battlekow

Actually, Lawrie was hitting against professional pitchers during his time in the Dominican. He doubled off both Kyle Davies and Luke Hochevar, for example.

Efrain Nieves was the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week:

Oh I'm not dismissing Fryer out of hand at all; I have him ranked 23rd on my own list over at BCB. His numbers at WV are undeniable in their quality, but he's also almost a year older than Lucroy and a level behind him, and not as well-regarded defensively. Steffan Wilson is in a similar boat.

There's no way Fryer, a 22-year-old who spent the whole season in the Sally League, is ahead of Lawrie. The upside just isn't there. For perspective, he's almost a year older than Lucroy, who was himself old for the league and ineligible for BA's Hot Sheet until he was promoted.

Mass, I think you're right and I'm wrong. I asked Keith Law, and he said that a player can become a free agent after being outrighted twice, rather than DFA. Since Gardner was DFA by the Reds but not outrighted, because the Brewers claimed him, he'll be around next year if he passes through waivers.

I think the Bowling Green Corey Harts has a nice ring to it.

I'm sure Richie Gardner is soon for this list. He's not going to last very much longer on the 40-man.

Helena's canceled.

I think Lawrie slots in very nicely at #6. I think Gamel/Jeffress/Lucroy/Escobar/Salome forms a pretty clear top 5, in whatever order.

Nice start so far for Merkingler. He could continue Cody's & Bramhall's legacy at BC next year.

'Tees find success Development remains priority BY JIM CAWLEY • FLORIDA TODAY • September 1, 2008 Players come first. http://www.floridatoday.com/gcicommonfiles/sr/graphics/common/adlabel_horz.gif As badly as Brevard County Manatees manager Mike Guerrero wanted to win this season, he did not want to do it at the expense of his players. He never faltered from his -- and the organization's -- plan of teaching and developing talent as the top priority. Fact No. 1: The Manatees did not make the playoffs in 2008. Fact No. 2: A lot of players got a lot better. "Don't get me wrong -- development and winning go together," Guerrero said. "You want to go out there and win every game you can. But I have to ask myself, 'Am I here for the kids, or am I here for myself?' I get paid to help the players." Guerrero further drove home his point. "If I want to win, I talk to the (Milwaukee Brewers) general manager: 'Hey, send me Prince Fielder or Rickie Weeks.' " Brevard County wrapped up its season Sunday with a 4-0 loss at St. Lucie. After finishing the first half of the season with a 35-34 record (second in the Florida State League East Division), the Manatees ended the second half with a 31-38 mark, 101/2 games behind first place Daytona. FSL East Division champs in 2007, the Manatees endured a number of roster changes this season, particularly in the second half. Many of those moves featured players moving up to Double-A Huntsville. "We played pretty well," Brevard County GM Kyle Smith said. "We had a lot of guys lost to call-ups . . . so Mike did a good job." Pitchers were high on the list of promotions. Starters Jeremy Jeffress, Donovan Hand, Alexandre Periard and closer Omar Aguilar all got the call to Huntsville. Stars hurlers Mike Jones and Robert Hinton also played for the Manatees this season. Huntsville outfielder Lorenzo Cain spent significant time with Brevard County in 2008, as did catcher Martin Maldonado. "It's always gratifying when you have players who have been through this team, and now they're in the upper levels and they're doing well," Guerrero said. "You feel good because you did your job to get them better." As for current Manatees players, Taylor Green was the most consistent and productive. The All-Star third baseman batted .289 with team highs in home runs (15), RBIs (73), walks (61) and on-base percentage (.382). "He grew so much from last year to this year. He now knows how the game is played at an upper level," said Guerrero, who managed Green last season for the Low Class A West Virginia Power. "It's a great feeling when you can see a kid grow and be successful. He had a great season." In all likelihood, Manatees fans have seen the last of Green playing at Space Coast Stadium. "I learned a lot about the daily grind -- especially in this weather," Green said. "And mental focus, just trying to keep yourself prepared through all of the rain delays. It helped me out a lot, I think, for the future." The future appears bright for Brent Brewer. After struggling initially at the plate and in the field, the Manatees shortstop -- who was promoted from West Virginia in June -- settled in nicely. He raised his average to .251 with 17 doubles, while stealing 15 bases. Jonathan Lucroy, another June call-up for the Manatees, showed little doubt he's a force to be reckoned with. The 6-foot, 195-pound catcher stepped right into the No. 3 spot in the order, batting .292 with 10 homers and 44 RBIs in 64 games. Starters Chris Cody (4-5, 1.83 ERA) and Bobby Bramhall (5-4, 2.51), and relievers Casey Baron (4-2, 3.45) and Mike McClendon (7-6, 4.19) were among Brevard County's top pitchers throughout the season. If Guerrero returns as Manatees manager next season, which is something he has expressed an interest in doing, look for him to stay true to his main goal -- player development. "The way he can relate to younger people . . . He's an authoritative figure, but he's very calm with the players," Smith said. "He knows what he wants and expects from these guys. And in reality, he got a lot out of them this year." http://cmsimg.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A9&Date=20080901&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=809010322&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=318&Border=0Brevard County Manatees manager Mike Guerrero found success in player development this season, with several players moving up in the organization. (Craig Bailey, FLORIDA TODAY)

