Jim Goulart

Tuesday morning, October 8th is the Biloxi City Council vote. If it passes, it should not be long before we learn which Southern League team (most signs point to the Huntsville Stars) will be the 2015 tenant. As we've detailed quite a bit throughout this thread, the Brewers association with the Huntsville franchise would need to be renewed beyond the 2014 season, so even if stadium construction is officially authorized, it's not a guarantee Brewers farmhands would be hosting games there. Biloxi baseball is a vote away - Special meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday

Because they spent partial time on the 40-man roster in 2013, LHP Chris Narveson and C Blake Lalli were eligible to take free agency early (rather than having to wait until five days after the World Series), and they have done so. The initial post has been updated here.

Because they spent partial time on the 40-man roster in 2013, LHP Chris Narveson and C Blake Lalli were eligible to take free agency early (rather than having to wait until five days after the World Series), and they have done so. The initial post has been updated here.

LINK The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Milwaukee Brewers Minor League right-handed pitcher Dylan Brock has received a 50-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Clomiphene, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Brock, who is currently on the roster of the rookie-level Arizona League Brewers, is effective at the start of the 2014 season. *** Brock was the Brewers' 34th round pick out of Glendale Com. Col. (Glendale, AZ).

Real bummer -- Brewers announced that 2013 Midwest League All-Star RHP Austin Blaski has retired. Blaski underwent arm surgery on July 18th (same-day tweet), and in this audio interview with his hometown press just a couple of weeks prior, mentioned shoulder soreness. Here's a May video report with additional insight into Blaski's stellar college career at Marietta. Good luck, Austin. *** Brewers released utility man and mid-season independent league signee Eric Patterson. *** Here's our post on the four minor league free agents the Brewers have re-signed.

Announced by the Brewers, summarized by MLB Trade Rumors The Brewers have re-signed infielders Eugenio Velez and Hector Gomez and catcher Robinzon Diaz to minor league deals with invitations to Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Right-hander Arcenio Leon will also receive a minor league deal but is not being invited to big league camp (Twitter links). Velez hit .314/.398/.472 in 434 plate appearances between the Blue Jays' and Brewers' Triple-A affiliates in 2013. Gomez, 25, hit .196/.238/.255 in 406 plate appearances at Double-A. The 29-year-old Diaz hit .302/.335/.433 in 372 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. Leon, 26, posted a 5.68 ERA with 58 walks and 41 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings at Double-A. Only Velez has extensive Major League experience. *** Jeff Hem spoke with Velez in late August. Nashville's offense really spiked and Huntsville's tanked when hacktastic Robinzon Diaz swapped clubs. Gomez, a cup of coffee big leaguer with the Padres in 2011, will be 26 years old in March. He posted a not-a-misprint .494 OPS in 2013. The initial post in this thread has been updated, and includes player page links.

Announced by the Brewers, summarized by MLB Trade Rumors The Brewers have re-signed infielders Eugenio Velez and Hector Gomez and catcher Robinzon Diaz to minor league deals with invitations to Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Right-hander Arcenio Leon will also receive a minor league deal but is not being invited to big league camp (Twitter links). Velez hit .314/.398/.472 in 434 plate appearances between the Blue Jays' and Brewers' Triple-A affiliates in 2013. Gomez, 25, hit .196/.238/.255 in 406 plate appearances at Double-A. The 29-year-old Diaz hit .302/.335/.433 in 372 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. Leon, 26, posted a 5.68 ERA with 58 walks and 41 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings at Double-A. Only Velez has extensive Major League experience. *** Jeff Hem spoke with Velez in late August. Nashville's offense really spiked and Huntsville's tanked when hacktastic Robinzon Diaz swapped clubs. Gomez, a cup of coffee big leaguer with the Padres in 2011, will be 26 years old in March. He posted a not-a-misprint .494 OPS in 2013. The initial post in this thread has been updated, and includes player page links.

