MassBrew

Nelson Cruz 1-for-3 with a HR and three RBI in Monday's postseason game in the Dominican... And Wednesday's playoff game: TM PLAYERS AB R H BI AVG MIL N. CRUZ RF 3 2 2 2 .381 - HR (2), BB, KYummy...

MassBrew, Huh??? I thought if a player gets released, he is automatically a free agent. Why would Ford resign to be a free agent at the end of the year if he was technically a free agent when they released him and free to make his own deal somewhere else. Do you figure some good sized $$$ was involved?? cosnj, I honestly don't know. In the case of former 40-man pitcher Chris Saenz, by non-tendering him, it appears the Brewers kept him off of waivers, and by having a handshake deal in place to re-sign him immediately, things seemed to work out fine. I notice that the Brewers list Saenz as a non-roster invite to big league camp, so that's probably one of the bones they threw to Chris (hey, you can rehab with the big boys...). With Ford (not on the 40-man), I'm not sure. I remember that he and Enrique Cruz signed unique re-structured deals after their Rule 5 year with the Brewers. Was there some beneficial financial implication to both parties to release and re-sign Matt at this time? No idea. Don't think that players always choose free agency when they're able. Matt Childers is an example of a player who chose to re-sign with the Brewers (last winter) when he hit the six-year minor league free-agent market. It's not common, but if the organization makes it worthwhile...

LHP Matt Ford is still Brewer property. From the Brewers: He was released and then signed a new contract with us for 2005. He is on the Brewer roster. We didn't ask the Brewers to expand on the how's or why's of those paper transactions, but Matt Ford will be in Maryvale for spring training. Now I may be wrong, but I believe that a signing like that, similar to the Chris Saenz re-sign earlier, means that Ford will be eligible for free agency at the end of the 2005 season if not added to the 40-man roster. Regardless, he's a Brewer...

What is up with this? From Baseball America: Milwaukee Brewers Released LHP Matt Ford. www.baseballamerica.com/t...trans.html Player Profile Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=390 I've got an email in to the Brewers to confirm, so don't flood them with inquisitions. But it appears Power 50 spot #23 is available...

Nelson Cruz 1-for-3 with a HR and three RBI in Monday's postseason game in the Dominican...

Mosquera's Career Numbers: www.sports-wired.com/prof...c15706.asp

Earlier this offseason, we noted the following info: The Brewers dip again into the minor league free agent bin in OF Adrian Myers, this time to address a speed bench need, most likely for AA Huntsville or AAA Nashville. And, once again, Doug Melvin looks up a former Texas draft pick. Myers will turn 30 in May, as Melvin fills in some of the "organizational soldier" needs at the upper levels. www.sports-wired.com/play...?Name=GDIJ Please disregard, as the Myers signing did not take place after all. Adrian, we hardly knew ye. Actually, we didn't...

So new homes were found for familiar names within the organization -- Helena Press Release: The Helena Brewers announced today that Eddie Sedar will manage the club for the 2005 season. Sedar, who led the Brewers in 2003, replaces Johnny Narron who was recently named hitting coach of the Brevard County Manatees (Brewers class A affiliate) in the Florida State League. Joining Sedar are pitching coach John Curtis; hitting coach Bobby Randall and trainer Tim Steinhaus. ?With Eddie as our manager we will be a very formidable club,? said General Manager Paul Fetz. ?The players respect him, he knows how to win and our fans enjoy his aggressive approach to the game.? Sedar played professionally in the Chicago White Sox organization for eight seasons from 1981-1988. He was drafted as an outfielder in the 6th round but eventually played every position including pitcher before injuries prematurely ended his playing days. Sedar begins his 15th year with the organization working primarily as an outfield and base running roving instructor and field coordinator. Nevertheless he is no stranger to the Pioneer League. He managed the Ogden Raptors (former Brewers affiliate) from 1998-2001. In 2003, he guided Helena to a league best 48-28 record, earning a berth into the playoffs as well as Pioneer League Manager of the Year. His overall record as a manager is 177-152 (.537 winning percentage). ?Ed Sedar is the best manager and teacher of young players that the Brewers have in the system,? said Reid Nichols, Director of Player Development. ?If possible, I would like Ed to manage every young team that is a Brewers affiliate. The young players learn the game and how to be a professional.? John Curtis replaces Mark Littell who was promoted to Class A affiliate Charleston WV in the South Atlantic League. Curtis played for five major league teams (Boston, St. Louis, San Francisco, San Diego, and California) compiling an 89-97 record with a career ERA of 3.96 over 15 seasons. Since retiring from the Major Leagues, Curtis has worked as a freelance writer and an editorial assistant. In 2001, he returned to baseball as a pitching coach for the Long Beach Breakers of the now defunct Western League. In 2003, he was named pitching coach for the Brewers Class A affiliate the High Desert Mavericks of the Cal League where he remained through the 2004 season. Bobby Randall played five seasons at the Major League level with the Twins from 1976-1980. From 1981-2002, he coached at Iowa State and the University of Kansas. After one year at the high school level, Randall worked in 2004 as the hitting coach of the Indianapolis Indians (Brewers AAA affiliate) of the International League. Tim Steinhaus comes to Helena with a wealth of experience in sports medicine. From June 2001 to December 2003 he was a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer for the University of Missouri. He has also worked in other capacities as a physician extender for two orthopedic clinics in Missouri and is a registered nurse. Steinhaus graduated from Lindenwood University in St. Charles MO, and resides in Washington MO in the off-season.

