Jim Goulart

From the May 27th, 2011 Link Report -- Fiers vs. Eovaldi

Adam McCalvy tells us why McClendon is sticking around L.A. for a while.

Eric Farris shows us what a "hail delay" looks like in Oklahoma City.

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.

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

Follow Wednesday's action as it happens with box score / game log links: Nashville Huntsville Brevard County Wisconsin

This means Tyler Thornburg tonight! MiLB.TV note -- Reminder that in addition to the always-available Sounds feed, you're treated to Stars video for this series in Tennessee, so good time for friends and family of Huntsville players (and the rest of us) to invest in MiLB.TV if so inclined.

Wednesday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Nashville: RHP Seth McClung at Oklahoma City (Astros), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link Jeff Hem is the new 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). We imagine the audio feed is from the home team. All MiLB.TV details available at the link. ********** Huntsville: RHP Tyler Thornburg at Tennessee (Cubs), 6:00 PM pre-game, 6:15 gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Huntsville feed from the MiLB main audio page I-Phone friendly audio link Alex Cohen is the new play-by-play voice of the Stars; follow him on Twitter @alexmcohen. It's fantastic that Huntsville is returning to what will be a traditional broadcast format this year. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be broadcast. MiLB.TV subsciption note: Huntsville road games in four locales (Mississippi, Tennessee, Jacksonville and Pensacola) will be broadcast. ********** Brevard County: LHP Jed Bradley at home vs. Daytona (Cubs), 5:35 PM gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Daytona feed from the MiLB main audio page Once again this season, Brevard does not have its own audio coverage. It appears two teams in the Manatees North Division (within which the majority of games are played) have audio, and all six teams in the South Division have audio (at least for their home games), so there will be opportunities to listen to approx. 70% or Brevard's games this season, just all from the opponent's perspective. There are no Florida State League games on MiLB.TV this year. ********** Wisconsin: RHP Chad Thompson at Cedar Rapids (Angels), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:35 gametime; if form holds, RHP Mark Williams will tandem 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 only two (Great Lakes) Midwest League clubs that have all their home games available via MiLB.TV; Chris' call provides the audio. So for the $39.95 season-long package, fans in Brewer Nation can watch all Sounds games, all Timber Rattlers home games, and 24 Stars' road games (one Helena series this summer, too).

