Jim Goulart

VIDEO: Nick Shaw’s Unusual Approach To The Batter’s Box Huntsville, Ala. (WHNT) – Huntsville Stars second baseman Nick Shaw is one of the more successful hitters on the team. The leadoff man has 60 hits this season and is fifth on his team in on-base percentage. There is, though, one unusual quirk he has every time he approaches the batter’s box. Shaw jogs into the box and always stays in motion when he awaits the pitch. He then steps out and jogs back in with every hurl. It’s one of the more unusual approaches to hitting and the Stars make sure to give Shaw a hard time about it. “I don’t think he realizes he does it. I’m like dude, you do this whole foot thing, you don’t look ready to hit, he’s pretty much the only thing I make fun of him about, but he’s a weird guy,” said Kentrail Davis, Stars outfielder. “Our hitting coach always makes fun of me, he says I’m the squirrel from Ice Age, drinking a Red Bull, getting all crazy but I think that’s the way I’ve always played,” said Shaw.

Anthony DeSclafani sharp as Suns stop Huntsville DeSclafani dazzles in Double-A debut Marlins right-hander spins six scoreless innings for Suns Prospect the Marlins picked up in the blockbuster Reyes-Johnson-Buehrle trade... *** Ariel Pena strikeout video (unfortunately it's at the plate for a pitch)

At Wisconsin, 22-year-old catcher Tyler Roberts, the 2009 10th rounder (wow, 5th season already, career stats) will make his season debut as he has been added to the Wisconsin roster (catcher Brent Dean goes on the DL, almost surely as a bullpen catcher / remain with the squad-role rather than an injury). Roberts was injured last July (right wrist), and missed the remainder of the 2012 campaign. Unsure if that was the same injury he's been rehabbing this spring. Welcome back to action, Tyler.

Since June 14th, we've maintained the "Your 2013 Helena & Maryvale Brewers" thread -- if you haven't read through it yet, now's as good a time as any to prepare for the rookie squads tonight. *** We've got games on seven levels on the docket tonight, and to my knowledge, seven diligent, dedicated Link Reporters each taking on the details at each level. All I (and all our readers) can say is "Thank You, Thank You, Thank You"! *** Finally for now, how convenient of the big league club to play a matinee today. I'm guessing that the later-night audio with Steve may be popular tonight, among friends, families, and diehard curious fans. Enjoy!!

VIDEO from Wednesday: Nashville's Cole Garner hits a two-run single as Sounds beat Iowa, 5-4 in Game One of their doubleheader *** Tyler Thornburg strikes out Logan Watkins in the Sounds' 1-0 Game Two loss to Iowa (full at-bat) *** We had linked to Alex's audio call of Brock Kjeldgaard's 100th career HR previously (here it is again for you), but now you can watch it as well (with the Jacksonville call).

Weather.com: Des Moines, IA Jacksonville, FL Tampa, FL Grand Chute, WI (Appleton) Missoula, MT Glendale, AZ Boca Chica, DR

Last day -- ending around 9:00 PM Central; the Timber Rattlers Star Wars Jersey Auction...

STANDINGS: AAA - Pacific Coast League American Northern Division AA - Southern League North Division High-A - Florida State League North Division A - Midwest League Western Division Rookie Advanced - Pioneer League North Division Rookie - Arizona Summer League DSL - Dominican Summer League San Pedro de Macoris Division *** NOTE: To view first half or overall standings for Huntsville, Brevard County, and Wisconsin, you'll notice options at the respective links for that. Otherwise it's second-half standings as the default view for those three leagues.

Look for Nashville and Wisconsin media notes at the links just prior to their game times. New this season: Brevard County has media notes; as of now, it's a unique link each day, but look for it just prior to game time each day within the "Stats and Scores" banner here.

To see tweets as to when the Link Report has been technically "completed" with available links, as well as to know when the new day's Report has been posted, please follow @Mass_Haas on Twitter.

Follow Thursday's action as it happens with box score / game log links: Nashville Huntsville Brevard County Wisconsin Helena Maryvale DSL Brewers New MiLB.com feature -- organizational scoreboard, Brewers

Programming Notes: Jacksonville has MiLB.TV coverage, so if you're a subscriber, you can watch this Stars' series (live and/or archived). *** This Brevard County series is available with the Tampa broadcast crew; Dave and Andy return to the airwaves on Sunday. *** DVR Alert! The next two Timber Rattlers games are available on local TV. Thursday's game is being broadcast on Time Warner Cable Sports 32, Friday's game on MyNew32 TV out of Green Bay. For Thursday, there is no specific pre-game show, but an hour before game-time, the 30-minute "Timber Rattlers Field Pass" will air from 6:00 - 6:30.

