Jim Goulart

A switch-hitting bench bat? Novel idea, it's been a while...

Statistically, here is a more detailed breakdown of Boggs' 2010 minor league season. McCalvy's blog post

Boggs has one minor league option remaining, so he can be sent to Nashville and back as often as necessary in 2011. The Brewers' 40-man roster now stands at 38.

From Scout.com article discussing the Rangers' minor league free agents -- Brandon Boggs, OF: The club’s fourth-round pick in the 2004 draft, Boggs appeared in 101 games for the Rangers in 2008 and posted a .226/.333/.399 slash line with 17 doubles and eight home runs. Boggs appeared in only 13 games for the big club over the last two seasons, going 1-for-24 at the plate with 12 strikeouts. Despite battling shoulder injuries for much of the season, he hit .290/.406/.470 at Triple-A Oklahoma City this year. Though the 27-year-old has a questionable hit tool, he still can provide some pop and plate discipline to go along with strong defense at three outfield positions. Boggs could be a valuable chip to any Triple-A club and can play in the big leagues in a pinch, though he’ll almost certainly move on to a new organization after more than six years with Texas.

Rotoworld: Brewers signed OF Brandon Boggs to a one-year deal. It's a surprise that he got a major league deal. Boggs had a nice .290/.406/.470 batting line at Triple-A Oklahoma City this past season, but he's managed just one hit in 24 at-bats the last two seasons with the Rangers. The switch-hitter, who will turn 28 in January, will back up at all three outfield spots in 2011.Switch-hitter, 28 years old in January Baseball Reference Page In the Minors

If RHP Darren Byrd is heading home for Thanksgiving, he's certainly earned a great meal. Making his 5th start (6th appearance) for Mayaguez in the Puerto Rico League (box), Byrd was solid yet again -- 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP, 3 GB, 10 FO (Byrd does have a 0.94 GB ratio, maybe the parks are playing big down there -- he was a fly ball pitcher with Brevard as well). Some nifty getting out of jams here -- all five of these innings pretty much define "high-pressure pitches", thus pulled after five: Carolina Bottom of the 1st Dee Gordon doubles (3) on a fly ball to right fielder Bobby Kielty. Brad Coon flies out to right fielder Bobby Kielty. Jerad Head hit by pitch. Pedro Valdes singles on a fly ball to left fielder Miguel Negron. Dee Gordon to 3rd. Jerad Head to 2nd. Edgard Clemente reaches on fielding error by third baseman Jorge Jimenez. Dee Gordon scores. Jerad Head to 3rd. Pedro Valdes to 2nd. Jeffrey Dominguez strikes out swinging. Luis Matos flies out to center fielder Norris Hopper. Carolina Bottom of the 2nd Orlando Mercado singles on a ground ball to left fielder Miguel Negron. Wilberto Ortiz singles on a ground ball to pitcher Darren Byrd. Orlando Mercado to 2nd. Dee Gordon out on a sacrifice bunt, catcher Martin Maldonado to first baseman Cesar Nicolas. Orlando Mercado to 3rd. Wilberto Ortiz to 2nd. Darren Byrd intentionally walks Brad Coon. Jerad Head flies out to center fielder Norris Hopper. Pedro Valdes pops out to first baseman Cesar Nicolas. Carolina Bottom of the 3rd Edgard Clemente singles on a fly ball to left fielder Miguel Negron. Jeffrey Dominguez called out on strikes. Luis Matos flies out to center fielder Norris Hopper. Orlando Mercado walks. Edgard Clemente to 2nd. Wilberto Ortiz pops out to first baseman Cesar Nicolas in foul territory. Carolina Bottom of the 4th Dee Gordon doubles (4) on a ground ball to center fielder Norris Hopper. Brad Coon flies out to right fielder Bobby Kielty. Dee Gordon to 3rd. Jerad Head reaches on a fielder's choice out, third baseman Jorge Jimenez to catcher Martin Maldonado. Dee Gordon out at home. Pedro Valdes grounds out, second baseman Irving Falu to pitcher Darren Byrd. Carolina Bottom of the 5th Edgard Clemente flies out to center fielder Norris Hopper. Jeffrey Dominguez triples (2) on a fly ball to right fielder Bobby Kielty. Luis Matos out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Norris Hopper. Jeffrey Dominguez scores. Orlando Mercado reaches on throwing error by shortstop Angel Sanchez. Wilberto Ortiz flies out to left fielder Miguel Negron.