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The 2005 draft was not only historically strong nationally, but fruitful for the Brewers overall -- Ryan Braun, trade chips Will Inman, Steve Garrison, and Michael Brantley, plus Taylor Green, Zach Braddock, Brock Kjeldgaard and even Brendan Katin's mashing minor league contributions. As you'll see below, this draft could have been truly tremendous. 2005 Draft: Jemile Weeks, SS -- 8th round, subsequently drafted and signed by the Athletics in the 1st round, 2008 Rickie's little (and we do mean little) brother was indeed drafted as a shortstop, leading us to envision a Weeks-Weeks keystone combo. It's believed that Jemile's dad in particular was a very strong proponent of Jemile going to school (Miami), but word at the time was that the family would listen seriously to the Brewers' overtures. As you're likely aware, the A's have been thrilled with Weeks despite his slow start in 2012 (major league stats, including a pretty dynamic rookie 2011 campaign, FYI the link above is for his minor league numbers. OOPS! Not Brewerfan.net's finest moment *** Brent Allar, RHP -- 11th round, subsequently drafted and signed by the Orioles in the 14th round, 2006 Allar, a fireballing JUCO pitcher, who was compared to former Brewer reliever Mike DeJean at draft time, spurned the Brewers for TCU. Five minor league seasons in the O's system, spent mostly in the bullpen, produced more K's than innings, but lots of walks, too. Oddly, in his first three seasons, Allar appeared in 55 games, all in relief, and never earned a decision (0-0). In the never-ending injury nexus of these dodge-the-bullet Brewer non-signees, Allar underwent shoulder surgey in '07. He granted this detailed interview prior to his final season in 2010. Allar never reached AA. The Marlins selected Allar in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, but released him prior to the 2011 season. *** Ryan Babineau, C -- 13th round, subsequently drafted and signed by the Diamondbacks in the 17th round, 2008 A high school catcher from California, Babineau went on to UCLA, where he was their starting catcher all three seasons. Injuries to both hips pretty much ruined his brief pro career, but you'll notice at his link above that after a 2011 away from the game, Babineau is now in independent ball. Still just 25, good luck to him going forward. *** Andrew Bailey, RHP -- 16th round, subsequently drafted and signed by the Athletics in the 6th round, 2006 Yes, that Andrew Bailey. Minor league stats above, major league here. At this point, I strongly suggest you visit my June 2010 article "Andrew Bailey So Close to Being A Brewer – and Other Tales from the 2005 Draft". Thanks! *** Tim Smith, OF -- 17th round, subsequently drafted and signed by the Rangers in the 7th round, 2007 Another unsigned Canadian (Ontario)! Tim Smith also turned down the Mets in 2004, the year prior, 21st round. Smith, a left-handed bat, posted ridiculous numbers in his freshman year at Midland College, a two-year school in Texas, as he set school records for batting average (.468) and on-base percentage. He also hit eight home runs and had 55 RBIs. Preliminary contract negotiations with the Brewers failed, and then his draft-and-follow chances with the Crew faded after offseason arm surgery. But then Smith raked again in his second juco season, setting school career marks in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and stolen bases. We all thought for sure he'd be signed prior to the 2006 draft as a DFE. The Brewers did add a last-minute DFE from the '05 class, but it wasn't Tim Smith. The DFE's name? Taylor Green. Smith is still plugging away in his 6th pro season, although he's with his third organization (Rangers to Royals via trade, now with the Braves as a minor league free agent), and was recently promoted to AA Mississippi (Southern League). Tim Smith turns 26 in a couple of weeks, but has yet to see AAA despite solid numbers to this day. *** Jake Arrieta, RHP -- 26th round, subsequently drafted and signed by the Orioles in the 5th round, 2007 Yes, that Jake Arrieta. Looking back, Arrieta was not a big topic of discussion here in the summer of '05 in terms of whether the Brewers would sign him or not. Arrieta was tied at the hip, it seemed, to 11th round RHP Brent Allar, detailed above. They both attended two-year Weatherford College, both played for the McKinney Marshals in the Texas Collegiate Summer League (Arrieta posted sweet numbers), and then both went off to TCU. Here's Arrieta's major league numbers (minor league numbers are linked above). Arrieta flashes just enough occasional brilliance to make one wonder what could be if it all comes together consistently. Just on that oh-so-close potential alone, he should be considered "one that got away". *** Patrick Murray, 1B -- 31st round, subsequently drafted by the Phillies in the 45th round, 2006, and finally drafted and signed by the Phillies in the 34th round, 2010 When the Brewers drafted Murray out of a California high school, this was our own Patrick Ebert's note: At 6'2", 250 pounds, Murray offers an intimidating presence at the plate, and exciting power potential as a right-handed hitter. While he played third base and catcher at the high school level, his footspeed probably limits him to first base. Despite his limited speed, he does show good footwork around the bag and has a very strong arm. The Brewers chose to draft-and-follow Murray into juco ball, but a bout of mononucleosis sapped his power and likely soured the Brewers. As noted above, the Phillies did not sign him after his first junior college season, but did when he finished up at Lewis and Clark College (Oregon). Philadelphia released Murray after two middling seasons in the lower levels of their system, detailed at the link above. *** Chris Hopkins, OF -- 37th round, subsequently drafted (but not signed) by the Royals in the 44th round, 2007, and finally drafted and signed by the Blue Jays in the 24th round, 2008 Chris Hopkins was a very young (17 years old at the time) toolsy junior college selection for the Brewers, there was no chance he would be signed immediately, but he was followed into his second juco season. The Brewers (and/or Hopkins) passed, and he went on to Oregon State (not bad at all) for two seasons, signing as a senior with the Jays. Hopkins was released after four weak seasons (career .219/.329/.277) in Toronto's system, wrapping things up in 2011, where he faced the Brewers' Manatees club in High-A. *** Jordan Lennerton, 1B -- 41st round, having been previously drafted by the Blue Jays in the 50th round, 2004, and finally drafted and signed by the Tigers in the 33rd round, 2008 Jordan Lennerton was one of seven (!) Canadian draft-and-follows for the Brewers out of the '05 draft (have we mentioned how much we miss the draft-and-follow process? If you need a primer on what DFE was all about prior to its 2007 elimination, click here.) The Brewers followed Lennerton through his 2nd JUCO season in Texas (do all Canadian kids JUCO in Texas?), but Lennerton went on, like Chris Hopkins above, to Oregon State. Now in his 5th pro season and getting his first chance at AA, Lennerton has had an amazingly consistent (compare his line at each level) nice minor league career thus far, particularly for a 33rd round pick. Never a big power threat, his left-handed stick and on-base skills could sneak him a cup of big league coffee at some point, although he's now in his age 26 season. *** Kyle Eveland, 2B -- 43rd round, subsequently signed by the White Sox out of independent ball, 2011 Jemile Weeks wasn't the only organizational little brother drafted by the Crew in '05, as Dana's sibling Kyle was a junior college middle infielder (thus right-handed, and much less "hefty" than LHP Dana). When affiliated ball did not beckon, Kyle Eveland jumped into indy ball in 2009, and caught the eye of the White Sox. He spent all of 2011 in the ChiSox chain, but was released early this season, and immediately rejoined his former Traverse City (Michigan) independent squad. *** Fred Lewis, LHP -- 48th round, subsequently drafted and signed by the Yankees in the 47th round, 2010 Lewis was attending Daytona Beach Community College when the Brewers drafted him. He would eventually move on to Tennessee Wesleyan, a four-year school, and is in the midst of his 3rd pro season with the Yankees (now at low-A at age 25), working in middle relief. Loogy or not, Lewis has walked 52 in 73.3 pro innings, so his odds remain extra-long.

