Jim Goulart

The 2008 media guide indicates that catcher Shawn Zarraga signed a 2008 contract when he signed in 2007. He was 18 when he signed, so we're thinking he would be eligible to be claimed after his 5th pro season in 2012. He turned 19 the January after he signed but before he made his debut, so depending on how MLB interprets that, suppose it's possible he would be eligible this fall. As you note, however, not really an issue, despite a Power 50 (# 34) presence.

Chad Hangs with Baseball by Bob Brainerd, sports32.com (Time Warner Cable) Photos by Brad Krause http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Stang-trots-in-199x300.jpg Decisions sprung up early in life for Canadian born athlete Chad Stang. Pursue his passion on the diamond or on ice? “I played everything,” said Stang, who just completed his first season of Class A baseball with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. “Shortly after I learned how to walk, I was skating. I just split the season, half was hockey, half was baseball. My dad (Greg) was a very superb athlete, originally from Alberta and a big hockey town, and he played both as well.” Like father, like son, Chad rolled from one season to the next, trading skates for spikes, a stick for a bat. But when he turned 16, his future was in front of him with only one road to follow. “I was really good at hockey but just wasn’t getting the breaks that I needed to go further,” said Stang. “Baseball, I did, making the (Canadian) Junior National team and other opportunities that came to me. That’s what I decided to do, and fulfill by dreams as a kid to play professional baseball.” Before the Milwaukee Brewers granted his wish by selecting Stang with an 8th round draft pick in 2009, Stang had to face another crossroads decision by stepping away from a college scholarship to play at Louisiana State. “So far in my life that was the toughest decision I had to make,” said Stang. “Because with LSU, all you’ve got to do is say the name and people know. It’s a superb baseball program and when I went there I was just blown away and they were coming off a National Championship the year before, so it was really tempting. But I got a good opportunity in the draft and that’s kind of where my heart took me.” No matter the location, Stang got noticed for exhibiting fleet feet. Credit his former sport for helping him blaze a trail on the base paths. http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Stang-slide-300x200.jpg “Hockey really helped me with my speed because I was fast on skates and it kind of turned over onto baseball,” said Stang. “When I was younger they meshed because my muscles were developing. Hockey is a totally different muscle group than baseball but you still need the mass muscles in my legs. “I was always in shape for baseball season, but as a kid, I used to only be able to focus on one sport at a time, so that’s why I fell behind in hockey at times. Everyone else was playing summer hockey and I was playing baseball. But I couldn’t ask for anything more, I loved playing sports.” While Stang admits he misses the scene on ice, his numbers prior to his selection by Milwaukee point out he chose the proper profession, winning a league batting title in high school in 2007, then shuttling off to Midland Community College in Texas for two more years of collegiate seasoning. Following draft day, Stang got his fast feet wet in 2009 playing 52 games with the Brewers rookie league team in Helena. Then along came 2010… “It was the last game of spring training, and I started switch hitting the year before,” recalled Stang. “I was doing really well, played in a couple big league games and got some hits left-handed and I thought this might work out for me. But the last game, I was in the box, swung, and my foot got stuck at the plate. I had a torn meniscus which was a little bit of a downer having to miss six weeks of the season.” Minimal time lost eventually turned into an imploded season. Stang took his injury in stride and was on the threshold of getting his bearings back when a more daunting hurdle surfaced. “It was my fifth rehab game and I swung pretty good on an inside pitch and I tore my labrum,” said Stang. “I knew something was wrong because my arm just went numb. After the surgery it was like a hit to the heart because I knew I was done for the rest of the season, which was tough.” Determined to forge forward, Stang kicked off his 2011 campaign without a team, remaining in extended spring training to ensure his right shoulder was sound. When he got the green light to join the Timber Rattlers on June 14th, the player with all that speed needed to get himself back up to speed. “It took me awhile when I first got here and started playing, the first few diving plays I made in the outfield my arm felt a little sore because I hadn’t done it in over a year,” said Stang. “But after that, I just knew I could go out and just play and if something happens, it happens. But that’s way in the back of my mind. It took me awhile to get back to where I wanted to be aggressive in the outfield but once you get there, it’s tons of fun and you enjoy the game of baseball.” Sitting on the sidelines for a season never resembled fun for Stang, but it did allow him space to grow his mind while the rest of his body heeled. http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Stang-hit-300x200.jpg “It (injury) has shown me a totally different side of baseball and the mentality you have to have to get through the drag and the grind,” said Stang. “Now my arm is stronger than when I came here, and that was one thing the Brewers were worried about, to see if it was going to come back better or worse. It’s even better than when I was drafted, and now I’m healthy and taking a lot of positives out of this season.” The offseason will allow Stang to look back and relish a completed year in Appleton without incident. It will also clear time on his calendar to pursue his many off the field passions. Cooking. “Love it…I grew up around it with a family of six and everyone was busy at different times so there used to be days I had to cook and started to like it.” A vegetarian until he was 12 years old, Stang discovered different ways to create creative cuisine. And if he was ever summoned to manufacture a meal for his teammates? “We have pasta and chicken every day, so that’s a tough one,” said Stang. “Steak and potatoes and a veggie would be the best for us right now because we don’t get that a lot…never cooked for that many guys before but it’s definitely doable, if I had some help.” There’s tinkering to be done on his 1957 Volkswagen Beatle. Chad’s older brother Cory was into “Bugs” and helped Chad track one down in Arizona…restored in 1978 and painted baby blue by the former owner. “Good brother bonding time,” said Stang. There’s also the artistic side of Chadwin (his real first name, to fall in line with his other “C” member siblings Cory, Candace and Chelsea). “I drew a lot in high school, and my brother was a big drawer and was sort of my inspiration and hero growing up,” said Stang. “He did it, was really good at it, so I started doing it. Downtime with a sketch pad helps Stang “get away from everything,” but never so far off from the real world that his imagination runs away with his thoughts. “I’m not really big into creating images, I like to duplicate things I see and enjoy,” said Stang. “I guess you could say I’m a little bit of a perfectionist when it comes to drawing…I want it to look just like it really looks.” Precisely the way Chad Stang draws up his plans for a future in baseball. His sport of choice has seen its share of ups and downs. Hardly perfect, but isn’t that what a fresh canvas is for? “The majority of guys in baseball are perfectionists because you get into a routine, find what works for you and stick with it,” said Stang. “That’s what you perfect is that routine every day. That’s what my goal is, to be a perfectionist. You may not become one now, but you want to try to get there someday. Because in a game, when that opportunity comes, you want to be perfect.”

