battlekow

McDaniel mentioned in the comments of his most recent article that the Brewers are also interested in RHP Daniel Sanchez from Venezuela, who is widely believed to be 19 rather than his claimed age of 16, and would therefore appear likely to be suspended for a year and ineligible to sign until next year. McDaniel's scouting report on Sanchez:

Chad Stang hopes to sign tomorrow.

Baseball America reports that Pedro Lambertus was reinstated after his PED suspension.

Pitching with a purpose at the Sunbelt Michael Kinney When Texas coaches looked down their roster for the right pitcher to hand the ball on the first competitive day of the 33rd Annual Sunbelt Classic, they had plenty of talent to choose from, They ended up going with Brady Rogers to face-off with Team Georgia in both teams' opener at Norman High Tuesday. They made a nice choice. The Richmond, Texas, product put the clamps on Georgia in a 7-3 seven inning victory. If not for a pair of late homers from Jake German and Derick Thomas, Rogers might have had himself a complete-game shutout. He got the complete game. "I felt good," Rogers said. "I made two mistakes. Obviously they went over the fence. But I had command of all my pitches. I felt great." Such a performance at the Sunbelt is not new for Rogers. He made the Junior Sunbelt All-Tournament team last year, and wouldn't mind duplicating the feat in the big tournament. "I'm going to try," Rogers said. "Just getting invited back was awesome. Last year was a great experience and that's why I came back. I had a blast. I am going to try and do my best to get All-Tournament again. We'll just see what happens." Rogers didn't want to come to the tournament to take it easy. He came with the expectation of performing well and helping Texas win another Sunbelt title. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound right hander had it going in his first try. "I had high expectations because I don't walk a lot of people," Rogers said. "That was one of the big things. Coach said don't give up the free passes. I didn't give up a single walk. Also, just to come in here and finish what I start. And I did that today." Rogers was even more dominant for Lamar Consolidated High School. As a senior he racked up an 8-2 record with a 1.24 earned run average and 109 strikeouts. He walked just 10 batters and added a perfect game to his resume. That was following a junior season in which he went 14-2 with a 1.62 ERA, striking out 118 in 135 innings. Just drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 39th round, Rogers will put the pro game on hold and head to tradition-rich Arizona State to play ball. "I have always wanted to go there since I was 7," Rogers said. "I saw them play a few times when I was young. That was a big deal. My parents gave me a gift to go to like a pitching and catching camp. I went there and did well and I just loved the atmosphere on the field. That was one of the big deals. It was like home."

Me too. That's why I asked Josh Prince who his double play partner was; I thought maybe I'd get some insight into the situation, but he just said "Cutter Dykstra." And yet today: no Cutter Dykstra.

The bats are sure alive in Helena tonight. Garfield is now 4-4 with a double, and Chris Ellington is 3-4 with a triple and a homer. Fantastic start for Nick Bucci, too: 4/0/3 K/BB/H in five innings with just a solo homer allowed.

Great to see Edgar Trejo get off to a strong start, 2-2 but especially good is the walk, of which he had only three in 110 PAs at Wisconsin. Derrick McPhearson has an identical line to Trejo's. He's got to be the most interesting NDFA in the system (international signings excluded).

Dan Meadows and Wily Peralta each pitched perfect thirds of an inning in the MWL All-Star game, with Peralta striking out his man. Corey Kemp pinch hit and popped out, remaining in the game at catcher, and Lawrie's in the game as a defensive replacement as well.

Caleb Gindl pinch hit today, so I guess he's all right. Nice of ESPN to let me watch Manny strike out Manny.

Chris Ellington and Garfield get on the board with their first pro hits, and Josh Prince notches the first of many steals. Great first inning for Bucci, who appears to have become a sleeper of sorts. EDIT: And wow, what got into Lucas Luetge? He allowed the go-ahead run in the 8th, but he struck out eight in three innings of relief.

Cameron Garfield is batting 5th for Helena. I guess they don't think his bat is as questionable as the scouting reports made it out to be.

I interviewed Josh Prince today.

Baseball Digest has a short interview with Alcides Escobar.

