Jim Goulart

Jonathan Mayo's MILB.com blog entry: minors.mlblogs.com/around...or_a_.html Had that been the end of my visit to Tempe, I would have been content. But then the last gift of the day came when I saw the team the Brewers brought to Tempe to play the Angels. Now some may have been disappointed by the lack of any Major League names, but not I. Alcides Escobar, Hernan Iribarren, Brad Nelson, Adam Heether, Angel Salome, Charlie Fermaint, Lou Palmisano, Darren Ford, Drew Anderson -- need I say more? Oh, and Brewers Minor League pitcher of the year Tim Dillard started and was followed by pitching prospects like Yovani Gallardo and Mark Rogers. The fact the Brewers were spanked, 12-1, by the Angels (with some help from Kendrick and fellow prospects Kendry Morales and Jeff Mathis) is irrelevant. It's one of the best things about Spring Training -- all these players you hear about, you read about, you write about, you talk to scouts about -- you get the chance to see in action. Watching the 19-year-old Salome pick up the lone hit against AL Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon, showing no fear, is something that barely creates a blip on the radar of Major League Baseball, but for prospect geeks like me, it was a sight to behold.

From Baseball America: This year's edition of the Prospect Handbook contained a record 902 scouting reports--we crammed 2005 first-round picks Justin Upton and Mike Pelfrey into the appendix after they signed late--but there still were plenty more where those came from. Every year, a few reports end up on the cutting-room floor. Players get bumped out of the book for a variety of reasons, such as trades or injuries. Then there's a case like the Marlins, who spent the offseason trading veterans for prospects, leading us to revise their top 30 list several times. Below are 42 players, listed alphabetically, who were in the Handbook at one point but didn't make the final cut. We like to call them "The 31st Team." Remember, these are not the next-best players left out of the Handbook. They're a somewhat random collection of talent with a wide variance in quality. Some of these players will go on to make a bigger name for themselves. Fourteen members of the 2003 and 2004 editions of The 31st Team have gone on to play in the majors, including Jody Gerut, Nate Robinson, Fernando Rodney and Ryan Shealy. Six players from 2005's 31st Team graduated to the 2006 Prospect Handbook: Drew Anderson, Dallas Braden, Nate Bumstead, Adam Donachie, Carlos Hines and Brian Stokes. Carlos Villanueva, rhp, Brewers Born: Nov. 28, 1983. B-T: B-R. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 190. Signed: Dominican Republic, 2002. Signed by: Rick Ragazzo (Giants). The Brewers flipped Wayne Franklin and Leo Estrella to the Giants in spring training 2004 in exchange for Villanueva and Glenn Woolard. While Woolard had a solid run in 2004, Villanueva emerged as the better prospect with a dominating 2005 season in the high Class A Florida State League. He led the FSL with a 2.32 ERA and the Milwaukee system with 138 strikeouts, but he didn't do it with overwhelming stuff. He'll have to maintain fine command to continue his success at higher levels. Villanueva uses his fastball well, throwing strikes with it and generally keeping it down in the strike zone. His fastball velocity varies, at times sitting at a fringe-average 88-90 mph and at other times dropping to 84-88. His curveball and slider are just so-so pitches with little to differentiate them other than velocity, but he generally commands them well. His changeup makes him a prospect. It's a plus pitch that he has a real feel for, and he'll throw it any time in the count, allowing him to pitch backwards and making his other pitches more effective. Villanueva got hit hard after a promotion to Double-A Huntsville, in part because his conditioning is mediocre and he ran out of gas. He doesn't have much margin for error, but Villanueva has a chance to be a back-of-the-rotation starter. He'll open 2006 back in Double-A. Full list: www.baseballamerica.com/t...tteam.html

Nice MLB.com feature on LHP Zach Jackson: milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com...p;c_id=mil

Box score from Brewers / Angels Thursday: mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/ne...b_anamlb_1

You can also listen to the Brewer / Angels game with the Angel broadcasters. Click on the audio link for this game via MLB.com's scoreboard page. Scroll to the bottom of the page, this game is classified as an "exhibition", and isn't included in the Cactus League section. It should be archived for later tonight as well. mlb.mlb.com/mlb/scoreboar...60302.html Lots of kids in this one, as was noted earlier. Yovani Gallardo now on the mound, Charlie Fermaint in center field, etc. It's 3-1 Angels, ready to add to their lead...

This link contains all the Thursday audio game links around MLB, including both Brewer games: mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/ml..._audio.jsp Now you'll notice that the linked page only includes today's schedule. That page gets updated around mid-morning each day. Earlier this AM, it was for the games of Wednesday March 1st, and included archives. So as of this moment, it looks as though archives will be available tonight and during the overnight, but unless someone points out otherwise, you won't be able to listen to the previous day once they update this schedule page. Also, I think MLB has it backwards as the Milwaukee broadcasters are supposedly doing the Giants game in Maryvale -- it'll be interesting to find out if an Angels crew does the other game...