Taylor Green 2nd team all Minor-League (Baseball America)

Hat tip to BrewCrewBall -- Reliever Alex Jones conducted an extensive chat online, good stuff

LINK K-Rod, McGehee, batting order, team defense and Yuni's specifically, Moneyball movie (the GM / MGR relationship)...

http://ourmilitaryheroes.defense.gov/profiles/images/cards/neinT_cardFront.jpg His story: http://ourmilitaryheroes.....gov/profiles/neinT.html

Adam McCalvy explains in response to your tweet. Brandon Kintzler also is available to be moved to the 60-day DL if need be.

As per Baseball Reference, if the Brewers and D-Backs finish tied and the Braves hang on for the wild card -- There is a two-way tie for highest winning percentage among Division winners and a tiebreaker is required to determine home field advantage in the Division Series. If neither Division winner tied for the highest winning percentage is from the same Division as the Wild Card, a tiebreaker system will be used to determine which Division winner with the best record plays the Wild Card. The first tiebreaker will be head-to-head competition between the two Clubs during the championship season. As I've since been reminded (thanks, guys), the D-Backs own the season series, 4-3. So there's not a lot of analysis needed here. Brewers must finish one game up on Arizona.

John Sickels article Many comments worth reading -- happy for Jays' fans.

Cory Provus with Money and (Previously linked) Nashville audio

Adjust the counts in the posts above to account for RHP Mike Fiers' addition to the 40-man roster.