Relevant Lawrie sections from the Clinton Herald's article on the MWL home run derby:

D'Vo close to leaving football team Scott Chancey LEESBURG - If a Milwaukee Brewers signing-bonus offer for Florida State football/baseball player D'Vontrey Richardson is approved by the Major League Baseball commissioner's office, Richardson will leave college football behind, according to both Richardson and his guardian, Steve Glover. Richardson, a fifth-round Brewers draft pick, however, will return to Florida State and continue preparations for the upcoming football season if the offer is rejected. Glover said they are expected to find out by July 2, and added that Richardson - if the offer is approved - would then sign his minor-league contract within 24 hours afterwards and embark on his professional baseball career in Arizona. The reason for the review is because the Brewers' signing-bonus offer is higher than the typical rate for those drafted in the fifth round. Last year's average signing bonus for fifth-round draft picks, according to the Major League Scouting Bureau, was $266,000. "Hopefully, they will approve it," said Richardson, who worked out Monday with Alabama signee Jason Townsend, who also starred at Chipola and Sherwood Christian Academy. "Right now, I'm still working out every day. I wouldn't say this is nerve-racking. I'm just working out like I normally would." While the Brewers were in contact with Richardson before the draft, Glover said the family agreed that Richardson would not consider leaving for professional baseball unless the signing-bonus offer at least equaled what was requested. Neither Richardson nor Glover said they know what exactly is offered. "Right now, they haven't actually given us an amount," Glover said. "We told them the offer it was going to take, and they took him. Nothing has been agreed to, there were no negotiations. They said they weren't going to draft him at first, and then said things have changed. "He's still sitting pretty at Florida State on the football end of it," added Glover, who said that the Brewers' offer on the table could lessen after it's possibly approved by the commissioner since no contract has been signed. The deal would also include the Brewers paying for the rest of his college education. Richardson was a 35th-round pick by the Washington Nationals out of high school in 2006, but instead signed a scholarship to play football and baseball for the Seminoles. There, Richardson worked his way to being the backup to quarterback Christian Ponder. On the baseball field, his blend of athleticism and power enabled him to become a viable outfielder with a strong arm and one who could also hit one out of the park. He batted .351 and started mostly in center field his freshman year at Florida State. After not playing baseball last season to focus on academics, Richardson returned to baseball and batted .304 while starting 22 games. He tied a collegiate high for RBI (three) in the Tallahassee Regional-clinching win against Ohio State, but the lack of playing time this year occasionally frustrated Richardson. Pre-draft workouts, however, improved his draft stock and the Brewers took notice. Richardson has other help in the bargaining process, such as former major-leaguer Reggie Jefferson, who is his advisor. Jefferson will then become the agent if Richardson signs with the Brewers. If the offer is not approved, Richardson said he will take things in stride. "I'll just keep going to see what's out there," he said. http://albanyherald.com/SiteImages/Article/3309a.jpg

Lawrie finished second in the MWL home run derby.

Eric Arnett is pitching on Wednesday.

Here's a scouting report on Steve Sultzbaugh from the Perfect Game message board:

I transcribed the Salome part for anyone who doesn't like to click on audio links:

Catalanotto has 26 PAs. That's not a useful sample from which to draw a comparison to Katin's stats.

Congratulations to 2009 draftees Max Walla, Franklin Romero, Mike Brownstein, Sean Halton, and Brandon Sizemore, as well as NDFA Connor Lind and 2008 30th-round pick Wayne Dedrick, on their first professional hits. Matt Costello also made his pro debut on the pitching side.

