Jim Goulart

Ryan Braun, photo featured at the link below, will take part in a special AFL Showcase Game on Friday: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=l119

Day off for Vinny Rottino and Steve Moss Monday as Scottsdale loses, 5-3: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;did=milb Alec Zumwalt's 5th inning: - Jason Jaramillo flies out to center fielder Jerry Owens. - Josh Whitesell walks. - Chase Headley walks. Josh Whitesell to 2nd. - Nick Stavinoha grounds into double play, shortstop Andy Gonzalez to second baseman Kevin Frandsen to first baseman Mark Reynolds. Chase Headley out at 2nd. Ryan Braun, 3B, batting cleanup, now at .308 (12-for-39, eight extra-base hits, 17 RBI) - pops up in the 1st, man on first, one out - walks leading off the 4th - flies out to left in the 6th, man on first, one out - doubles on a line drive to center field in the 8th, men on 1st and 2nd, none out, both runners score

Feel free to digest the 600+ names on the just-released Minor League Free Agent list, and identify some juicy targets for the Brew Crew: www.baseballamerica.com/t...62709.html We'll update you on all the Brewer signings as the offseason moves on.

This is the list of players Baseball America lists as Brewer minor league free agents, now free to negotiate with all organizations for employment. Focusing on our list at AAA and AA only that is listed above, the only name which is absent is RHP Luther Hackman. It'd be a nice plus for Nashville (and the organization) if he has indeed been re-signed, based on the way the veteran was throwing after his late-season rescue from the independent ranks. We should be able to confirm the latest Brewer organizational roster for you in the next few coming days. C Jean Boscan C Mark Johnson 1B Graham Koonce 2B Brent Abernathy 2B Jermaine Clark SS Andrew Beattie SS Milko Jaramillo OF Ron Acuna RHP Justin Lehr RHP Travis Phelps

Mike Jones start in Mexico Sunday was very discouraging: 1.1 IP, no hits, five walks, four runs, three strikeouts Jones leads the league in losses (3) and walks (12). After three starts, his line reads: 0-3, 14.04 ERA, 8.1 IP, 14 H, 17 R, 13 ER, 12 BB, 4 K, 4 WP, 3.12 WHIP, .412 BAA Joe Valentine: 0-2, 6.00 ERA, 6 G, 3-for-5 in save opportunities, 6 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 K, 2.00 WHIP, .400 BAA

Brewerfan respectfully wishes Lorenzo Cain and Darren Ford and their families well. The reason each has missed some time in the early going of the Hawaii League schedule has been due to deaths in their families.

Lorenzo Cain 0-for-4 in an otherwise "nothing to report" 4-0 North Shore loss Sunday; league is idle Monday: www.hawaiiwinterbaseball....10-22.html

ANywho, granted that Disclaimer, any thoughts???? You win Post of the Week. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/pimp.gif Yikes.

North Shore loses, 6-5 in ten innings, Saturday night www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;did=milb Lorenzo Cain two singles, two K's in five AB's -- in his other AB, he flied out to right with a runner on 2nd and no one out, but moved the runner to 3rd base -- in effect a good AB. Seeing stuff like that is why the game logs are such a nice addition -- during Link Report season, if you spend an extra few minutes with those game logs, it gives you a much greater appreciation for the overall stats than the raw box scores. I'll admit it takes effort, but for the diehards, a nice bonus... Darren Ford still idle; time for us to inquire why... Joe Thatcher still unscored upon: Waikiki Top 8th - Pitcher Change: Joe Thatcher replaces Wesley Wright. - Eric Young Jr. strikes out swinging. - Taichi Okazaki grounds out, third baseman Blake Dewitt to first baseman Mike Carp. - Dexter Fowler grounds out, shortstop Jonathan Tucker to first baseman Mike Carp. Waikiki Top 9th - Reed Eastley singles on a ground ball to center fielder Lorenzo Cain. - Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Cole Garner replaces Reed Eastley. - Ian Desmond out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Joe Thatcher to first baseman Mike Carp. Cole Garner to 2nd. - Nate Schierholtz reaches on a fielder's choice out, shortstop Jonathan Tucker to third baseman Blake Dewitt. Cole Garner out at 3rd. - Pitcher Change: Zachary Hammes replaces Joe Thatcher. - Grant Psomas called out on strikes. The pitcher who replaced Thatcher in the 9th surrendered three runs in the 10th and took the loss... The boys play again Sunday, 8:00 Central, Gameday via the MiLB.com home page: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p?cid=milb

Link to Saturday's box score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;did=milb On that link you'll find the game log, linked below. Real simple to follow the exploits of Braun, Rottino, and Moss there, and check out Steve Bray's rough 5th inning: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;did=milb And of course, if you click on a player's name in the box score, you get a fantastic link, such as Steve Moss's here, showing his OBP at .385 after 11 games: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...pid=448184 Basically, MLBAM (Major League Baseball Advanced Media) has upped their Minor League statistical coverage to the point of incredible from non-existant three years ago. The AFL is idle on Sunday.