Thursday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Nashville: RHP Frankie De La Cruz at Iowa (Cubs), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link Jeff Hem is the play-by-play voice of the Sounds; follow him on Twitter @jeffhempbp; we'll link to his blog updates at On the Air…and Off MiLB.TV -- for subscribers; all Nashville games, home and away, will be available to watch via MiLB.TV's $39.99 season-long package ($9.99 to pay for a single month). The audio feed is from the home team. All MiLB.TV details available at the link. ********** Huntsville: RHP Ariel Pena at Jacksonville (Marlins), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link Alex Cohen is the play-by-play voice of the Stars; follow him on Twitter @alexmcohen. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be broadcast. It appears four Southern League teams air their home games on MiLB.TV, and we'll let you know when those dates pop up on the schedule ********** Brevard County: RHP Cody Scarpetta at Tampa (Yankees), 5:05 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime Free Live Audio Link - Tampa Broadcast ********** Wisconsin: RHP Eric Semmelhack at home vs. Cedar Rapids (Twins), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link - 1280 AM WNAM Chris Mehring is back to do his customary fantastic work as the Voice of the Rattlers. Follow him on Twitter @CMehring; we'll link to Chris' infamous blog often -- Rattler Radio. MiLB.TV -- for subscribers; Wisconsin is one of four Midwest League clubs that have all their home games available via MiLB.TV. So for the $39.95 season-long package, fans in Brewer Nation can watch all Sounds games, Stars' road games from four Southern League locales, and all Timber Rattlers home games and some road games. NOTE: 32 of the Rattlers' 70 home games will be broadcast on TV this season. Time Warner Cable SportsChannel has seventeen games scheduled and WACY-TV My NEW32 plans to show fifteen games. We'll let you know when, but won't be providing day-before DVR reminders, so regularly check for proper channel and time planning (scroll to the bottom of this link). ********** Helena: RHP Zach Quintana at Missoula (Diamondbacks), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link Voice of the Helena Brewers Steve Wendt is back on board, and this year he's added Twitter to the mix @steve_wendt. We've been treated to Steve's work for many years now (ten!); he is among the very best at the art of the pre-game interview, especially considering how at ease he makes all these first-time professional ballplayers. MiLB.TV -- When the H-Crew makes their way to Idaho Falls (July) and Grand Junction (August), those games will be available for viewing online. ********** Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): at the Dodgers' complex in Glendale; 9:00 PM gametime; never audio for games in this league ********** DSL Brewers: at the DSL Pirates #2 squad, 9:30 AM, although game data won't be available until later in the day