Tuesday: Carlos Gomez has been idle since his huge day on the 19th. Luis Cruz played second base (box), doubled and walked, scored a run, , which raised his OBP to .246 (12-for-56, 3 BB, 4 K). Catcher Martin Maldonado also aided his poor stats with a 2-for-4 day (box). Erick Almonte was 1-for-5 in an extra-inning loss (box). The everyman started in LF, then moved to 1B and 3B. Sergio Miranda (really, wow), playing second base and hitting 2nd in the lineup (box), singled three times and added a sacrfice fly. He's only hitting .397 now, .488 in his last ten games, but he's been hot for longer than that. Now 31-for-78 (28 singles, seven walks, five K's).

According to Nashville's site, Mr. 1.000 (even if it was off of shortstop Paul Janish -- video) Carlos Corporan, has signed a minor league deal with Houston. He spent 2010 in the Diamondbacks' system and posted an .870 OPS in the offensive-happy PCL West with Reno. Corporan turns 27 in January, so he is two and a half years older than the similarly outstanding defensive catcher just added to the Brewers' 40-man, Martin Maldonado. Corporan will likely get future big league nibbles, and he'll probably be part of our alumni thread for another decade.

Trevor's way of saying thank you for this -- McCalvy Sept. 26th tweet

No Brewers in action Monday -- no games in Mexico, Venezuela, or the Dominican. Puerto Rico League Brewers idle.

It won't matter until (and if) Segovia ever sees the Brewers' 40-man roster, but it appears given his transaction history that he would have two options remaining.

LHP Dana Eveland's odyssey will continue with the Dodgers' organization.

It's possible the Brewers were swayed to sign RHP Zack Segovia partly because of his fine work in the Dominican thus far this winter.

MiLB Stat Page Just 27? Looks like Sal Fasano's only slightly-younger brother, sans facial hair... http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_434564.jpg Welcome aboard!

Trying to stay on the frontline of bringing you transaction news, but first MiLB.com inadvertantly placed Chuck Lofgren in the "deceased" column and now promising Helena starter Matt Miller has found a way to declare free agency five months after being drafted. Way to go, guys... LINK Um, MiLB meant this Rockies guy.

Pocket Doppler Blog -- Agent Expects Spring Training Invite For Jake Odorizzi Can see that, for the first 7-10 days, as a reward, with occasional call-ups back to camp for a day here or there as needed...

This didn't fit into a fairly current existing thread -- Hawkins, who signed a two-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009, just finished a 10-week rehab session on his surgically-repaired right shoulder and plans to start pitching in two weeks. "Everything is good, and I'll make a 100-percent recovery," he said. "I just want to stay healthy now. If I can stay healthy, I won't have to worry about anything." Artcle link -- charity work for church and community... I'm thinking positive and saying Hawkins will have a kick-butt set-up season. Anybody else on board with that?

Sunday's action: IF / OF Sergio Miranda -- The beat goes on. Playing second base and batting 2nd (box), three singles and two runs scored in a 3-for-4 effort (75 AB's, .853 OPS). Leads the Puerto Rico League in hitting at .373, 6th in OPS. Alcides Escobar was 0-for-2 leading off in a rain-shortened game and is now 1-for-17 with no walks. Yes, he did play shortstop. Luis Cruz was also 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly, he started at third base and shifted over to second base (error while at 3B). Erick Almonte played LF again, went 1-for-3 with a run scored; 2nd box score from a scheduled doubleheader not available.

