Jim Goulart

Nashville site for the link: www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2237 Sounds Announce Opening Day Roster The Nashville Sounds ? the two-time defending PCL American Conference Northern Division champions and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers ? have announced their tentative Opening Day roster, a group of players highlighted by the Brewers? top two prospects, starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo and third baseman Ryan Braun. Gallardo and Braun were selected as the Brewers? 2006 Minor League Pitcher- and Player-of-the-Year, respectively, and both players participated in last season?s All-Star Futures Game in Pittsburgh. Gallardo, 21, split the 2006 season between Class A Brevard County and Double-A Huntsville, going a combined 11-5 with a 1.86 ERA in 26 starts. He held opponents to a .192 batting average while striking out a Minor League-leading 188 batters in just 155.0 innings. Gallardo was recently ranked by Baseball America as the 16th-best minor-league prospect entering the 2007 season. Braun, 23, also split his 2006 campaign between Brevard County and Huntsville and batted a combined .289 with 22 home runs, 77 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases in 118 games. He was recently ranked by Baseball America as the 26th-best minor-league prospect and was selected by the Brewers in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. The Sounds? Opening Day roster will also feature five members of Milwaukee?s 40-man roster: pitchers Jose Capellan, Zach Jackson, and Dennis Sarfate, utilityman Vinny Rottino, and outfielder Drew Anderson, all of whom have previously played for Nashville. In addition to top prospects Braun and Gallardo, other notable newcomers to the Sounds include starting pitcher Tim Dillard, the Brewers? 2005 Minor League Pitcher-of-the-Year, and a pair of players with ties to Music City: veteran right-hander R.A. Dickey, a Nashville native and 1993 graduate of Montgomery Bell Academy, and outfielder Tydus Meadows, who played collegiate ball at Vanderbilt University from 1996-98. Twelve players return to Music City from the 2006 division-winning Sounds squad, including Jackson; relievers Steve Bray, Luther Hackman, Sarfate, Mitch Stetter, and Alec Zumwalt; All-Star catcher Mike Rivera; infielders Chris Barnwell, Ozzie Chavez, Brad Nelson, and Rottino; and Anderson. Four players will make their first stop at the Class AAA level with the Sounds in 2007: Braun, Dillard, Gallardo, and second baseman Callix Crabbe, who advances to Nashville after two consecutive full seasons with the Double-A Huntsville Stars. Left-handed pitcher Lindsay Gulin will open the season on Nashville?s disabled list. The Sounds will make one additional roster move before Thursday to lower the team?s active roster to the 24-man maximum allotted by the Pacific Coast League. Returning to guide the club will be third-year manager Frank Kremblas, who has led Nashville to division championships in each of his two seasons at the helm and piloted the Sounds to the Pacific Coast League title in 2005. Kremblas will be rejoined by pitching coach Stan Kyles and trainer Jeff Paxson for the third consecutive year on the Sounds? bench. Two new additions to the Nashville coaching staff are hitting coach Harry Spilman and strength and conditioning coach Nigel Price. The Sounds open their 30th season on Thursday, April 5 at Greer Stadium with a 7:00 p.m. matchup against the New Orleans Zephyrs, the new Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. Media day at Greer Stadium will occur at 3 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, prior to the Sounds? annual 6 p.m. exhibition against Belmont University. The game includes free admission for all fans. Note: RHP Chris Oxspring, catcher J.D. Closser, 1B Andy Abad, INF Jose Macias, and utilityman Joe Dillon are the players not mentioned in the Sounds' press release, but now on the roster. As noted, the Sounds will have to make a move prior to Thursday's opener. Support and visit the Sounds site for the complete roster, including bio information when you click on a name: www.nashvillesounds.com/c...ayerId=175 We'll tidy up our Brewerfan Player Index in the meantime.

For lack of a Manatee thread for now, we'll post this here from Brevard GM Buck Rogers: All you Notre Dame fans can have a special Good Friday this year. Former ND standout Wide Receiver Jeff Samardzija is the projected starter for this Friday's Manatees-Daytona Cubs game. No April Fool's joke here. Last season he was with the Chicago Cubs Short-Season and Low-A affiliates; this year he begins with the Daytona Cubs. We've made a deal: I just got off the phone with Jeremy Zimmerman, the head guru in charge of the stadium's concessions. Jeremy says he'll serve fried fish out of the concession stands for Good Friday for Manatees fans. Jeremy says he'll serve fish and chips because he knows Samardzija will serve up a heapin' helpin' of some hanging curveballs for the 'Tees. Father Bob and all the rest of the Notre Dame Club, you can conduct your services inside the stadium, then stick around for the game. We have baseball chapel services here at the stadium all the time, and we've had a host of post-game Christian Concerts in the past couple years, so we'll offer it up to those that need to adjust their schedules, attend services, get some fish and chips and watch baseball.