24-year-old 1B Travis Hinton, the Brewers' 13th round pick in 2001, is the PTBNL in the Carlos Lee / Scott Podsednik deal. Hinton's Brewerfan Player Profile Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=107 LHP Mitch Stetter still a Brewer...

Additional report on Jerome Gamble from this time last year, he'll certainly be somebody to watch, at least: redsox.scout.com/2/229605.html

Looks like an Alabama native might be in Huntsville, but perhaps Nashville -- we'll see; nice to see a "younger" minor league free agent here...the Nashville site with the heads up, thanks... RHP Jerome Gamble - Gamble, 24, signed with the Brewers for 2005 after spending his first seven pro seasons in the Boston Red Sox organization (1998 4th round pick). The right-hander spent the entire 2004 campaign with Portland in the Double-A Eastern League, where he went 4-2 with a 3.94 ERA in 14 games (10 starts). Gamble has yet to appear above the Double-A level but was selected by Cincinnati in the Dec. 2002 Major League Rule 5 draft. However, the Reds returned him to the Red Sox before the season. He was a member of Boston's 40-man roster before being designated for assignment and obtaining his release in November. The Alexander City, Ala. native carries a lifetime 21-14 record and 3.29 ERA in 81 games (68 starts). Career numbers: www.sports-wired.com/prof...bc5378.asp Info from Sons of Sam Horn: Had Tommy John surgery in July of 2001 (had been shut down in each of the three previous years due to elbow problems). Returned halfway through 2002 and made 14 starts at Augusta, and pitched very well. He was kept under a close watch ? averaged 3.5 innings in those 14 starts. Was taken in the 2003 ML Rule V Draft by the Reds with the 26th pick (third round), but didn?t make the team and was returned to the Sox in spring training. Ranked by BA as the Red Sox? #12 prospect in 2001 and the #30 prospect in 2002 (#16 in 2004), and in a Jim Callis chat here at SoSH, he said Gamble would have ranked #10 in 2003 had he been on the Red Sox when the list came out. Quick excerpts from 2001 & 2002 BA Prospect Handbooks: ?Though elbow problems have limited him to 31 games in three pro seasons, Gamble is considered to have a raw arm as good as any in the system ... Gamble throws a consistent 93-94 mph fastball, and it rides at times and sinks at others. When he fills out his 6-foot-2 frame, scouts think he?ll be able to work in the upper 90?s on a regular basis?? April 8, 2003: Right-handed pitcher Jerome Gamble, Boston's fourth-round draft selection in 1998, was Sarasota's star during the opening series, especially considering his long road to recovery from Tommy John-type reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. Gamble, a Rule 5 returnee a couple of weeks ago from the Cincinnati Reds, didn't report any soreness Sunday morning after throwing 77 pitches -- 53 for strikes -- Saturday night in Fort Myers. "It feels normal, like from Day 1," said the 23-year-old after allowing three singles and one run in six innings where his fastball topped out at 94 miles per hour. "It really felt good, pitching inside like they wanted me to and having command of my three pitches (fastball, curve and changeup)." July 6, 2003: After missing almost seven weeks with elbow soreness, Jerome returned to Sarasota and has pitched very well. he had two relief appearances before returning to the rotation after the all star break. Here's an exerpt from the Sarasota Herald Tribune on his first start: Gamble (1-2), a Tommy John-type elbow surgery recoveree who made his first start after spending time on the disabled list because of soreness, scattered four hits and allowed two runs to pick up the win. Gamble retired 12 consecutive Hammerheads at one point during the stellar outing. June 2004: He's recently started using his off-speed pitches more - he has what Jim Callis called "potentially the best curveball in the system" in his chat this spring. Obviously some of these notes accentuate the positive -- we'll pass on more as we learn more....