Saturday's action: Erick Almonte played LF, went 1-for-3 with a walk; his .717 OPS based mainly on a .379 OBP -- 18 Walks vs. 77 AB's Luis Cruz was also 1-for-3 with a walk, his hit a double -- he played third base IF / OF Sergio Miranda continues to impress in Puerto Rico. The switch-hitter, who turns 24 in March, played second base, and singled twice in four trips, his third consecutive multi-hit game and 4th in five contests. After 71 AB's, he has a .352 / .410 / .408 (.818 OPS) stat line. Only three of 25 hits are for extra bases, and he only slugged .362 with Brevard, so he's basically the same player he was in the regular season with a bit more luck. Miranda was acquired in March of 2009 from the White Sox for "future considerations (aka, not much)", after Miranda had completed two seasons of pro ball out of Virginia Commonwealth (13th round). This June 2010 article provides some background.

The Tom Wilhelmsen story has been documented often on our forum, here is the latest from Baseball America. And now, on top of that, Wilhelmsen has been added to the Mariners' 40-man roster. Quite the path to get there, congrats to him as well.

We love a good obscure Brewer alumni story, this one twists through several years of independent ball and yes, one game only, as a Brewer farmhand. Here is our September 2007 post about 6'6" RHP Dane De La Rosa, who was signed by the Crew out of independent ball, and snuck in one appearance with Helena (two scoreless innings). He was released as one of the final cuts in spring training 2008. After two more years in Indy ball, he was plucked by the Rays this season and found success at AA (we mentioned his appearances vs. Huntsville during Link Report season). Now he's on Tampa's 40-man roster, congrats to him. This Tampa Bay thread includes this text: Dane De La Rosa | RHP | Drafted: 2002, 24th Round, New York Yankees Birthdate: 2/1/83 | Age at start of 2011 season: 28.2 | Bats/Throws: R/R | Height/Weight: 6-6/220 2010 Teams: Charlotte & Montgomery After cutting his teeth in the Independent Leagues for the better part of the past five seasons, the Rays gave De La Rosa his first real shot with an affiliated team since the Yankees released him following the 2003 season. Since then, he’s played for Yuma, Long Beach, and Orange County of the Golden League, El Paso of the American Association, Southern Maryland of the Atlantic Association, and one game with the Brewers’ rookie-level Helena team. De La Rosa’s big frame comes with the fastball to match, able to ratchet it up to 96 mph. He used it to help him strike out 80 hitters in 76 innings, almost entirely with Montgomery. His command has been spotty in the past, but he made strides with it in 2010: he walked 26 and stayed out of the middle of the plate, allowing only three home runs. His numbers were even better before he issued seven walks in his final 3 innings. His strikeout and walk numbers were best during the month of May with a 22-to-2 mark, but he allowed only two earned runs between 31.1 innings in June and July. With his big-time fastball and serviceable slider, striking hitters out hasn’t been much of a problem for De La Rosa. If he can keep his BB/9 around the 3.1 mark he posted in 2010, he could emerge as a serious contender for a future bullpen spot.

Carlos Gomez tripled, singled three times, walked, scored three runs, drove in one, and stole a base in his team's 8-2 Dominican League win Friday. Not a bad day at the office. Alcides Escobar was 0-for-5 with an RBI in his 3rd game in Venezuela and is now 1-for-15. Martin Maldonado singled and scored a run in four trips in Puerto Rico, fanning twice. Continuing our Latin tour, Luis Cruz was 0-for-4 in Mexico. Erick Almonte was a late sub and was 0-for-1 in his team's 12-10 win that saw 18 pitchers combined used. Those Dominican rosters (and dugouts and bullpens) must be overflowing.