Friday's Games vs. the Mariners' organization: Huge games on Friday for Ryan Braun, Manny Parra, Mat Gamel, Cole Gillespie, Michael Brantley, Taylor Green, and lefty Luis Ramirez... Nashville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows: www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2236 PEORIA, Ariz. -- Ryan Braun went 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and R.A. Dickey turned in a solid start, allowing one run over five innings, but the Nashville Sounds dropped a 3-1 decision to the Tacoma Rainiers (AAA-Mariners) on Friday afternoon at Peoria Sports Complex. The defeat was Nashville's fourth in four contests against the Rainiers this spring. Brad Nelson went 2-for-3 for the Sounds and catcher Mike Rivera drove in the club's lone run in his first minor-league game of the spring. Southpaw Lindsay Gulin worked the final three innings behind Dickey and allowed two runs on four hits. The Sounds (2-8-2) wrap up their spring training schedule on Saturday afternoon with a road contest against the Portland Beavers (AAA-Padres). Nashville is 0-2-1 against their PCL rival this March. R H E Nashville 1 8 Tacoma 3 9 NASHVILLE AB R H BI Macias 5 0 0 0 Anderson 4 0 0 0 Braun 4 1 4 0 Dillon 4 0 0 0 Abad 3 0 0 0 Rivera 4 0 1 1 Nelson 3 0 2 0 Crabbe 3 0 1 0 Barnwell 1 0 0 0 Meadows 3 0 0 0 2B: Braun 2 IP H R ER BB SO TP Dickey 5 5 1 1 1 3 68 Gulin 3 4 2 2 0 2 53Huntsville wins, 8-1 R H E Huntsville 8 7 West Tenn 1 3 HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI Iribarren 5 0 1 1 Sollmann 4 0 0 1 Davenport 3 1 1 0 Katin 2 1 0 0 Moss 3 0 0 0 Stocker 1 1 0 0 Carlin 4 2 1 2 Heether 2 2 1 0 St Pierre 1 0 0 1 Palmisano 2 1 1 0 Eure 2 0 0 0 Perez 3 0 2 2 Rodriguez 0 0 0 0 3B: Heether, Palmisano IP H R ER BB SO TP Parra 5 1 0 0 1 8 70 Balfour 2 1 0 0 1 1 31 Housman 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 Hinton 1 1 1 1 1 1 16Brevard ties, 5-5 R H E High Desert 5 7 1 Brevard County 5 12 0 BREVARD CO AB R H BI Escobar 4 0 1 0 Crew 4 0 0 0 Cain 4 2 2 0 Salome 4 0 0 0 Gamel 4 1 3 1 Gillespie 3 2 3 2 Fermaint 3 0 2 0 Yost 3 0 1 1 Corredor 4 0 0 0 Errecart 3 0 0 0 2B: Cain 3B: Gamel IP H R ER BB SO TP Wahpepah 3 3 2 2 0 0 35 Welch 1 0 0 0 0 2 13 Roberts 2 1 1 1 1 0 27 Stanczyk 2 3 2 2 2 0 31 Pena 1 0 0 0 1 2 18West Virginia rolls, 9-1 R H E Wisconsin 1 5 West Virginia 9 14 WEST VIRGINIA AB R H BI Brewer 3 1 0 2 Holmberg 5 1 1 0 Lefave 5 0 1 1 Caufield 4 2 2 1 Brantley 4 2 3 0 Bouchie 4 0 2 3 Alonso 3 0 0 0 Chapman 4 1 1 0 Green 4 1 3 0 Mojica 1 1 1 0 Maldonado 1 0 0 0 2B: Holmberg, Caufield, Bouchie 3B: Lefave, Green IP H R ER BB SO TP Ramirez 5 3 0 0 0 4 52 Ryan 2 0 0 0 0 1 29 Lidyard 1 1 1 1 0 1 11 Aguilar 1 1 0 0 0 1 26

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Power boasts speedy shortstop By Mike Whiteford Charleston Gazette Staff writer The early months of the 2006 calendar year now probably seem like a blur to Brent Brewer. In February, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Georgia native signed a letter of intent to play wide receiver for the Florida State Seminoles but, after switching to baseball, found himself struggling as a professional in Phoenix of the Arizona (rookie) League. A football-baseball star at Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Ga., in the Atlanta suburbs, Brewer considered his options last spring and chose baseball. When the Milwaukee Brewers drafted him in the second round of the June draft, he accepted their offer of a $600,000 bonus, spent the summer in Phoenix and will open the season at Appalachian Power Park as the Power shortstop. Beginning with the Power season opener at 7:05 p.m. Thursday (6:05 Central) at home against the Lake County Captains, the 19-year-old Brewer will be a regular. As the South Atlantic League season unfolds, he?ll work to try and cut down on his strikeouts, refine the accuracy of his throws across the diamond and make maximum use of his wide-receiver speed, which in the imperfect world of 40-yard-dash timing is listed at a superb 4.4 seconds. In his first 26 at-bats in Phoenix last year, Brewer collected just four hits for a .153 average, but he apparently was more comfortable in August and finished on a 25-for-75 tear (.333) for a .264 overall average. In those final 75 at-bats, however, he struck out 23 times. Brewer spent the off-season working out at Milwaukee?s spring training site in Phoenix and developed a friendship with outfielder Darren Ford, who played for the Power last year and will return for another season in Charleston. Ford is one of four Power players who will return for the 2007 season. The others are second baseman Kenny Holmberg, outfielder Michael Brantley and reliever Patrick Ryan. Holmberg, a 24-year-old native of Dunedin, Fla., opened the 2006 season with high expectations and lofty credentials but suffered a high-ankle sprain in April when he stepped awkwardly on first base. The injury kept him sidelined for seven weeks and, once he returned to the Power lineup, battled ankle irritation and never fully regained his stroke. He ended the season with a .235 average in 72 games. The previous year at Helena of the Pioneer League, he batted .372 to rank second in the league, and his .450 on-base percentage and .526 slugging percentage led the league. Ford, 21, of Vineland, N.J., hit .283 and stole 69 bases in 84 attempts and had a .361 on-base percentage. Brantley, 19, of Fort Pierce, Fla., batted .300 with a .402 on-base percentage. Ryan, 23, of Brooksville, Fla., was effective in relief, posting a 1.87 earned run average and allowing just 77 hits in 91 innings. POWER POINTS: The Power will play three games with the Captains. In addition to Thursday?s home opener, the teams will play at 7:05 Friday and Saturday (6:05 Central) at Appalachian Power Park. The Thursday and Friday games will include postgame fireworks. ... The Power finished with a 74-62 record last year and averaged nearly 3,500 fans a game to set a franchise attendance record. ... The Power will play an exhibition game against WVU Tech at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday (6:05 Central). ... Ford?s 69 steals led the South Atlantic League.