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RPV baseball player selected in MLB’s first-year player draft By Nick Ingram, Special to the Peninsula News (Rolling Hills Estates, California) Garrett Cooper had always dreamed of stepping foot onto a big league baseball field. On Friday, June 7, Cooper got one step closer to his dream as the first baseman was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth round of Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft. “I was in complete shock,” said Cooper. “Hearing my name was just something I never thought would happen. My ultimate dream of being a professional baseball player had just come true through a phone call.” The youngest of seven, Cooper grew up in Rancho Palos Verdes and called it a luxury to be a part of such a big family. “Being the youngest, I always had someone to hit me ground balls or throw batting practice whenever I wanted,” Cooper said. “Being taught sports at such a young age, it gave me a leg up on other kids around the area.” Cooper was the only one in his family to play collegiate baseball. Two of his four older brothers played high school baseball at Peninsula and Loyola. As a child, Cooper was selected as an All-Star while playing at Silver Spur Little League and Peninsula Pony League. He attended Loyola High School in Los Angeles with the intention of being a two-sport athlete (basketball and baseball), but he soon found himself strictly on the baseball field. “You can usually identify talent pretty early on. You can start to spot the kids when they are pretty young, and Garrett had the potential. It was just what he did with it,” Garrett’s father, Robert, said. “Loyola pushed him to play baseball. They are a serious athletic group over there. In the end, it worked out pretty well.” After graduating from Loyola, Cooper spent two years at El Camino under coach Nate Fernley, where he was selected to the All-State team as a first baseman before being offered a baseball scholarship at Auburn. “Baseball is such a big deal in the South,” Robert Cooper said. “All the SEC schools are super competitive, and there is a huge talent pool down there. It is the toughest conference to play in.” But the transition from Southern California to Alabama was not as tough as one might imagine for Cooper. “Being a part of a team made it easier,” he said. “Everyone is really hospitable and after the same goal as you are.” After a breakout junior season at Auburn that saw him play in 49 games and hit .324, good for third-best on the squad, Cooper led the Tigers offensively in his senior year. He was selected to the All-SEC Second Team after batting .354, good for seventh in the conference. He finished second in on-base percentage (.481) and sixth in slugging (.540). During his two-year stint at Auburn, Cooper hit .340 with 21 doubles, 12 home runs and 68 RBIs. “Playing in the SEC was one of the greatest decisions I ever made,” the 22-year-old Cooper said. “The crowds and friends I have made are priceless.” His first stop with the Brewers is with their Advanced Rookie League affiliate in Helena, Mont. “This team is a fan favorite of everyone in town,” Cooper said. “Going into restaurants, we are recognized and receive such friendliness and kindness from everyone. I can’t wait to start playing games in front of the crowd this week.” While Garrett is living out his dream of being a professional baseball player, his father saw the hard work he put into his game pay off. “It was kind of amazing that he had developed and come so far as to make it to major league baseball,” Robert Cooper said. “While it was always at the back of my mind that he had the potential, it was a joyous moment for him as he worked so hard to get there.” The Brewers have the intention of moving Cooper to their Class-A team, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in Appleton, Wis., after 30 days, depending on how he performs in Montana. “Our scouts just felt really good about (Cooper’s) potential,” said Brewers Amateur Scouting Director Bruce Seid in an interview with MLB.com. “We felt it was a good value pick in the sixth round.” But Cooper isn’t content with just being drafted. He is out to show the Brewers organization what they took a chance on with the 182nd pick. “My goal is to move up in the organization and ultimately make it to the big leagues. It has been my dream for as long as I can remember to step out onto a professional field, and Milwaukee has given me the opportunity,” he said. “It is how I work and better myself on and off the field that will give me the chance to ultimately reach my goal.” Cooper has posted a video of his reaction to being drafted on his twitter feed, which is @CoopaLoop1

To fill one of the two open spots on the AA roster, RHP David Goforth is promoted from Brevard County. No word quite yet on a Manatee backfill move.

Our Helena / Maryvale thread includes several new posts this AM, including wall-to-wall coverage from the Independent Record, a video report on the two teenage starting pitchers that will lead Helena's rotation, and an article on one of the new Maryvale college arms.

MiLB.com and Jacksonville Sun reports focusing on Jacksonville's Jake Marisnick HBP (hand) in the Stars' game.

Stars Drop Second Half Opener To Suns By Alex Cohen / Huntsville Stars To begin the second half of their season, the Huntsville Stars dropped the series opener against the Jacksonville Suns by a score of 9-4 at Bragan Field on Wednesday night. Unfortunately for the Stars, they began trailing for most of the night early in the first. After starting pitcher Drew Gagnon began the bottom of the first by giving up back-to-back singles to outfielder Jake Marisnick and shortstop Danny Black, a balk from Gagnon gave the Suns a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning, an RBI single from catcher J.T Realmuto scored Black to put Jacksonville up 2-0. However, the lead for Jacksonville would not last for long. Following a leadoff walk in the top of the second inning by outfielder Kentrail Davis, fellow outfielder Brock Kjeldgaard launched a two-run homer off over the left-field wall to tie up the game. For Kjeldgaard, the homer was his 13th of the season and the 100th of his professional career. Audio -- HR #100 for Kjeldgaard For Jacksonville, that was the closest they would let the Stars get. During the bottom half of the second inning, a two-run homer from outfielder Kyle Jensen and an RBI single from Black put the Suns up by three. For Jensen, the homer was his league-leading 16th of the season and eighth homer in his last 14 games. One inning later, a sacrifice fly from outfielder Danny Pertusati put Jacksonville up 6-2. The score stayed that way until the sixth inning, where the Stars were able to provide one last offensive surge. With starting pitcher Adam Conley (W, 7-2) still in the game, the Marlins 10th ranked prospect gave up a leadoff double to Davis and walked Kjeldgaard to begin the inning. After a groundout advanced both runners into scoring position, shortstop Hector Gomez plated both runners with a two-out, two-run single to cut the Stars deficit to two. AUDIO - Gomez' two-run single However, that momentum would vanish quickly. With reliever Arcenio Leon in the ballgame for the Stars in the seventh inning, Pertusati crushed a three-run homer off the Suns scoreboard in left-center field to make the score 9-4. The loss for the Stars marked Gagnon's first defeat in Double-A, as he fell to 1-1 on the season with the Stars after giving up six runs in five innings while striking out seven batters. On offense, Gomez and Kjeldgaard paced the Stars with two hits apiece. The Stars and Suns will play game two of a five-game series at Bragan Field on Thursday. Huntsville will send RHP Ariel Pena (5-5, 3.00 ERA) to the bump as Jacksonville will counter with a starting pitcher that has yet to be determined. First pitch is at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