Nelson Cruz had a 3-for-5 game with a double on Wednesday in the Dominican -- an update for his overall numbers listed just above is unavailable from the Dominican site this afternoon...

Young Charlie now 2-for-9 (two walks) in limited action with the big boys in his native Puerto Rico... GAME DATE: 1/03/05 PON at MAN PONCE 14 AT MANATI 4 YTD YTD PONCE AB R H BI AVG MANATI AB R H BI AVG A.Pagan LF 4 1 1 0 .296 A.Sanchez SS 3 0 0 0 .227 A.Pagan CF 0 0 0 0 .296 J.Lopez RF 4 0 0 0 .209 A.Molina RF 2 0 0 0 .304 E.Guzman DH 4 0 0 0 .286 J.Cruz 2B 3 1 2 0 .369 B.Candelaria LF 3 1 1 0 .281 G.Picart PR 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Morales CAT 4 2 2 1 .254 G.Picart SS 2 0 0 0 .000 A.Ayala 1B 4 1 1 2 .250 J.Cruz CF 1 2 0 0 .238 G.Valentin CF 4 0 1 1 .154 M.Correa LF 3 0 1 1 .267 F.Jimenez 3B 4 0 0 0 .000 H.Bocachica 3B 2 2 1 3 .290 C.Amador 2B 3 0 0 0 .067 G.Martinez 3B 2 2 1 1 .241 D.Poncdeleon PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 L.Lopez DH 5 2 2 2 .336 F.Baez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Casanova CAT 2 0 1 0 .306 A.Garcia PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Cancel CAT 2 1 1 1 .296 M.Hampton PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Rivera 1B 4 1 0 0 .276 C.Booker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Lebron RF 3 1 1 4 .250 [b]C.Fermaint RF 1 1 1 0 .222[/b] [b]C.Fermaint CF 1 0 0 0 .222[/b] A.Gonzalez SS 3 0 1 1 .254 A.Gonzalez 2B 1 0 1 0 .254 T.Minix PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Ward PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Feliciano PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Sodowsky PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 41 14 14 13 TOTALS 33 4 5 4 PONCE 5 0 0 0 4 2 1 1 1-14 14 1 MANATI 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1- 4 5 3 E--G.Picart, F.Jimenez, C.Amador 2. DP--PONCE 0, MANATI 1. LOB-- PONCE 10, MANATI 4. [b]2B[/b]--H.Bocachica (11), [b]C.Fermaint (1)[/b], B.Candelaria (6), J.Morales (2), G.Valentin (3). HR--G.Martinez (1), L.Lopez (5), J.Lebron (5), A.Ayala (1). SF--R.Cancel. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA PONCE T.Minix (W,1-0) 5.0 0 0 0 1 6 0 2.00 B.Ward 2.0 3 3 3 0 1 1 5.21 P.Feliciano 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4.79 C.Sodowsky 1.0 2 1 1 0 2 0 4.19 MANATI D.Poncdeleon (L,0-1) 4.2 7 9 8 6 2 1 5.08 F.Baez 1.1 2 2 2 1 1 1 4.58 A.Garcia 1.0 2 1 1 2 1 0 3.50 M.Hampton 1.0 2 1 1 0 1 0 4.50 C.Booker 1.0 1 1 1 0 2 1 3.00 [b]SO[/b]--M.Correa 2, L.Lopez 2, R.Casanova, J.Lebron, [b]C.Fermaint[/b], A.Sanchez, J.Lopez 2, B.Candelaria 2, A.Ayala 3, C.Amador. BB--J.Cruz, J.Cruz 2, H.Bocachica, G.Martinez, L.Lopez, R.Cancel, C.Rivera, A.Gonzalez, A.Sanchez, B.Candelaria. T--2:48.

Chad Paronto Career Numbers: www.sports-wired.com/play.../p7579.asp New Englanders always welcome....