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 A turn to the left Stars staff looks to be dominated by left-handed pitchers By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com For a brief period last season, the Huntsville Stars didn't have a single left-handed pitcher. Now, it looks as if they'll be loaded with lefties. The Stars eventually could have a five-man starting rotation with four left-handers, so abundant they are. Steve Hammond is among them, a starting pitcher who merely whetted the appetite for Huntsville fans last summer. He'll be joined in the rotation by fellow lefties Manny Parra and Sam Narron. Mike Jones and returnee Corey Thurman are the other likely starters. Another lefty starting pitcher, Jeff Housman, will begin the year on the disabled list, headed to Huntsville for the fourth season. He pitched in 12 games for the Stars last season but suffered a torn labrum, and is coming off surgery. Hammond, a 24-year-old from Vallejo, Calif., arrived with a flourish in mid-season, pitching a two-hit shutout against Mississippi on July 12 in only his third Huntsville start. Hammond finished at 5-6, but had a stingy 2.93 ERA in 13 starts. "Wins and losses," said manager Don Money, "were not indicative of how he pitched." Alas, he wasn't available in the crunch time of postseason. Hammond had reached a predetermined number of innings of work, as determined by the Milwaukee Brewers, and was a spectator as the Stars reached the Southern League championshp series. "He won a couple of big games for us," said Money. "He pitched well. "He needs a better breaking ball because he's not overpowering, but he's got a good changeup. He need to go out and be consistent with his innings and go a little bit further this year." Rest of the field: Lefty Joe Thatcher made four relief appearances for Huntsville late last year, allowing only two hits and striking out six in 51/3 innings. He would appear to be the leading candidate for closer, though Money said, in the early stages of the season "it'll probably be closer-by-committee." Luis Villareal, who led the independent Northern League in ERA last season, is the other lefty on the staff. Down the road: Some of Milwaukee's best pitching prospects in recent seasons have been derailed by arm injuries (Mike Jones, Nick Neugebauer, J.M. Gold, Manny Parra, etc.). The arrival in Huntsville of the 2004 No. 1 pick, righty Mark Rogers, has been delayed indefinitely. He has a high 90s fastball (and collected a $2.2 million bonus) but recently had shoulder surgery. Ever since draft day, the Brewers were concerned about his mechanics and worked with him to change them to, ironically, avoid injury. Stars schedule: The Stars' season opener is Thursday against Mississippi. They face UAH in an exhibition game on April 3 at 6:05. Starbrites: Stars pitcher Grant Balfour, 30, is a native of New South Wales, Australia. He was acquired from the Reds, who put him on waivers after Balfour made only nine appearances in 2006 in the wake of Tommy John surgery.

Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com: Left-hander Joe Thatcher traveled with the team to Texas but has been told he will start the year at Double-A Huntsville, assistant general manager Gord Ash said. "I enjoyed it," said Thatcher, who was promoted to big-league camp on March 15. "I think I came out and was aggressive, and that was important to me." Thatcher got a rare mid-spring invitation to big-league camp and did not allow a run until his fourth appearance, on Tuesday against Oakland. He surrendered back-to-back home runs. "It looks to us like he's going to have a future as a left-handed reliever at the Major League level," Yost said. "He's not young in terms of age, but in terms of experience, we've never seen him. We figured, let's take a look at him."

Jeffress will be in extended spring training until Helena's season begins. Heck, you should be able to just hang around Maryvale's park anytime, get to know the folks around there, and actually visit with any of the 50 or so youngsters who will be participating in unofficial games, both intrasquad and against other organizations, until then. You might be one of only ten people in the stands, but enjoy.