No, had extra time early this AM. We always link to Gameday, which provides similar results, you just need to review them more yourself.

North Shore's game ends in a 4-4 tie Friday night after 11 innings. No Darren Ford, we'll do some inquiring if we don't see hm this weekend; also anxious for another Joe Thatcher sighting... Lorenzo Cain, CF, leading off, (now at .200, 7-for-35, three extra-base hits, 10 K's) - strikes out swinging in the 1st - strikes out swinging to end the 3rd, man on 1st - called out on strikes, one out in the 5th - doubles on a sharp ground ball to right field, one out, man on 1st, in the 7th, later scores - grounds out softly to 2nd leading off the 9th Robert Hinton three scoreless innings to end the game, nice: Waikiki Top 9th - Dexter Fowler strikes out on foul tip. - Mark Minicozzi walks. - Nate Schierholtz grounds into double play, first baseman Mike Carp to shortstop Jonathan Tucker to pitcher Robert Hinton. Mark Minicozzi out at 2nd. Waikiki Top 10th - Reed Eastley singles on a line drive to right fielder Dustin Martin. - Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Ian Desmond replaces Reed Eastley. - Cole Garner out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Robert Hinton to second baseman Blake Dewitt. Ian Desmond to 2nd. - Christopher Nelson strikes out swinging, catcher Drew Butera to first baseman Mike Carp. - Devin Ivany flies out to center fielder Lorenzo Cain. Waikiki Top 11th - Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Sebastien Boucher replaces Tomoaki Egawa. - Sebastien Boucher walks. - Eric Young grounds out, second baseman Blake Dewitt to first baseman Mike Carp. Sebastien Boucher to 2nd. - Dexter Fowler grounds out to first baseman Mike Carp. Sebastien Boucher to 3rd. - Mark Minicozzi strikes out swinging.

Scottsdale wins, 12-9, Friday night: Ryan Braun, DH, batting 3rd, now 10-for-31 (.323, six extra-base hits, 12 RBI): - Two-run HR in the 1st, his 3rd of the season - Pops out with a man on 2nd and two out in the 3rd - Pops out with men on 1st and 3rd and one out in the 5th - Grounds out leading off the 7th - walks with two out and aman on 2nd in the 8th; later part of a double steal, eventually scores Vinny Rottino, RF, batting 5th, now 7-for-30 (.233, four extra-base hits, seven RBI) - Flies out to RF to end the 1st, bases empty - Strikes out swinging in the 4th, one out, bases empty - Doubles on a line drive to left with two out and the bases loaded in the 5th, two RBI - Flies out to CF to end the 7th, bases empty - HBP, two out, man on 2nd, in the 8th Steve Moss, CF, batting 9th, now 7-for-30 (.233, five walks, 4-for-5 in SB attempts) - Flies out to RF leading off the 3rd - Singles on a sharp line drive to center field, driving in a run, one out in the 5th - Grounds out softly to pitcher, moving runners on 1st and 2nd up with no outs in the 6th (swinging bunt) - Singles on a ground ball to left field, scoring a man from 2nd with two out in the 8th, sparking a five-run two-out rally to win the game Alec Zumwalt's 6th inning: - Brett Carroll grounds out, pitcher Alec Zumwalt to first baseman Mark Reynolds. - Josh Burrus singles on a line drive to left fielder David Cook. - With Matt Tuiasosopo batting, Josh Burrus steals (4) 2nd base. - Matt Tuiasosopo walks. - Javi Herrera grounds into double play, shortstop Andy Gonzalez to second baseman Danny Richar to first baseman Mark Reynolds. Matt Tuiasosopo out at 2nd. Dennis Sarfate's 8th inning: - Matt Tuiasosopo singles on a ground ball to pitcher Dennis Sarfate. - With Javi Herrera batting, passed ball by James D'Antona, Matt Tuiasosopo to 2nd. - Javi Herrera walks. - Michael Garciaparra singles on a line drive to right fielder Vinny Rottino. Matt Tuiasosopo scores. Javi Herrera to 2nd. - With Jacoby Ellsbury batting, wild pitch by Dennis Sarfate, Javi Herrera to 3rd. - Jacoby Ellsbury lines out to third baseman Matthew Brown. - Yunel Escobar singles on a fly ball to right fielder Vinny Rottino. Javi Herrera scores. Michael Garciaparra to 2nd. - Coaching visit to mound. - Trevor Crowe grounds into a force out, third baseman Matthew Brown to shortstop Andy Gonzalez to second baseman Danny Richar. Michael Garciaparra to 3rd. Yunel Escobar out at 2nd. Trevor Crowe to 1st. - Kevin Kouzmanoff strikes out swinging.