From the pen of Chris Mehring: Top Five Home Crowds of 2013 Top Five 2013 Road Wins Enjoy...

At the schedule link just above, they have past year's links listed as well, and all begin about the same time. On this one, you've got something mistaken for this.

Tiebreaker is 2012's overall record, not 2013 head-to-head.

No Timber Rattlers on the Midwest League Top 20 No Victor Roache, no Tyrone Taylor (Taylor finished with only a .738 OPS, by the way), and from the pitching side, thought Tyler Wagner earned consideration for a back-end slot on the list as the lone rep, but not quite.

In case you were wondering, the four players on the 60-day DL who technically don't count against the 40-man roster right now (Gamel, Green, Hart, Weeks) don't need to be activated until five days after the World Series, so there won't need to be a cleanup of fringe 40-man roster members until that time (hello, Santo Manzanillo). Not sure, but imagine Ryan Braun and Miguel De Los Santos (both on the restricted list) would become active that same day.

In case you were wondering, the four players on the 60-day DL who technically don't count against the 40-man roster right now (Gamel, Green, Hart, Weeks) don't need to be activated until five days after the World Series, so there won't need to be a cleanup of fringe 40-man roster members until that time (hello, Santo Manzanillo). Not sure, but imagine Ryan Braun and Miguel De Los Santos (both on the restricted list) would become active that same day.

October 8th start Surprise Saguaros schedule

David Goforth quotes via BrewersFarmReport

I can't imagine not cheering for Jimmy Nelson to win his first start today. Jose Fernandez was drafted 14th. Wainwright was drafted 29th. Miller 19th. Sale 13th. Cashner 19th. That's nearly half your list. Enjoy the games this weekend. Do your job, Brewers, now, and then next June, and then developing those June picks along the way. That's what I'm rooting for...

Jason Rogers interview at CreamCityCables

So did you want to see Mike Gonzalez or Burke Badenhop instead of Wooten-Kintzler-Henderson in either of these two games? It hurts my brain to read half this thread. Put yourself in the Brewers dugout. This isn't a 100-loss team, sorry to tell you that. Kudos to Roenicke and staff. I invested nearly three hours and enjoy watching the Brewers trade high-fives as the payoff for my watching the game. Imagine that.

Baseball Prospectus on Devin Williams

Minor league guru John Sickels on Gennett's career path thus far and projected

Baseball America's Top 20 for the Pioneer League includes (stats at links below): 16. OF Michael Ratterree, League MVP, will be 23 in February 17. RHP Barrett Astin, University of Arkansas 3rd rounder 19. C Dustin Houle, superlative defense 1B Adam Giacalone, 3B Taylor Brennan on the outside looking in...