Adding Taylor Green to the 40-man roster in August and Logan Schafer in September addressed two obvious choices for next spring's 40-man roster. Here's my own personal take on what will take place prior to Rule 5, and we invite you to chime in as well -- Locks -- OF Caleb Gindl, RHP Santo Manzanillo Don't be surprised when -- LHP Daniel Meadows Just outside -- INF Zelous Wheeler, LHP Dan Merklinger, RHP Rob Wooten The Brewers risked losing Wheeler last season and may again, unless Zelous creates a new buzz in the Arizona Fall League. They added Merklinger last fall, then dropped him in April to free up a spot for Marco Estrada. Wooten just turned 26, he'll be in his 2nd year back from Tommy John surgery in 2012. *** So when you comment in this thread, as for predictions, this format might work -- here's mine. Should add -- Gindl, Manzanillo, Meadows Will add -- Gindl, Manzanillo, Meadows, Wheeler Finally, please keep in mind our eligibility list is close to accurate, it probably is 100%, but we don't have official confirmation from the Brewers (yet) regarding eligibility up and down the organization.

Will the Brewers have some tough 40-man choices to make? Current roster is at 42 players -- (Manny Parra and Mitch Stetter on 60-day DL). Here are the curent 40-man roster players who were added during the course of the season -- RHP Frankie De La Cruz RHP Mark DiFelice RHP Marco Estrada RHP Tim Dillard IF Taylor Green C George Kottaras (after being dropped earlier in the season) OF Logan Schafer Here are players who are likely to lose their 40-man roster status prior to December's winter meetings, because they'll be eligible for major league free agency or will have option years declined -- SS Yuniesky Betancourt IF Craig Counsell 1B Prince Fielder IF Jerry Hairston RHP LaTroy Hawkins OF Mark Kotsay RHP Francisco Rodriguez RHP Takashi Saito And this thread really isn't about debating the topic of offering arbitration, but yes, additional spots could free up based on the possible departures of Manny Parra or Josh Wilson, or others based on any sort of circumstance. But the point is the Brewers should be able to add those they wish from the list that led off this thread. If there are tough calls to make, it won't be because of overall space. In fact, if the Brewers want to carry fringe 40-man roster players like Tim Dillard, Mark DiFelice or others this offseason, they could without too much difficulty, as we'll indicate below.

Technicalities after the season, as per Baseball America -- Reinstated from DL: RHP Mark DiFelice, RHP Jameson Dunn, RHP Kyle Heckathorn, RHP Andre Lamontagne, LHP Mike Ramlow, C Shawn Riggans, 1B Chris Dennis, SS Carlos George, OF Brendan Katin

Not to be confused with our Brewer Minor League Free Agency Eligibles After the 2011 Season Thread, this thread focuses on those players who will be eligible to be selected in December 8th's Rule 5 Draft, and considers who Milwaukee should add to the 40-man roster to protect. Remember -- Players who signed when 18 or younger are eligible for the draft after five years. Players who signed when 19 or older are eligible after four years. According to the rules, it's how old a player was on the June 5th immediately preceeding his signing. So in terms of 40-man roster consideration, these are the players not eligible for free agency, but who would be Rule 5 eligible if not placed on the 40-man roster. Thanks to poster Minigoon for tracking much of this for us -- Current AAA Players -- OF Caleb Gindl RHP Donovan Hand LHP Daniel Meadows Current AA Players -- RHP Michael Bowman IF Matt Cline OF Lee Haydel OF Brock Kjeldgaard LHP Lucas Luetge RHP Santo Manzanillo LHP Daniel Merklinger UT Sergio Miranda RHP R.J. Seidel IF Zelous Wheeler IF Steffan Wilson RHP Rob Wooten Current A-Level players -- RHP Evan Anundsen OF Chuckie Caufield RHP Skyler Crawford OF Chris Dennis SS Carlos George LHP Efrain Nieves C Joey Paciorek RHP Rolando Pascual LHP Mike Ramlow C Mike Roberts

Bump...