David Goforth (7-5, 3.10) earned the victory by surrendering just two runs in five innings. Lakeland (30-38) managed five hits against the All-Star, as he allowed just two walks and fanned four. And then Goforth got big news after the game...

Brevard ends first half on a high 'Tees complete sweep of Lakeland with 9-5 win By Andy Towne / Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. - Despite not having a chance to earn a playoff spot, the Brevard County Manatees finished the first half on a high note with a 9-5 win over the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Wednesday night at Space Coast Stadium to complete a three-game sweep. Brevard County (37-30) extended its longest winning streak of the season to five games as they posted eight or more runs in consecutive contests for the first time this season. Every member of the Manatees' lineup reached base at least once, with eight of the nine batters recording at least one hit. Mitch Haniger and Ben McMahan each notched two hits and scored two runs, while Cody Hawn and Lance Roenicke had three hits apiece. Roenicke also had three RBI, while Hawn knocked in one more. For the second straight night, T.J. Mittelstaedt went deep as his lone hit was a three run home run in the fourth inning. His eighth long ball of the year capped of a five-run frame and gave the Manatees a 6-2 lead. Wednesday's game marked the second straight game in which Mittelstaedt had driven in three runs. Oddly enough, the only other time in his career in which he drove in three runs in back-to-back games was against the same team just over a year ago, in both ends of a doubleheader against the Flying Tigers on June 10, 2012. David Goforth (7-5, 3.10) earned the victory by surrendering just two runs in five innings. Lakeland (30-38) managed five hits against the All-Star, as he allowed just two walks and fanned four. The Dunedin Blue Jays had clinched the Florida State League North Division first half title earlier in the day by virtue of an 8-4 win over the Tampa Yankees. Had the Blue Jays lost any of their final four games, the Manatees would have used their five-game win streak to propel themselves to the title and a guaranteed playoff berth. Instead, the second half of the season begins on Thursday night at 7:00 PM (6:00 Central), as the Manatees hit the road for the first of three against the Tampa Yankees (28-40) at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Michael Pineda, who is on a Major League rehab assignment from New York, will get the start for Tampa. Brevard County will send Cody Scarpetta (0-2, 9.00) to the hill. Manatees third baseman T.J. Mittelstaedt, seen here diving for a ball, homered for the second straight night as he hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning of Brevard County's 9-5 win over the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Wednesday night at Space Coast Stadium in Viera. (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography) http://www.milb.com/assets/images/2/6/2/51198262/cuts/Mittelstaedt_6.19_ctelj43n_9mla8j2k.JPG

The Helena Independent Record has player profile capsules on the entire H-Crew roster. See them here.

