Jim Goulart

As also archived in our 2016 Shuckers thread -- Woodruff getting adjusted to Double-A By Logan Lowery, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal You'll read about one of the coolest, classiest ways to find out you're getting promoted to the next level...

Woodruff getting adjusted to Double-A By Logan Lowery, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal BILOXI – On May 14, Brandon Woodruff stood on the mound in Dunedin, Florida, having struck out 10 batters through 6 1/3 innings. It was one of a string of strong starts the former Wheeler and Mississippi State standout pitcher had enjoyed this season for the Brevard County Manatees, a Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Woodruff had only thrown 81 pitches and just recorded an out when he saw manager Joe Aryault spring out of the dugout in his direction. However, this wouldn’t just a normal mound visit. “He told me he wanted to take the ball from me one last time before I get moved up,” Woodruff said. “He let me know out there on the mound and it took me by surprise. Of course, he’d let everybody know in the dugout, so when I got in there everybody congratulated me.” And just like that Woodruff was bound for Biloxi, where the Brewers had just established their Double-A franchise last year. It was a moment the 6-foot-4, 215-pound right-hander had been waiting on to move one step closer to the big leagues and also return to his native state. “It was good news to hear I was coming to Biloxi because you know your family and friends and also all the State fans that come out,” Woodruff said. “I’ve had a lot of support from all the Bulldog fans that are down here on the coast, and that’s been great. My wife also gets to see me a lot more often.” Woodruff and his girlfriend since the 10th grade, Jonie, tied the knot last November and reside in Booneville. She works as a nurse at Northeast Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo and travels to watch her husband pitch during her days off. And pitch he has. Woodruff has seen his numbers improve in each of his three years as a professional and is currently experiencing his best season to date. He was named a Mid-Season All-Star in the Florida State League going 4-1 with a 1.83 earned run average, 49 strikeouts and only 10 walks during his eight starts. Since joining the Shuckers, the former 11th round pick is 2-4 during his seven starts with a 4.73 ERA, 29 strikeouts and 15 walks. His best outing came against the Mississippi Braves on May 31, logging seven innings and only giving up one run on two hits to earn his first Double-A victory. “The guys here (in Double-A) have a better approach and a better strike zone awareness,” Woodruff said. “If they see a pitch coming out of your hand that’s not going to track or doesn’t look like a strike, they’re not going to budge. You’ve really got to control the strike zone and get them to swing the bat. Once you do that, you can make your pitches and be fine. But if you’re not around the plate, it’s going to be a tough night.” Another aspect Woodruff has had to adapt to is batting again. Once a two-way player during his freshman year in college, the left-handed hitting Woodruff has to bat for himself against National League opponents. He is currently 2-for-7 with an RBI. “Not many people know my background but it’s different getting in the box and hitting and running the bases,” Woodruff said. “I hadn’t picked up a bat since my freshman year at State but it’s been fun stepping back in the box.” Woodruff has proudly watched four of his former teammates from the 2013 College World Series team at MSU reach the Major Leagues over the last two years. He hopes to soon join them in The Show and has been encouraged by his progression through the Brewers farm system and his talks with the organization. “They’re happy and I’ve gotten some good feedback,” Woodruff said. “It’s just a matter of working hard every day and being consistent. I know what my abilities are and it’s just a matter of tightening everything up and progressing to the next level.”

AUDIO: The Sky Sox have posted Part Two

More from Saturday's Sky Sox game via @BrewerProspect -- Orlando Arcia Andy Wilkins - Be sure to listen!

Saturday's game -- We just need to see a bit more of this free and easy power swing, because the rest of the resume is pretty strong.

VIDEO via WLOX: More video from Biloxi, nice collection here

As for this thread's original title: Let's Try Again, Will All Seven Teams Play? The answer was yes (Helena twice).

Sunday's Farmhand Birthdays -- This is the 6th year in a row we have sent shared birthday greetings to RHP's Brooks Hall and Drew Gagnon, as each turns 26 today. Biloxi's Hall received a solo greeting in 2010, this is his 7th season with the organization. So to Brooks, and Drew in Texas with the Sky Sox, enjoy your day!

