Jim Goulart

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...format=prn More experienced team should help Power early in season Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter Five of the Milwaukee Brewers' top 30 minor-league prospects will start their baseball seasons in Charleston with the West Virginia Power, according to a team roster released Sunday. The budding stars are Will Inman, Kevin Roberts, Angel Salome, Mat Gamel and Lorenzo Cain, according to the 2006 Baseball America Prospect Handbook, which rates all of the minor-league prospects for all of the Major League teams. "It's going to be good for the talent on the field," Power General Manager Andy Milovich said. "Another thing is, the prospects are a little older than the team we had last year. That should make a difference. "The kids who are coming up did well in the Pioneer League. The expectation is, they should be able to hit the ground running when they get here." Inman, a 6-foot, 200-pound, right-handed pitcher, is the Brewers' No. 11 prospect and their third-best at his position. Making his debut with the Power this season, he was 6-0 with a 2.00 earned run average in 13 starts with the Helena (Mont.) Brewers of the Pioneer League last year. Roberts, a 6-0, 190-pound, right-handed pitcher, is the Brewers' No. 29 prospect and their seventh-best at his position. Returning for his second stint with the Power, Roberts was 2-2 with a 4.94 ERA in nine starts here last year. He also was 1-2 with a 2.82 ERA in eight starts with Helena last year. Salome, a 5-7, 190-pound catcher, is the Brewers' No. 21 prospect and their second-best at his position. Also returning for his second stint with the Power, Salome hit .254 with four homers, seven doubles and 21 RBI in 29 games last year. He also hit .415 in 37 games with Helena, earning the league's most valuable player honors. Gamel, a 6-0, 205-pound third baseman, is the Brewers' No. 26 prospect and their third-best at his position. Also returning for his second stint with the Power, Gamel hit .174 with one homer in eight games last year. He also hit .32 with Helena last year. Cain, a 6-2, 165-pound left fielder, is the Brewers' No. 27 prospect and their third-best at his position. Also making his debut with the Power this season, Cain hit .356 with five homers and 37 RBI with the Arizona Brewers of the Arizona League last year. The Power also has four of the Brewers' top 10 2005 draft picks: Inman (third round), Gamel (fourth round), Roberts (fifth round) and center fielder Michael Brantley (seventh round). The Power plays an exhibition game against Shawnee State on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. and opens its season against Delmarva on Thursday. Both games will begin at 7:05 p.m. at Appalachian Power Park.

Monday's Charleston Gazette lists Mat Gamel as opening on the DL as part of its roster list. However, the brief accompanying article only mentions Josh Baker on the DL -- just throwing that out there as a possibility until we read more later this week.

All adjusted, thanks.

Sorry Mass, I did not want to step on your toes, but I figured you were still out at the ol' ball yard. We welcome any update any reader comes across (local newspaper story of interest, transaction news, etc.). Never an issue, thanks.

Just posted this in the Issues Forum, but it probably bears repeating here for visibility: Just wanted to say that from reading the other forums, it's pretty clear that if you wear your Brewerfan softball jersey to Miller Park, expect folks to notice and for fellow posters to even approach you. Don't think it was planned as an advertising gimmick, but brewerjamie strikes again with what will be a fun marketing tool for you guys, so keep showing up at the park wearing your jersey.

Just wanted to say that from reading the other forums, it's pretty clear that if you wear your Brewerfan softball jersey to Miller Park, expect folks to notice and for fellow posters to even approach you. Don't think it was planned as an advertising gimmick, but brewerjamie strikes again with what will be a fun marketing tool for you guys, so keep showing up at the park wearing your jersey.

Reminder -- chat room holds 25, first-come, first-serve.

Here are the names from the AAA and AA level that don't appear on a roster as of yet. Several were off-season minor league free agent acquisitions. In italics are upper-level pitchers coming off major injuries. We'll work on confirming the status of these players over the next few days. The last thing we want to do is announce a "release" that turns out is incorrect. The Brewerfan Player Index now reflects proper player level for AAA and AA, as much as we know. RHP Jerome Gamble 1B Luis Lopez RHP Josue Matos LHP Sam Narron OF Tatsuya Ozeki (was he ever really in camp?) LHP Wilfredo Rodriguez 2B / OF Jason Romano RHP Glenn Woolard LHP Clayton Andrews UT Corey D. Hart OF Colin Porter And among the missing from the A-ball level: LHP Ryan Costello C Chris Curry RHP Kenny Durost 2B / OF Will Lewis RHP Eric Thomas RHP Robert Hinton (which must be an oversight of some sort -- he wasn't traded for Matt Yeatman or Greg Sain, was he -- someone check out Twinsfan or Padrefan.net http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif ). We may also learn about releases from the rookie level as well this week. Again, while it doesn't look good for some of these guys, we simply can't indicate they've been released until we get confirmation, which we likely will by mid-week.