The Dominican Winter League is also underway, joining the Venezuelan and Mexican Leagues noted above. Players tend to migrate on and off the Dominican rosters pretty regularly. Yet to see a truly helpful league roster and stat page, feel free to tool around here and see if you can help us out. www.lidom.com/ But at this time, it appears that Jose Capellan, Carlos Villanueva, Ozzie Chavez, Fredy de la Cruz, and Rafael Lluberes may be among those taking part.

Welcome Aboard to Manatees' Radio Voice Scott Pinner -- I've sent him a separate note via email welcoming him to the Brewerfan "family". Here's today's press release from Buck Rogers: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503

Scottsdale loses 9-1 Thursday afternoon. Steve Moss (leading off), Ryan Braun, and Vinny Rottino combine to go 1-for-10 as Moss had a single and stolen base, and Braun hit a sac fly. The Scorpions only mustered two hits. Pitchers idle: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;did=milb

Link while active, text follows: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp Arizona Instructional League Notebook By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com It was right around the end of May that Mark Rogers really started feeling good. Soon after that, he felt really, really bad. The Brewers' first-round pick (fifth overall) in 2004 has always had unbelievable power stuff, with a fastball that stays in the upper 90s late into games. But his delivery needed to be completely reworked and his command has been an issue pretty much since he signed. But at the end of May with Brevard County in the Florida State League, things started to click for the Maine native. With the exception of one bad start at the very end of the month, Rogers put together the best stretch of pitching he's had since he joined the Brewers organization. Over four starts -- taking out that one clunker -- Rogers went 27 2/3 innings (pitching into the seventh all four times), gave up just 10 hits, walked 11 and struck out 35. Even though June ended poorly, he still finished the month with a 2.28 ERA and a .143 opponents' batting average. "When I went through that stretch, I felt confident," Rogers said. "I was throwing everything for strikes. I was happy, I was finally getting control of my mechanics, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks." It was something that didn't feel quite right in his shoulder, starting right after the FSL All-Star break. He figured it was nothing, a little stiffness due to the layoff. When it persisted, he was shut down with inflammation, and that's when he really started to get worried. "At that point, I was down in the dumps and I was really concerned with what it could be," Rogers said. "There's a part of me that's relieved it wasn't worse than it was." Rogers didn't pitch again, save for a very brief appearance in the rookie-level Arizona League. But he didn't need surgery, instead working hard the rest of the season and into instructs to build up his shoulder and help ensure he doesn't have a repeat in 2007. "As long as I keep the muscles around area strong, it'll stop that pinching that was going on," Rogers said. "It's been a long process." That process hasn't involved any throwing. At instructs, he goes to all the meetings with the other participants in camp, stretches and does the regular fielding drills with all the pitchers. Then he goes his own way to spend hour after hour working on his conditioning. The next step comes on Nov. 3, when Rogers heads to Milwaukee to meet with the team physician. If he's medically cleared, he'll head back to Arizona and begin a throwing program which hopefully will have him ready to go in time for Spring Training. "I'm cautiously optimistic about that," Rogers said. "My arm feels a ton better already. It really feels strong. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'll be excited to be throwing again. You take so much for granted until you have to be on the sidelines watching." With that in mind, Rogers knows he's in it for the long haul. He'll head back to Maine for the holidays, but he knows that Maryvale, Ariz., is his home this offseason. "My main objective is to get healthy," Rogers said. "As long as I have to be here, I'll be here. They're leading me in the right direction."