Timber Rattlers DVR Alerts MON, June 27, vs. Clinton LumberKings, 7:00 PM, MyNew32 TV WED, June 29, vs. Clinton LumberKings, 7:00 PM, MyNew32 TV THU, June 30, vs. Clinton LumberKings, 7:00 PM, TWC SportsChannel

Look for these just prior to the respective game times -- Colorado Springs Media Notes - Linked on the Sky Sox official blog Biloxi Media Notes - Linked on the Shuck Dynasty blog Wisconsin Media Notes - Linked on the Rattler Radio blog *** STANDINGS: AAA - Pacific Coast League American Northern Division AA - Southern League South Division High-A - Florida State League North Division A - Midwest League Western Division Pioneer League North Division Arizona League Central Division Dominican Summer League San Pedro Division *** Sortable individual stat pages: Colorado Springs Biloxi Brevard County Wisconsin Helena Maryvale DSL Brewers *** Weather.com: Round Rock, TX Biloxi, MS Tampa, FL Grand Chute, WI Great Falls, MT Maryvale, AZ

Follow Sunday's action as it happens with box score / game log links: Colorado Springs Biloxi Brevard County Wisconsin Helena Maryvale MiLB.com feature -- organizational scoreboard, Brewers

Sunday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Colorado Springs: RHP Wily Peralta at Round Rock (Rangers), 6:30 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link Dan Karcher, the longtime play-by-play voice of the Sky Sox is on Twitter @SkySoxKarch; joining him this season is Dan Acheson (@Dan_Acheson) MiLB.TV -- for subscribers; all Colorado Springs games, home and away, will be available to watch via MiLB.TV's $49.99 season-long package ($12.99 to pay for a single month). The audio feed is from the home team. The video of each game is archived online, which is a nice feature. All MiLB.TV details available at the link. NOTE: Notice that on MiLB.TV's page, you can click on "Filter", then "Milwaukee Brewers", and you'll see just the Crew's organizational TV lineup. ********** Biloxi: RHP Jorge Ortega at home vs. Montgomery (Rays), 4:50 PM pre-game, 5:10 gametime Free Live Audio Link Chris Harris is the play-by-play voice of the Shuckers. Follow Chris on Twitter @CHarris731. We'll be linking to his fantastic "Shuck Dynasty" blog. Thaddeus Krzus (@Shucks1stIntern) joins Chris often. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be radio broadcast. MiLB.TV - Eight of the ten Southern League teams telecast their home games, and Biloxi is among them. ********** Brevard County: RHP Eric Hanhold at Tampa (Yankees), 4:00 PM gametime Free Live Audio Link (Tampa feed) Unfortunately, the Manatees have dropped their broadcast coverage for 2016. No Florida State League games are available via MiLB.TV. Ten of the 12 Florida State League teams provide audio (some only for home games), we'll do our best to let you know when an opponent's audio is going to be available. ********** Wisconsin: RHP Devin Williams at home vs. Quad Cities (Astros), 12:45 PM pre-game, 1:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link Chris Mehring is back to do his customary fantastic work as the Voice of the Rattlers. Follow him on Twitter @CMehring; we'll link to Chris' infamous blog often -- Rattler Radio. MiLB.TV - Eight of the 16 Midwest League teams telecast their home games, and Wisconsin, once again, is among them. We'll let you know when a road TV feed is available. NOTE: Thirty-nine (!) of the Rattlers' 70 home games will be broadcast on local TV this season. Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (10) and WACY-TV My NEW32 (29) will split duties. We'll let you know when and who, and remember to refer to the Rattlers' full TV schedule (scroll to bottom of link) so you can coordinate your DVR activity. ********** Helena: RHP Thomas Jankins at Great Falls (White Sox), 1:45 PM pre-game, 2:00 gametime Free Live Audio Link We welcome and look forward to hearing first-year Voice of the H-Crew Craig Durham ([b@CraigMDurham[/b] on Twitter). ********** Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): at home vs. the mini-Rangers, 9:00 PM gametime; never audio for games in this league ********** DSL Brewers: Idle We'll link to this Dominican Summer League Brewers' thread as part of the Daily Menu all season to assist you with your familiarity with these young men.

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

Wisconsin's all yours, my friend, thanks as always! Pass along any Rattlers updates you caught between naps.

