MassBrew

Nashville Sounds Baseball Belmont Bruins at Nashville Sounds Apr 05, 2005 at Nashville, Tenn. (Greer Stadium) Belmont Bruins 4 Nashville Sounds 9 Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- DOBNER, Brad ss............ 4 0 2 0 Krynzel, Dave cf........... 4 2 2 0 PETSCH, Ben lf/c........... 3 0 0 0 Weeks, Rickie 2b........... 3 2 0 0 LAUTMAN, Aaron 2b......... 1 0 0 0 Fielder, Prince 1b......... 4 2 0 0 TUCKER, Wilson rf.......... 2 1 0 0 Hart, Corey rf/dh.......... 3 1 1 2 SIMMONS, Kane cf/ph....... 1 0 0 0 Erickson, Matt dh/3b....... 3 0 1 1 OWEN, Barrett ph/dh....... 1 0 0 0 Nelson, Brad lf............ 4 1 1 3 GOMEZ, Dennis 1b/p......... 3 0 0 0 Durrington, Trent 3b/c..... 3 1 2 1 GROOMS, Sam dh/1b.......... 4 0 1 0 Borders, Pat c/dh.......... 0 0 0 0 LANGLOIS, Wes ph.......... 1 0 0 0 Knox, Ryan dh/rf.......... 3 0 0 1 PETERSON, Clay 2b/lf....... 3 1 0 0 Scarborough, Steve ss...... 4 0 0 0 CAMP, Jon 3b/p............. 2 1 0 0 Pratt, Andy p.............. 0 0 0 0 WARNAT, Matt 3b........... 1 0 0 0 Helling, Rick p........... 0 0 0 0 PAETZNICK, Brandon c/p..... 2 0 1 0 Davis, Kane p............. 0 0 0 0 MANIFOLD, Brady c......... 1 1 1 1 Bennett, Jeff p........... 0 0 0 0 PETTUS, Jay cf/rf.......... 3 0 0 1 MOFFITT, Josh p............ 0 0 0 0 MARLOW, Chris p........... 0 0 0 0 McGOWAN, Andy p........... 0 0 0 0 DIAZ, Eric p.............. 0 0 0 0 Totals..................... 32 4 5 2 Totals..................... 31 9 7 8 Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------- Belmont Bruins...... 000 100 300 - 4 5 4 Nashville Sounds.... 003 040 02X - 9 7 2 ------------------------------------------- E - DOBNER 2; PETERSON; WARNAT; Erickson, M; Durrington,. LOB - Belmont 4; Nashville 11. 2B - DOBNER; Hart, C. HBP - TUCKER; CAMP; Weeks, R; Nelson, B; Durrington,. SF - Durrington,; Knox, R. SB - Krynzel, D; Durrington,. CS - PAETZNICK; Nelson, B. Belmont Bruins IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MOFFITT, Josh ............. 2.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 8 9 3 1 MARLOW, Chris L........... 0.1 0 3 3 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 6 0 1 McGOWAN, Andy ............. 1.2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 1 3 CAMP, Jon ................. 1.0 4 4 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 8 9 2 1 PAETZNICK, Brandon ........ 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 0 DIAZ, Eric ................ 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 4 1 1 GOMEZ, Dennis ............. 1.0 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 4 8 2 1 Nashville Sounds IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pratt, Andy W............. 5.0 2 1 1 0 7 3 0 2 0 16 18 4 3 Helling, Rick ............. 2.0 3 3 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 10 11 0 4 Davis, Kane ............... 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 1 Bennett, Jeff ............. 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 2 1 WP - CAMP; Pratt, A 3. HBP - by Pratt, A (CAMP); by MARLOW (Weeks, R); by MARLOW (Durrington,); by Pratt, A (TUCKER); by GOMEZ (Nelson, B). Strikeouts - DOBNER; PETSCH; OWEN, B; GOMEZ 2; GROOMS 2; LANGLOIS; PETERSON; WARNAT; PETTUS; Fielder, P 2; Erickson, M; Nelson, B; Knox, R. Walks - PETERSON; Krynzel, D; Weeks, R; Fielder, P; Hart, C 2; Erickson, M 2; Knox, R. Umpires - HP: Chuck Pack 1B: David Grooms Start: 6:03 pm Time: 2:21 Attendance: 451