Lorenzo Cain with a single and walk (also picked off once) in North Shore's 7-4 victory Wednesday: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;did=milb Now that 'Zo is back, where's Darren Ford?

Parra, Braun, Moss (on base twice), Bray and Zumwalt all see action in Wednesday's 7-3 Scottsdale victory: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;did=milb

Ah yes, this must be the off-season, with posts like this. I was going to place this in the coaches' news thread, but it really deserves a thread of its own. The always unique Helena pitching coach Mark Littell filmed this for a new protective cup he developed called the "Nutty Buddy". I believe this was filmed in 2004 in Helena. Make sure you have sound on, the give and take between Littell, former Helena trainer Masa Koyanagi, who was in Brevard County last year, and, in Littell's words, the "sweet-looking little thing, Lacey" is priceless. Check out the giggling and laughter throughout the two-minute clip. This really belongs on YouTube -- it's one of those links that could make the rounds pretty quickly, based on its entertainment value. thenuttybuddy.com/ "I'm not a transvestite" -- Littell (classic) Thanks to Ben Lipson of Top Prospect Alert for the "find".

Manny has really labored through two innings thus far (55 pitches, only 26 for strikes, walking four). He's also limited the damage to just one run allowed. We'll see if he comes out for the third inning.

There was a Brewerfan thread on this pitch a while back. Here's an article that mentions the Brewers' 6'10" RHP Steve Palazzolo, kind of a neat inclusion: Link while active, text follows: seattlepi.nwsource.com/ba...all18.html The Gyroball: Miracle or myth? By DAVID ANDRIESEN SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER Could the land of Bigfoot be getting its baseball equivalent? You've probably never heard of the gyroball. Don't feel bad -- Mariners manager Mike Hargrove and pitching coach Rafael Chaves haven't either. But as American suitors, likely including the Mariners, court Japanese superstar right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka this winter, expect to start hearing about the mystery pitch that might be in Matsuzaka's repertoire, but then again might exist only in legend and computer models. "It's kind of like an inside joke for baseball, except it's actually real," said Will Carroll, a columnist for Baseball Prospectus who has been chasing the legend of the gyroball since running across an obscure Japanese book in 2002. That book, roughly translated as "The Secret of the Miracle Pitch," describes computer simulations developed by Japanese scientists Ryutaro Himeno and Kazushi Tezuka. They theorized that if a ball could be thrown with the spin they envisioned, it would be a breaking pitch that could revolutionize the game. From the batter's perspective, baseball pitches have either a backspin (as with a fastball) or a forward spin (as with a curveball). The gyroball spins like a bullet or a football spiral. In fact, the throwing motion -- witnessed only in unclear or strangely off-kilter online videos, just like Sasquatch -- looks a lot like the way a football is thrown. The gyroball is thrown a few miles per hour slower than a four-seam fastball, at about the velocity of a two-seamer. The visual effect is tough for the batter to track, but the ball's path is what makes the gyroball work. It starts on a flat plane like a hanging curve, then takes a drastic dive away from the batter (with a right-hander pitching to a right-handed batter). Supposedly the break can be measured in feet, not inches. "If they start throwing a ball that breaks 3 feet," Chaves said, "they're going to have to lower the mound 4 inches." "This idea that it is a game-changing Bugs Bunny pitch is a little out there," Carroll said. "It's just a really good breaking ball, and it really, really moves." Himeno and Tezuka's model uses a "double-spin" technique that coordinates two circular motions -- that of the hips and that of the upper arm. The upper arm rotates at the end of the delivery such that the palm faces outward and the arm travels away from the body, as opposed to directly across the body, as is seen with a fastball. The release looks unusual and recalls the screwball, a pitch that is all but extinct after wrecking countless arms. One of the contentions of the Japanese researchers, however, is that the gyroball is considerably less stressful on the arm than other breaking balls. "(The pronation) is only at the release," Carroll said. "And it's no worse than what people are doing already. Watch (Tigers pitcher Jeremy) Bonderman's fastball. He pronates harder than anybody would throwing the gyroball." The gyroball also is theoretically a lower-risk pitch in another way. If it doesn't break like it's supposed to, it just looks like a slider. If a slider doesn't break, it's a home run waiting to happen. The question is, does the gyroball exist outside theory? In practice, it might just be an amalgam of other pitching motions. Those who teach pitching generally say there is a continuum that runs between the release of the fastball, in which the ball is last touched at the top, and the release of the curveball, in which the bottom of the ball rolls out from the outside of the index finger. Along that continuum are the cut fastball, the slider and the in-betweener known as the slurve. Using what he's learned about the gyroball, Carroll has actually taught it to two pitchers: Steve Palazzolo, a one-time independent league pitcher who last year was with the Class A Helena Brewers, and Indianapolis-area high-schooler Joey Niezer. Both achieved a large break, but video makes it difficult to tell exactly how the ball is being released. CBS news taped Palazzolo learning the pitch, but the piece has not yet aired. There hasn't been a truly new pitch brought into the major leagues since Bruce Sutter introduced the split-finger fastball in the late 1970s. Baseball isn't quick to embrace change, and so far nobody inside the game -- at least among the few who know about it -- seems ready to lead the charge for the gyroball. "I've had GMs and pitching coaches ask me, and I tell them it exists, and that is about the end of the conversation," Carroll said. "I'm waiting for one of them to say, 'Show me.' I don't own it -- if anyone does, it's the two scientists -- and anybody who wants me to show it to them, I would show them how it works. "You just need some major league coach to say, 'Hey, let's take a couple of guys and go out there and see if this thing works.' " With big money and big reputations on the line, major leaguers and their coaches are not going to be eager to mess around with such a radically different delivery -- and one whose effects on the arm are unknown. A Japanese reporter this season described the pitch to Mariners closer J.J. Putz, who said there was no way he'd try it during the season. "I don't think I'd be trying to teach players that unless I was very sure what I was doing," Chaves said. That means that if the gyroball makes it onto the big-league scene, it will likely be in the hands of an unsuccessful pitcher who uses it to resurrect his career -- such as what Sutter did with the split-finger -- or will be imported. Which brings us back to Matsuzaka, the only accomplished pitcher believed to throw the gyroball (though some think longtime Hanshin Tigers pitcher Nobuyuki Hoshino might as well). The trouble is, nobody really knows whether Matsuzaka does or not, and the Japanese superstar is famously vague on the subject. "He says he doesn't throw it, but I'm not sure he's telling the truth," Carroll said. "If we can get him to admit to it, then yeah, he's the pioneer." "I have done it in a game. But not too much. Sometimes accidentally," Matsuzaka this spring told Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, apparently the only time Matsuzaka has spoken about the pitch to an English-speaking reporter. "I would like to make it my out pitch. But it's not a miracle pitch." Maybe it's not a miracle, but it's intriguing, and interest in it is spreading. It even appears as an option in the 2007 version of the computer-simulation game Baseball Mogul. "It's a quirky little thing, I know," Carroll said. "I really have no interest in being some guru. I'm not trying to sell this thing, but now it's like I'm the guy who sees Bigfoot." If and when Matsuzaka arrives in America, it could be Bigfoot's coming-out party. And of course, the two infamous videos: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sboi0EWp8ao View a graphic detailing how the gyroball is thrown and how it moves (pdf file): seattlepi.nwsource.com/da...roball.pdf