Final: Biloxi 5, Montgomery 1 Wang strikes out career-high nine in 5-1 win Shuckers pick up first win of the second-half on Saturday http://www.milb.com/assets/images/7/6/8/186259768/cuts/Wang_625_o7gvnnju_nutpa6b2.JPG Wei-Chung Wang struck out a career-high nine batters over 6.2 innings on Saturday night. (Michael Krebs photo) Always a strong recap from Shuckers' staff, read at the link above before moving on the MiLB.com feature article that Wei-Chung Wang earned below... *** Long rest helps Wang fan career-high nine Brewers lefty allows two hits, two walks over 6 2/3 scoreless innings By Michael Peng / MiLB.com A little time off was all Wei-Chung Wang needed to get back on track. "With the [southern League] All-Star break this week, I had three extra days off to adjust my rhythm and mindset to prepare for this start," he said. As a result, the Brewers left-hander recorded a career-high nine strikeouts over 6 2/3 scoreless innings Saturday a Double-A Biloxi shut down Montgomery, 5-1, at MGM Park. Wang yielded two hits and two walks. "I just felt less stressed today and had a pretty good mindset," he said. The 24-year-old fanned the first two batters of the game before allowing a double to Rays No. 3 prospect Willy Adames. Then he retired the next 11 Biscuits. "My fastball, slider, curveball and changeup all felt pretty good today," he said. "In some situations, I was really able to rely on the slider." A walk to Rays No. 8 prospect Casey Gillaspie in the fifth snapped Wang's streak, but he got Kean Wong to bounce into a double play to protect a 1-0 lead. The Shuckers added three runs in the bottom of the frame, but the Taiwan native's command began to slip in the sixth. Wang (3-3) allowed a single and a walk to begin the inning but struck out Braxton Lee and Mike Marjama, then retired Adames on his fifth groundout of the night. He recorded the first two outs in the seventh and exited after throwing 101 pitches in his second scoreless outing of the season. In his first start of the month, Wang surrendered eight runs on 10 hits and two walks over five innings against the same Montgomery team. But a bounce-back outing on June 14 against Birmingham and an 11-day layoff gave him the time he needed to find his form again. "I just pitched with all my effort today and I felt my focus was much better than my previous starts," he said. Tyler Spurlin worked the final 2 1/3 frames, allowing a run on two hits and a walk, to secure Wang's first win in nine starts. "I personally don't really care about the pitching records as long as the details of the outing are positive," Wang said. Brewers No. 2 prospect Brett Phillips provided the big blow for the Shuckers with a two-run double in the fifth. Johnny Davis collected three hits, while No. 12 prospect Tyrone Taylor and Angel Ortega tallied two apiece. *** Pretty funny, normally I don't post pictures from the game summaries if I know they are from previous games (such as road contests). So, unless there was a mid-game jersey change, the photo above is "previous" . What's cool about this video is that the K came in a big spot, and we get to see the full at-bat. Gorgeous defensive work by Jacob Nottingham here, too, Jonathan Lucroy would be proud. Mix in a nice ballboy snag, too... *** Biloxi Box Score Tyrone Taylor has bounced back from a hideous .472 OPS in May to post a more reasonable .720 mark in June, two knocks here, including a double... Biloxi Game Log

Come on, do we really think that Brevard ownership is going to re-up with the Brewers? One man's (me!) thoughts...

2016 is the Brewers 12th year associated with Brevard County. Franchise history, W/L records In those 12 years, the Manatees have posted just three winning records, and have qualified for the playoffs only twice (this, in a split-season league), so 24 opportunities to qualify over those seasons. Brevard hasn't made a postseason appearance since 2009. Included in that Brewer affiliation history are recent marks of 55-80 last season and 23-48 thus far in 2016, which includes losses in their most recent eight games. The Brewers can tell media that they anticipate a renewal with Brevard's ownership team. But we've seen this ship sail before, haven't we? Milwaukee certainly thought the Sounds' management would remain faithful, but in the end, the Brewers failure to place competitive teams in Nashville, particularly in their most recent seasons, proved the reason the Sounds made a change. If the Manatees were going to renew with an obviously willing partner, why wouldn't they have already? There are going to be several organizations very interested in Kissimmee, most of them anxious clubs looking to escape the California League. Darn right the Manatees are going to wait to hear from those clubs once talks can begin at the end of this season, although backroom whispers are most certainly happening now. Heck, even the Astros, very familiar with the Kissimmee facility, are going to want out (and fast) of the Lancaster nightmare in California. So the Brewers can say all is good with their 12-year partner, but 12 years can translate to "stale" as well, right? Milwaukee can send all the big league rehabbers to High-A, and coordinate work in the community, etc., but in the end, we should prepare for late night and very crooked-number box scores coming out of some forsaken California League jetstream next spring. And if the Manatees do re-up with the Crew, I'll applaud heartily, but will also be absolutely shocked. Et tu, Nashville? Oh, after a tough first year with the Athletics, there you are, leading your division in 2016. Yes, it's all about player development, but even the locals (and especially their owners) like W's.