We know of three Brewer farmhands who have been released, two before ever playing in an official game for the organization; my comments from earlier this week are italicized: RHP Juan Cerros, 28; minor league Rule 5 pick from the Reds Juan Cerros Brewerfan Player Profile Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=749 C Kelley Gulledge, 26; former Twin farmhand with some interesting potential Pretty surprising, here's Bill Batterman's write-up on Gulledge from this off-season: www.brewerfan.net/ViewDai...portId=338 Kelley Gulledge Brewerfan Player Profile Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=739 OF Mario Mendez, 23; Dominican product with 15 HR's in High Desert last season Six years in the system for Mario... Mario Mendez Brewerfan Player Profile Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=173 Mendez peaked at # 35 on the Power 50: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPow...ayerId=173 As for C Alberto Segura: C Alberto Segura, 21, # 46 on the Power 50, was protected at the AA level for Rule 5 (The news apparently is odd on Segura, who was not in camp this spring -- some bizarre visa-related stuff, hopefully he's back on the radar soon.) Segura will never play pro baseball again, apparently. He ruined his visa status by staying after it had expired. We believe he may still be "in hiding" in the States, although that last part's unconfirmed. Alberto Segura Brewerfan Player Profile Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=161 Not quite sure if Segura has been officially released or is on some type of restricted list -- regardless, he's done.

Link while active, text follows: sports.mainetoday.com/pro...gers.shtml Rogers takes another step up, bringing him closer to home By PAUL BETIT, Portland (Maine) Press Herald Writer After spending most of his first nine months as a professional baseball player out West, Mark Rogers is bringing his 95 mph fastball back East. Since he signed for a reported $2.2 million after the Milwaukee Brewers made him the fifth pick in last June's amateur draft, Rogers has done all of his pitching in Arizona. Now, he's heading a bit closer to home. At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Rogers is scheduled to start for the West Virginia Power against the Hagerstown Suns in a Class A South Atlantic League season opener in Maryland. "We're so darn excited, we're going to drive down to Maryland to watch his first start," said Stephanie Rogers, Mark's mother. Rogers, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher from Orrs Island, could see a lot more of his family and friends during his second season of professional baseball. "Obviously, I'm excited about being on the East Coast," said Rogers. "My family will be able to come see more of my games, and I feel I've got an upper hand because I'm used to the weather (in the East)." Last summer, Rogers played in the Arizona Rookie League, where he was named that league's top pitching prospect by Baseball America. Last fall, he spent six weeks playing in the Arizona Instructional League, an assignment reserved for the Brewers' top 25 minor-league prospects. After Christmas, Rogers spent six weeks at a training camp for pitchers in Newport Beach, Calif. One of the eight other campers was Barry Zito, the left-handed ace of the Oakland A's. "(The camp) got me out of the Maine weather and got me outside to work out and get my arm in shape," Rogers said. Earlier this month, Baseball America listed Rogers, who graduated from Mt. Ararat High School last June, as the 55th best prospect in its annual list of the top 100 prospects. "All the stuff is there" said Jim Rooney, Milwaukee's minor-league pitching coordinator. "Now it's a question of fine-tuning and learning how a major-league pitcher performs. He's at the start of that process, and I don't foresee any problems with him finishing that process successfully." In 15 innings during spring training, Rogers allowed two earned runs. Last Thursday, he didn't allow a hit and struck out five while pitching three innings against an Oakland minor-league team. "His last two or three times out, he was up to 60-65 pitches, so he's all set and ready to go," Rooney said. The youngest player on the Power, Rogers, 19, has been assigned to a team one rung higher on the minor-league ladder than is usual for a player of his age. "We have two rookie ballclubs," said Rooney, "and a lot of our first-year college players go to Helena (in the Pioneer League)." Despite his youth, Rogers was named West Virginia's starting pitcher in its opener. "It will be a great opportunity to pitch in a meaningful game in front of a big crowd, which is something I haven't experienced yet," Rogers said. "We didn't get crowds in Arizona, I tell you that much." Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 725-8795 or at: pbetit@pressherald.com