Newly-acquired OF Nelson Cruz's numbers with Gigantes Del Cibao in the Dominican League -- ouch to those strikeouts: BATTING G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG. OBP CRUZ (GN), NELSON 25 87 13 27 4 0 3 19 9 29 1 .310 .384Remember, the strikeouts are nothing new -- a reminder about his "breakout" 2004 numbers: www.baseballamerica.com/c...%2C+nelson

David Weiser's latest recap at www.starsboxscore.com includes the following: A new deal between the major leagues and minor leagues during the winter meetings ends the statistical nightmare that resulted from an agreement with the inexperienced, but well-intentioned Sports Network to handle minor league stats......... That one-year experiment with The Sports Network is now over........ Although they tried hard to present a lot of information on their web site, www.sportsnetwork.com and make leader boards easy to inspect, so many times the statistical information was WRONG!......... Instances I can point out with the Stars was the inaccurate average of Ozzie Chavez because they credited a few games to Endy Chavez, instead and a grand-slam HR reduced to a 3-run HR for Brandon Gemoll. Errors in Prince Fielder's and Paul Stewart's stats went uncorrected........ I remember Roxy Bernstein, voice of the High Desert Mavericks, pining last year about a stolen base that was not credited to Jeremy Frost. But even more egregious came as the result of using different sources for major and minor league stats.......... While TSN had Trae McGill listed as the Carolina League ERA champion, SportsTicker, the old service (still being used by the major leagues) claimed Sean Tracey was the ERA champ. A similar situation resulted in two different batting champs for the Florida State League........ SportsTicker reps had access to major league press boxes, but were not allowed in minor league boxes to collect stats, which made it hard for them to complete their jobs many times........ So this coming season, the duties as official statisticians for the minors are been handed to MLB, although it hasn't been spelled out in the agreement who, whether it be SportsTicker or someone else, will administer, collect, and collate the stats....... Whatever the case, it will be good for fans to see order, and hopefully a return to accuracy, brought back to Stars fans who pore over the stats like I do, and each of the other minor league ball clubs. I will agree with David on the notion that without accuracy, a stats bureau loses a lot of their cache with the fans. Having said that, the Sports Network did attempt (and succeed) in several areas: For timeliness, they were just outstanding, and they provided (usually) accurate updates by inning for their games. Certainly within 15-30 minutes of completion of most games last season, we were able to provide daily Link Report readers with complete box scores. The game log feature was a very nice addition. Sports Network also included sortable league-wide stats (but not for individual teams). Also, team stats only included current active players with that squad -- ugh. So enough of the positives, Sports Network totally botched what had been handled pretty well in the past -- a way to present and archive minor league transactions, one of the "lifebloods" of our Brewerfan updates to you. We'll have our reservations about just how Major League Baseball will keep us informed in 2005. Will everything be available via MLB.com? Or the now-dormant MILB.com? Will they find the right mix of accuracy, speed, and convenience? Here's to hoping...