Familiar faces, fresh talent abound as Brewers open 2013 campaign By Amber Kuehn, Helena Independent Record Going into the 2013 season, the Helena Brewers are eager for a fresh start. After finishing in the Pioneer League basement with a 24-52 record in 2012 — losing five of their last six games — Milwaukee’s short season rookie-league affiliate is embracing the changes that come with every new, hope-filled summer. The roster is brimming with fresh, young talent — a dozen of the Brewers’ draft picks from earlier this month will begin their professional careers in the Capital City — and there’s new blood in the manager seat with Tony Diggs taking over the reins from Jeff Isom. Chuck Caufield replaced Don Money as Helena’s hitting coach, and Elvin Nina returns for a fifth season mentoring the Brewers’ pitchers. Diggs, who managed the Arizona League Brewers for the past five seasons and won a championship with the team in 2010, believes he can turn things around with the right group of guys. “You hope that you get a team that jells,” he said. “If you get a team that jells well and they learn to play together as a team, you’re going to be more productive. Hopefully that is something that happens with a number of these guys that have played together last year at the Arizona League level. “You hope that they’ve matured and you hope they’ve gotten better as players. Hopefully that plays a big part in us hopefully being able to perform better out on the field this year.” Eleven of the 33 players on the roster played for the Arizona League Brewers last year, a team that went 19-37. Diggs believes his familiarity with those players, coupled with the improvement he saw recently in extended spring training, is going to be a recipe for success. Throw in a number of high-round draft selections — five players in Helena were taken prior to the 10th round less than two weeks ago — and the sky is the limit. “You just hope the talent you get is there and that you’re able to bring that out in the player and that they perform well,” Diggs said, adding that consistency will be key. “... I don’t care if it’s a pitcher throwing strikes or a hitter having a good approach all the time, they’re going to have a lot better chance of being successful if they’re consistent.” The Brewers batted just .269 as a team a year ago, near the bottom of the league, and were often hampered by poor defensive decisions and base-running mistakes. The Helena pitching staff had the worst ERA (5.89) in a Pioneer League brimming with talent at that position, although Nina is quick to point out statistics often don’t tell the whole story. “We finished with numbers not to our liking. But if you look at our pitching staff from start to finish, there was tremendous improvement,” he said, as is evidenced by the fact that the majority of those pitchers are now playing at higher levels within the organization. “The results number-wise weren’t there, but as far as execution goes, I saw improvement there daily.” Nina’s new staff consists of 18 pitchers, including a name Brewer fans may remember from two seasons ago. Sean Albury is back after sitting out all of last year to recover from rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder. Albury made 16 relief appearances in Helena in 2011 and finished with six saves as one of the team’s go-to closers. He owned a 0.90 ERA before getting hurt. “When you get a real bad injury like what I had, sitting out a year and a half gets real tough mentally,” Albury said. “I’ve had a pretty good recovery, and I feel great right now. I’m looking forward to making a comeback.” Nina admitted it’s a difficult surgery to bounce back from, but he’s been pleased with Albury’s progress. “Watching him throw in games and compete in games, I don’t think he’s missed a beat from when he was here before,” the coach said. Expectations are also high for a couple of young prospects. Lefty Anthony Banda and right-hander Zach Quintana — both just 19 years old — performed well in their professional debuts last year in the Arizona League, and both Nina and Diggs are counting on them this season in Helena. Quintana, a third-round pick in 2012, is the projected starter for tonight’s season-opener in Missoula. According to Nina, Quintana has four pitches in his arsenal. As for who will be behind the plate, the Brewers have three catchers on the opening-day roster — including 2012 first-round pick Clint Coulter. Michael Turay is back after hitting .255 while splitting time between catching and third base last year. Like the versatile Turay, another Brewers catcher this season, Dustin Houle, is a utility man capable of playing third. “I think it helps a lot,” said Turay, adding that he even saw some action in the outfield in extended spring training. “Our coaches have always told us the more positions you can play the better, and it worked out for me last year. Wherever I can get in, I’m just happy to be out on the field playing baseball.” Turay is one of just two Brewers on the roster to spend all of last season in Helena, the other being outfielder Ruben Ozuna. Turay admitted 2012 was a struggle at times, but he is eager to put the past behind him. With one season of professional baseball already under his belt, he said he feels more prepared — particularly for the grind that comes with playing daily. “Toward the end of last year, especially when I started playing third base every day, I definitely hit a wall,” he said. “I was tired, missing pitches, it was really frustrating. Now I kind of know once my body gets to that point what adjustments I need to make.” Turay hopes he can be a leader to those just starting out on this journey. “I think we have a lot better team camaraderie this year; we all get along,” he said. “I have really high expectations for this year. We have a really solid team, and this year in extended we did really well and it sounds like we’ve got a good group of guys coming in from the draft. So I think if we can mix those guys in, we’ll be really good this year.” Diggs will primarily be working with the infielders, and he likes what he’s seen so far. “We have a young shortstop in Angel Ortega, he’s up-and-coming. There’s a lot of facets to his game that he needs to improve on, but he has an opportunity and a chance to improve because he’s still a youngster,” Diggs said. “Taylor Brennan is a guy who’s probably going to have a lot of stock on our team; he just needs to make consistent contact.” The Brewers have just two infielders on the roster who will be making their professional debuts in Garrett Cooper and Jesse Weiss. Cooper was a sixth-round draft pick out of Auburn this month and is eager to get his feet wet in the minor leagues — even if Helena is somewhat of a culture shock for the Manhattan Beach, Calif., native. After speaking with multiple teams, Cooper figured he would be drafted somewhere between the sixth and eighth round, he just didn’t know where he’d be headed. “That morning (June 7) the Phillies and Royals told me that they were gonna take me in the sixth round, and then all of a sudden I got an unexpected call from the Brewers,” he said. Cooper knows going from the college level to the pros will take an adjustment period, and his biggest concern at the moment is the equipment change. He said after playing with metal bats, it will take a while to get used to wood. He also knows jumping into a 76-game schedule with few breaks could be a challenge after just coming off a full season of college ball. One thing he’s not particularly worried about, though, is the pitching he’ll face. “I played in the SEC, and they said the pitching there is similar to what you’re going to see in the minors,” Cooper said. “Most of those guys were first-round, second-round, third-round draft picks. You come out here, and everyone is just as good as you are.” One of those strong SEC pitchers will be suiting up for the same team as Cooper. Third-rounder Barrett Astin out of the University of Arkansas is also set to make his pro debut in Helena. For those just starting out, Turay had this advice to offer: “Just don’t be intimidated by anything. “Just go out there and play as hard as you can every day and see what happens. Try to put together the best season you can. It’s a lot of fun, and I enjoyed it last year even having a rough season. You gotta enjoy it every day.” Diggs seconds that, and hopes to have a well-rounded ball club with a team-first mentality. “I hope that we are a solid defensive team. That is yet to be seen,” he said. “We did play pretty solid defense during extended spring, I saw growth down there.” As for offense, he would prefer a lineup that consistently has a good approach and makes good contact over a power-hitting squad that’s always swinging for the fences. He wants his players to focus on situational hitting rather than trying to do too much. “We need to be able to bunt to move a guy over, be able to drive a guy in from third base with less than two outs, move a guy from second base with no outs,” he said. “If we are able to do those little things, I think collectively we’ll come out all right. “And hopefully we’ll have a little team speed in there to be able to swipe a few bags as well,” he added with a grin. The season gets underway tonight with a two-game set against the defending Pioneer League champion Osprey in Missoula. The Brewers return to Kindrick Legion Field on Saturday for their home opener against Billings. All photos by Dylan Brown of the Helena Independent Record Infielder Taylor Brennan gathers a ground ball Friday, during practice. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/17/81712a14-d96b-11e2-965b-001a4bcf887a/51c295510714d.preview-620.jpg Infielder Jalen Harris tosses the ball to a pitcher Friday during practice. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/fe/afe53dcc-d96b-11e2-b608-001a4bcf887a/51c2958bc601d.preview-620.jpg Southpaw Tyler Linehan, 9th rounder out of Fresno State http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/5b/c5b8b782-d96b-11e2-beab-001a4bcf887a/51c295b26b98c.preview-620.jpg Right-handed pitcher Harvey Martin throws the ball Friday afternoon during practice at Kindrick Legion Field http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/f3/df3826ca-d96b-11e2-b30f-001a4bcf887a/51c295d64e7c0.preview-620.jpg