Very cool graphic, awesome, really: dailymail.com/display_pho...?iid=15137

Link while active, text follows: dailymail.com/news/Sports/2005040626/ Power's battery keeps going Matt Lockhart Charleston Daily Mail Sportswriter What are the odds? That's what Oklahoma natives Josh Wahpepah and Clay Blevins wonder. After all, how many other minor league baseball players can make this claim: "He has been catching me since my sophomore year of high school, all through junior college and now in the second year of pro ball," West Virginia Power pitcher Josh Wahpepah said of roommate and Shawnee, Okla., neighbor Clay Blevins. "We live like a quarter-mile apart." If eager, athletic-minded fathers could bottle the fountain water at Dale High School, they would -- considering the school only has 160 students in grades 10-12. "That's a pretty crazy deal," said Wahpepah (pronounced WAH-pi-pa). "I don't know when I'm going to have to play with somebody else, because I've been playing with him for six or seven years now." That "when" nearly came during their junior season at Dale High school. "I was sliding into a home head-first," Blevins said, "and I caught the catcher." The impact broke Blevins' C-6 and C-7 vertebrae. "Usually when you hear broken neck, you think about not walking or death," Blevins said. "I was frightened to death." He recovered. The neck healed ... and the Oklahoma duo ended its high school careers on high notes. "We won state a few times," Wahpepah said, grinning ear-to-ear on the Appalachian Power Park field. That's five titles to be exact -- since Oklahoma schools have fall and spring seasons. Blevins and Wahpepah expected to go different routes after high school. Blevins went straight to Cowley County (Kan.) Community College because Division I schools "weren't offering much money at the time." Wahpepah had the University of Arkansas on his mind, but the Razorbacks weren't ready to open the doors so soon to a small-town kid. "The coach at Arkansas thought it would be best if I went to a junior college or something, because I was from a small school," said Wahpepah, who went 11-0 with a 0.48 earned run average his senior year. So, he went to Cowley County with Blevins, the same school that produced Major Leaguers Junior Spivey and Travis Hafner. It didn't take long for Wahpepah to get noticed. The Detroit Tigers selected him in the 18th round of the 2003 draft after just one year. "I really didn't know if I was ready to go out into professional baseball yet," the 20-year-old said. He stayed in Kansas. An 11-1 record in 2004, Junior College All-American honors and a third-round selection from the Brewers changed the 6-foot-5, 195-pound right-hander's mind, quicker than his mid-90s fastball can hit the mitt. After signing with the Brewers, Wahpepah went to Helena of the (rookie) Pioneer League, where he was 4-2 with a 4.40 ERA in 47 innings. Wahpepah will work in Thursday's Power opener in Hagerstown, Md., after starter Mark Rogers reaches his 80-pitch limit. "He was masterful in spring training," Power pitching coach John Curtis said. "I was going to suggest he open up in Milwaukee. He has what I call a very loud delivery. It's a lot of arms and elbows and legs. We've tried to confine the movement, but he has great control of three pitches." Blevins -- a 46th-round pick -- has control of Wahpepah's pitches. He just might not get as many chances to be on the receiving end of them as in years past. "When we first got up to Helena I caught him a lot," said Blevins, who batted .243 in his first professional season. "Right now I'm at the No. 3 catcher. "They don't stick us together just because we've been together so long." Then again, something had to break apart the high school, college and pro teammates who share a Charleston apartment 1,053 miles from home. "We are actually not rooming on the road this year," Wahpepah said. "We're going to split it up a little bit."