Several players appear at events such as the ones noted below -- at those where compensated, it's a chance to earn some needed cash while still being involved in the game during the depth of winter, plus the youngsters seem to love it. Kade Johnson injury update included below -- Kade will be free to move on after this, the 2005 season... Sterling hosts youth baseball camp By Albert Villegas Baytown Sun One of the most gratifying things about hosting a baseball camp for Milwaukee Brewers player Kade Johnson, 26, is seeing the gleam in children?s eyes when they take in what he teaches them. The winter baseball camp, which began Monday evening at Sterling High School under cold conditions, attracted about 20 youths. Johnson is a 1997 graduate of Sterling and played under then-assistant coach Paul Tadlock, who has been the Rangers head coach for seven years. Of the 20 boys who have braved the cold temperatures, one is Conner Pickin, 10, a cousin of Johnson?s. ?I went out and watched him play a few times and what I saw was he and other players who didn?t know about rounding bases, and how to hit cut offs,? Johnson said of the reason he wanted to kick start a winter camp in Baytown. ?I want the kids to learn how to play the game the right way and not get to the high school level and have the game taught.? Tadlock, who has been coaching for 21 years, said Baytown is behind compared to players from Kingwood, Spring and Humble ? schools in the same district. ?We get kids who have poor fundamentals when they get to high school and you can see they haven?t been in camps and have been playing mostly only in summer ball,? Tadlock said. ?They may be good athletes but their fundamentals need to be worked on.? Fundamentals or not, for Price Jacobs, 11, of Baytown, being a camper has been rewarding. ?It?s fun. There were some things that I didn?t know I could do like holding the bat a certain way,? the Gentry Middle School student, who regularly pitches and plays shortstop for his teams, said. Johnson said it?s for this reason, he receives gratification. ?It?s fun to watch kids when you?re talking and they?re all there listening to you,? Johnson said. ?Growing up, I was always playing ball. I never had time to go to camps and learn fundamentals like they are learning.? Johnson hosts up to two camps a year and this is the first time he has co-hosted a winter camp with Tadlock. Tadlock, who is accustomed to conducting summer baseball camps, said the next winter camp may be in January 2006. Johnson?s baseball ties began at Sterling and then attended the University of Texas for a year-and-a-half. He then transferred to Seminole Junior College in Oklahoma before being drafted by the Brewers in the second round of the 1999 draft. He has spent most of his time in the minor league system, the last few years with the Brewers? Double AA Hunstville Stars. Johnson, a catcher with the team, lost to the Carolina Mudcats, of the Florida Marlins, in the championship. ?I have no major league experience yet. I?m still working my way up,? said Johnson, who was sporting a cast due to a collision he received Aug. 2 in a game. Johnson, who tore a ligament in his catching wrist, said the cast is scheduled to be taken off Thursday, the camp?s last day. He said he plans to go to his second consecutive Brewers spring training in mid-February. Because baseball is their sport By Alan Hunt - Lompoc Record Sports Editor "Baseball is my sport. So it made sense to me." Cabrillo High catcher Derek McLeod was talking about the Village Hills Baseball Skills Camp, which he directed last weekend at McIntyre Field. McLeod put on the show as his Cabrillo Senior Project. The camp ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with plenty of help from the CHS baseball coaching staff, local pro baseball players Tommy Hawk and Scott Morgan and a few of McLeod's teammates. On Saturday the emphasis was on defense and pitching. Sunday the 58 campers aged 8 through 13 went through nine hitting stations. A casual visitor Saturday saw a beehive of baseball activity. On the far west behind the dugout were longtime local coach Tom Harmon and Cabrillo pitcher Jason Hansen tutoring pairs of youngsters off the warmup mounds. On the far east Tommy Hawk and his Dad Tom Hawk were doing the same. "We're just working on fastballs now," Tom reminded one of the campers. In the outfield, Cabrilllo head coach Jon Osborne and his buddies took a large herd through drills. "This is the 'safe' play," Osborne said. "A normal ground ball, a single to the outfield with nobody on base. You're going to get in front of it, get down, catch it and throw it in. "But it won't be easy," he added. "You've got to be ready to adjust because the outfield isn't as smooth as the infield. You get a lot of funny bounces." Behind home plate, up against the backstop, McLeod and fellow CHS catcher Brian Gregory were putting a dozen young catchers through their paces. As in the outfield, only even more so, the emphasis was on being flexible with the knees. "You want to push into it while you're getting down to block the ball," said Gregory, advising a move that would be impossible for most middle-agers but looked to be a snap for all the youngsters. McLeod remembered the camp in its planning stages. "I didn't really think about it as a 'reality'," he said. "But I'd been to lots of camps, Cal Poly, USC and Pepperdine. So I did have a clue about what I wanted to do." After a full fall of planning and organizing, McLeod came down with typical pre-event jitters as he looked at a signup sheet that had only about 20 on it. But a last-minute burst got the camp up near his goal of 60 campers. "It went great," he said. "Nice and smooth. "I figure they all picked up at least one thing," he added. "Even if they didn't, I hope they had a good time." You could put Zach Pecyna, a 13-year-old shortstop and pitcher, in both categories. He learned and enjoyed because, like McLeod, baseball is his sport. "I learned not to dip my shoulder when I swing the bat," Pecyna said. "Just to drop the bat down on the ball. I learned that from Scott Morgan. "I learned from Tommy Hawk about life in professional baseball," he recalled. "My dream is to be where he is."

Baseball Prospectus: The New Man: There's very little to learn from minor-league press releases. The latest from the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, the new affiliate of the Brewers, isn't any different. Naming Gary Pettis the hitting coach is interesting. Known more for his defense and speed than his bat--a lifetime .236/.332/.310 batting line doesn't recall Ted Williams--Pettis was brought in to work with Brewers prospects Dave Krynzel and Rickie Weeks. Krynzel and Weeks are both similar players to Pettis, relying on their physical skills and, in Krynzel's case, plus defense to move towards Milwaukee. Hoping that Pettis' past rubs off on the two prospects directly is a reasonably common thread in the minor leagues. Teams have a tendency to hire certain types of players, usually with some link to the team's past, in hopes that like the common cold the skills get transferred. There's certainly no real training for coaches and no teams have anything resembling a training program. As with most business innovations, the latest training and education techniques haven't penetrated front offices quite yet. Sabermetrics has left coaching to the side for much of its history since it's exceptionally difficult to get objective data on what a coach actually does. A hitting coach isn't necessarily the cause when a Double-A prospect suddenly makes a leap forward and he's often not to blame when someone can't hold their skills when changing levels. One of Keith Woolner's "Hilbert Questions" from Baseball Prospectus 2000, objective analysis of the effects of coaching is still a major shortcoming with performance analysis. It's easy to say that Wendell Kim, the Cubs third-base coach nicknamed "Wave 'Em In Wendell," costs the team runs. It's entirely another thing to prove it. Credit given to Leo Mazzone might need to be shared with Guy Hansen, the longtime pitching coach at Triple-A Richmond who is now the new Royals pitching coach. The Brewers certainly aren't breaking ground or doing something other teams aren't doing by hiring Pettis at Nashville. It will be years before we know if it was a good move, and we might only do so then if Dave Krynzel remembers to thank Pettis for helping him win the Gold Glove.