First up today, the Power, won't be your last: Actually, that is it for today, Friday. As you can imagine, the decisions the big-league Brewers will need to make on the final position player and bullpen spots will have a ripple effect on the makeup of the Nashville, Huntsville, and even Brevard rosters, so we may not see "official" rosters until Sunday.

The Rockies released four former Brewers this week: LHP Matt Ford, RHP's Tim Bausher and Jon Huizinga, and catcher Bryan Opdyke. Florida released CF Alex Sanchez. Philadelphia released RHP Wil Laureano (the David Bell trade), catcher Jeff Winchester, and INF Andrew Beattie. The Padres released RHP Ryan Trytten. Seattle released Nelson Figueroa. And in the only "signing", OF Cristian Guerrero, soon to be 27, signs for a third year in the Nationals' system.

A reminder that you can click on our "Transactions" link, and sort transactions within a defined date range: www.brewerfan.net/ViewTransactions.do

Unfortunately for Dane Renkert, and for Brewer fans who enjoyed his columns, Dane was among the many farmhands released this week. We're in the midst of updating all the moves in our Transaction Thread, pinned to the top of this forum. Here's hoping that if Dane chooses not to pursue more pitching opportunities, he will continue to pursue his gift of writing. We wish him and the other players who were released this week well.

Look for him in Helena in June.

The Brewers have released the following players (in each case, click on the name -- the link will provide their Brewerfan Player Index Page): 22-year-old RHP Jose Beltre walked 53 and struck out 82 in 82 combined innings in Arizona (2005) and Helena (2006). Canadian RHP Mark James, still just 19 years old, was the Brewers' 14th round pick in 2005. He posted an 8.34 ERA (41 BB's, 31 K's in 45.1 IP) in two seasons with the Arizona Rookie club. LHP Brian Logan, who will turn 21 in April, was an undrafted free agent signed out of Louisburg College in North Carolina last June. He walked 22 and struck out 20 in 24 combined innings in Arizona and Helena last season. 23-year-old 1B Bill Rowe was a teammate of Cole Gillespie on the 2006 Oregon State National Championship squad. Undrafted, Rowe joined Helena on June 28th, and hit .279 in 129 AB's. 3B Fredy de la Cruz, a 21-year-old Dominican native, spent two seasons at Arizona and one in Helena. de la Cruz posted a .769 OPS in Helena in 2006, so this could be seen as a surprise to some. Signed to his first affiliated contract out of independent ball in January '06, 6'10" RHP Steve Palazzolo was shuffled between West Virginia (where he struggled) and Helena (where he shined). When you sign out of junior college as a 14th round draft pick, you certainly expect to have a career with your draft team consisting of more than 60 AB's, but 20-year-old 2B/SS Hector Bernal is among those let go. Five games in Arizona, then on to West Virginia, where Bernal broke his leg on a play at second base. RHP Brandon Harmsen, 25 years old, was purchased from independent ball last July 31, and appeared in ten games with Brevard County, posting a 5.51 ERA in 16.1 innings. Prior to 2006, Harmsen spent four seasons in the Yankees system (drafted in the 6th round in 2002). LHP Kyle Pawelczyk, also 25, was another independent league signee last July. He only made three appearances with West Virginia, and spent time on the Power disabled list. Previously in the Angel organization (3rd round, 2002), he spent four seasons with Anaheim. He began 2006 with the Padres' low-A club, but was released in late April. Soon-to-be 23-year-old C Kyle Phillips appeared in 58 games for Brevard County in 2006 (.236 /.304 /.296). Prior to last season, he had spent four years in the Twins' chain -- he was drafted in the 10th round in 2002. OF Nate Yoho, 24, was an undrafted signee in July 2005 out of the University of Iowa. He hit .232 with five home runs in 422 AB's since, spending all of 2006 as a backup in West Virginia. It takes time to develop high school pitchers, but almost shockingly the Brewers have decided to part with LHP Brandon Parillo, just 21, after three professional seasons. Parillo, the Brewers' 8th round pick in 2004, nearly averaged a strikeout an inning over 133.2 pro IP (3.37 pro ERA), but more than that, was a ground ball machine. Only 11 of his 50 career outings (21 starts) came above the rookie ball level, with West Virginia in 2006. Here's Toby's comment history from the Power 50 for Parillo, where he was currently # 48: LHP Brandon Parillo Power 50 History RHP John Novinsky, who will be 28 in April, had not pitched since 2004 (shoulder surgery). Acquired in an August 2003 trade from St. Louis along with RHP Mike Crudale for RHP Mike DeJean, Novinsky has a Power 50 history as well, reaching as high as # 31 pre-injury. RHP John Novinsky Power 50 History 1B Grant Richardson, who missed all of 2006 with a shoulder injury, was also released. Having turned 24 this past February, Richardson will best be remembered for posting a 1.044 OPS at Helena as a 21-year-old. Along with the rest of the inaugural 2005 West Virginia club, Richardson started miserably, but rebounded in the second half to finish at .285 (.826 OPS). His release, too, will be seen as a surprise to many. Richardson, the Brewers' 14th round pick in 2004, also peaked on the Power 50 at # 31: 1B Grant Richardson Power 50 History Now 27, RHP Gerrit Simpson was an emergency trade acquisition (for later cash considerations) from Colorado when the Brewers sent out an APB for an arm for AA in July of 2005. But Simpson proved to be a very valuable member of the Huntsville Stars down the stretch in 2005, and for all of 2006, posting ERA's well below 3.00 and basically taking the ball for whatever innings were asked. He seemed to be one of those guys you really rooted for in the box scores, and I'll miss following his name. Another puzzler, but RHP Dane Renkert, who at 25 was a bit behind playing age level, but had made 71 relief appearances, mostly with West Virginia, since being drafted in the 14th round in 2005, was let go. Renkert had a 2.83 ERA in 117.2 IP, allowing only 99 hits, walking 42, and striking out 110. He did have trouble minimizing the errors of the defense behind him, allowing 19 unearned runs during his career. Renkert made one Power 50 appearance, at # 50, in January 2006. We'll miss Renkert's newspaper columns for his hometown in Washington State. He had ironically written about the subject of player releases within the past week or so: Dane Renkert's Newspaper Columns Canadian RHP Mike Meyers was a non-roster invitee to big league camp this spring. This is Meyers' 11th season (drafted by the Cubs -- 26th round, 1997), but the 29-year-old has not had his big league cup of coffee as of yet. Meyers' numbers with Nashville in 2006 were overlooked by some, but his raw and peripheral stats were excellent last season. OF Hasan Rasheed, 23, was a draft-and-follow signee in 2004 (26th round, 2003). Rasheed hit .299 in Helena in 2004, .305 in West Virginia in 2005, but his 2006 Brevard County season (.238) was cut to 51 games by an illness. Rasheed once was as high as # 35 on the P50: OF Hasan Rasheed Power 50 History Finally (for now), Milwaukee released former big league Brewer RHP Chris Demaria, 26. Acquired in excahnge for RHP Justin Barnes (recently featured on our Alumni Thread) in December 2005, Demaria appeared in ten games for Milwaukee (5.93 ERA) and 38 for Nashville (2.96) in 2006. He was another who peaked at # 31 on the Power 50: RHP Chris Demaria Power 50 History Released player names courtesy of Baseball America.