Nothing finalized (but we enjoy following the rumor trail) -- Brevard County Manatee ownership calls Orlando their home base, and this article indicates that ownership seeks a smaller venue (the Manatees drew an average of 1,451 in 2013, pretty solid by Florida State League standards). So for those of you hoping for a Brewer affiliate in the Orlando area, such as "pogokat" above, there's still hope. Read below and you'll see any plan is hardly concrete. *** Renovated Rollins stadium could be shared with minor-league Manatees Milwaukee Brewers-affiliated team wants to leave Space Coast Stadium in Viera By David Breen, Orlando Sentinel A new plan to bring minor-league baseball to Winter Park is coming up to bat, just a few months after another, more ambitious proposal struck out. Rollins College and the Brevard Manatees discussed building a shared stadium at Winter Park's Ravaudage development, but negotiations fell apart in March. The latest idea calls for renovating Rollins' existing Alfond Stadium, which also would be shared by the college and the Manatees, a minor-league affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. A new study, commissioned by Rollins, Winter Park and the Manatees' owner, estimates the cost of upgrading the stadium at $14 million but doesn't recommend a specific way to pay for it. Luring the Manatees would mark the return of minor-league baseball to Metro Orlando, which hasn't had a team since 2003. The study was conducted by the Madison Group, an Illinois company that has done consulting work on other minor-league ballparks. The stadium also could host tournaments for youth, high school, collegiate, amateur and semi-pro leagues, the study stated. Winter Park City Commissioner Steven Leary, while noting he hasn't yet seen the study, said Monday that minor-league ball would be a good addition to the city if it proves financially viable. "I would certainly love to see anything come to Winter Park that offers recreational activity for families," he said. "I think it's the city's responsibility to help facilitate that." Nearly as significant an obstacle as money could be parking, an issue the study raises without offering solutions. Parking is already in short supply in the neighborhood, and the stadium is bounded by homes, businesses and Lake Midget. Rollins and the city declined to comment on the report, citing the confidentiality of economic-development projects, and representatives of the Manatees did not return a call seeking comment. The team is owned by Dr. Tom Winters, a specialist in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine in Orlando. Like the Major League Washington Nationals, the Manatees play at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, and both teams want to move. The Nationals are still seeking a new spring-training home after Osceola County commissioners last month decided not to make a costly deal to lure the team to Kissimmee. The site of Alfond Stadium, at 801 N. Orange Ave., a few blocks from the Rollins campus, has been used as an athletic field since the 1920s. The city gave the field to Rollins in 1934, according to the college. The stadium in use today was built in 1983. The college has long wanted a better facility. As the field is aligned now, sun gets in players' eyes when they look toward the outfield in late afternoon. In addition, upgrading the stadium would help with recruiting top high-school prospects. The study doesn't include specifics on the possible capacity of a renovated stadium. Alfond holds only 1,000 people now, while the Manatees' current home, Viera's Space Coast Stadium, seats 8,100. According to the study, the team would prefer a smaller venue. Stadium capacity in the Florida State League, the 12-team organization in which the Manatees play, ranges from 4,200 in Daytona Beach to 11,000 in Tampa, though most venues hold between 7,000 and 8,500 people. The study mentions a broad range of potential funding sources, including sales, hotel and rental-car taxes and contributions from the team and college. When a Ravaudage stadium was being discussed earlier this year, Rollins alumni were expected to play a major role in bankrolling the project. Although Orange County is mentioned in the study as a potential partner, how the county might participate in financing the stadium is unclear. "Everything I've heard, it would be something positive for northeast Orange County, Winter Park and Maitland," Orange County Commissioner Ted Edwards said Monday. "The sticking point is always: How do you crack the nut?" he said, referring to funding. The college and minor-league schedules have about a month of overlap, so game schedules could be a challenge. The Manatees season starts in early April, while the Rollins season ends in late April. If the team makes the playoffs, their season can extend into mid-May. But Rollins wouldn't be the first team to share a stadium with a minor-league partner. Other schools that have similar arrangements include Rutgers, Penn State, the University of Arizona and the University of Oregon. The Manatees have played at Space Coast Stadium since it was built in 1994. In 2013, they finished with a 66-68 record and drew a total attendance of 97,238, according to Baseballreference.com. Groundskeeper Jamie Hill covers up home-plate as it begins to rain at the Rollins baseball Harold Alfond Stadium at Harper-Shepherd Field, on Monday, September 23, 2013. (Photo by Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda, Orlando Sentinel) http://www.trbimg.com/img-5240d3b9/turbine/os-winter-park-baseball-stadiua-jpg-20130923/600/600x400

Baseball America released their Arizona League Top 20 -- RHP Devin Williams lands at #12. No room for 19-year-old RF Elvis Rubio. LHP Clint Terry, who was a "young" 21 (June birthday), also would have merited consideration, but tough to overcome draft status (18th round) on these short-season prospect lists.

Too little, too late? Huntsville Times poll

Pending a planned upcoming council vote, if funding does go through in Biloxi, look for former NBA star Tracy McGrady to be part of the new ownership team, and as we've surmised, it's likely but not a slam dunk that Huntsville is the club up for eventual sale / relocation. (See how I worked in the basketball term?) Still no date set on the city financing vote. McGrady story