Gee, busy transaction week?

As you've likely heard, RHP Mike McClendon back to Nashville. The Sounds will need to make room when Mike officially reports, may be an extra day or two, not necessarily Wednesday.

13 minutes you shouldn't miss: Audio from OKC — “Talking Pitching with (Lee) Tunnell” Jeff Hem's note: Tonight’s interview is with Brewers minor league pitching coordinator Lee Tunnell, who discusses all things pitching across the Brewers organization, including names like Mike Fiers, Wily Peralta, Mark Rogers and Tyler Thornburg

Wisconsin Media Notes

Nashville Media Notes *** Also with Alex, audio from WSSP on Monday's pre-game show, go to the 15:00 minute mark *** Audio interview from WSSP with the Voice of the Sounds Jeff Hem

TRatsBaseball Notebook

So there you have the draft years of 2003 and 2004. I hope to have the most eventful of the draft years, 2005, up for you tomorrow, and to complete the set prior to the draft next week. So please feel free to comment on the names above, but please don't spoil the fun by mentioning those in years not detailed yet . Thanks!

19-year-old OF Michael Reed, the high school 5th round draft pick the Brewers pulled from a University of Mississippi commitment, has been placed on the Huntsville roster, up from extended spring training. We've seen this type of thing before (think Nick Bucci, 2009), and I've got to believe part of the thinking here is that the Brewers want to keep Wisconsin's squad intact for their first-half playoff qualification push, and a Brevard move would necessitate a Wisconsin move, etc., etc. I believe another thing that goes into this is that the Maryvale pre-season games take a break the week before the draft, as staff there prepares for the influx of players they'll soon see, and that gives some of those kids a chance to head home for a short break before the rookie regular seasons as well. If we're correct about that (based on some player tweets this past week), then if the Brewers are high on Reed, this keeps him active in what will likely be a limited role with the Stars, who are in the midst of their own playoff push. Look for bigger shakeups in just under three weeks after the first-half schedules wrap up.

Mid-day updates: RHP Brian Baker makes the start for Nashville tonight in Mike Fiers' stead, and Game Two at Brevard will be handled by RHP Brandon Williamson. Each was fairly easy to predict, but we'll make the change to the TBD's in the Menu now.