I'm hopeful that these posts, in reaction to seeing Thatcher pitch the final four innings of the Hawaii Baseball League championship game, might help you: p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...mp;stop=80

We've learned that the backup outfielders will be lefty-swinging Andrew Lefave, who rocked out Arizona Rookie ball as a 22-year-old to a .353 batting average, and 22-year-old Venezuelan Anderson Delarosa, who was limited to 24 at-bats in Arizona last year, where he also saw some time behind the plate. A surprise there, but they must see something in him.

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/story/S...l-lottery/ Power won't hit long-ball lottery Jack Bogaczyk Charleston Daily Mail Sports Editor As followers of the local pro baseball nine have learned in the last two summers, there is a difference between Powerball and Power ball -- although you can get a $1 ticket for both. As Appalachian Power Park regulars also can tell you, there's a difference between Power ball and power baseball. Milwaukee's local baby Brewers didn't exactly live up to their team nickname in the summer of 2006. West Virginia could hit last season and its Charleston Class A (since 1987) club-record .277 was six points higher than any other South Atlantic League club. The capital city enjoyed only the second year of back-to-back winning half-seasons in a decade. The Power just didn't dig the long ball. Although "The APP" isn't exactly the pitchers' paradise that long-distanced Watt Powell Park was, the Power's 79 homers (home and road) were tied for 13th in the 16-team South Atlantic League. So, what about the third edition of Milwaukee's best low Class A prospects, who will arrive here Monday for Thursday night's opener? Well, after discussions with Brewer brass, the 2007 Power sounds a lot like the club Manager Mike Guerrero had here last year. West Virginia will have more speed than big fly potential. The pitching should be deeper and the rotation will take a turn to the left. As for last June's $1.55 million top draft pick, Virginia right-hander Jeremy Jeffress, the jury's still out. He's not here quite yet. Milwaukee farm system business executive Scott Martens said outfielder Michael Brantley will return for a second summer. The same is true of center fielder Darren Ford, who set a franchise record with 69 stolen bases last season. The Power outfield is well-stocked. Besides Brantley and Ford, Stephen Chapman (.308 short-season Helena) and Chuckie Caufield (.284 at Arizona and Helena in 2006) are ticketed for Charleston. The Brewers' No. 2 pick last summer is headed here. Brent Brewer figures to be the every-day shortstop. The 6-foot-2 Georgian was headed to Florida State as a football wideout until the Brewers coughed up a $600,000 bonus. Brewer is a work-in-progress as a fielder (24 errors in 45 Arizona games last summer), but he'll hit and he's regarded as the best athlete in the Milwaukee system by Baseball America. He figures to team in a double-play combo with returning second baseman Kenny Holmberg. Third-year first baseman John Alonso has hit .302 in his two previous seasons. Catcher Andy Bouchie (7 homers, 46 RBI in 612 Helena games) was a seventh-round pick last June. You want power? Bouchie is a cousin of former Major League All-Star third baseman Matt Williams. As for pitching, among the names there are a trio of lefties -- Zach Braddock, Brae Wright (a sixth-rounder last year) and Mike Ramlow. Right-handers Michael McClendon and Roque Mercedes are expected starters, too. That group's 2006 statistics won't make fans forget Will Inman's overpowering Power numbers of last season, but their spring training work in Arizona has won jobs. On just who's who and what's what, Power fans will have a chance to know early. The club plays 11 of its first 15 games at home. As far as power goes, maybe the third-year ballpark has fooled everyone. Maybe it's just smaller than the bulldozed Watt Powell. Last season's 79 West Virginia homers were only one more than in the 2005 opening season at the East End park. A trend seems to be brewing.