Nice same-time catch, bork -- glad to see I've got all you kids trained to scour these names http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

The Journal Sentinel posts a West Virginia roster that includes one change to the one we posted earlier. It appears Scott McKnight earns an infield spot over Michael Bell, who will apparently remain in extended spring.

RHP Josh Baker (4th round, 2004) opens the season on the West Virginia disabled list.

Where's closer Robert Hinton -- a late addition to Huntsville?

Thanks Plow, was just going to post that -- let's tidy it up a bit: Starters: RHP Yovani Gallardo LHP Steve Hammond RHP Mike Jones RHP Luis Pena RHP Mark Rogers RHP Josh Wahpepah Bullpen: RHP Josh Alliston RHP Bo Hall RHP David Johnson (DL) LHP Jeremy Lewis RHP Ben Stanczyk LHP Joe Thatcher Infield: 3B Ryan Braun SS Alcides Escobar 2B Hernan Iribarren 3B Josh Murray 1B Grant Richardson 2B Steve Sollmann Outfield: Carlos De La Cruz (DL) Travis Ezi Charlie Fermaint Brendan Katin Freddy Parejo Hasan Rasheed Catchers: Carlos Corporan Nestor Corredor

Saturday's AAA Game (link while active, text follows): www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1882 Sounds Drop Spring Finale, 5-3 To Fresno PHOENIX, Ariz. -- The Nashville Sounds closed our their 2006 spring campaign with a 5-3 loss to the Fresno Grizzlies (AAA-Grizzlies) on Saturday afternoon at Maryvale Baseball Park. With the defeat, the Sounds' spring record fell to 6-9. Brewers All-Star right-hander Ben Sheets made the start for the Sounds and allowed two runs on three hits in 1 1/3 innings, striking out one batter during his 27-pitch effort. Ben Hendrickson took over and allowed three runs on four hits in four innings. He walked four batters and struck out none. Allan Simpson (2.0 scoreless IP) and Mike Meyers (1.0 scoreless IP) posted zeroes on the scoreboard the rest of the way for Nashville. Tony Gwynn, Jr. led off and went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base to pace the Sounds offense. It was the club's lone multiple-hit effort of the afternoon. Dave Krynzel went 1-for-3 with a run scored and two steals. Brent Abernathy added the Sounds' second RBI and Enrique Cruz scored the other run. The Sounds engage in an intrasquad game in their final day of spring training on Sunday before breaking camp on Monday and traveling to Nashville for Tuesday evening's 6 p.m. exhibition game against the Belmont Bruins at Greer Stadium. Admission is free for all fans.

Saturday's AAA Game (link while active, text follows): www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1882 Sounds Drop Spring Finale, 5-3 To Fresno PHOENIX, Ariz. -- The Nashville Sounds closed our their 2006 spring campaign with a 5-3 loss to the Fresno Grizzlies (AAA-Grizzlies) on Saturday afternoon at Maryvale Baseball Park. With the defeat, the Sounds' spring record fell to 6-9. Brewers All-Star right-hander Ben Sheets made the start for the Sounds and allowed two runs on three hits in 1 1/3 innings, striking out one batter during his 27-pitch effort. Ben Hendrickson took over and allowed three runs on four hits in four innings. He walked four batters and struck out none. Allan Simpson (2.0 scoreless IP) and Mike Meyers (1.0 scoreless IP) posted zeroes on the scoreboard the rest of the way for Nashville. Tony Gwynn, Jr. led off and went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base to pace the Sounds offense. It was the club's lone multiple-hit effort of the afternoon. Dave Krynzel went 1-for-3 with a run scored and two steals. Brent Abernathy added the Sounds' second RBI and Enrique Cruz scored the other run. The Sounds engage in an intrasquad game in their final day of spring training on Sunday before breaking camp on Monday and traveling to Nashville for Tuesday evening's 6 p.m. exhibition game against the Belmont Bruins at Greer Stadium. Admission is free for all fans.