Video report from the game (Billings Gazette) *** Helena Independent Record: The Brewers had no shortage of base runners, with Billings issuing seven free passes. But all seven walks were left on base.

Season-ending thank you's: All our daily readers, first and foremost! My fellow Link Reporters, thank you 150 times over (regular season). All our affiliate contacts and your staffs -- Doug, Jill, Kyle, Chris, and Steve from AAA to rookie, respectfully Those in the affiliate media -- great work in Wisconsin and Helena, improvements at Florida Today Oh yeah, those guys on the field we follow. We got nothing without you. Until next April (as far as Link Reports go, anyway...)

PIO North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Great Falls 24 13 .649 - - 13-6 11-7 8-2 L2 Billings 23 14 .622 1.0 1 13-5 10-9 6-4 L1 * Missoula 16 21 .432 8.0 E 10-8 6-13 2-8 W1 Helena 12 25 .324 12.0 E 6-13 6-12 5-5 W2 *** Full-season: PIO North Club W L PCT GB Home Away L 10 Streak Billings 43 32 .573 - 22-15 21-17 6-4 L1 Great Falls 41 34 .547 2.0 22-16 19-18 8-2 L2 * Missoula 41 34 .547 2.0 23-14 18-20 2-8 W1 Helena 30 45 .400 13.0 15-23 15-22 5-5 W2

Follow Wednesday's action as it happens: Helenahttp://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t433&t=g_box&gid=2011_09_08_helrok_bilrok_1

Thursday's Daily Menu: Nashville: Season complete; 71-73 record, 3rd place finish in the division, nine games back; actually, tied for 6th best record in 16-team league Huntsville: Season complete; 64-73 record, 8th best record in the 10-team league Brevard County: Season complete; 62-76 record, 11th best record in the 12-team league; 35-33 in the second half, however Wisconsin: Season complete; 67-72 record, tied for 10th best record in the 16-team league; 38-32 in a nice first half Helena: RHP Tyler Cravy at Billings (Reds), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Live Audio Link -- Select the Helena feed from the MiLB main audio page Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): Season complete; 17-39 record, worst in the 13-team league DSL Brewers: Season complete; 44-27 regular season, first-round playoff series loss

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

Brewers keep Billings in second place Helena Independent Record The bottom half of Helena’s batting order made up for a lackluster performance by the top half and powered the Brewers to an 8-4 victory against the Billings Mustangs in front of 2,493 fans Wednesday night at Dehler Park in Billings. With a win, the Mustangs (23-14) would have moved into a tie for first place in the Pioneer League’s North Division with Great Falls (24-13) with one game remaining in the season. The Mustangs own the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Voyagers. The top four batters in Helena’s lineup finished 2 for 18 with four runs scored and an RBI, but the bottom five in the order each registered at least one hit and collectively finished 8 for 20 with four runs scored and six RBIs. Kyle Dhanani, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound third baseman out of Blaine, Wash., led the way at 3 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored in the fifth spot in the order. Hitting eighth was John Dishon. The 5-11, 193-pound right fielder from Beaumont, Texas, went 2 for 4 with a run scored and was the only other Helena player with multiple hits. Catcher Tyler Roberts, meanwhile, made his only hit count, as he sent a pitch over the outfield wall for a two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning to give the Brewers a 3-0 lead. Billings tied the score in the bottom of the fourth, but the Brewers tacked on five unanswered — one in the sixth and two more in both the eighth and ninth innings — to pull away. The Mustangs scored their only other run in the bottom of the ninth on a solo home run by designated hitter Junior Arias. On the mound, Kevin Shackelford pitched six innings and picked up the win to improve to 3-5. The 6-5, 215-pound right-handed pitcher from Charlotte, N.C., gave up six hits and allowed three earned runs, while striking out one Mustang. Relievers Brandon Williamson and Jacob Barnes entered in the seventh and ninth innings, respectively, and combined to allow three hits and one earned run in the final three frames. Helena Box Score Playing for pride and winning this wek, nice; Brewers 4-for-5 on the basepaths; Max Walla did not play... Helena Play-by-Play

