforth has now retired all nine batters he's faced. Wednesday's Gameday didn't include pitch type nor speed info.

From Baseball America's 2013 Draft Report Card feature -- round in parentheses Fastest Runner 1. Johnny Davis, of, Brewers (22) 2. Omar Garcia, of, Brewers (7) 3. Matt McPhearson, of, D’backs (4) 4. Adam Engel, of, White Sox (19) 5. Champ Stuart, of, Mets (6) Best Pro Debut -- College Players 1. Kris Bryant, 3b, Cubs (1) 2. Jonathan Gray, rhp, Rockies (1) 3. L.B. Dantzler, 1b, Blue Jays (14) 4. Michael Ratterree, of, Brewers (10) 5. Michael Fish, of, Angels (32) Best Pro Debut -- Junior College Players 1. Vic Caratini, 3b/c, Braves (2) 2. Omar Garcia, of, Brewers (7) 3. Tim Anderson, ss, White Sox (1) 4. Kenny Mathews, lhp, Indians (7) 5. Toby Thomas, ss, White Sox (21) *** Read the entire report at the link.

Hmmm - Scottsdale and Surprise, not to be confused with " ".

It's a night game this evening, here's your box score link to the contest in Scottsdale.

Jason Rogers, starting in LF, the only Brewer to play in Surprise's 9-2 win. Rogers hit a two-out, two-run ground ball single to right within a six-run 6th inning that broke the game open. Rogers also walked and fanned once, and sports a .900 OPS after four games (3-for-10 with a double, 3 BB's).

Nice honor for Mitch Haniger

Mitch Haniger, playing LF and again batting 3rd, lifted his OBP to .545 after five games with a single and walk in five plate appearances in Surprise's 3-2 loss (3rd defeat in a row for the 2-3 Saguaros). Catcher Adam Weisenburger walked and scored a run in four trips. Taylor Jungmann's three innings was detailed above -- MiLB.com ran a feature: Jungmann goes West, finds success No. 2 Brewers prospect hurls three shutout frames for Sags By Jake Seiner / MiLB.com *** It's a rematch tonight in Salt River, you'll find a link to the box score / game log / Gameday here.

So far RHP Arcenio Leon, recently re-signed to a 2014 contract, is the only Brewer farmhand to make a winter ball appearance (Leon has made two already in Venezuela - player page is linked). This thread will link to winter league news and updates on current Brewers. If a 2013 farmhand is scheduled to hit minor league free agency this fall, we won't be commenting here unless the player re-ups with the organization.

Nice... Salt River Top of the 1st Kenny Wilson singles on a ground ball to center fielder Tyler Naquin. With Ryan Brett batting, Kenny Wilson steals (3) 2nd base. Ryan Brett walks. Jake Lamb strikes out swinging. Wild pitch by pitcher Taylor Jungmann. Kenny Wilson to 3rd. Ryan Brett to 2nd. Kyle Parker strikes out swinging. Tim Wheeler grounds out, first baseman Travis Shaw to pitcher Taylor Jungmann. Salt River Top of the 2nd Stephen Piscotty singles on a line drive to center fielder Tyler Naquin. James Ramsey grounds out to first baseman Travis Shaw. Stephen Piscotty to 2nd. Nick Ahmed grounds out, third baseman Garin Cecchini to first baseman Travis Shaw. Derrick Chung strikes out swinging. Salt River Top of the 3rd Kenny Wilson strikes out on a foul tip. Ryan Brett pops out to shortstop Tony Wolters. Jake Lamb grounds out, second baseman Jonathan Schoop to first baseman Travis Shaw. Thirty strikes in 43 pitches, comfort level throwing to teammate Adam Weisenburger. For the most part, was at 90-92 early, 89-91 later on. Game still underway, more later...

Taylor Jungmann makes his AFL debut in a start this afternoon - you can follow Gameday via this box score at 1:35 PM.