Baseball America informs us that Mike Jones made his second Mexican League start Tuesday, and again, didn't fare too well: 3 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 6 BB, 1 K, ERA of 11.57 after two starts with only one K in seven IP It's early, we'll see; these latin winter leagues are pretty competitive, the ownership and management teams often won't put up with non-competitive efforts from American players on the squads. Here's hoping Mike turns things around quickly...

Manny Parra gets the start for Scottsdale tonight (9:05 Central); you'll be able to follow via Gameday, no audio: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p?cid=milb

Along with reliever Joe Valentine (two runs in a 1 2/3 inning relief stint), Mike Jones is also pitching in the Mexican Winter League. Jones has made one start (four IP, nine hits, six runs, three earned, one walk, no K's, two wild pitches). Similar to the Venezuelan League links above, this page should update itself as the season moves along. As always, if someone sees another current Brewer, let us know. You can use uour "Edit, Find on this page" Windows option to search for Jones and/or Valentine on this page -- they're playing for two different squads... www.ligadelpacifico.com.m...erales.htm Jones' final option year is 2007. He needs to be in Milwaukee to stay or be exposed to waivers by 2008. I don't think we toot our own horn too often, but it is kind of cool that you can come here to learn about Jones' assignment, prior to having it be reported by the Journal or the Brewers' own site...