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/story/S...-to-Power/ Familiar faces set to return to Power Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter Four holdovers from last year highlight the 27 players assigned to the West Virginia Power for the 2007 season, according to a roster the team released today. They are outfielder Michael Brantley, center fielder Darren Ford, second baseman Kenny Holmberg and relief pitcher Patrick Ryan. "The older guys have to step up and be leaders," said Ford, the fastest player in the Milwaukee Brewers' organization according to Baseball America. "We have to go all out from the first game to the last game. We have to lead by example. We have to show the younger guys the way." Among the other prospects that will make Charleston their home this season is shortstop Brent Brewer, whom Baseball America named the best athlete in the Brewers' organization. Brewer, an Atlanta native who originally signed a national letter of intent to play football for Florida State University, was a second-round pick in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. "Brent is special because he is a kid with a lot of talent and a lot of tools, just like a lot of the other players on the team," Power Manager Mike Guerrero said. "If everything plays out the way we think it will, he is going to be a pleasant player to have around." Guerrero will field a young team this season -- 16 of the 27 players are first- or second-year players, including 10 of the 14 pitchers. "I think we are going to have a pretty interesting club," said Guerrero, who led the Power to a 74-62 record last season, his first with the club. "It is going to be exciting to watch them develop. Time will tell how everything is going to go. How we go about our business will dictate how everything plays out. "For many of the players, this is their first full season. They are going to go through ups and downs. Once they get the consistency that we try to keep as a team, everything should be OK. "They need to understand how you do things and how you play the game. They need to understand the respect you have for the uniform and for the fans and for your career and for baseball. Once they understand those things, everything is going to play out the way we hope it plays out." West Virginia will place two of the 27 players on the disabled list to trim the roster to 25 before its South Atlantic League season opener against Lake County at 7:05 p.m. Thursday at Appalachian Power Park. The Class A club will host WVU Tech in an exhibition game at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday. Stephen Chapman and Chuckie Caufield will join Brantley and Ford in what should be one of the league's fastest and most talented outfields. "We have a phenomenal outfield, offensively and defensively," said Brantley, who hit .300 with 24 stolen bases, 42 RBI and 47 runs in 108 games with the Power last season. "We have a lot of speed. That will be very beneficial for us in the outfield and on the base paths." Ford believes the outfield will be a force. "We're the strength of the team," said Ford, who had a .283 batting average with 24 doubles, 54 RBI, 69 stolen bases and 93 runs in 125 games with the Power last year. "We're going to be dangerous." First baseman John Alonso, second baseman Taylor Green and shortstop Jimmy Mojica will join Brewer and Holmberg in the infield. It appears Green or Mojica will move to third base, but that is unclear. West Virginia's catchers will be Andy Bouchie and Martin Maldonado. In addition to Ryan, West Virginia's pitchers will be Omar Aguilar, Zach Braddock, J.T. King, Dustin (D.J.) Lidyard, Mike McClendon, Roque Mercedes, Alex Periard, Luis Ramirez, Mike Ramlow, Jose Romero, E.J. Shanks, Travis Wendte and Brae Wright. All but Braddock, Ramirez, Ramlow, Romero and Wright are right-handers. "It's going to be a pretty solid staff from the looks of things," Power pitching coach John Curtis said. "We have a lot of good arms." The starting rotation, in no particular order, will feature Braddock, McClendon, Mercedes, Ramlow and Wright. "That's the way it's penciling out," said Curtis, who is in his third season with the Power. "They haven't been on that rotation (in Arizona during spring training)." Unlike previous seasons, Curtis doesn't plan to use a piggyback tandem with his starters. Periard would be the sixth starter if Curtis would decide to use a piggyback tandem for the final spot in the rotation. "We might have a baby tandem who is brought along briefly," Curtis said. "The starters are pretty much conditioned to throw 65 to 70 pitches and go five or six innings. "That's what we're hoping, anyway. We're not planning to split them up early except maybe the last hole, which has yet to be determined."