Just want to increase the visibility of this for Huntsville-area fans, reprinted from David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com: Carlos Villanueva is personally asking if someone in the Huntsville or Madison area will rent him out a car for the season. Since Carlos and his teammate this year, Ozzie Chavez are from another country, it's difficult for them to get a car here. Nothing fancy. It just has to get them from their apartment to the field for the summer. They'd rather not impose upon their teammates every day for a ride and they would appreciate it very much. If you want to help them out, contact Johnny Phillips at Johnnymack55@wmconnect.com (C'mon, Brewer front office, take care of Carlos, a key contributor in the making...Mass Haas) The pitifully thinning ranks of the Huntsville Stars Booster Club had their first general membership meeting last Thursday, and although the membership keeps getting smaller, three new members came to join the ranks Thursday......... For the first time in years, there will be no autographed quilt raffled off at the end of the season. The club barely broke even with the promotion last year, so this year, hoping to get more widespread appeal, an autographed item from the Milwaukee Brewers, perhaps a bat or glove, was discussed as the raffle item as a fundraiser for the Booster Club........ The Boosters every year welcome the team, feed them with at least two big functions every year, entertain them with golf and bowling tournaments, and provide them with linen, housewares, and such from a loan closet when they arrive in April......... If you don't want to join, maybe you'd like to make a donation. Just go to Johnny's message board (the link is below) and follow the link to the Booster Club......... Join up. A trip to Mississippi or Montgomery looks to be in the future this year. Very cool site to play around in if you never have: www.angelfire.com/sports/starsfan

The beginning of what is unfortunately overall, extremely lackluster media coverage of the Manatees - Link while active, text follows: www.floridatoday.com/apps...20323/1002 Manatees could boast quite a bit of talent BY MIKE PARSONS FLORIDA TODAY So the Washington Nationals have moved north for the summer, and if you are a baseball fan, you are wondering what to expect this summer in Brevard County. In fact, the Brevard County Manatees could be one of the better Florida State League teams this season. For sure, at least early in the season Brevard fans will be in for a treat. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee's top pick and No. 5 overall selection in last year's draft, could make his home in Brevard to start the season at the high Class A level. Braun, on the fast track to the majors, didn't disappoint last season in West Virginia, hitting .355 with 35 RBI in 37 games. Braun was promoted to Brevard County late last season, but a shoulder strain cut his season short. The third baseman should drive in plenty of runs this season for the Manatees, as a couple of speedsters figure to hit ahead of him. One is shortstop Alcides Escobar, who is still raw at just 19 years old but stole 30 bases and hit .271 last season with West Virginia. Escobar is also good with the glove and already has teamed with second baseman Hernan Iribarren. They should turn quite a few double plays for the Manatees this season. Iribarren is one of the Brewers' better prospects. Last season, he definitely didn't disappoint as he hit .290 at West Virginia and showed speed on the basepaths. He is a line-drive hitter who stole 30 bases in 2005. If Iribarren can keep the strikeouts down, he too will be on the fast track to the majors. As was the case last season, the Manatees will have a solid crop of starting pitchers, led by a couple of good prospects. Yovani Gallardo is a right-handed pitcher who posted a 2.75 ERA last season with low Single-A West Virginia. Gallardo is a power pitcher with some decent breaking balls. He struck out 110 hitters last season, walking just 51 in 26 games. Mark Rogers should also be in the starting rotation. He had a rough first season but has tweaked his mechanics, and the Brewers are expecting him to rebound with a solid season. He struck out 109 batters last season, but lack of control hurt him as he walked 70 in 98 innings of work. The Manatees should be an exciting team to watch this season. You can get your first look at them on Wednesday evening when they play an exhibition game against Florida Tech at Space Coast Stadium.

Mentioned in the Major League Forum, but worth noting here, are two pitchers who made the Tampa Bay Opening Day roster: RHP Ruddy Lugo was the Brewers' 3rd round pick in '99, and was traded to the Dodgers in the Devon White deal. Now in his 5th organization, he's never pitched above AA until now. He's generously listed at 6'0" here: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...lugo.shtml More notably, 31-year-old RHP Jason Childers is a Devil Ray big leaguer. He had previously spent eight seasons in the Brewers' system: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...ders.shtml Younger brother Matt Childers (eight games with Milwaukee in 2002, three with Atlanta in 2005) was re-assigned to Yankee minor league camp on the same day, clouding some of the family's joy, but certainly not all. Honestly, in positions like that, you have to push your agent to get you into the Devil Ray, Royals, Rockies, etc., organizations, at all costs, don't you? Congrats, Jason!

Mark McCarter of the Huntsville Times: Six players are listed on the Stars' disabled list, some of whom may remain in Arizona for extended spring training. They are pitchers Jesse Harper, John Novinsky, Manny Parra and Chris Saenz, catcher C.J. Medlin and outfielder Carlos Valderrama. These names have been removed from the "pending" thread a few posts above. Keep in mind you can always sort players on the Brewerfan Player Index by "injured", to see a complete list of all official DL assignments. And the team links off the home page bring you to a complete roster list as well, including a separate breakdown of DL assignments: www.brewerfan.net/ViewTea...o?teamId=3 Be sure to explore Brewerfan beyond just the forums!

