battlekow

Del Howell and Scooter Gennett are great examples this year (15th & 16th round, respectively). As a more extreme case, Baseball America said Richard Stock (45th round) was a top-200 talent when healthy, but I'd imagine it's almost certain he follows his brother to USC.

Adam McCalvy tweets that Cameron Garfield has signed:

Arnett, Bushue and Dugan Get Their Assignments Matt Forman One year, a world of difference. That's the best way to summarize Eric Arnett's turnaround from 2008 to 2009. A season after moving between the bullpen and the starting rotation in which he went 4-5, 5.45 in 66 innings of work, Arnett's 2009 numbers were staggering-12-2, 2.5, 108 innings-en route to garnering All-American and co-Big Ten pitcher of the year honors. The result? The Brewers picked Arnett in the first round with the 26th overall pick. Before the season, Arnett couldn't have expected to be drafted highly, if at all. In the offseason, Arnett, 6-foot-5, worked out with Tom Crean and the Hoosiers' basketball team. The added endurance and strength helped Arnett on the hill. He added several miles per hour to his fastball and become a workhorse at the top of head coach Tracy Smith's rotation. In 14 games started, he totaled six complete games. The biggest challenge Arnett had to overcome was control. In 2008 he averaged 5.18 walks per nine innings. This year, he averaged 3.28 by throwing one more walk in 42 more innings. What's next for Arnett? After signing a $1.2 million signing bonus with the Brewers on Sunday, Arnett is headed to Rookie-level Helena in the Pioneer League. Play begins June 23 and the Brewers open with the Missoula.

Gindl made the Minor League Notes at BP today and even merited his own tweet from Kevin Goldstein

Final thoughts on the Jacobbi McDaniel saga Andrew Carter Jacobbi McDaniel contacted me yesterday evening and during the course of our conversation said, "I didn't want you to think I was lying to you." I didn't. And neither should anyone else. It has been an interesting stretch of days for those who have followed McDaniel's story. Perhaps the most decorated football player in Florida State's incoming recruiting class, McDaniel, a multi-sport star at Madison County High, was drafted last week by the Brewers in the 33rd round of the Major League Baseball Draft. After the draft, McDaniel said the Brewers had offered him $800,000 to play baseball. Then, on Saturday, I spoke with Ryan Robinson, area scouting supervisor for the Brewers. He told me no such offer had been made. Then, in a story published today in the Tallahassee Democrat, Robinson made it seem as though the Brewers had in fact offered $800,000 to McDaniel. So I called Robinson again, this morning, and asked him about the Brewers' offer. "You've got to ask all these kids what's it going to take for you to sign," Robinson said. "And if they tell you 1.5 [million], you say, well, what about $200,000. You're trying to gauge their signability before you take him." According to Robinson, the Brewers' talks with McDaniel went something like this: Brewers: Will you sign for this? McDaniel: No, I'm playing football. Brewers: How about this? McDaniel: No, I'm playing football. Brewers: How about this? McDaniel: No, I'm playing football. Robinson said several dollar figures were thrown out there, but nothing concrete. Still confused, I asked Robinson directly, "Did you offer McDaniel $800,000 to sign?" And Robinson, once again, said no. He started to say, "Absolutely not," but then stopped himself. "We don't offer over the telephone," Robinson said. "We would make him an official offer in person. It was just gauging [his interest]." During our talk last night, McDaniel, a defensive tackle who will play football at FSU, stuck by the $800,000 figure. He said he had received it via a text message. And that he'd shown it to others. McDaniel didn't need to explain himself. I never doubted that he honestly believed the Brewers had offered him that amount of money. And I certainly never thought he'd just manufactured the number out of the clear Madison air. What is clear, though, is that both the Brewers and McDaniel have been confused with one another. According to the Brewers, McDaniel was always going to play football and never considered playing baseball. According to McDaniel, he was considering baseball - and might have played it had the money been right. According to the Brewers, no $800,000 offer was ever made. And according to McDaniel, that offer was made. I asked Robinson why there seemed to be so much confusion. "He's a really good kid," Robinson said. "And you know, he may have just misunderstood. But he's a great kid." There's no denying Robinson's last statement. During several conversations the past few days, McDaniel has maintained his poise and composure amid a situation that had to be frustrating and tense for him. And that he contacted me last night with a desire to explain himself shows a kind of maturity that not a lot of people his age possess. ## While we're on the topic, a couple final, final thoughts. I've received a lot of criticism for a blog I wrote in this space on April 22. The blog I wrote called into question the validity of a Warchant.com article that suggested baseball scouts were "salivating" over McDaniel. My primary criticism of the story was that it offered no perspective. It said scouts were salivating but quoted no scouts. It said McDaniel might be offered a significant amount of money to play baseball, but it contained no insights from draft experts or even from McDaniel's coaches. I made a few calls. Two people at Baseball America had never heard of McDaniel, and he wasn't listed in their prospect databases (this would be akin to a football prospect not being listed in the Rivals.com or Scout.com databases, which would mean that prospect is relatively unknown). I spoke to a respected Florida-based scout. He had heard of McDaniel, but said it'd be unlikely that he'd be a high draft pick because he'd made it clear that football was his future. I didn't write anything that was factually incorrect. Even so, the tone of what I wrote suggested it was ludicrous for anyone to believe that McDaniel could be a viable baseball prospect. I was wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong about that. I admit it. I own it. McDaniel will be on campus on Saturday. He said he's ready to go. I can believe him.

Furman's Lind Signs Free Agent Contract With Milwaukee Brewers GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman shortstop Connor Lind has signed a free agent contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, the club announced Monday. Lind, a four-year letterman and three-year starter for the Paladins, has been assigned to the Brewers' Arizona League affiliate in Phoenix. This past spring he started in 53 of the Paladins' 55 games, hit .263, and fielded at a .958 clip - the highest mark among Southern Conference shortstops. He set a Furman season fielding percentage standard for shortstops in 2007 with a .960 mark and also recorded a new school career standard for the position (.956) over his four seasons of play. As a junior he hit a career high .322 in helping Furman to a school record 33 wins as part of a 33-24 season that included a 17-10, third place Southern Conference regular season finish. The Burr Ridge, Ill., product graduated from Furman in May with a degree in business administration. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/furm/sports/m-basebl/auto_action/1798591.jpeg

I remember at the beginning of last year not being sure why he wasn't on any rosters, but it turned out he had shoulder surgery. He also had shoulder surgery in high school. As for Zarraga, that pretty much takes the value out of his bat. So much for being a sleeper.

Brutal 9th inning for the T-Rats, when they were down 7-4: Wisconsin Top 9th Brett Lawrie singles on a line drive to right fielder Nicholas Francis. John Delaney walks. Brett Lawrie to 2nd. Chris Dennis walks. Brett Lawrie to 3rd. John Delaney to 2nd. Brock Kjeldgaard strikes out swinging. Jose Duran called out on strikes. Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Michael Vass replaces Sean McCraw. Michael Vass strikes out swinging.

Jeff Sackmann studies Eric Arnett's workload.

From Orange Coast College's website:

Odorizzi is opening the season with Helena and Lintz with Arizona.

I wouldn't be surprised if Braddock is throwing significantly harder this year in his bullpen role than he was as a starter.

Because Jason Bourgeois didn't hit.296/.351/.494 in San Diego last year.

Frederickson is way more hittable than Neugebauer.

Being drafted a 'dream come true' for Costello Adam MacDonald ALDOSTA - Matt Costello had one of the single greatest seasons in Valdosta State baseball history, and the Milwaukee Brewers recognized it. Costello was taken in the 35th round by the Brewers on Wednesday with the 1,066th overall pick in the MLB draft. "Honestly, it was probably the most amazing moment of my life," Costello said. "It's a dream come true. Words can't explain it. Playing baseball is the one thing that I love doing, and now I get paid to do it. You can't beat that." In his one season at VSU in 2009, Costello had quite an impact. He was named the South Region Player of the Year while earning first-team All-America honors from Daktronics and second-team recognition from both Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Costello batted .462 this season, while scoring 65 runs and driving in 69. He collected 22 doubles, a triple and 11 home runs, had a .733 slugging percentage and tied an NCAA Division II record by hitting safely in 13 straight at-bats in March. While his offense was astounding, Costello was drafted by the Brewers to be a left-handed pitcher. He was 9-3 on the mound during the year with a 3.67 ERA. He recorded two complete games, allowed 98 hits and struck out 83 batters in 98 innings. "I told (Milwaukee's scout) I'd be more effective as a pitcher," Costello said. "I got a little lucky batting .462, and he said that's exactly what he thought. I was told a couple scouts were interested in me as a hitter because the numbers were kind of crazy, but my best chances are as a pitcher." "(The Brewers) are getting a guy with a lot of upside who's still going to get better," VSU head coach Greg Guilliams said. "His fastball touches 90 (mph), he has a good changeup, he's competitive and he's a strike thrower.... He has such a good arm and he's left-handed. There's a shortage of quality lefties out there." Since VSU's season ended on May 17, Costello has been resting his arm in his hometown of West Barnstable, Mass. He's been playing in a summer collegiate league to stay fresh, but has only thrown one inning. Most of the time, he has been a designated hitter. Costello was listening and watching the second day of the draft on his computer when he heard the name of fellow VSU teammate Brandon Graves being called by the San Francisco Giants. He stepped outside to call Graves and congratulate him, and actually missed hearing his own name being called 18 picks later. "When I realized Graves was drafted, I was proud for him," Costello said. "He deserved it more than anyone." Now it's on to the next step. Costello will fly out to Phoenix, Ariz., this weekend for a physical. Shortly after that, he expects to be sent to Montana to play for the Helena Brewers of the Pioneer League, the Advanced Rookie League affiliate of Milwaukee. "My goal before was to get my foot in the door," Costello said. "Now it's to get to the big leagues. I played in the Cape Cod League, and they say that's the equivalent to high-A. I think if I can get through high-A or AA, the sky is the limit." Scouts told Costello what he needs to work on most is developing a breaking pitch. At VSU, he relied mostly on his changeup, and he said he can currently touch 90-91 mph on his fastball. After school ended, he drove up to South Carolina to throw a bullpen session for the Cincinnati Reds, where he worked on developing a slider. "The slider was around 83 (mph) and touched 86 (mph)," Costello said. "There's no telling where it'll be in a couple of years." And, of course, his one year under Guilliams proved to be vital. "Coach Greg has all kinds of ties," Costello said. "He's had tons of guys drafted before. Playing for him is unbelievable, because he can say a couple of words and scouts are there. I know he's not at (VSU) to just be a pitching coach, but he's an unbelievable pitching coach, and Coach Todd (Guilliams) is an unbelievable hitting coach. I wouldn't be where I am now without them. I'd love to say thanks to everyone at VSU that helped me out." http://images.cnhi.zope.net/images_sizedimage_165205107/lg Pat Gallagher/The Valdosta Daily Times

Undersized scrapper selected in MLB draft Ryan Tomari He's listed as 5-feet-10-inches, but Mike Brownstein played with more stature than his frame suggests. And it's why the Milwaukee Brewers took the former Lobo in the 14th round of the 2009 MLB Draft. Brownstein was one of six UNM players taken in this year's amateur draft. Most notably, relief pitcher Cole White was selected. He went to the Kansas City Royals in the sixth round. Power hitter and Albuquerque native Brian Cavazos-Galvez was the second UNM player taken. Cavazos-Galvez was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and, if all goes well, he could have an opportunity to play for the Albuquerque Isotopes in the future. John Hesketh, Cameron Monger and Dane Hamilton were also drafted. Brownstein was the third Lobo taken. Still, Brownstein knows he's not built to blast home runs over the fence. He said he's a scrapper, similar to David Eckstein or Dustin Pedroia. He makes his living doing all the little things right, even though he said he never thought he looked like anything special on the field. "I won't baffle anyone with my appearance or what I look like in a uniform," Brownstein said. "I am going to have to work my way up and prove myself on the field. You never master the game, and as a player, you are looking to make yourself better any way you can. I have to continue to move up the ladder to become a better baseball player. I have to grind it out and take whatever it is I can learn about the game." Brownstein perfected the college game, though. In his junior year, he racked up several Mountain West Conference awards. Among those awards were Second Team All-MWC and MWC All-Tournament team. Brownstein also rode a 17-game hitting streak in 2008. In his final year at UNM, Brownstein was second in batting average on the team, hitting .414. He had 101 hits in 244 at bats. He started all 57 games and had the second-best fielding percentage at .984. Even though Brownstein is happy with what he has accomplished during his college career, he said getting drafted is a dream come true. "You know, you play all your life and now this is my opportunity to play professionally," he said. "All the weight is taken off of your back when you get drafted." If anything, though, Brownstein knows the weight is still on him. After all, he has to overcome his physique - and that's no small task. Yet he said he's optimistic, for himself and for all his ex-teammates that got the call up to the pros. "These guys are like my brothers," Brownstein said. "It was awesome to see these guys get drafted and it just makes this past season so much more special. It's like the cherry on top to see everyone else drafted." http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper344/stills/juo65k84.jpg Gary Alderete / Daily Lobo

Top pick takes fast track Anthony Witrado Four months ago, Eric Arnett wasn't thinking about being drafted in the first round. But he pitched well enough at Indiana University to drive up his stock, and his desire to sign quickly and not hold out made him that much more attractive to the Milwaukee Brewers. As a result, they selected the right-handed pitcher with the 26th overall pick last week. Arnett agreed to a $1.2 million signing bonus, as recommended by Major League Baseball, and was introduced to reporters Sunday morning. The focus of his news conference was how quickly the Brewers, Arnett and agent Joe Speed finalized the deal, not even a week after the draft. "You just never know how long the process is going to take," said Brewers director of amateur scouting Bruce Seid, who couldn't recall the last time a Brewers first-rounder signed so soon after the draft. "In this case, this is an individual with his adviser and agent, that thought the best path for Eric was getting started. They just wanted to be treated fairly (in negotiations) and we were able to treat them fairly. "(Arnett) knew to sit out a whole year was not in his best interest." By signing quickly, Arnett, 21, is able to get to Rookie League Helena and start his professional career. He, Seid and general manager Doug Melvin agree that will speed up his progression. "I knew even before I was drafted that's what I wanted to do," Arnett said about signing quickly. "I just wanted to be treated fairly, and they've done that. I knew it wasn't going to be a long process. "I thought this was the best path to go (down)." Speed, who also represents left-hander Mitch Stetter, said he didn't expect Arnett to be a first-rounder when his college season started. But as Arnett dominated Big Ten competition, it became clear it was possible. Arnett, from Pataskala, Ohio, thought the Cleveland Indians might take him 15th overall, but Speed correctly predicted before the draft that Milwaukee would take him. Arnett was the Big Ten's pitcher of the year and went 12-2 with a 2.50 earned run average. Partly because of Arnett's rapid rise, he remained modest through the negotiations and didn't want to haggle or hold out. "We knew for him to be a first-round pick, he had to be signable," Speed said. "We were all on the same page relatively quickly." The Brewers didn't pick Arnett based solely on his signability, but it was a plus and showed the organization he was eager to get on his way to the big leagues. "He's going to cash in in the big leagues," Seid said. "This is the ground floor to catapult him where he wants to be. And to wait two or three months and start that dream was not in his plans. "You have a combination of a team that wants a guy, a guy that wants to sign. It's just a good mix.?.?.?. It means a lot." The Brewers signed 20 of their draft picks over the weekend and have agreed to terms with 23 of them. Seid expects those others to sign early this week.

Arnett family treated like royalty in Milwaukee Kurt Snyder MILWAUKEE - Bill Arnett was happy to see his son had no interest in playing hardball with the Milwaukee Brewers. With the Rookie League season starting June 23, Eric Arnett just wanted to get back to playing baseball. Arnett, a Watkins Memorial graduate, was drafted No. 26 by the Brewers in the first round Tuesday and signed Saturday for a signing bonus of $1.2 million. "He is getting ready to live a lifelong dream," Bill Arnett said. "There was no point in dragging his feet." Eric Arnett will report to Helena, Mont., on Monday. Bill and his wife, Robin, and one of Eric's two siblings, younger sister Sarah, spent the weekend with Eric in Milwaukee. The family watched the Brewers play the Chicago White Sox on Saturday and today, spending time in Brewers general manager Doug Melvin's luxury box. "We were just mom and dad there to see (Eric) off, but they were really great," Bill Arnett said. "They treated us like kings." Before Eric Arnett begins his professional career, he earned another collegiate honor at the end of last week. The National College Baseball Writers of America named Arnett a first-team All-American. He was the first Indiana University player to earn that recognition since 1992. Arnett also only was the second Indiana player to be selected in the first round, and he was the first player from a Big Ten school to be a first-round pick in five years.

Mitch Miller is a senior RHP from Jacksonville State (Donovan Hand was his teammate there). His career stats are unencouraging, and he posted a 6.37 ERA with a 13/12 K/BB and 43 hits allowed in 29.2 innings this year (four starts/16 relief appearances). Michael Marseco should thank him for contributing to his 1076 OPS at Samford last year. Connor Lind is a senior SS from Furman University. His best year was his junior year, when he hit .322/.406/.367, but he slumped to .263/.315/.293 this year. His profile says he "possesses good range, consistent glove, and fine arm". He's from Chicago.

A couple days late on this, but the Pirates signed Herron.

Wow. How awesome is four XBH by the big three in Nashville in the same inning?

Bad third inning for Jeffress. Brewer didn't help; that's his 14th error. Palm Beach Bottom 3rd Francisco Rivera walks. With Domnit Bolivar batting, wild pitch by Jeremy Jeffress, Francisco Rivera to 2nd. Domnit Bolivar grounds out, second baseman Eric Farris to first baseman Brett Whiteside. Francisco Rivera to 3rd. Oliver Marmol walks. Adron Chambers reaches on force attempt, throwing error by shortstop Brent Brewer. Francisco Rivera scores. Oliver Marmol to 3rd. Colt Sedbrook reaches on a fielder's choice, fielded by pitcher Jeremy Jeffress. Oliver Marmol scores. Adron Chambers to 2nd. Curt Smith flies out to right fielder Caleb Gindl. Adron Chambers to 3rd. Shane Peterson singles on a line drive to left fielder Michael Roberts. Adron Chambers scores. Colt Sedbrook to 3rd. Blake Murphy flies out to center fielder Logan Schafer.

Peralta gave up a run and loaded the bases with no outs in the third inning (though he got some help from Jose Duran), before buckling down: Burlington Bottom 3rd Juan Rivera reaches on fielding error by third baseman Jose Duran. With Fernando Garcia batting, Juan Rivera steals (2) 2nd base. Fernando Garcia singles on a line drive to center fielder Juan Sanchez. Juan Rivera to 3rd. Patrick Norris singles on a bunt ground ball to second baseman Steven Braun. Juan Rivera scores. Fernando Garcia to 2nd. Nick Van Stratten walks. Fernando Garcia to 3rd. Patrick Norris to 2nd. Eric Hosmer called out on strikes. Nicholas Francis strikes out swinging. David Wood strikes out swinging. Impressive.

Indeed. Love to see the Logan Schafer walk: Brevard County Top 1st Brent Brewer walks. Eric Farris grounds out, second baseman Oliver Marmol to first baseman Curt Smith. Brent Brewer to 2nd. With Logan Schafer batting, wild pitch by Nick Additon, Brent Brewer to 3rd. Logan Schafer walks. With Steffan Wilson batting, Logan Schafer steals (9) 2nd base. Steffan Wilson grounds out, third baseman Colt Sedbrook to first baseman Curt Smith. Brent Brewer scores. Logan Schafer to 3rd. Caleb Gindl homers (7) on a line drive to right field. Logan Schafer scores. Zelous Wheeler called out on strikes.

Huntsville postponed.