Wow, Mitch Haniger! Surprise lost 7-3 to fall to 2-2 on the young AFL season, but Haniger was 4-for-4 with a double and run scored. Mitch's OPS is now 1.526, 9-for-16 with three doubles, a HR (grand slam), and a walk. The 22-year-old (23 in December) played CF in this game. Jason Rogers came in to play LF for Orioles' prospect Henry Urrutia in the 4th. Rogers would walk twice (each after a Haniger single), and lined out to center immediately following Haniger's double. So Jason is sporting a stylish .500 OBP after his first three AFL contests. Rogers stole a base in the 6th. The 260-lb Rogers has stolen 31 bases in 40 attempts in his four-year pro career. RHP Tyler Cravy is THE man for Surprise in getting out of bases-loaded jams. He'd go for a full inning after that as well. Mesa Top of the 5th Pitching Change: Trey Haley replaces Noe Ramirez. Jorge Soler strikes out swinging. C. J. Cron doubles (1) on a fly ball to left fielder Jason Rogers, deflected by center fielder Mitch Haniger. Kris Bryant grounds out, second baseman Mookie Betts to first baseman Jorge Alfaro. C. Cron to 3rd. Steven Souza Jr walks. With Wes Darvill batting, Steven Souza Jr steals (3) 2nd base. Wes Darvill walks. Pitching Change: Tyler Cravy replaces Trey Haley. Jett Bandy grounds into a force out, fielded by third baseman Ryan Rua. Steven Souza Jr out at 3rd. Mesa Top of the 6th Dixon Machado walks. Devon Travis flies out to center fielder Mitch Haniger. Zach Borenstein lines out softly to second baseman Mookie Betts. Jorge Soler grounds out, shortstop Derrik Gibson to first baseman Jorge Alfaro. RHP's Kevin Shackelford and David Goforth also saw action -- Shackelford did well to limit the damage to one run, and Goforth continues to shine, with a 1-2-3 25th birthday outing. Mesa Top of the 8th Pitching Change: Kevin Shackelford replaces Shawn Armstrong. Dixon Machado walks. Devon Travis doubles (1) on a sharp line drive to center fielder Mitch Haniger. Dixon Machado scores. With Zach Borenstein batting, Devon Travis steals (1) 3rd base. Zach Borenstein grounds out, third baseman Ryan Rua to first baseman Jorge Alfaro. Jorge Soler strikes out swinging. C. J. Cron strikes out swinging. Mesa Top of the 9th Pitching Change: David Goforth replaces Kevin Shackelford. Kris Bryant grounds out, third baseman Ryan Rua to first baseman Jorge Alfaro. Steven Souza Jr pops out to third baseman Ryan Rua. Wes Darvill grounds out, second baseman Mookie Betts to first baseman Jorge Alfaro. Here's the Gameday link where you can follow pitch type and speed - Goforth topping out at 96 MPH again, Cravy working magic at the 90-91 level and with his offspeed stuff. Shackelford low 90's. *** The Fall League is idle this weekend. Taylor Jungmann gets the start in his AFL debut on Monday afternoon.

By the way, Happy 25th Birthday today (Friday the 11th), David!

OK, so Mitch Haniger is among many competing in a competition in which, among other things, he'll try to send a batted ball to an outfielder on a trampoline. Um, OK...

Thought to look up Terry Steinbach's career stats, because he had often been mentioned as a great career comp for Jonathan Lucroy (career stats), given his skillset and over-the-top leadership. Lucroy would do well to enjoy Steinbach's career, although he's capable of more offensively. Just a darn shame to notice, though, at age 34 and in his free agent year of 1996 (coincidence?), that Steinbach's numbers spiked like never before and like they never would again. Just speculation of course (gee, Oakland -- Bash Brothers, 1996), and we'll never know for sure, but it's so sad we have to look at that era through such tainted, filthy glasses. Introducing… Terry Steinbach

Joe Block pointed out Keith Law's comments from an ESPN ($) insider piece: Brewers reliever David Goforth... was 94-98 mph with a solid-average slider at 85-86. He should appear... at some point in 2014.

Here's a very interesting audio snippet from an MLB Network Radio interview with former umpire Jim McKean. Specifically he talks about the phantom play at second base on double plays, and when an umpire needs to use discretion and common sense to sometimes allow a middle infielder to avoid injury. Will managers make use of instant replay to force the letter of the law on that call, thus forcing the likes of young productive talents like Jean Segura and Scooter Gennett to stand tight to the bag in every situation? I agree that egregious calls should be reviewed and often overturned. Those that watch a lot of baseball know when the middle infielder oversteps the realistic boundary, but we can all agree it's a judgement call. If we see increased injuries at the bag due to this, especially for the Brewers, of course, that'd be a shame.

Actually, MLB updated the schedule and there are several afternoon games coming up. Friday night, however, Surprise hosts Mesa in an evening affair. Surprise's starter is listed as TBD. Maybe we'll see Taylor Jungmann. For you later on Friday, a box score link.

Surprise dropped to 2-1 after an 11-0 loss Thursday (box score / game log / Gameday combined link). Fortunately, no Brewers pitchers were victimized (none appeared). Mitch Haniger moved from RF to CF when Jason Rogers entered the game as a right fielder in the 3rd inning -- Glendale Bottom of the 3rd Tucker Barnhart singles on a sharp ground ball to right fielder Mitch Haniger. Micah Johnson lines out to right fielder Mitch Haniger. Byron Buxton singles on a sharp line drive to center fielder Tyler Naquin. Tucker Barnhart to 3rd. Byron Buxton out at 2nd, first baseman Brett Nicholas. Defensive Substitution: Jason Rogers replaces center fielder Tyler Naquin, batting 1st, playing right field. Defensive switch from right field to center field for Mitch Haniger. Colin Moran flies out to left fielder Henry Urrutia. Gameday confirmed Cleveland's Tyler Naquin (15th pick overall, 2012) left with an injury. That's an odd play description with the out at 2nd, though. Rogers would later garner an outfield assist: Glendale Bottom of the 5th Tucker Barnhart singles on a line drive to right fielder Jason Rogers. Tucker Barnhart out at 2nd, right fielder Jason Rogers to shortstop Tony Wolters. Rogers had two plate appearances (HBP, ground out). Haniger walked in four trips to the plate (two K's, popout). Adam Weisenburger's night -- walk, soft lineout, flyout, strikeout.

Mitch Haniger bats 3rd tonight, in RF (that's one game in each outfield spot). Catcher Adam Weisenburger debuts tonight, batting 9th as the DH.

More on the Surprise club and some of the Brewers via minorleagueball.com