Anybody else of the opinion that JDLR may not be a Ph.D. candidate? Focus, Jorge, concentrate -- put it together! Aargh -- exasperating! Season-to-date numbers (gee, thank goodness for that one outstanding start...): www.baseballamerica.com/t..._her.shtml GAME DATE: 12/28/04 HER at GSV HERMOSILLO 9 AT GUASAVE 8 YTD YTD HERMOSILLO AB R H BI AVG GUASAVE AB R H BI AVG D.Johnson 1B 4 2 1 3 .252 D.Smith CF 2 0 0 1 .297 D.Doster LF 3 2 1 2 .308 O.Morejon 2B 4 2 3 2 .306 D.Fernandez CF 0 0 0 0 .232 M.McDougall 3B 5 1 3 0 .289 V.Castilla 3B 5 1 0 0 .375 N.Munoz CAT 4 1 2 1 .362 E.Durazo DH 2 1 0 0 .188 M.Valenzuela RF 4 0 1 0 .333 L.Garcia RF 4 0 1 1 .325 E.Arredondo RF 0 1 0 0 .294 J.Nunnally LF 0 0 0 0 .267 C.Villalobos 1B 5 0 2 2 .255 J.Nunnally CF 4 0 1 1 .267 F.Salas DH 4 1 0 0 .257 I.Franco CAT 4 2 2 2 .291 A.Contreras LF 3 1 2 1 .248 J.Sandoval SS 5 0 2 0 .337 F.Mendez PH 0 0 0 0 .298 C.Gastelum 2B 4 1 1 0 .296 L.Arauz PR 0 0 0 0 .171 J.De la rosa PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 L.Arauz LF 1 0 0 0 .171 M.Rubio PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Herrera SS 2 1 1 0 .248 J.Cannon PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Iturbe PH 1 0 0 0 .179 J.Acevedo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 I.Montano PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Carrasco PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Carrillo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Acosta PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Mora PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 35 9 9 9 TOTALS 35 8 14 7 HERMOSILLO 2 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 3- 9 9 0 GUASAVE 1 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 2- 8 14 1 E--M.McDougall. DP--HERMOSILLO 1, GUASAVE 0. LOB--HERMOSILLO 11, GUASAVE 10. 2B--M.McDougall 2 (19), C.Villalobos (5), A.Contreras 2 (8), C.Herrera (7). HR--D.Johnson (12), D.Doster (5), I.Franco (19), O.Morejon (3). CS--D.Smith. HBP--D.Johnson, D.Doster, E.Durazo 2. SF--D.Smith. SH--C.Gastelum, C.Herrera 2. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HERMOSILLO [b]J.De la rosa 1.2 6 3 3 3 2 1 5.13[/b] M.Rubio 2.0 4 2 2 0 2 0 5.22 J.Cannon 3.1 2 1 1 0 2 0 5.94 J.Acevedo (W,1-0) 1.0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2.45 D.Carrasco (S,5) 1.0 2 2 2 1 2 0 5.40 GUASAVE I.Montano 4.1 3 5 5 3 1 2 4.15 G.Carrillo 1.2 3 1 1 2 2 0 3.82 J.Acosta 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 6.86 S.Mora (L,4-3) 3.0 3 3 3 1 4 1 4.40 HB--I.Montano 3, S.Mora. [b]WP--J.De la rosa[/b], D.Carrasco, G.Carrillo. SO--D.Johnson, D.Doster, L.Garcia 2, J.Nunnally, I.Franco, C.Gastelum, O.Morejon, M.McDougall, M.Valenzuela, C.Villalobos 2, F.Salas 2, L.Arauz. BB--D.Johnson, D.Doster 2, E.Durazo, L.Garcia, J.Nunnally, I.Franco, D.Smith 2, O.Morejon, N.Munoz, E.Arredondo, F.Salas, F.Mendez. T--3:58.