Link while active, text follows: dailymail.com/news/Jack+B...k-20050406 Brewers serious about success of West Virginia baseball Jack Bogaczyk Charleston Daily Mail Sports Editor The West Virginia Power got its first look at the new East End ballpark on Tuesday. Both remain works in progress. As the South Atlantic League baseball season opens Thursday, the Power flips the switch at Hagerstown with a manager with less than four months in the Milwaukee organization and a pitching coach who three weeks ago expected to be staying in extended spring training. That said, West Virginia Manager Ramon Aviles and pitching coach John Curtis have bossed in the bushes before. Their resumes speak of the Majors, but they know low Class A life, too. With the number of casual baseball fans in the capital city destined to mushroom significantly thanks to the opening of Appalachian Power Park, the Power probably doesn't have to win at the strong 84-56 level of the Alley Cats' swansong last summer. After all, curiosity about "The APP" will bring out a goodly number of fans. The Power already has sold about 135,000 seats. An affiliation change isn't likely to impact turnstile spinning this season. However, as Charleston baseball plays with its fourth different parent organization since 1998 (Reds, Royals, Blue Jays, Brewers), the question is whether the move to Bud Selig's former club is timely. The Power will be younger than the recent Alley Cats. Toronto's philosophy was to draft college players. Milwaukee's recent pickings have been a mixture. The Brewers' top 10 picks last June included five high schoolers and two junior college products. Aviles said the Power will run. The Alley Cats couldn't, and didn't. West Virginia will hit more homers than Charleston did in the old Cat house, but that's as much a function of the shrunken fence distances from Watt Powell Park to The APP. "A lot of what you see here," Aviles said at the new yard Tuesday, "will depend on our pitchers' location. If we get the ball down, this place is fair. If we get it up, you're going to see a lot of homers and doubles." Milwaukee is serious about success in West Virginia. It has sent its top four picks of last summer's draft, all right-handed pitchers, to the Power. The four received a combined $3.64 million in bonus bucks to sign. The Brewers haven't won at the big league level since 1992, a second-place finish in the American League East, but playing with prospects is different. The Power is the former Beloit Snappers, who had back-to-back winning Midwest League seasons (2003 and '04) after seven years of mostly struggle. The switch to the Milwaukee system by West Virginia Baseball LLC wasn't as much about a desire for change -- new owners, new park, new attitude, new parent -- as it was the best available option. Toronto brass wanted a commitment on a four-year player development renewal last July. The first-year owners and operators of the Cats weren't ready to sign then. The relationship, despite a very good team and a first-half division title, soured. The Yankees and Red Sox needed new low Class A homes, but common ownerships and friendships at two South Carolina SAL cities had them headed there. The Cardinals headed to Quad Cities, within their Midwest regional sphere. Texas and San Francisco wanted to come here, but Cardinals General Manager Walt Jocketty, the man who built the defending National League champions, suggested to local management that the Brewers were the best available option. It's a two-year deal, and it's with an organization led by a braintrust -- guided by General Manager Doug Melvin and Player Development boss Reid Nichols -- that did the Rangers' farm construction in the building days of Juan Gonzalez and Pudge Rodriguez. The 67th season of pro baseball in Charleston since 1910 will be interesting for more reasons than a diamond still in the rough on the edge of downtown. At Watt Powell Park, the brewers always played big on Two for Tuesdays. The Brewers have six other days to prove they can provide Power, too.