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Plenty of new Stars will take field this week Huntsville opens season Thursday at Mississippi By MARK McCARTER, Huntsville Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com If nothing else, it should be good for scorecard sales at Joe W. Davis Stadium, so many new inhabitants of Stars' uniforms. A majority of the Class of '06 will be newcomers or at least players with only brief previous tenures in Huntsville, or so it seems according to what Milwaukee officials call a "tentative roster" faxed by the Brewers to the Stars on Friday. Reid Nichols, the Brewers' director of player development, did not return calls from The Times to elaborate on the Stars' roster. The Stars open their season Thursday at Mississippi, in the Jackson suburb of Pearl. The home opener is April 11 against Birmingham. The Stars will make a quick appearance in Huntsville before hitting the road. They fly east Monday, then plan a brief workout at the stadium that night, according to manager Don Money. The Stars face Alabama-Huntsville in an exhibition game Tuesday at 6:05, then another workout and media day on Wednesday. Among the "name" players headed to the Stars is catcher Lou Palmisano, a third-round draft pick and one of the organization's more highly touted prospects since being named MVP of the Pioneer League in 2003, his first pro season. He'll be backed up by Jean Boscan, acquired in the off-season from Atlanta. The starting outfield is brand new. Ronald Acuna, 25, who hit .296 for Toronto's Double-A New Hampshire club last season, will be in left field. Steve Moss will be in center field and Drew Anderson in right. Both were at Single-A Brevard County last year. Kennard Bibbs returns as Huntsville's spare outfielder. The infield will include mostly familiar names. Adam Heether, who finished the '05 season in Huntsville, will be at third, with Ozzie Chavez at shortstop. Callix Crabbe will return to second base. Greg Sain, the '04 Southern League home run champ at Mobile, will be the first baseman, with Jeff Eure in reserve. Eure can also DH and play third. Guilder Rodriguez, with the Stars part of last season, will be the utility infielder. The pitching staff, which traditionally has more last-minute changes than elsewhere on the club and might find a different name or two by Monday's flight, includes the return of Jeff Housman, who spent last season in Triple-A but was a key figure in the Stars' 2003 playoff drive. Other pitchers returning to the Stars are Khalid Ballouli, Mike Meyers, Andy Pratt, Gerrit Simpson, Carlos Villanueva and Alec Zumwalt. Newcomers include Stephen Bray, Tim Dillard, Corey Thurman, Joe Winkelsas and Matt Yeatman.

Just got my new West Virginia Batting Practice garment washed-style cap -- lovin' it. Now this group of Power prospects needs to avoid another 0-7 start and another miserable performance for the fans in the new ball park, so that West Virginia management re-ups with the Crew and the cap isn't obsolete next spring. Not sure what that blue stripe above the bill in the photo is, I don't have that... Minor league seasons start Thursday, kids... http://mlb.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pMLB2-2527764dt.jpg

Huntsville's team looks - how should I say it? - Weak. It doesn't look overpowering on paper, does it? Little doubt the Brewers went out and acquired Greg Sain just to get some needed thump from a corner position there. Dillard and Villanueva need to be really, really good (again), and hopefully the back end of the bullpen will secure what should be a lot of close low-scoring games. Funny thing though in terms of wins and losses. Most of the much-anticpated Brevard County "next wave" roster will be made up of guys who went 60-78 in West Virginia last year. If Don Money has the boys playing fundamentally sound ball, don't be surprised if this group of Stars give Huntsville fans a little show this season. Remember, Gord Ash is overseeing AAA and AA opertaions now just to allow Reid Nichols to focus on A-ball and below. But no, don't bet the house on a .600 winning percentage or anything in that stratosphere at AA.

Nashville Site Announcement: www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1881 Nashville Site Formal Roster List (Adobe PDF format): No one on the AAA DL... www.nashvillesounds.com/p...roster.pdf Nice Pronuciation Guide: Now I know it's Chris Demaria = dee-muh-REE-uh

Here are the names from the AAA and AA level that don't appear on a roster as of yet. Several were off-season minor league free agent acquisitions. In italics are upper-level pitchers coming off major injuries. We'll work on confirming the status of these players over the next few days. We will not put out a similar list on players projected below AA until we receive a Brevard County roster. The last thing we want to do is announce a "release" that turns out is incorrect. The Brewerfan Player Index now reflects proper player level for AAA and AA, as much as we know. RHP Jerome Gamble 1B Luis Lopez RHP Josue Matos LHP Sam Narron OF Tatsuya Ozeki (was he ever really in camp?) LHP Wilfredo Rodriguez 2B / OF Jason Romano RHP Glenn Woolard LHP Clayton Andrews UT Corey D. Hart OF Colin Porter

Fermaint to High A? didn't see that coming... Sure looks like it, but we should withhold speculation until we see the Manatee roster. Same goes for players we don't see on any roster -- some may be dinged up and starting with DL stints, so we won't identify official cuts and releases just yet, until confirmed.