Rotoworld: Julio Santana, who signed a minor league contract with the Brewers last week, fanned six in 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief for Escogido of the DWL yesterday. Santana has a 0.96 ERA and a 29/0 K/BB ratio in 18 2/3 IP this winter. He's putting himself in position to win a spot in the Milwaukee pen. Yeah, a 29-to-0 K/BB ratio should get someone's attention http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

Probably nothing more than just a nice clip to archive here, but I believe this link will work for most of you to a video news account from Nova Scotia from Draft Day on 7th round RHP Craig Langille, set to make his pro debut this spring... novascotia.cbc.ca/tv/cana...raftee.ram

Christmas wish for JDLR -- consistent decent outings -- ugh, not here http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eyes.gif .... GAME DATE: 12/23/04 HER at NAV HERMOSILLO 2 AT NAVOJOA 8 YTD YTD HERMOSILLO AB R H BI AVG NAVOJOA AB R H BI AVG C.Gastelum 2B 4 0 2 0 .300 O.Robles 3B 4 1 1 0 .293 C.Gastelum SS 0 0 0 0 .300 I.Cervantes SS 5 1 1 0 .221 D.Doster 3B 4 0 0 0 .302 M.Burkhart 1B 3 1 1 4 .305 D.Johnson 1B 4 1 1 1 .256 P.Castellano DH 5 1 1 1 .273 L.Garcia LF 4 1 1 0 .340 J.Aceves CAT 3 1 1 0 .272 E.Durazo DH 3 0 2 0 .667 D.Clark RF 4 0 2 0 .254 J.Nunnally CF 3 0 1 1 .288 L.Cruz CF 4 1 1 1 .255 J.Nunnally RF 1 0 1 0 .288 I.Lara LF 3 1 1 0 .183 I.Franco CAT 4 0 2 0 .297 J.Brena 2B 4 1 2 1 .211 J.Sandoval SS 3 0 0 0 .315 H.Izquierdo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 H.Garcia CF 0 0 0 0 .352 R.Blancas PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Nelson 2B 0 0 0 0 .239 D.Dominguez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Nelson RF 3 0 1 0 .239 J.De la rosa PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Castllanos PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Delgadillo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 2 11 2 TOTALS 35 8 11 7 HERMOSILLO 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0- 2 11 1 NAVOJOA 0 0 0 1 0 7 0 0 X- 8 11 1 E--D.Doster, I.Cervantes. DP--HERMOSILLO 1, NAVOJOA 4. LOB--HERMOSILLO 5, NAVOJOA 8. 2B--I.Franco (7), L.Cruz (15). HR--D.Johnson (11), M.Burkhart (21), P.Castellano (6). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HERMOSILLO [b]J.De la rosa (L,1-3) 5.2 7 5 2 5 3 0 4.38[/b] J.Castllanos 0.1 2 3 0 0 0 2 6.00 J.Delgadillo 2.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 14.54 NAVOJOA H.Izquierdo (W,3-1) 8.1 9 2 2 1 3 1 5.16 R.Blancas 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 5.17 D.Dominguez 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.32 [b]WP--J.De la rosa.[/b] SO--D.Johnson, J.Nunnally, J.Sandoval, O.Robles, P.Castellano, J.Aceves, D.Clark. BB--E.Durazo, O.Robles, M.Burkhart 2, J.Aceves, I.Lara. T--2:51. A--4632

Oh, and by the way, Glenn Woolard never made that final scheduled start, and we believe his winter league season is now complete: www.baseballamerica.com/t..._lar.shtml