Catcher Jason Jaramillo joins the Sounds from Huntsville, backfilling for Martin Maldonado's big league callup.

Rattler Radio: Nine after 9

9-Orlando Arcia-Just 17, so ACL surgery doesn't really concern me. Just an FYI, but reports were fractured ankle.

The catcher shuffle begins: C Adam Weisenburger has been transferred from Brevard County to Huntsville. *** For now, Parker Berberet and Joey Paciorek will share catching duties in Brevard, and the Manatees will be one under the 25-man roster limit.

2004 Draft: Andrew Albers, LHP -- 12th round, subsequently drafted and signed by the Padres in the 10th round, 2008 See, the Brewers don't sign all their Canadians, Albers is from Saskatchewan. A high schooler in '04, Albers had a solid, but not spectacular four-year career at the University of Kentucky. The Padres gave up on Albers awful quickly for a 10th round pick after he underwent (you guessed it) Tommy John surgery during spring training in 2009. Albers went the independent route (Quebec, naturally) before the Minnesota Twins came calling. You'll find the now 26-year-old starting for their AA club. Albers pitched 6.2 innings in the gold medal game which Canada won to take the Pan American Games in 2011. *** Drew Bowman, LHP -- 21st round, subsequently drafted and signed by the Reds in the 5th round, 2007 A Colorado High School Pitcher of the Year, Bowman went on to split his college time between Arizona State and Nebraska. He's now pitching in independent ball for the first time, as the Reds released him after a five-year stint in which he moved from starter to middle reliever. The gnashing of teeth over his non-signing in the summer of '04 wasn't necessary after all. *** Sean Morgan, RHP -- 25th round, subsequently drafted and signed by the Diamondbacks in the 4th round, 2007 The Brewers took a flyer on the Texas high schooler Morgan, but the slider specialist had a strong commitment to Tulane University. In his 3rd pro season, Morgan was on and off the DL with South Bend of the Midwest League, and was released in the spring of 2010. But Morgan's story continues in a unique way, as after a two-year absence from the field, he returned this spring to his hometown to pitch in the independent American Association for the Sugar Land Skeeters. *** Ronnie Prettyman, 3B -- 28th round, subsequently drafted and signed by the Mariners in the 10th round, 2005 The Cal State Fullerton product spurned the Crew to return to school for his senior year. His five-year pro career, now over and spent all within the Seattle system, saw him post a .699 OPS. *** Kanekoa Teixeira, RHP -- 31st round, subsequently drafted and signed by the White Sox in the 22nd round, 2006 And we have our first big leaguer! Major League Stats (initial link is minor league stats) Here's the path for the Hawaii native, high schooler when drafted by the Crew, and a juco player when tabbed by the ChiSox: White Sox traded him to the Yankees as an extra piece in a Wilson Betamit deal in November 2008. In December of 2009, the Mariners grab Texeira in the Rule 5 draft. Designated for assignment after two months in the big leagues, Texeira was claimed by the Royals, and despite a month-long DL stint, earned a full year's major league salary in 2010. The Royals DFA'd him in May 2011 where he was claimed by, wait, the Yankees, and he was optioned to AAA. Six weeks later, the Yankees released him. He's currently a member of the Reds' organization (AAA), not on their 40-man roster. *** Sean McCraw, C -- 37th round, subsequently drafted and signed by the Mets in the 8th round, 2005 There's a name many will recognize, because the Brewers signed McCraw as a free agent in April 2009 after his release by the Mets, and he would be in the Milwaukee system until his Brewer release in August of last year. McCraw had a seven-year minor league run, but with only 21 games above A-ball. McCraw is not currently playing pro ball. *** Deik Scram, OF -- 45th round, subsequently drafted and signed by the Tigers in the 18th round, 2006 We pined over Scram during the DFE process leading in to the 2005 draft, but the community college pick ended up at Oklahoma State. Scram's six-year journey in the Detroit system, spent mostly at AA, ended with his release in 2011. While he was active, we were reminded of him in MiLB.com's "Moniker Madness" contest each summer.

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.