The Power came close to a comeback in the 9th, down by 3: * Matt Cline strikes out swinging. * Michael Vass walks. * Eric Farris singles on a line drive to center fielder Jordan Danks. Michael Vass to 2nd. * Lee Haydel singles on a ground ball to second baseman Eduardo Escobar. Michael Vass to 3rd. Eric Farris to 2nd. * Eric Fryer walks. Michael Vass scores. Eric Farris to 3rd. Lee Haydel to 2nd. * Pitcher Change: Tyson Corley replaces Santo Luis. * Steffan Wilson grounds into a force out, third baseman Brent Morel to second baseman Eduardo Escobar. Eric Farris scores. Lee Haydel to 3rd. Eric Fryer out at 2nd. Steffan Wilson to 1st. * Curt Rindal grounds out, catcher John Curtis to first baseman Jorge Castillo.

September service time definitely counts. For instance, as you can see here, Vinny Rottino has 61 days of service time, yet has never played in the Majors before 9/1. Also, are we assuming that Gallardo and Capuano were shifted to the 60-day DL to make room for Gamel and Salome?

According to the PBP, he left with an injured leg.

I like the idea of putting in the "Your 2009 [team]" threads, because it classifies them by team and it also helps keep the team threads on the front page; sometimes they get buried a couple pages back.

The Baby Brewers are indeed playing, and got off to a fitting start given MH pointing out Carlos George's struggles and lack of walks:

http://i22.ebayimg.com/04/i/001/01/12/97e8_1.JPG I bought this card on eBay for $1.75, and Arias has rewarded me with two XBH in two days. Interestingly enough, it lists his birthday as 9/21/94 instead of 9/20/90, which would make his sub-.200 batting average a lot more impressive as he'd be all of 13 years old.

It looks like Stocked was drafted as a 2B back in 2001 by the Royals. He hadn't played it at all at least since 2003.

So does anyone know why Lou Palmisano isn't catching somewhere?

Taylor Green is the Brewers' sole postseason FSL All-Star.

Looks like Logan Schafer left the game after getting hit by a pitch. For BC, Bobby Bramball remains en fuego.