First up today, the Power, won't be your last: FROM: Andy Barch, Director of Media Relations RE: 2007 Power Roster POWER BRING BACK FOUR FROM 2006 OPENING NIGHT ROSTER ANNOUNCED CHARLESTON, WV (March 30, 2007) ? The West Virginia Power, Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers have announced their opening day roster for the 2007 season. Outfielders Darren Ford and Michael Brantley will return to West Virginia, as will right handed pitcher Patrick Ryan and second baseman Kenny Holmberg. Last year Ford set the franchise record for stolen bases in a season with 69 and Michael Brantley?s .300 batting average was seventh best in the South Atlantic League. Brent Brewer, Milwaukee?s second round pick in the 2006 draft is also on the opening day roster. Brewer, who turned down a scholarship to play wide receiver at Florida State to pursue his baseball career, is expected to play shortstop for the Power. The average age of the opening day roster is just over 21. The roster includes two catchers, five infielders, six outfielders and 14 pitchers. There are a total of nine free agents, three 2004 draftees, seven 2005 draftees and eight 2006 draftees. The Power will play an exhibition game against WVU Tech on Tuesday, April 3 at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). The Power will open the 2007 season at Appalachian Power Park against the Lake County Captains on Thursday, April 5 at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). *** RH reliever Patrick Ryan was incredible in 2006: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=832 Almost unbelievable he's returning, look for him to move up as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Roster details will be posted in a moment.

Earlier this off-season, two additional Brewer farmhands voluntarily retired: Drafted in the 23rd round of the 2004 draft out of UCal-Riverside, Tony Festa saw action in all the corner infield and outfield spots in his three pro seasons. Now 26 years old, Festa was drafted at 23, and you just have to make your mark very quickly in those situations, especially as a low-round pick: Tony Festa Brewefan Player Index Page Similarly, catcher Brad Willcutt was 23 on draft day (27th round, 2005). Most organizations will bring in older college catchers to help guide the slew of inexperienced arms in rookie ball. So again, one has to make an all-around impression quickly: Brad Willcutt Brewerfan Player Index Page Good luck to both gentlemen in their post-Brewer careers.

Earlier in the Minor League Spring Training Game Thread, we had posted the following: You'll notice the name Dubose with a home run at the rookie league level Friday. That would be 2006 35th round draft pick, 3B Sanduan Dubose, who initially was announced as signed in Brewer press notes last season, then that was rescinded, and he did not appear in a pro game last year. Potential nice power source, here's the writeup from last June: p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...mp;stop=35 He's already 24 years old, so he'll have to show a lot quickly. Could be a nice story, and we're always looking for those... UPDATE: Sanduan Dubose was released by the Brewers this week.

Earlier this offseason, 22-year-old RHP Ryan Marion, the Brewers 8th round pick out of a North Carolina high school in 2003, was released. Marion never advanced beyond low-A: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=586 After taking Rickie Weeks, Tony Gwynn, Lou Palmisano, and Charlie Fermaint with the first four picks in 2003, the rest of the top 10 was not Jack Z.'s finest hour. You had a 5th round high school catcher (Bryan Opdyke) who never got out of rookie ball, and then with the next five picks, pitchers, now all released, not one of which even advanced to high-A (Robbie Wooley, Brian Montalbo, Marion, Greg Kloosterman, and Tyler Morrison). That's a combination of some serious failures in scouting and player development -- and yes, Im only focusing on that little group of six consecutive top 10 picks.

Noochie's in the final four, but it looks like Houston Summers vs: Will Startup in the final: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp Vote: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...adness.jsp

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Stars need Moss to be special, but without K's With outfield getting crowded, Californian faces pivotal year By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com Steve Moss is the man in the middle. He will again be the Huntsville Stars' center fielder. Brendan Katin will be on one side. It's TBD on the other. Moss is also the man in the middle in Milwaukee's minor league center field hierarchy. Charlie Fermaint, the organization's No. 12 prospect, according to Baseball America, looms behind him, at Class A Brevard County, and he's being pushed by Darren Ford, the No. 13-rated prospect. Meanwhile, Tony Gwynn Jr. is ahead on the ladder, likely to stick with the Brewers as a reserve. So, after a .242 average last season, some question marks on his throwing and too many K's, it's a no-brainer to say this will be a pivotal year for the 23-year-old Moss, from Sherman Oaks, Calif. "He has to come back and cut down on strikeouts and pick the average up," said manager Don Money. "It's an important year for him." Moss came to the plate 564 times last season. Nearly 40 percent of the time, he left the plate without putting the ball into play. The good news: 71 walks, second-most in the Southern League. The bad news: 136 strikeouts. However, the Brewers are hardly giving up on Moss. They sent him to the Arizona Fall League, a postseason league for highly regarded players to hone their skills a little more. And, said Money, "They've already mentioned the first outfielder they'd call up (to Triple-A) could be Moss, because he's the most experienced." Rest of the field: Katin, who had four homers in 15 late-season games at Huntsville, will move from left field, where he was a defensive liability, to a more comfortable spot in right. The candidates for left field and the backup outfielder spot include Mike Carlin, a 25-year-old obtained from Pittsburgh in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, Ron Davenport, 25, formerly of the Toronto organization, and Mel Stocker, 26, an ex-Kansas City farmhand who played independent ball last year. Carlin was 10th in the Carolina League in batting last season and had 15 homers and 84 RBIs in 132 games. Davenport batted .321 in the Florida State League and Stocker swiped 56 bases last year at Long Island and led the league in triples. Down the road: The aforementioned Fermaint is a power prospect, but keep an eye peeled for Cole Gillespie, who led Oregon State to the NCAA title last year and was a third-round pick last year. He batted .344 with eight homers and 31 RBIs in 51 rookie-league games, and he'll be on the fast track. Stars schedule: The Stars' season opener is Thursday, April 5 against Mississippi. They face UAH in an exhibition game on April 3 at 6:05. Starbrites: Another ex-Star sticking with the Brewers this year is pitcher Carlos Villanueva, who'll be in the Milwaukee bullpen. He had yielded only nine hits and struck out 14 in 12 innings before a nightmarish three-hit, three-walk, four-run inning earlier this week against the Giants. ... The Stars' final roster may be set at the last minute since the Brewers are playing exhibition games today and Saturday in Texas against the Rangers, including one at the Rangers' Double-A affiliate, and were taking some minor league players along.