Final: Clearwater 5, Brevard County 4 So much for wiping the slate clean, Manatees now 0-3 in the second half, 23-48 overall. PHOTO GALLERY - Includes a time lapse of sorts on a fine George Iskenderian shallow outfield catch Manatees ninth inning rally falls short against Clearwater Donald Rieber Jr., Manatees Examiner As always for home games, Don gets quotes from Manager Joe Ayrault, sometimes you can just "hear" how much this very trying season is wearing on Ayrault. *** There are additional quotes from the manager within this game summaryprovided by club management. By the way, photographer Tim Holle does a nice job on all his shots for the 'Tees, utilized by both sites. *** Brevard County Box Score RHP Bubba Derby has a 1.49 WHIP, that needs to be dropped before real progress is made. Dustin Demuth singled three times; RF Clint Coulter doubled, singled, and was HBP; CF Malik Collymore and SS Jose Cuas each reached twice, but this season must be wearing on all involved with the club. Brevard County Game Log It'll be an interesting arrival for Corey Ray, no doubt, Manatees are 9-25 at Space Coast Stadium this season...

As also archived in our 2016 Timber Rattlers thread -- Griep emerges as closer for Timber Rattlers Tim Froberg, Appleton Post-Crescent He’s a Rattler who doesn’t rattle. Nicely stated, Tim, how long have you been waiting to use that one?

LINK includes video interview -- Griep emerges as closer for Timber Rattlers Tim Froberg, Appleton Post-Crescent GRAND CHUTE - Stephen Colbert has “The Late Show,” but Nate Griep also does quality work at odd hours. Griep has a late show of his own at Fox Cities Stadium, and lets his powerful right arm do the talking. The 22-year-old Griep has settled into the closer’s role with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and has emerged as one of the best relief pitchers in the Midwest League. Griep entered weekend play with terrific numbers: a team-high 11 saves in 12 opportunities, a team-low 1.27 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 28 ⅓ innings. Opponents are hitting just .189 off Griep and he has a WHIP of 0.88. “He’s developed into a real reliable, real consistent late-inning guy,” said Wisconsin pitching coach Gary Lucas. “He has a lot of poise and composure in tight situations. He challenges hitters and he’s not afraid of contact.” Griep throws a low-to-mid-90s fastball along with a curve and change-up. He also has a hesitation to his delivery that seems to throw off hitters. Pitchers, though, need more than just good stuff to mow down hitters. Griep’s mental make-up is what impresses Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson. He’s a Rattler who doesn’t rattle. “He’s a good competitor,” said Erickson. “He’s a guy you want on the mound in the late innings because he competes. His mound presence, composure and athleticism around the mound are really good and he controls the running game really well. He’s got some deception to his delivery. I wouldn’t say he has a ton of velo (velocity), but he’s got movement to his fastball. As he learns to cut and sink the ball, I think he’ll just continue to get better.” The bullpen is a different environment for Griep and being a closer is a new role for him. He was primarily a starting pitcher in high school and at Kansas State University, making 23 starts in 28 appearances with the Wildcats. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Griep was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the eighth round of the 2015 draft after going 6-3 his sophomore season at Kansas State with a 2.63 ERA. He was a second-team all-Big 12 Conference selection and held opponents to a .218 batting average, the lowest by a Wildcats starting pitcher since 2000. The transition from starting pitcher to baseball’s high wire act as a closer has been an adjustment, but it’s clearly improved Griep’s value as a prospect. Griep made five starts in 14 games in rookie league ball last season at Helena, where he struggled going 0-2 with an 8.02 ERA. “I like where I’m at right now,” said Griep. “I’m excited about it and where it’s going. I like coming in and trying to pump strikes and work my way through counts. Coming in at the end you have to have the mindset of, ‘Nobody is hitting me.’ ” Nobody hit Griep at Millard West High School in Omaha, where he finished second in school history in appearances (36), wins (23), strikeouts (225), ERA (1.71) and complete games (11). He was the 2012 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year and was a Louisville Slugger High School All-American as a pitcher and outfielder. “In high school and college, I was always a starter and I loved it,” Griep said. “I absolutely loved going deep into games and trying to preserve the bullpen. Now, being a closer, you just want to get in the game instead of just sitting there. When they call your name, you have to get hot real quick and do your best to close out a game. “The biggest thing is just working your way through situations and dealing with adversity because you don’t have as much time to acclimate yourself to the game as you would as a starter. It’s been fun.” What wasn’t fun for Griep was having Tommy John surgery following his senior year of high school to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament. He redshirted his true freshman season at Kansas State to give himself plenty of healing time, and says his arm feels stronger than ever. “It’s definitely a tough thing to go through,” said Griep. “When I found out, I was just crushed. It’s a long process. It was about 18 months before I got fully back. “You’ve got to grind through it. Some days are awful. You wake up and you’re really sore. But if you have a good training staff like I did at K-State, they work you through it. And you need good support, which I had. It definitely molds you into the person you are today. They always says that you come back stronger and it’s because you’re basically taking a year off with throwing and putting all your time into rehab.” When he’s not shutting down ninth-inning rallies, Griep is an automobile aficionado who enjoys all things cars. “I love cars, love trucks,” Griep said. “I’ve been a student of the car world for a while now. I don’t know what it was, but something sparked it. I’m not a fixer-up type guy. I kind of like to soup them up more than anything. “I’ve got a 2015 F-150 (truck). She’s sitting at home in my parent’s driveway. My parents take it out for ride every now and then and send me pictures of it. I miss it. She’s done me well.”