Roberts drafted by Brewers Kyle Sears As the 10th round and the 316th pick of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft came around June 10, Jones County High senior catcher Tyler Roberts had taken his eyes off the draft board for a few minutes. The Milwaukee Brewers were on the clock, and Roberts had spoken with representatives from the club twice already that day. The first time, they made him an offer that he refused, telling them that he thought he could play a year of junior college ball, be selected higher in next year's draft, and get more guaranteed money. The second time, they called and offered less money than they had earlier. So, when his dad Micah called to let him know he was on the board with the pick, Roberts was surprised to say the least. "I was thinking, 'I just told them no,'" Roberts said. That night in the lobby of the Courtyard Marriott in Macon, however, the Brewers revised their offer to their 10th-round pick, and Roberts signed, setting into motion a rapid chain of events that would lead to him becoming a professional baseball player. After signing, Wednesday, he did an interview with a local radio station, Thursday, and signed some autographs around town and at the conclusion of his alma mater's summer baseball camp, Friday. Amidst all of those appearances, he made as much time as possible with his friends and family before a Sunday flight to Glendale, Ariz., for the start of rookie-league ball. He said upon his arrival in Glendale, he and a roommate would be put up in a room in the Marriott hotel that sits right beside his team's training facility. Roberts met with the training staff of the Arizona League Brewers for a physical, Monday, and was on the field, Tuesday, just six days after putting his name on the dotted line. Roberts said he is expected to spend the rest of this season in Glendale, before hopefully moving up to Helena, Mont., at the beginning of next season. Those two rookie-league teams should prepare him for single-A ball in either West Virginia or Florida, AA in Alabama, and AAA in Tennessee. "Hopefully I'll make my major-league debut within five years," he said. Roberts said he did his homework concerning the Brewers farm system and found that they have two catchers in the minors with batting averages below .200. "As long as I go in and do what I need to do, I might move up through the ranks pretty quickly," he said. Roberts had some previous experience with the Brewers organization, as he played on their East Coast Pro Showcase team in Florida last summer. "They were watching me play during summer ball, and after I had a great game, they came up to me and said, 'Hey, we want to put you on this team. You get to play in front of nothing but major league scouts,'" Roberts said. "I was like, 'Yes sir, I'll be there on the first ticket out.' It was fun." The senior then put together probably the most prolific offensive season in Jones County High history with a .584 batting average, 13 home runs, and 51 runs batted in, despite drawing an average of more than one walk per game and facing constant evaluation by major league scouts. "To be honest with you, he probably handled the draft process better than anybody else we've had get drafted," Greyhounds coach Barry Veal said. In 16 years as head coach, Veal has seen Rico Washington go in the 10th round of the 1997 draft, Eddie Young go in the seventh round of the 2000 draft, and more than a handful of other players go between the 30th and 40th rounds in various years. After this past season, Roberts made trips to four different major league ballparks, working out for the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Washington Nationals, as well as several other teams, including the Brewers. "He took his trips and did it the right way," Veal said. It was a chance to go take the field at Turner Field and Yankee Stadium. "Hopefully he'll be doing that all the time in five years, but even if he doesn't, he got to do something a lot of players don't. I say this in a good way, but I'm envious. As a ball player, I haven't ever been on Turner Field or at Yankee Stadium to take batting practice." Veal said he personally expected Roberts to go between the fifth and eighth rounds, but this year's draft proved to be a top-heavy one for catchers, which likely hurt the Jones County High standout's stock a little. "It doesn't matter as long as you go somewhere in the 10th to 12th rounds," Veal said. "It's about just getting a chance, and Tyler's got his chance." Despite a scholarship to Meridian Community College, one of the country's premier junior college baseball programs, in hand and four more chances to be drafted if he chose to go that route, Roberts said he could not turn down this chance for a couple of reasons. "The biggest factor is I was scared I'd never get another chance," he said. "I'm sitting right here now as an 18-year-old kid about to go play professional ball. I could easily go to college and blow out my knee and never have the opportunity again. "Plus, I had to make sure the pro team was going to pay for my college. They're paying for all four years of college. I can do it while I'm playing or when I get done playing." Though he has spent his whole life playing this game of adjustments, Roberts likely has more of them on his hands now than he has ever faced before at one time. One of the biggest challenges he expected was that he would not know anyone. With the exception of Braxton Lane, a teammate on his Atlanta Blue Jays summer ball team who was selected in the seventh round by the Texas Rangers and also sent to Glendale, Roberts probably does not know anybody else in the whole state of Arizona. He also anticipated the challenge of the increased competitiveness. "I'm definitely ready to get back out there. I've been sitting out too long," he said. "I'm a little anxious, but I'm nervous at the same time, because I'll be playing with 20- to 25-year-old grown men. They said I'm one of the youngest kids out there, so I guess I've got to show them why I'm there." Finally, Roberts said he will have to maintain a level of self-confidence and self-motivation like never before. "I probably won't ever have another coach Veal, who always helped me there and pushed me to go to the next level. Now it's on my own," he said. "He's going to find out that it's not all glory. It's not all what you see on TV. He's going to run into some brick walls when he's been on the field three or four weeks from 7 a.m. to basically 7 p.m. in that Arizona heat," Veal said. "But I think with Tyler's love of the game of baseball, he's going to do all right. He has a love for the game that very few people have." "I'm just ready to put up numbers and play the game like a little kid like I always have," Roberts said. "I want to say thank you to all the fans in Jones County and the Middle Georgia area for helping me and being there with me."

Good to see Lawrie get back into action. Eric Farris and Lee Haydel each drove in two runs in the FSL All-Star game, and Rob Wooten got the save.

EX-GATOR ON HOLD Chuck Carree Here is the latest on Demetrius McKelvie, a potential football-baseball player for Marshall. The Milwaukee Brewers made him an offer, but put him on a summer follow list. McKelvie is playing center field for the prestigious Ohio Warhawks, a travel team. The Warhawks have produced numerous major leaguers, including Brandon Phillips, Mike Napoli, Aaron Hill, A.J. Pierzynski and Adam Piatt. "I have been stroking the ball good so far,'' McKelvie said. He was a 25th round selection of the Brewers last week. Milwaukee will chart his progress over the summer and has until Aug. 17 to sign him.

Former Eagle Chad Stang Ready For Pro Career Two former Glens Falls Golden Eagles from the 2008 team, which went 31-10, were chosen by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first 10 rounds of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Starting pitcher Eric Arnett (Indiana) went in the first round at No. 26, while outfielder Chad Stang (Midland College) went in the eighth round at No. 256. Three other 2008 Golden Eagles-Benjamin Carlson (Missouri State), Jonathan White (Vanderbilit), and Anthony Giansanti (Siena)-were taken in the 2009 MLB Draft. Stang, the British Columbian native, played 53 games for the Midland College Chaparrals this season, batted .370 with 64 hits, a .623 slugging percentage, 12 doubles, six homeruns, 43 RBI, and led the team with five triples. After waking up early and listening to Day Two of the MLB Draft, Stang said he felt relieved once he heard his name called. he was thinking he'd be drafted a little higher. "It was a nerve-racking experience at first, but when I heard my name called I was shocked. I actually thought I'd be taken a little higher." Stang said. "We're in contract negotiations now, but with a fair deal, I'll be signing for sure." Of course, if things don't turn out the way Stang anticipates, he'll be heading to the Louisiana State University Tigers as he signed a letter of intent to play outfield for the perennial men's college baseball powerhouse. "I'll have an opportunity to start in center for sure," Stang said. "Nothing will he given to me and I'll have to work hard for a starting spot, but I'm definitely ready to play Division-I college baseball if that's what happens." "He's a 'tools' type player who runs extremely well, has a good baseball body, and is a super kid but still very raw," Glens Falls Golden Eagles head coach John Mayotte said. "I hope he plays at least one year at LSU before he turns pro." Stang credits some his success at Midland and his draft stock status to Chaps head coach David Coleman and his constant constructive criticism. "He pushed me the right way," Stang said. " At times he was really hard on me, but I knew why he was doing it and by the end of the year I got to a point where I needed to be as a player." In his first year with the Chaps, they finished .500 and in sixth place in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference, which isn't something Stang or his teammates wanted to experience again. Though, in his second season with the Chaps, Stang and company finished 16 games over .500 but ran into a streaking Howard Bison team, who ended the Chaps 2009 postseason run sooner than Stang and his teammates expected. "I've never been on a team that had the chemistry, drive, and talent our team had this season," Stang said. During the 2008 playoffs, Stang, played in all eight Golden Eagles postseason games, batted .273, led the team with three doubles, and scored the second most runs for the team with five. Stang's sacrifice RBI in the second game of the League Finals against the Brockport Riverbats in 2008, put the Glens Falls on top 1-0, before Brockport took the lead in the sixth and eventually won the league title. "Coach Mayotte showed me the type of player I could become hitting with a wood bat," Stang said. "He had the trust in me that I could do the job even though I was a freshman from a Junior College playing with all those Division-1 guys." In the 2008 regular season, Stang finished with the team's second best batting average (.315), leading the team in hits (45), doubles (7), triples (3) and walks (22). Toward the end of the regular season and on into postseason play, Stang managed a 20-game hit streak. Starting in the outfield for nearly every game during the 2008 season and leading-off in most of them, Stang can't thank Coach Mayotte and his staff enough for the faith they had in him and how the harder he worked the more his game would improve. "He has a great upside, however, capable of being a superb all-around player and contributing in a variety of ways, Mayotte said. http://www.glensfallsgoldeneagles.com/profiles08/Chad%20Stang.jpg