Wednesday's Games vs. the Padres organization: Even in a total pitchers' league, Brevard's projected everyday lineup is going to be monstrous offensively -- Gillespie, Fermaint, Errecart, Salome, Cain, Gamel, Escobar, Bell, etc. -- wow. Brevard, from a prospect standpoint, will be the most exciting team to follow in the early going. Salome with a big spring debut here -- still, expect him to stay in extended spring just a bit to get more action under his belt. LHP Brae Wright with one of the best pitching lines of the spring for West Virginia, and LHP Adam Pettyjohn continues to be a nice story (see Huntsville game). Nashville falls, 7-4 R H E Portland 7 14 0 Nashville 4 13 0 NASHVILLE AB R H BI Macias 4 0 1 0 Wycklendt 1 0 0 0 Anderson 5 2 3 0 Braun 3 2 3 1 Crabbe 1 0 0 0 Abad 5 0 1 1 Dillon 4 0 2 2 Nelson 4 0 1 0 Meadows 3 0 0 0 Corporan 1 0 1 0 St Pierre 3 0 1 0 McKnight 4 0 0 0 2B: Corporan HR: Braun IP H R ER BB SO TP Gallardo 2.2 7 5 5 2 1 61 Sarfate 2 3 1 1 0 0 23 Thurman 2 2 0 0 2 1 40 Lidyard 2 2 1 1 0 4 34Huntsville wins, 1-0 R H E San Antonio 0 4 Huntsville 1 4 1 HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI Stocker 4 0 0 0 Rodriguez 4 0 0 0 Moss 3 0 0 0 Katin 3 0 2 0 Carlin 3 0 0 0 Eure 3 1 1 0 Heether 3 0 0 0 Palmisano 3 0 1 0 Perez 3 0 0 1 Davenport 2 0 0 0 IP H R ER BB SO TP Pettyjohn 5 3 0 0 0 6 55 Perkins 2 0 0 0 1 2 26 Hall 1 0 0 0 0 1 12 Salas 1 1 0 0 0 0 11Brevard wins, 12-8 R H E Brevard County 12 16 1 Lake Elsinore 8 8 2 BREVARD CO AB R H BI Escobar 5 0 2 0 Crew 5 2 1 0 Cain 2 1 1 0 Parejo 1 1 0 0 Salome 4 2 3 2 Gamel 5 2 3 3 Gillespie 3 1 3 2 Fermaint 5 1 1 3 Errecart 5 0 1 0 Yost 4 1 0 0 Corredor 4 1 1 1 2B: Gillespie 3B: Gamel HR: Corredor, Fermaint IP H R ER BB SO TP Harper 2.2 3 2 2 4 4 61 Miller 3.1 4 5 4 2 1 75 Johnson 2 1 1 1 0 4 36 Lewis 1 0 0 0 0 3 13West Virginia loses, 4-2 R H E West Virginia 2 7 1 Fort Wayne 4 6 1 WEST VIRGINIA AB R H BI Brewer 3 1 0 0 Brantley 4 0 1 0 Caufield 3 1 1 1 Lefave 2 0 1 0 Alonso 4 0 1 1 McAngus 3 0 1 0 Mojica 3 0 1 0 Maldonado 3 0 0 0 Green 3 0 1 0 Goetz 2 0 0 0 De La Cruz 1 0 0 0 2B: Lefave, Mojica IP H R ER BB SO TP Jeffress 3.1 2 4 2 4 3 54 Wright 4.2 3 0 0 0 4 60 Aguilar 1 1 0 0 0 1 15

In his latest blog entry, Sounds announcer Chuck Valenches informs us that when Yovani Gallardo left Saturday's game after one inning, it appeared to be blister-related: nashvillesounds.blogspot....n-out.html Gallardo then pitched on Wednesday: Top prospect Yovani Gallardo suffered through a rough start for Nashville, allowing five runs on seven hits in just 2 2/3 innings. He walked two batters and struck out one in his outing to take the loss. Here's the Nashville site's game report for Wednesday, as Ryan Braun homers (again). www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2235 Here's a nice summary from the Huntsville site on their 1-0 victory on Wednesday. Brendan Katin rocks! www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1092 And yes, we do have all of Wednesday's box score lines for you later this evening. If you know of another MLB organization that has a fan site posting daily minor league spring training lines, we'd love to know. Of course, we couldn't do a thing for you without the efforts of the Brewers' Player Development Staff and our affiliate contacts. Thanks to all!