Tempers Saturday night -- Wisconsin Bottom of the 4th Sthervin Matos called out on strikes. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers third baseman Sthervin Matos ejected by HP umpire Jesse Gonzalez.

From Saturday's Link Report -- That was the end of Bubba Derby’s night for the Manatees, as he gave way to Junior Rincon after 4.1 innings pitched and seven hits, five coming in that fifth inning. Derby allowed three earned runs, struck out five and walked one. He threw 93 pitches, 63 strikes. Rincon did a great job to kill the rally, as he struck out Green and Kyle Martin, to get out of the bases loaded jam. “He did a great job and he earned a promotion to Double-A too,” said Manager Joe Ayrault of Rincon. “He’s flying out tomorrow. He’s been doing a great job for us and we’ll definitely miss him. I’m real happy for him.” *** Rincon (career stats at the link above), a 24-year-old Dominican native with a big arm, was released by the Marlins in January 2014 and signed by the Crew that June. He would spend the next two summers in Helena, where he often served as closer, and quite often, not successfully, but obviously the Brewers saw something. The organization bumped Rincon past Wisconsin this year, and now he's on his way to Biloxi before July. No word quite yet on a corresponding move for the Shuckers.

We'll note this in the Transaction Thread with a bit more detail, but you'll see this in the Manatee update later this AM -- That was the end of Bubba Derby’s night, as he gave way to Junior Rincon after 4.1 innings pitched and seven hits, five coming in that fifth inning. Derby allowed three earned runs, struck out five and walked one. He threw 93 pitches, 63 strikes. Rincon did a great job to kill the rally, as he struck out Green and Kyle Martin, to get out of the bases loaded jam. “He did a great job and he earned a promotion to Double-A too,” said Manager Joe Ayrault of Rincon. “He’s flying out tomorrow. He’s been doing a great job for us and we’ll definitely miss him. I’m real happy for him.”

From Friday's game --

Final, Game Two: Great Falls 11, Helena 4 H-Crew now 6-3 on the season... Game Summary via the Helena site -- As in the first game of the doubleheader, Helena set the tone early, grabbing a 2-0 in the top of the second on back-to-back one-out singles. That was where the similarities would end, however, as Great Falls came roaring to life in the bottom of the inning. Scott Serigstad (0-1) walked the leadoff man to start the second, and after striking out Nate Nolan in the next at-bat things got ugly. The next four Voyagers recorded hits to chase Serigstad from the game, turning the 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead. Santos Saldivar replaced Serigstad, striking out Jameson Fisher for the second out of the inning, but a two-out Brady Conlan double plated two more, putting the Voyagers ahead 5-2. They would add another and take a 6-2 lead into the third. Helena responded with two in the top of the third - including Juan Ortiz's first home run of the year - but 6-4 would as close as the Brewers would get as the Voyagers went on to score the game's last five runs. Ryan Hinchley (1-0) earned the victory, as he was the first of three Great Falls relievers to keep the Brewers off the scoreboard. The fourth and final game of the series in Great Falls will be the last head-to-head matchup between these two teams in the first half. Helena currently leads the season series four games to three. Thomas Jankins will be on the mound for the Brewers opposite Fernando Gallegos for the Voyagers. First pitch at Centene Stadium is scheduled for 1:00PM. Helena Game Two Box Score None of the four pitchers used shined here, and 21-year-old 15th round (Cal State-Fullerton) RHP Scott Serigstad didn't have a start to remember, get them next time, young man. Helena Game Two Game Log First baseman Juan Ortiz homered and singled, and his 1.119 OPS after 31 at-bats is a thing of beauty. Second baseman Franly Mallen (pronounced "My'-en") doubled, singled, drove in two, and is off to a 10-for-23 start. SS Gilbert Lara is just 6-for-32 (two walks, ten K's), and is looking for his first extra-base hit of 2016.