Adam McCalvy, MLB.com: Ned Yost said that Charlie Greene, the Brewers' roving Minor League catching instructor, is expected to manage the Brewers rookie Arizona League affiliate this season. Greene is in camp working with the Brewers' young catchers. I'd rather see Greene roving between Arizona, Helena, West Virginia, Brevard, and Huntsville...

Link while active, text follows (image from Nashville site): www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=48202 http://www.nashvillesounds.com/images/news/newstadium.jpg Sounds set 2008 opening for downtown baseball By Bill Harless, bharless@nashvillecitypaper.com The Nashville Sounds announced Wednesday the $43 million ballpark the team will soon start building downtown along the Cumberland River will be completed in 2008 rather than in 2007, as originally anticipated. The announcement is not a surprise, however, given that talk around town has been that the project will take more than a year and a half to finish and that not even a topographical survey of the ballpark land, currently under way, has been finished. Groundbreaking is slated for early 2007, with the team confident it can open the 2008 season in the 12,500-seat facility, Sounds General Manager Glenn Yaeger said. Meanwhile, the Sounds have selected two local construction management firms for the project: Turner Universal Construction, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Turner Construction, and the Don Hardin Group, a minority-owned firm. A factor in the delay involves the Sounds decision to have the Nashville Civic Design Center ? the nonprofit entity that wrote The Plan of Nashville ? hold a series of public meetings on the design of both the ballpark and the retail-residential development that will surround it, Yaeger said Wednesday. ?In order to get on a fast-track construction timeline, we would have to be nearing completion of the design phase ? and that would eliminate any public participation,? Yaeger said. Further, a bolstered effort by the Sounds to increase participation by minority-owned businesses in the project and ?the inability to begin the design process until we had Council approval? have contributed to the delay of the start date, Yaeger said. The new timeframe puts the construction schedule in line with those of similar ballparks. For example, the 14,320-seat AutoZone Park in Memphis, which opened in 2000, took 15 months to build; the 13,131-seat Slugger Field in Louisville, Ky., which opened in 2000, required 16 months; and the 12,215-seat Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, N.M., which opened in 2003, took approximately 16 months. Meanwhile, no decision has been made as to where, exactly, the stadium will sit on the ballpark property, located just south of the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge, according to Michael Hayes, who is coordinating the development of the retail-residential ?neighborhood? that will surround the ballpark and stretch into surrounding streets. This will have to wait, Hayes said, until a boundary survey (to determine exactly how big the parcel is) and a topographical survey of the property have been completed. Hayes is development director for Baltimore builder Struever Bros., Eccles & Rouse, which is developing the mixed-use project. Corey Napier, senior vice president at First Tennessee, the bank that is leading a coalition of 12 lending institutions loaning $23 million to the Sounds for ballpark construction, said the stadium delay won?t affect the project?s funding. ?The ballpark financing is not slated to close until after this year, and so, until that point, the Sounds will continue operating just as they have, and the financing won?t take place until closer to the groundbreaking,? Napier said. The contracts between the Sounds and the Don Hardin Group (which has provided services for Vanderbilt University) and with Turner Universal (which provided construction management services for the Gaylord Entertainment Center and was construction manager for the Nashville Super Speedway) still must be finalized and will require Metro approval.

That last post really needs to be copied to the Major League Forum, Brian.

Lots of notes involving probable minor leaguers in Adam McCalvy's latest at MLB.com: milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com...p;c_id=mil

Buckybackers heads up -- Jacobsen signs with the White Sox organization: seattletimes.nwsource.com...tes25.html www.buckybackers.com/

Jason Romano must hold the record for the fewest combined big league at-bat's with five teams (191 AB's with Texas, Colorado, the Dodgers, Tampa Bay, and Cincinnati).

LHP / OF Mark Hamilton, who saw action both on the mound and in the outfield with High Desert in 2004, has signed to play independent ball with Nashua (NH) of the Can-Am League. He didn't play professionally in 2005. And yes, we can get pretty obscure with these alumni references, but the diehards will recognize the names...

First a link to the now-retired Off-Season Transacton Thread: p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...mp;stop=40 Official Brewer Press Release: milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com...p;c_id=mil The Milwaukee Brewers have signed Minor League free agent 2B / CF Jason Romano, who will report to Minor League camp, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Melvin. In addition, infielder Brian Dallimore announced his retirement. Romano, 26, played in 19 games last season with Cincinnati where he hit .267 with one home run and three RBI. He also appeared in 56 games for Triple A Louisville (Reds organization) and one game with Triple A Albuquerque (Marlins). Romano made his Major League debut in 2002 with Texas and has since played with Colorado, Los Angeles, Tampa Bay and Cincinnati. Dallimore, 32, signed a Minor League contract with the Brewers on November 23, 2005 and was set to join the team at Spring Training before his retirement announcement. Dallimore made his Major League debut in 2004 with San Francisco. He spent most of last season at Triple A Fresno (.302 average) but also played in seven games for San Francisco. Dallimore was originally drafted by Houston in the ninth round of the 1996 June First Year Player Draft. Jason Romano Career Statistics: Doug Melvin's First-Round Pick in 1997... www.thebaseballcube.com/p...mano.shtml Brian Dallimore Final Career Statistics: Dallimore another Brewer "alum" in name only, not in statistics... www.thebaseballcube.com/p...more.shtml

Quick note on John Vanden Berg -- he got a big-league camp non-roster invite (always need catchers in camp, as we know): www.cstv.com/sports/m-bas...06aby.html

With this thread, we begin our yearly series of "Your 2006" team threads where feature stories not associated with game recaps are placed. Look for other threads to open soon as the season nears. And welcome back, Maurice Patton, who did a nice job covering Sounds home games last season. Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Helping Sounds stay competitive in Brewers' plans Parent club eager for better stadium By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Make no mistake, the primary objective of minor-league baseball is to develop talent for major-league teams. Winning, though, is a part of that development. So the Milwaukee Brewers' collective feelings were hardly hurt when their Class AAA affiliate, the Nashville Sounds, won the Pacific Coast League championship last summer. "You want to develop a winning attitude with your young kids," Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin said on a recent teleconference, as his team gets set to open spring training this week in Phoenix. "You want to get them to prepare themselves for meaningful games in September." The Sounds certainly played some pivotal contests down the stretch. They clinched the PCL American South division title on the next-to-last day of the regular season and then won back-to-back games in the opening-round, best-of-fve series after trailing Oklahoma two games to one. Nashville then swept three games from Tacoma in the championship series ? winning the final game on the road. "It was a real credit to (Sounds Manager) Frank Kremblas and the coaching staff that they went on and won without some of their regular players," Melvin said. "We took half their team." Over the course of the regular season, up-and-coming prospects such as pitcher Jose Capellan, first baseman Prince Fielder, second baseman Rickie Weeks and outfielder/first baseman Corey Hart all left Nashville for Milwaukee, as did pitchers Kane Davis, Rick Helling and Justin Lehr. In all, 12 one-time Sounds played for the Brewers last year. "At the lower levels (of the minors), there's more instruction and development going on," Melvin said. "At Double-A and Triple-A, you start performing more. It's important to play meaningful games. Performance does come into play more in Nashville, and at Double-A as well." Between the PCL crown and the recent stadium developments that should have the Sounds in a new facility within the next two or three years, the Brewers front office is excited about the second year of what's expected to be a long relationship with Nashville. "That's certainly a very positive move," Milwaukee Assistant GM Gord Ash said. "We enjoyed everything about Nashville last year, being in the PCL, everything ? with the exception of the stadium. It's not what we were accustomed to when we were in Indianapolis, or in Louisville before that. "Everything else is first-rate, and the new stadium, with the location it's going to be in, should make it the pre-eminent team and franchise in minor-league baseball." The team will return to Greer Stadium for a 29th year this spring, and Ash and Melvin hope to put another viable group on the field. While losing veteran infielders Steve Scarborough and Tony Zuniga, the Brewers signed infielders Brian Dallimore and Brent Abernathy as well as catcher Mark Johnson, who will team with returning catcher Mike Rivera. Brad Nelson, who played some outfield with the Sounds last year, will likely see some time at first base, and Luis Lopez has been signed after playing last season in Japan. Dave Krynzel and Nelson Cruz, both of whom played outfield here last year, are in line for a possible return, while Anthony Gwynn, Jr. will likely come up from Double-A Huntsville. Veterans Colin Porter and Jermaine Clark have also been signed to minor-league contracts. Pitchers Jared Fernandez, Wilfredo Rodriguez and Wilton Chavez have also been brought in and will compete for roster spots with the Brewers but could wind up in Nashville as well. "We've signed some guys that can give us some experience and depth at the Triple-A level if they don't make the big club," Ash said. "We understand when you've won once, you want to win again. We want to try to continue to put a competitive club in there."

Fill out a ticket here if need be, Stevo: helpdesk.ezboard.com/inde...p=payments

Normally when the Brewers release one of their very young Latin products after a season or two in the Arizona Rookie League, the player is never heard from again. So give credit to now 22-year-old RHP Victor Arias, who just signed with Worcester (Mass.) of the independent Can-Am League. I remember being surprised Arias was let go after his 2004 Arizona campaign - stats: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...rias.shtml You'll notice in this story that the same indy team inked RHP Fernando Rijo (Huntsville '04), the PTBNL when the Brewers traded INF Alejandro Machado to the Nationals. www.telegram.com/apps/pbc...009/SPORTS

Doug Melvin had hinted at this a while back -- here's hoping Jeff gets himself healthy and employed soon: Because of a pre-existing medical condition, the Braves voided the Minor League contract that had been signed by RHP Jeff Bennett.