I guess we now know why Stars owner has invested so little in the Stars or Joe Davis stadium -- he's pinching pennies to become the Astros' new owner -- Stars' owner Prentice wants to buy AstrosMark McCarter, The Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, AL. -- Miles Prentice, the majority owner of the Huntsville Stars for the past nine seasons, is interested in buying the Houston Astros of the National League, according to reports from Houston. The reported price tag for the team is $800 million. Prentice, a New York attorney, previously failed in an attempt to buy the Kansas City Royals in the 1990s when Major League Baseball owners refused to approve his group's bid. He has also been involved with potential purchases of the Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox. Prentice also owns minor league teams in Midland, Texas, and Norwich, Conn. He has had little hands-on involvement with the Stars, though he did make two trips to Huntsville this past summer. In the first visit, he announced he would renew the team's lease with the city of Huntsville through 2015. The Stars have had the lowest attendance in the Southern League and in Double-A baseball the past two years. According to Fox 26 Sports in Houston, Astros owner Drayton McLane, who put the Astros up for sale Friday, acknowledged he had already been discussing the sale with Prentice. "I had known Miles Prentice," McLane told the station. "He was trying to buy the Kansas City Royals a number of years ago. I was on the ownership committee and I first met him there and then he was involved in trying to buy the (Milwaukee) Brewers and did not make it. "I did not know him well. He just contacted me and came down, seven-eight months ago, and he said if I could raise the funds to buy the Astros would you consider it and I said sure. He has a great reputation. He owns (three) minor league teams and has owned minor league teams for 15 years and has a good reputation in the minor leagues and people think highly of him and so I said if you can show me you have the financial wherewithal to do it, he hasn't done that." McLane said "My deal with him is if you raise a big some of money then you come talk to me. He calls me from time to time and says he's making progress, but he doesn't have anything solid at this time." Stars owner Miles Prentice interested in buying Astros http://media.al.com/breaking/photo/9061888-large.jpg

Local pro to hold autograph session By CARLA MEYER, Staff Writer Wapakoneta (Ohio) Daily News A Wapakoneta professional baseball star will be having an exclusive signing session in his hometown. Brian Garman, who was selected in the 17th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, will be having a baseball signing session on Nov. 27 at Marley’s Downtown. “I’ve signed autographs before and after games,” Brian Garman said, “but nothing exclusive like this.” Garman said he is excited to being signing autographs in his hometown. He will be signing baseball cards, which will be provided at the event, and anything else that fans want signed from noon to 2:30 p.m. at the event. Elaine and John Poppe are the organizers of the event. “We wanted Brian to come to Santa Day on Dec. 4, but he got a call from camp to go back to get x-rays done,” Elaine Poppe said. Elaine and John Poppe wanted Garman to sign autographs at the Santa Day, but since he has to go to training camp to get x-rays for his broken foot in Phoenix, they pushed the signing to a week prior to Santa Day. “It will be fun,” Elaine Poppe said. “I’ve been home for two months, and I have felt a lot of support from the community,” Garman said. “I hope the signing brings a lot of people out.” Garman, who graduated from Wapakoneta High School in 2006, went on to play college baseball for the Bearcats at the University of Cincinnati, where he graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with emphasis in health promotions. Garman who is a left-handed relief pitcher, played rookie ball in Helena, Mont. for the Helena Brewers this past summer. The Helena Brewers won the Pioneer League Championship against the Ogden Raptors. Garman was pitching when the Brewers recorded the last out in the final championship game. During the season, Garman recorded an 0.90 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 30 innings. He had a 3-1 record with nine saves. Garman is set to leave the day after his signing session in Wapakoneta to go to Phoenix for an MRI done on his broken foot. He will then fly home for the remainder of his off-season and go back to Phoenix in January for an abbreviated spring season for minor league players and back in mid-February to report with pitchers and catchers for spring training. “I’ll either be playing in Wisconsin or Florida,” Garman said, predicting where he might play baseball next summer in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system. Garman said he has succeeded on his dream to play professional baseball. “This is something that I was going to do, and no one was going to stop me,” Garman said of reaching his dream to play baseball. “I definitely feel like I can be an example for people — especially young people.” He said if younger baseball players see that he has reached his goal, then they can, too. Garman said if he can be some sort of realization for young players with a goal of playing baseball, then it makes him feel good. “I’m excited because if I can get here,” Garman said, “then I can have an impact on someone else reaching the same dream.”

The difference being that Maldonado would have left the organization altogether as a minor league free agent.