Wilson plays anywhere, hits everywhere Sally League RBI leader poses conundrum for Brewers By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com Steffan Wilson's baseball career has been full of unexpected twists and turns, so it shouldn't come as any surprise that the road ahead, while clearly promising, remains a bit murky. Wilson, whom the Brewers selected in the 28th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, has been a dominant force at the plate this year for West Virginia of the Class A South Atlantic League. He's been jousting with Rome's Frederick Freeman and Asheville's Darin Holcomb for the RBI lead, in a race that will likely come down to the final game of the season. Wilson's batting average has also climbed steadily toward the .300 mark after an exceptionally underwhelming April. It's not what Wilson has been able to do with a bat in his hand that has the Milwaukee front office perplexed, though. It's where to put the Harvard product -- yes that Harvard -- when he's on the field that has the Brewers vexed. Wilson has played first base, third base, outfield and designated hitter this season, proving to be adequate at all but a master of none. Based on what Milwaukee has in the system ahead of him at each position, there doesn't appear to be any obvious resolution to the problem in the near future. But, it's a problem the Brewers are more than happy to have. "I'm not sure which position he has the most promise at," said Jack Zduriencik, Milwaukee's special assistant for player personnel. "He's been exposed to all three positions and is adequate. The bat is going to be the key with this kid, and will dictate what happens. Things can change from year to year. A month ago, we had Matt LaPorta. Now we don't have him. "A lot of things will dictate where he ends up playing, based on what we have in the rest of the system and with the big-league club. He just has to keep swinging that hot bat." Wilson began the season at third base when Zelous Wheeler, the Power's starting third baseman, was forced over to the right side of the infield because of injuries to other infielders. When Wheeler returned, Wilson got bounced and has been a man without a position since. While Wilson has been able to remain focused despite bouncing around the diamond, he does get frustrated. "It's tough," he said. "I played maybe the first 30 games or so at third base and had two or three errors and was feeling great. Then they had me playing first base, they mixed in some DH and outfield. If you're not doing something every day, it doesn't come as easily. You have to start thinking more, and it isn't like second nature. "You see the lineup card and then you can start getting mentally prepared to play the position. I've always been that way, though. I play wherever the team needs me to swing the bat a little bit. And that's been fine. My thinking is that if I can do everything, they'll find a place for me to play. It would be nice to have a position to call your own and get better at it." Taking a circuitous route to reach his goal is nothing new for Wilson, though. He starred at Harvard, clearly an institution known more for producing doctors, lawyers and politicians than a large crop of professional athletes. Wilson hadn't planned on playing in the Ivy League, the opportunity just sort of materialized, and he went with it, earning a superb education while affording himself the chance to reach professional baseball. Wilson, who grew up in the shadow of Penn State University, said Stanford was his original choice, but things didn't work out. He looked at Wake Forest, as well, but once Harvard became interested and he was accepted -- well, who can turn down Harvard? "I visited there and it was real eye-opening," Wilson said. "I had a lot of ideas about Harvard that I guess most people have before they see it. But I met the team and they welcomed me, and it put a lot of my stress at ease. "A lot of them were like me. You kind of fall into it because of your SATs or your grades. There were a lot of us in the same boat, and that was a big part of it." Wilson also could have gone to Penn State, but said he needed to get out of Happy Valley. He said he wanted to go to a warm weather school, so ending up in Massachusetts proved a bit ironic. He's happy with his decision, though, and plans on heading back to Harvard next month after the season ends to finish his degree. "Harvard wasn't even on my radar," said Wilson, who will earn a degree in government. "I asked some scouts how they viewed the program, and would I still get seen and noticed. They told me that if I could play, they would find me, and that took a lot of pressure off the table. Getting a scholarship was my main goal, though, so I could take some financial responsibility off my parents." Wilson has done that, and figures to accomplish even more financially if he continues to hit the way he has this season. Zduriencik said the organization has no plans to force-feed Wilson through the system, and that in all likelihood he'll be in the Florida State League next season. "He's a real physical guy with a lot of power," Zduriencik said. "We're anxious to see how he develops. He had a good year last year and has had a pretty good year this year, so we'll see if the trend continues." http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2008/08/29/wjwAFfrR.jpg Steffan Wilson has played the outfield as well as both corner infield positions this year. (West Virginia Power)

Granny for Lucroy.

In a shocking development, no Brewers made the postseason AZL All-Star team.

Just throwing this out there: Rob Wooten has a great breaking ball, but tops out around 90.