Well, this name flew under our winter league radar (which is pretty easy to do with Latin players). Edgar, how'd that happen? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif 2004 Beloit RHP Luis (Luismar) Pena, the surprise addition to the 40-man roster this winter, has been toiling in his native Venezuela (eight games, six starts). He pitched as recently as the the 22nd, but his name is now absent from the active roster on his club's website, so we'll keep an eye on that in future days here. Looks like it's been a bit of a struggle, despite his 3.09 ERA, with several unearned runs allowed and weak secondary numbers in the small 32 inning sample: www.baseballamerica.com/t..._lag.shtml Fished around a bit, this box score likely reflects his best outing: deportes.eluniversal.com/...?idGame=85 And the most recent box score: GAME DATE: 12/22/04 OCC at LAG OCCIDENTE 4 AT LA GUAIRA 1 DH GAME #1 YTD YTD OCCIDENTE AB R H BI AVG LA GUAIRA AB R H BI AVG D.Sandoval 2B 4 1 2 0 .323 L.Hernandez SS 3 1 1 0 .284 M.Izturis SS 3 1 1 0 .270 J.Velandia 3B 2 0 0 0 .198 O.Salazar 1B 3 0 1 0 .321 T.Alvarez DH 1 0 1 0 .305 L.Landaeta DH 3 0 0 0 .262 L.Broadway PH 2 0 0 0 .218 J.Colina 3B 2 0 1 1 .316 P.Swann LF 3 0 0 0 .254 F.Diaz RF 3 1 1 1 .309 J.Melian RF 3 0 0 0 .338 D.Garcia LF 2 1 1 1 .290 C.Colon 1B 3 0 1 0 .370 C.Valderrama CF 2 0 0 0 .189 J.Hernandez CAT 3 0 0 0 .143 M.Montero CAT 2 0 0 1 .205 A.Machado 2B 3 0 0 0 .128 L.Ramirez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Blanco CF 2 0 0 0 .225 C.Galva PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 L.Pena PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Larreal PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Salazar PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Gutierrez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 24 4 7 4 TOTALS 25 1 3 0 OCCIDENTE 0 0 0 1 1 2 0- 4 7 3 LA GUAIRA 0 0 0 0 0 1 0- 1 3 1 E--D.Sandoval, J.Colina, M.Montero, J.Hernandez. DP--OCCIDENTE 1, LA GUAIRA 1. LOB--OCCIDENTE 8, LA GUAIRA 4. 2B--D.Sandoval (12), M.Izturis (9), F.Diaz (13). HBP--J.Colina. SF--F.Diaz, M.Montero. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA OCCIDENTE L.Ramirez (W,4-0) 5.2 2 1 0 1 6 0 1.93 C.Galva 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.81 G.Larreal (S,10) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.51 LA GUAIRA [b]L.Pena (L,0-4) 5.0 5 2 2 5 0 0 3.09[/b] R.Salazar 1.0 2 2 2 0 1 0 5.94 F.Gutierrez 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 6.91 HB--F.Gutierrez. [b]WP--L.Pena[/b], F.Gutierrez 2. SO--D.Sandoval, F.Diaz, L.Hernandez, J.Velandia, P.Swann 2, J.Melian 2, A.Machado 2. BB-- M.Izturis, O.Salazar, L.Landaeta, J.Colina, D.Garcia, C.Valderrama, J.Velandia. T--2:23.

Aviles heads Power staff Charleston Gazette With a new team name in place and a new East End ballpark under construction, Charleston?s South Atlantic League affiliate now has a new field staff. Ramon Aviles has been named the manager of the West Virginia Power, and he will be joined on the staff by pitching coach Mark Littell, hitting coach Tony Diggs and trainer Alan Diamond. Aviles, a Puerto Rico native who?ll turn 53 in January, has had extensive coaching and managing experience at the minor-league level within the Philadelphia Phillies organization, serving as manager at every level from rookie ball to Triple-A. His most recent assignment with the Phillies was as a coach for the club?s rookie-level Gulf Coast League team in 2003. Charleston?s first season as a Milwaukee Brewers affiliate will also be Aviles? first with the Brewers. Aviles is managing in the Puerto Rico Winter League. Aviles played in the major leagues for parts of four seasons, appearing in 1977 for Boston and from 1979-81 for the Phillies. An infielder, Aviles played in 117 games, compiling a .268 career average with two home runs and 24 RBIs. Littell, 51, spent nine seasons in the majors (1973 and 1975-82). A reliever most of his career with Kansas City and St. Louis, he compiled a 32-31 record and a 3.32 ERA. He?s best remembered for allowing Chris Chambliss? series-clinching walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth of Game 5 of the 1976 American League Championship Series, giving the New York Yankees a 3-2 series win over the Royals. Diggs, a sixth-round draft pick by the Brewers in 1989 who never reached the big leagues as a player, is in his second season as a coach in the Milwaukee organization. Last season, he was the hitting coach for the Beloit Snappers of the Class A Midwest League. Diamond also comes to Charleston from Beloit, where he was trainer for the past two seasons. In 2000, he was Midwest League trainer of the year while working for the Kane County Cougars.