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...660271.xml Eveland enjoys majors moment Stars' opening day starter gets treat with Brewers By PAUL GATTIS Huntsville Times Sports Staff pgattis@htimes.com He was the picture of cool, a retro Sean Connery in baseball spikes. Sitting there in the bullpen at Milwaukee's Miller Park last Friday night, 21-year-old Dana Eveland couldn't love life any more than at that moment. "It was unbelievable," said Eveland, far away from that moment Tuesday during a workout with the Huntsville Stars at Joe Davis Stadium. "I was in awe the entire time." Nope, nothing sweeter to a baseball player than the major leagues - even when you're a top prospect and it's just a couple of preseason exhibition games to which top prospects are invited to soak up some atmosphere and fan that flame of desire. "We stayed at the nicest hotel and they take care of you," Eveland said. "They feed you the best food, fans are everywhere. I'm nobody compared to those guys up there and I'm signing autographs and I'm like, 'How do these people know who I am?' " Hint to Dana: www.brewerfan.net http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif -- MassBrew Ah, yes, this was better than a favorite-foods buffet without concern for your waistline or your calories. And then, in the sixth inning, the phone rang. Gulp! Some voice in the dugout on the other end of the line said something like, "Get Eveland up." And Eveland thought he was going to throw up. "All of a sudden, I start getting a little jittery," Eveland said. "My knees start getting wobbly. I'm trying to warm up in the bullpen and my knees are shaking so bad I can barely throw." To the eternal gratitude of Eveland's knees, he never got the call to go into the game. And those bruises on the insides of Eveland's knees have presumably healed well enough that he will be the Stars' opening night pitcher Thursday when the 2005 season begins in Zebulon, N.C., against the Carolina Mudcats. It no doubt will be a far more relaxing evening, too, in the dimmer lights of Double-A baseball. But not a permanent removal from the bright lights of the big leagues. "He's very high on the list in Milwaukee," said Don Money, a former all-star with the Brewers who is in his first season as the Stars' manager. "Knock on wood, if he gets off to a good start, I wouldn't be surprised if they move him out. I know the big team is looking for left-handers." Said Stars pitching coach Rich Sauveur, "There's no doubt in my mind, he'll pitch in the major leagues one day." All the evidence certainly points that way. In two pro seasons, Eveland is 11-9 with a microscopic ERA of 2.64. In 167 innings pitched, he has 174 strikeouts with just 36 walks. He's a big shouldered left-hander, standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 220 pounds with an arsenal of four pitches - fastball, curve, slider and a maturing change-up. He hit 96 mph on the radar gun during spring training but will more consistently throw his fastball in the 89-92 mph range. "He's a smart kid with a lot of talent and he's got a good head on his shoulders," Sauveur said. "That's what it takes to be a major league pitcher. "The way things are going right now, he's got the talent. I think he just needs experience." That's why Eveland is in Huntsville, to get that experience that may someday guide him to become the cornerstone of a winner in Milwaukee. But without the knocking knees. "I had a blast," Eveland said of his weekend in Milwaukee. "(All-star) Ben Sheets took care of me, (pitcher) Doug Davis took me out. Those guys were awesome." Awesome enough for Eveland to face down the jitters of his first knee-knocking visit to the major leagues. "It's a long shot," Eveland said of his goal for the season, "but I'd really like to have a shot - just to get up there to the big leagues and get a little taste of it."

A ground-level view from behind home plate at Appalachian Power Park, which debuts in just eight days. Photographer: M.K. McFarland, Charleston Gazette http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/Appy3.jpg

Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section...2005040550 Speed trap on the mound Hard-throwing Rogers will have tight pitch limit By Mike Whiteford Charleston Gazette Staff writer Among the newfangled innovations at Appalachian Power Park is a small scoreboard-like structure that sits atop the left-center wall. It flashes the speed of each pitch in miles per hour and thus will serve as an educational device for fans with an eye for South Atlantic League fireballers. The device will be especially useful when Power right-hander Mark Rogers takes the mound. Rogers, a first-round selection in last summer?s amateur draft, delivers a fastball that should consistently register in the mid-90s and has demonstrated enough potential to earn a $2.2 million signing bonus. Of course, if the speed of his impressive pitches is flashed on a scoreboard over his right shoulder, he might be tempted to take a peek. Rogers says he?ll resist that temptation. ?If I?m getting batters out,?? he said Tuesday, standing on the lush outfield grass at Appalachian Power Park, ?I don?t care if it?s going 81 or 98.?? When the Power opens its season at Hagerstown Thursday, the 19-year-old Maine native will start but will be strictly limited in his number of pitches. The Power?s parent organization, the Milwaukee Brewers, takes a cautious approach to young arms and will not allow Rogers to go more than 80 pitches. If he makes 25 appearances this season, he will accumulate scarcely more than 100 innings. Even if he looks brilliant in the early innings, he will depart upon reaching 80 or so pitches. ?What?s going to be important for the fans to understand,?? said Power pitching coach John Curtis, ?is that Mark Rogers may go out and pitch four shutout innings, blow the opposition away and the next inning he?s not going to be out there. And people will say, ?What are you doing that for?? ?? In Thursday?s opener at Hagerstown, Curtis and manager Ramon Aviles already have chosen Josh Wahpepah, an Oklahoma native who was taken in the third round of last year?s draft, to relieve Rogers. They will limit Wahpepah to about 40 pitches. The Power, in fact, plans to use eight starting pitchers and will designate two pitchers for the Nos. 1, 3 and 5 spots in the five-day rotation. As a general rule, the younger the pitcher, the more cautious the approach. ?We have to do everything we can to protect them from injury,?? said Aviles. Curtis, who worked 15 seasons as a major-league pitcher, admits it?s always a gamble to draft a high school pitcher in the first round but says Rogers is exceptional. ?He?s not quite Nolan Ryan, but he approaches Ryan,?? said Curtis. ?You?re going to see a major-league fastball and pretty darn good control with his curve and changeup.?? Rogers signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Miami and considered Arizona and Stanford, but the Brewers? $2.2 million offer and the immediate chance to start his professional career were too much to pass up. After signing in June, he struck out 35 in 26 2/3 innings in rookie ball but allowed 30 hits and 14 walks and posted a 4.73 earned run average. He spent part of his off-season in Instructional League. ?If I?m throwing well,?? said Rogers, ?I?m keeping the ball down in the zone and varying my pitches and getting ground balls and not walking people.?? POWER POINTS: After meeting with a large media contingent Tuesday afternoon at Appalachian Power Park, the team switched to Watt Powell Park for a workout. Construction work at the new park would have interfered with a workout there. ... The Power will open at home Thursday April 14. ... Curtis and Aviles both played at Watt Powell Park in the 1970s. Curtis was a minor-league teammate of Carlton Fisk at Louisville in 1970 and in 1971 surrendered a long home run to Charleston Charlies slugger Richie Zisk. He also remembers the team staying in the old Daniel Boone Hotel. ?I remember the lunch crowd, sitting at our hotel and watching everybody hit the streets,?? he said. ... Aviles, an infielder who spent four seasons in the majors, played for Pawtucket from 1975 through 1977 and played for manager Joe Morgan, a former Charlies manager. Photographer: M.K. McFarland Mark Rogers: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/appy1.jpg

We'll be copying and pasting from David Weiser's incredible little Huntsville site all season. For today, a link to introduce our newcomers: www.starsboxscore.com/

Link while active, text follows: www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1487 Sounds Defeat Belmont, 9-4, In Exhibition Opener The Nashville Sounds picked up a victory in their 2005 Greer Stadium opener on Tuesday evening, defeating the Belmont Bruins, 9-4, in the teams? annual exhibition contest. Nashville starter Andy Pratt picked up the victory after allowing one run and striking out seven in five innings of work. Leftfielder Brad Nelson drove in three runs and catcher Trent Durrington went 2-for-3 to lead the Sounds offense. The Nashville bullpen did not allow an earned run over four innings. The Sounds broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the bottom of the third inning off Belmont right-hander Chris Marlow. Nashville scored the first two runs without the benefit of a hit. After Dave Krynzel and Prince Fielder drew walks sandwiched around Marlow hitting Rickie Weeks with a pitch, six-foot-six rightfielder Corey Hart drew a bases-loaded walk to plate Krynzel with the contest?s first run. Nashville added a pair of runs one batter later on a Nelson infield groundout coupled with a throwing error by Bruins shortstop Brad Dobner. The Bruins scratched across a run in the top of the fourth. With one down, Wilson Tucker was hit by a Pratt pitch, moved to second on a Sam Grooms single, then advanced the final two bases on consecutive Pratt wild pitches to make it a 3-1 game. Nashville broke open the game with a four-run bottom of the fifth to extend the lead to 7-1. Fielder led opened the frame by reaching on an error by Belmont second baseman Matt Warnat before three consecutive hits: a Hart RBI double, a Nelson RBI single, and a Durrington single. Belmont closed to within 7-4 with three unearned runs in the seventh against veteran right-hander Rick Helling, and the Sounds wrapped up the night?s scoring with two in the eighth. The Sounds partake in their final preseason workout Wednesday afternoon at Greer Stadium before opening the 2005 Pacific Coast League season on Thursday evening with a 7 p.m. contest against the New Orleans Zephyrs (AAA-Nationals). Right-hander Jose Capellan, who finished 9th among all minor league hurlers with a 2.32 ERA in 24 games in the Braves organization last season, gets the Opening Day start for Nashville and will face New Orleans right-hander Sun Woo Kim.