VIDEO Report - 19-year-olds to lead Helena rotation High school picks with a year in Maryvale under their belt: 2012 3rd round RHP Zach Quintana and 2012 10th round LHP Anthony Banda will start the opening games

Poppe signs with Brewers organization By Mark Schremmer, Joplin (MO) Globe Sports Writer Tanner Poppe didn’t have a lot of time to reminisce after his four-year career with the Kansas Jayhawks baseball program ended. The Girard High School graduate was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 31st round of the Major League Baseball draft on June 8. Since then, life has been moving fast for Poppe. “It’s been pretty hectic,” said Poppe, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound right-handed pitcher. “The day after I got drafted, I signed in Lawrence. After that, I had 48 hours to pack up and move out to Arizona.” The Brewers formally announced Poppe’s signing with the organization on Tuesday. He was initially assigned to Arizona League Brewers’ rookie affiliate in Phoenix. The shortened season is scheduled to begin today. “It’s been extremely hot,” Poppe said. “Every day has been 110 degrees or hotter. So I’m getting used to that. But I’m meeting a bunch of new guys and it’s going pretty well so far.” Poppe said the Arizona League will be used as evaluation, and he will eventually be sent to either the Helena Brewers of the Pioneer League or the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Midwest League. At that time, coaches are likely to make the determination of whether Poppe will be used as a starter or reliever. “I did both in college,” Poppe said. “I’m comfortable with both.” Poppe enters professional baseball after turning down the opportunity twice before. He was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 37th round of the 2009 draft and by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 37th round of the 2011 draft. Both times, Poppe opted to pitch at KU. “Out of high school I wasn’t as ready as I am now,” he said. “I’m excited to be in professional baseball. It’s a fun experience.” Poppe finished his senior season with the Jayhawks with a 4-3 record, a 4.22 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings.