Jim Goulart

Nolin was drafted in 2010, and although he didn't pitch that first season, it counts towards his service time. So until we hear otherwise, he'll be a minor league free agent next week, along with the other Brewer outrights thus far (Wilkins, Elmore, Cecchini). Even if Liriano had cleared, he would have been free-agent eligible as well. Unless the Brewers thought/knew he would then re-sign on a minor league deal, it was a signal that the organization thought it needed to move on and use Rymer's roster spot elsewhere.

As noted here, all four will be free agents five days after the World Series, barring a re-sign. So technically the 40-man roster is down to 37 (and with Capuano and Barrios still on the 60-day DL), the actual list is at 39.

Each of the four outrighted Brewers Friday (Sean Nolin, Jake Elmore, Andy Wilkins and Garin Cecchini) were drafted in 2010 or earlier, meaning each can declare free agency five days after the World Series (Elmore earlier). So when we strip the list above down to only those about to hit free agency, we have: UT Tom Belza 3B/1B Garin Cecchini RHP Hiram Burgos RHP Tim Dillard OF Ramon Flores C Rene Garcia RHP Brooks Hall C Michael McKenry LHP Sean Nolin OF Shane Peterson RHP Austin Ross RHP Daniel Tillman RHP Kender Villegas 1B/OF Andy Wilkins

Salt River notes: Diaz widens horizons Brewers No. 8 prospect splitting time at second and shortstop in AFL By Michael Leboff / MiLB.com

Via the Minor League Forum -- AUDIO: Jonathan Mayo podcast with Brett Phillips, a good listen

AUDIO: Jonathan Mayo podcast with Brett Phillips, a good listen

OF Rymer Liriano Claimed on Waivers by White Sox Going all the way back to when Doug Melvin took over in the fall of 2002, the Brewers have lost 24 players on waivers, with nary a regret, hopefully Rymer isn't the first. Please excuse the layout of the text below: Liriano , Rymer 2016-10-28 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Chicago (A) Ramirez , Neil 2016-06-12 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Minnesota Fields , Daniel 2015-12-07 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Los Angeles Strong , Mike 2015-12-07 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Miami Dominguez , Matt 2015-09-06 Lost on waivers Colorado Springs Toronto Jimenez , Luis 2015-05-03 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Boston Figaro , Alfredo 2014-10-02 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Texas Falu , Irving 2014-06-26 Lost on waivers Nashville San Diego Gamel , Mat 2013-10-03 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Chicago Cubs Ransom , Cody 2012-08-31 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Arizona Izturis , Cesar 2012-08-06 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Washington Conrad , Brooks 2012-06-21 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Tampa Bay Wheeler , Zelous 2012-03-29 Lost on waivers Nashville Baltimore De La Cruz , Frankie 2012-03-16 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Chicago Cubs Heether , Adam 2010-06-03 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Oakland Iribarren , Hernan 2010-03-13 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Texas Bourgeois , Jason 2009-10-26 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Houston Swindle , R.J. 2009-08-07 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Tampa Bay Pena , Luis 2009-02-15 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Seattle Dillon , Joe 2008-10-31 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Oakland Anderson , Drew 2008-01-18 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Cincinnati Aquino , Greg 2007-12-14 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Baltimore Liriano , Pedro 2004-12-07 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Philadelphia Bausher , Tim 2004-06-07 Lost on waivers Milwaukee Colorado

From Baseball America's Top 15 Indy Ball Prospects, posted recently: 4. Chad Nading, rhp, Wichita (American Association) Age: 29. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-6. Wt.: 235. In the more than 50 years of the draft, only 20 players have been drafted from Alaska high schools. In 2006, Nading became one of those 20. At stops both college (Oregon State, Nevada-Las Vegas) and minor league (Red Sox, Padres), Nading tried everything possible to find control. He toyed with different arm angles and different deliveries but nothing seemed to work. In 2015, Nading junked his submarine delivery and started taking advantage of his 6-foot-6 frame again by throwing over-the-top, but couldn’t get any team to sign him so he spent the year coaching high school and pitching in local men’s leagues. Wichita gave him a chance this year and found he was 94-97 mph and around the zone for the first time. Nading went 0-1, 1.83 in the Wingnuts bullpen with 30 strikeouts and 17 walks in 39 innings. Nading has no track record of success—this was the first time Nading posted an ERA under 8.90 in the U.S. since at least 2007. But he has a blazing fastball and for the first time threw enough strikes to make it work.

Chad Nading was born in Alaska, so that's cool right there. His only other affiliated professional experience was six games in the Arizona Rookie League with the Padres in 2010. He pitched a combined 11 games over the following two seasons in independent ball in 2011 and 2012, and doesn't appear to have pitched professionally since then, so this has the makings of a unique and interesting signing. Baseball Reference Page If anybody learns more about Chad's backstory, please post it here, thanks. Surely we'll learn more before spring training. Nading was a teammate in Wichita of former Brewer farmhand T.J. Mittelstaedt. NADING HAS CONTRACT PURCHASED BY BREWERS http://wichitawingnuts.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Chad-Nading-768x403.jpg WICHITA, Kans. (October 28, 2016) – The Wichita Wingnuts lost a member of their 2016 bullpen Friday, as right-hander Chad Nading had his contract purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers, making him the third Wingnut to have his contract picked up by a major league organization in 2016. Nading was a big part of a Wichita bullpen that posted a 3.44 ERA during the 2016 regular season, serving as a setup man for All-Star closer Frankie Reed. After signing with the Wingnuts on June 7, the righty made his debut the next day, striking out the side in a scoreless ninth inning to preserve a 9-0 shutout win over the Kansas City T-Bones. The former UNLV Rebel began his tenure with the Wingnuts with 12 straight scoreless appearances, and did not yield a run over his final 14 outings during the regular season. Overall, Nading posted a 1.83 ERA with a pair of saves in 39.1 innings across his 40 regular season appearances. Nading then pitched five times in the playoffs for Wichita, putting up a 1.92 earned run average over his five postseason outings. The 29-year old’s stint with the Brewers will be his second foray into affiliated baseball, as he pitched for the AZL Padres in 2010 after signing with San Diego as an undrafted free agent following his final season at UNLV. Nading is the 39th Wingnut to be signed by a Major League organization and the third of 2016.

23-year-old speedster OF Omar Garcia (Brevard County / Biloxi 2016) started for his squad in the opener of the Puerto Rico Winter League Thursday night (box score).

Initial post in this thread updated to show the re-signing to a minor league deal (no big league camp invite) of C/UT Fidel Pena, the 25-year-old switch-hitter coming off his first season in the Brewer system after being signed to a minor league deal last January 29th. Look for him to be a "Mr. Everything" in either Carolina or Biloxi this spring.

Thank you, @BobbyDeMuro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLeErEgJkJQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0Ge49yHSYw

TWEET: Jacob Nottingham swing

Frosty Microbrews: Diaz Turning Heads in Arizona By Kyle Lobner / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

Box Score RHP Junior Rincon wrapped up a 13-4 Dominican win -- no earned runs, but certainly not clean. Toros Top of the 9th Pitching Change: Junior Rincon replaces Carlos Contreras. Eugenio Velez singles on a soft fly ball to center fielder Melky Mesa. Ramon Santiago grounds into a double play, second baseman Eliezer Alvarez to shortstop Pedro Lopez to first baseman Nellie Rodriguez. Eugenio Velez out at 2nd. Angelys Nina reaches on a fielding error by pitcher Junior Rincon. Dan Black doubles (1) on a sharp line drive to right fielder Daniel Palka. Angelys Nina scores. Deibinson Romero reaches on a throwing error by second baseman Eliezer Alvarez. Dan Black scores. Cesar Puello walks. Deibinson Romero to 2nd. Juan Duran walks. Deibinson Romero to 3rd. Cesar Puello to 2nd. Luis Cruz grounds out, shortstop Pedro Lopez to first baseman Nellie Rodriguez. *** Also in the D.R., box score LF Rymer Liriano 1-for-2 (walk, HBP - hopefully not the face, K, two runs scored)

Toolshed Stats: Prospects getting BABIP'd Putting offensive performance into perspective using balls in play By Sam Dykstra / MiLB.com Ray's season was more worrisome as the No. 5 overall pick couldn't get it going after an especially productive final season at Louisville, where he hit .310/.388/.545 with 15 homers and 44 stolen bases. Ray's overall BABIP was hurt by a small three-game sample at Class A Wisconsin, where he went 1-for-8 on balls in play, and with a .299 BABIP in 231 at-bats at Class A Advanced Brevard County, it's more likely his 21.3 percent strikeout rate hurt his offensive performance more than anything BABIP-related. Full article at link...

Rymer Liriano 0-for-2 (two K's), walk, in his most recent game (box).

VIDEO: Lane Grindle sits down with Brewers farm director Tom Flanagan

VIDEO: Lane Grindle sits down with Brewers farm director Tom Flanagan

Saturday: Box Score LF Rymer Liriano on base three times in four trips (single, two walks); now three walks in first two games These teams do play a few "pre-season" games as well, and Liriano hit at least a couple of home runs in that brief schedule, as per the Twitterverse (thank you for translations, Twitter).

I want this T-Shirt, and I don't even know for sure what it says in tiny print across the top.

Brewers minor-leaguers move to the mound Todd Rosiak, Journal-Sentinel Posted the same link in the Ramirez / Berberet thread to keep that topic separate, so click that for the J-S, but article also includes the following notes: Comeback trail: Two highly touted pitching prospects, right-hander Taylor Williams and left-hander Nathan Kirby, are nearing the end of their journey back from Tommy John reconstructive surgery. Williams, a fourth-round pick out of Kent State in 2013, pitched in a handful of instructional league games and topped out as high as 97 mph with his fastball according to some reports. Kirby, taken 40th overall out of Virginia in 2015, is slightly behind Williams in the recovery process. He threw off a mound but didn’t face hitters. “Both are continuing to push their way back,” farm director Tom Flanagan said. “Both of them, to get to this point where they know they’re getting back to being normal members of the pitching population, I think, is good to see. ”It’s just one more box to check off. Their health is No. 1. We know their abilities and what they are; it’s just a matter of getting them healthy and then getting them on the road of moving up in the system.” Turning heads: The influx of talent in the Brewers’ minor-league system was palpable in the roughly monthlong instructionals session. Pitchers Phil Bickford, Kodi Medeiros and Cody Ponce, infielders Gilbert Lara and Lucas Erceg and outfielder Corey Ray were the biggest names to take part. And each had something different to focus on. “To a man, a lot of our staff had the observation that our talent level was up, certainly,” Flanagan said. “I think the players even sensed it, in terms of the competition between the guys. “Guys doing the math, looking around and counting who’s here and saying, ‘Wow.’ That intensity really helped.” Flanagan said infielders Jake Gatewood, Wes Wilson, Ronnie Gideon and Chad McClanahan and catcher Payton Henry all turned heads with their play. Gatewood was taken 41st overall in 2014, while the others were drafted by the Brewers in June. McClanahan and Henry were drafted out of high school.

Brewers minor-leaguers move to the mound Todd Rosiak, Journal-Sentinel Encouraging report, also other notes from instructionals we'll post in the camp thread...