New look for the Manatees site coming soon -- again, expect multiple tie-ins to the new milb.com site: www.manateesbaseball.com/ To remind everybody who's commented on the Manatees situation thus far, a reminder that the Florida State League is extremely laid-back in terms of attendance and media coverage. Very minimal webcasting, and I'm not holding out much hope for newspaper coverage anywhere near approaching High Desert's, which, like Huntsville's, spoiled us rotten. If you're a friend or family member of a Manatee this year, stick with us -- we'll find what we can, but don't set your standards high. The FSL has had its season high-point already -- it's called spring training.

Huntsville's site reveals their roster in a similar format to that of Nashville's site, so this is part of the minorleaguebaseball.com umbrella of ways of displaying the data in a similar fashion across all (or at least most) team sites: www.huntsvillestars.com/c...layers.asp

so where are two of the OBP boys, Festa and Rasheed? See various updates at the end of the current transaction thread: p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...2803.topic

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...005040521/ Team's middle infielders pack plenty of offensive firepower Matt Lockhart Charleston Daily Mail Sportswriter They have big league dreams, but for now Venezuela-born middle infielders Hernan Iribarren and Alcides Escobar will be turning double plays in Charleston. Iribarren is the top offensive prospect for the West Virginia Power, a low Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Baseball America ranks him as the Brewer's ninth best minor leaguer. His 2004 campaign had much to do with that. The 20-year-old second baseman batted .439 with four homers and 36 RBI en route to Arizona Rookie League Most Valuable Player honors. Iribarren (6-foot-1, 160 pounds) then moved to Class A Beloit and batted .373 in 15 games. Only one second baseman in the Brewers' organization is rated higher than Iribarren -- Rickie Weeks, who is, perhaps, the most coveted second baseman in all of minor league baseball. Iribarren's 18-year-old counterpart in the infield figures to be shortstop Alcides Escobar, a 6-foot-1, 155-pound project from Vargas, Venezuela. Escobar hit .281 and stole 20 bases for Rookie League Helena last season -- his first in professional baseball. He was named the 25th best prospect in the Brewers' farm system by On Deck Baseball Prospectus. The Brewers hope to put some weight on this youngster. Ten of the Power's 25 players are ranked as top 40 prospects by On Deck Baseball Prospectus, including five position players -- No. 9 Iribarren, No. 25 Escobar, No. 29 Grant Richardson (first baseman), No. 31 Adam Mannon (outfielder) and No. 32 Freddy Parejo (outfielder). Other infielders William Lewis (5-10, 180, Texarkana, Ark., 32nd round 2003) -- In 38 games at low-A Beloit, Lewis hit .328 with five homers and 21 RBI. The 23-year-old from Texas Christian University is in his third season of professional baseball. Lewis, a second baseman, has a career average of .289 in 64 games. Josh Murray (6-2, 180, Lutz, Fla., 2nd round 2002) -- Injuries have hampered this former second round pick's development, evidenced by his .202 batting average in 113 games spanning three minor league seasons. A groin injury prematurely ended his 2003 season and wrist problems hurt his 2004 year. Murray was drafted as a shortstop, but could move to third base. He signed a $825,000 bonus after the draft in 2002, three years after breaking his wrist as a sophomore in high school. Shortly before his junior season he had Tommy John surgery. This stint with the Power is