Final: Helena 8 @Billings (Reds) 4 Despite loss, Mustangs remain in postseason hunt By Greg Rachac of The Billings Gazette The Mustangs’ clubhouse may have been as subdued as it’s been all season Wednesday night. Following an 8-4 loss to Helena at Dehler Park, their postseason fate hung in the balance, hinging on the outcome of a game some 340 miles to the west. But thanks to a Great Falls loss in Missoula that came 30 minutes later, the Mustangs still have life. Billings, which remains one game back of division-leading Great Falls, has been inching closer to a playoff berth for the past week, and now the scenario is cut and dried entering the final day of the Pioneer League regular season: On Thursday, the Mustangs need a win over Helena coupled with a Missoula victory over the Voyagers. That circumstance — and only that circumstance — will send them into the postseason. The Mustangs are expected to put right-hander Carlos Gonzalez (0-1) on the mound Thursday night to oppose Helena’s Tyler Cravy (3-4), who was recently named the league’s pitcher of the week. “Once you start putting extra pressure on yourself it will cave in on you,” Mustangs first baseman Robert Maddox said. “We’re just going to come out and play nine innings of hard baseball. “It doesn’t matter what Great Falls does. If we don’t win, it won’t matter.” If Wednesday’s game had a distinct playoff feel, Thursday will bring even more tension. The Mustangs have been battling Great Falls tooth and nail for the North division’s second-half crown and the league’s final playoff berth since winning eight of nine games to close out August. Whichever team emerges will face Missoula, the North’s first-half champion, in a best-of-three first round series beginning Friday. Billings has missed the playoffs in three of the last four seasons, and hasn’t been there since 2008. But the Mustangs have been on a roll of late, having won seven of their last 11. And they don’t want to stop now. “We’ve got a good bunch of guys and we’d like to keep playing,” first-year Mustangs manager Pat Kelly said. “So we’ll see what happens.” Added Maddox: “Baseball players want to play as long as they can. Hopefully we can get in (the playoffs) and see what we do from there.” The first step is to play better than they did Wednesday night. But credit Helena. It took advantage of some timely hitting and some wildness from Mustangs pitchers. Beyond that, the Brewers scored five of their runs with two outs. Kenny Allison started it with a broken-bat flare that scored Kyle Dhanani with two outs in the second. Tyler Roberts tacked on a two-out, two-run homer in the fourth, and Dhanani later came through with an RBI single in a like situation in the sixth. The Mustangs couldn’t capitalize on a power effort from starter Ismael Guillon. The left-handed Guillon allowed three hits while striking out a season-high nine through five innings. Reliever El’Hajj Muhammad (2-2) was effective, but he took the loss for a battered bullpen. Junior Arias hit a solo home run for the Mustangs in the ninth — his eighth of the year — but it proved fruitless. “It was a bad day at the ballpark,” Maddox said. “It just came at an unfortunate time when we’re trying to make the playoffs.” The loss snapped Billings’ nine-game home winning streak. Still, a new day brings a new opportunity. “At least we know what we’re playing for,” Kelly said. “I’d much rather have something to play for on the last day of the season than already have my plane ticket home.” NOTES: In the seventh, Helena RHP Brandon Williamson returned to same mound where he was hit in the head by a Kurtis Muller line drive on July 1. Williamson missed a month an a half with a concussion before returning to the Brewers’ pitching staff on Aug. 17. Photos by Casey Page / Gazette Staff The Mustangs’ Ryan Wright jumps over Helena runner Kenny Allison as the throw goes wide of the base on an error in the second inning. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/b5/4b5e1f0f-be6e-5c53-aa7a-c51c3410f0d1/4e68648c9f1c0.image.jpg The Mustangs’ Robert Maddox, right, slides safely into home plate past the tag of Helena catcher Tyler Roberts for a run to tie the game in the fourth inning. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/b/02/b029a565-cbd9-5d57-85ed-5f79ec473c8e/4e68648ce84d7.image.jpg

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