Copied to major league forum for increased audience, closed here...

Not a stupid question -- because of supplemental compensation picks awarded to teams who lost free agents, the Brewers 2nd and 3rd round picks get shifted down.

Have to admit that we haven't posted every alumni transaction we've seen this off-season, particularly when it comes to independent league ball. We will hope to include an independent league section of the alumni thread for you this summer, though, when those seasons kick into high gear. When the newly-begun Alumni thread comes out some time in late April, and this thread is retired, we hope to make it more all-encompassing than ever before. 27-year-old Elio Ayala, last seen as Brewer property in High Desert in 2002, is stll plugging away in the independent ranks: Nashua Pride (Can-Am League) team officials announced today that Elliott Ayala has been signed for this upcoming season. The Bronx resident is headed into his ninth year of professional baseball. Ayala was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 23rd round of the 1998 draft and spent five years with the Major League organization. The right-handed infielder / outfielder has also played for the Pennsylvania Road Warriors of the Atlantic League and the Grays of the Can-Am League. The former Brewer put up solid numbers last year in the Frontier League with the Mid-Missouri Mavericks when he hit for a .342 average and a .433 on base percentage in 40 games. Ayala reacts to signing with the Pride, ?I am real excited about joining the Pride?s organization. It is going to be great to play for an experienced manager like Butch Hobson. I have been keeping in shape in the off season and can?t wait to start playing again, especially in a competitive place like the Can-Am League.? Elio Ayala's Career Statistics: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...yala.shtml Soon-to-be 23-year-old 1B Carlos Gallardo, who played with the Arizona Brewers in 2004 and Helena in 2005, has signed with Coastal Bend (Corpus Christi, TX) of the American Association. Carlos Gallardo Career Statistics: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...ardo.shtml

A unique update on 6'7" LHP Nate Teut, who pitched for AAA Indianapolis in 2003 (Teut pitched in two games for the Florida Marlins in 2002 -- amazing how many players see that one quick call-up and that's it): From broadcast discussion site callofthegame.com: The Iowa Cubs have selected former player Nate Teut to fill our #2 broadcast position. Nate pitched for the Iowa Cubs in 2001, 2003 and 2005 ? and pitched briefly with the Florida Marlins in 2002. He is an Iowa native, pitched at Iowa State University, and has worked for the Iowa Cubs in sales during the off-season since 2001. He will join the Iowa Cubs? full-time staff in sales and broadcasting. We first posted this opening on this site and at the Winter Meetings in early December. In mid-December, Nate expressed an interest in the broadcast position should he decide to end his professional playing career. That, obviously, changed our selection process. His time here ? in sales (every thread on this board always comes back to sales, not that there?s anything wrong with that) and in other departments ? made him the front-runner. The fact that owner Michael Gartner and President/GM Sam Bernabe like Nate as a person and a staffer didn?t hurt either. The final decision to hire Nate full-time was made this morning. We took our search seriously ? broadcaster Deene Ehlis listened to every CD, and we took the time to visit with candidates in Dallas, in Des Moines, on the phone and by e-mail. (We had 60-some applicants, and we had our top candidates selected should Nate not be the guy.) As you know, there are a ton of great broadcasters out there, and we thank everyone for their interest and patience in this process. And, to be honest, Nate isn?t the best broadcaster who applied. He has sat in with Deene on broadcasts on occasion in the past, and will be learning the ropes this season. But his time spent here in the offseason made him a familiar and comfortable choice for our owner, our GM and our broadcaster.

The latest transactions from Baseball America list several former Brewer players and/or farmhands, most mentioned in this thread already. Among the new names: OF Cristian Guerrero re-signs a minor league deal with the Nationals. Guerrero will be 26 in April. Guerrero Career Stats: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...rero.shtml OF Jeff Deardorff and C Jeff Winchester signed with the Cubs. Deardorff Career Stats: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...orff.shtml BA's monthly list: All the Brewer moves reported here previously... www.baseballamerica.com/t...trans.html

Only fitting that Jim Rushford and Pete Zoccolillo are back-to-back in our Alumni thread: Rotoworld on Zocco's New Home: Rockies signed outfielder Peter Zoccolillo to a minor league contact. In his only major league action, Zoccolillo hit .108 in 20 games for the Brewers in 2003. The 29-year-old is coming off a season in which he hit .261/.333/.423 in 222 AB for Triple-A Memphis. He'll just be competing for a spot on the roster at Triple-A Colorado Springs.