considered to be a crucial year for the 20-year-old, who was the 48th overall player selected in 2002. Grant Richardson (6-1, 210, Richland, Wash., 14th round 2004) -- Richardson, 22, hit so well in Rookie League (.367) that he ended his first professional season at Class A Beloit -- where he batted .223, but drove in 17 runs and had six homers in just 28 games. The first baseman and Washington State product has a cousin -- Kevin Richardson -- in the Texas Rangers' minor league system. In 72 games last season, Richardson smacked 11 homers and drove in 59 runs. Guilder Rodriguez (6-1, 160, Barquisimento, Venezuela, free agent 2001) -- This 21-year-old middle infielder is from the same hometown as Iribarren. In 258 games over four years, Rodriguez is batting .241 with 83 RBI and 55 stolen bases. He has yet to homer. Catchers Clay Blevins (6-1, 190, Shawnee, Okla., 46th round 2003) -- Blevins, 21, went to the same Oklahoma high school and community college (Cowley County) as Power pitcher Josh Wahpepah. He batted .322 with 39 RBI at Cowley County and .243 in Rookie League Helena last year. The left-handed hitting catcher's baseball career was in limbo after he broke his neck sliding into home plate during a 2001 high school game. Carlos Corporan (6-3, 210, Catano, Puerto Rico, 12th round 2003) -- Corporan, 21, turned down a 2001 29th round selection by the Anaheim Angels to attend Lake City Community College. The switch-hitting catcher is in his second year of low-A ball. He hit .228 in Beloit last year. Corporan, who played shortstop in high school, has a brother -- Elvis -- in the Yankees' farm system. Nestor Corredor (6-1, 180, Portugeuesa, Venezuela, free agent 2002) -- Corredor, 20, got a taste of Double-A Huntsville late last season for 20 at-bats as an emergency backstop. In three years of professional baseball -- two in the Dominican Summer League -- Corredor is hitting .211. Outfielders Dallas Bates (5-8, 170, Chandler, Ariz., 27th round 2002) -- Bates, 20, is entering his fourth season with the Brewers. The left-handed centerfielder, who was signed out of high school, is a career .257 hitter in 126 Rookie League games with two home runs and 50 RBI. He hit .280 in 118 at-bats for Helena last season. Adam Mannon (6-3, 200, Queen Creek, Ariz., 17th round 2002) -- Mannon, 21, played high school baseball in Chandler, Ariz., -- the same city Power centerfielder Dallas Bates hails from. In Helena last year, Mannon batted .255 with eight homers and 52 RBI. In two minor league season, the right-handed right fielder is batting .263 with 11 home runs and 89 RBI. He was selected to On Deck Baseball Prospectus' All-Prospect second-team for the Brewers. Freddy Parejo (6-2, 170, La Guaira, Venezuela, free agent 2002) -- Regarded as another one of the Brewers' top outfield prospects, Parejo, 20, batted .275 with 40 RBI and 12 stolen bases last year in the Arizona Rookie League. The left fielder played in the Dominican Summer League in 2003 and batted .280 in 65 games. Jason Tuttle (5-8, 160, Winston Salem, N.C., trade 2005) -- Tuttle, 25, was acquired in a trade with the Washington Nationals. He played collegiately at Elon University. In two years of minor league action, Tuttle has a .300 batting average -- mostly at the Class A level. Pitchers Robert Hinton (RHP, 6-2, 190, Sarasota, Fla., 40th round 2003) -- Hinton was inadvertently left off the Power's first roster release. The 20-year-old signed last year as a "draft and follow" player. He spent the 2004 season in Helena, where he collected a 5.15 ERA in 50.2 innings. Hinton's father, Rich, pitched six seasons in the Major League for six different teams. The Power opens play Thursday at Hagerstown.