Winter League Notes, 2012-02-04

February 4, 2012

Puerto Rico L 2-0 at Mexico; Dominican Republic W 5-2 (13 inn.) vs Venezuela

A few players have switched teams for this playoff series. It's weird.

Batter Team Pos AB R H RBI BB SO E AVG Notes
Erick Almonte Dominican Republic 3B 6 0 2 3 0 0 0 .333 2B
Andy GonzalezPuerto Rico PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Pitcher Team IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Dec Notes
Efrain Nieves Puerto Rico 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00
Juan Perez Dominican Republic 1.2 1 2 2 1 2 0 10.80


Today In Brewer History: Happy Birthday, Dan Plesac

February 4, 2012

On this day in 1962, Dan Plesac was born in Gary, Indiana. He went to college at NC State before the Brewers selected him with the 26th overall pick in the 1983 draft. He signed just days later and by 1986 he was a full time major leaguer.

Plesac pitched seven seasons as a Brewer and made 365 appearances, 351 of them in relief. He posted an ERA under 3 in each of his first four seasons, making three consecutive All Star appearances (1987-89) along the way. By the time he left as a free agent following the 1992 season Plesac had accumulated 133 saves, a franchise record that stands to this day. He's the only Brewer with more than 100, and he's over 60 ahead of active franchise leader John Axford.

After leaving the Brewers, Plesac pitched eleven more seasons as a member of five teams before retiring after spending 2003 with the Phillies. His 1064 pitching appearances are the sixth most in MLB history.

Plesac is one of just two former Brewers born in Gary, Indiana. The other was another reliever: 2010-11 Brewer LaTroy Hawkins.

Plesac turns 50 today. With help from the B-Ref Play Index, we'd also like to wish a happy birthday to:


Milwaukee, Marcum meet at midpoint on salary

February 3, 2012

 The Brewers and right-hander Shaun Marcum were minutes away from squaring off in an arbitration hearing Friday when they struck a deal on a $7.725 million, one-year contract, meeting at the midpoint to settle the team's largest remaining arbitration case.

Brew Crew Ball Community Prospect Rankings: Vote For #14

February 3, 2012

Santo Manzanillo beat out a closely bunched field yesterday, so here's where we stand:

  1. Wily Peralta
  2. Taylor Jungmann
  3. Tyler Thornburg
  4. Taylor Green
  5. Jed Bradley
  6. Scooter Gennett
  7. Logan Schafer
  8. Michael Fiers
  9. Jorge Lopez
  10. Caleb Gindl
  11. Cody Scarpetta
  12. Kentrail Davis
  13. Santo Manzanillo

The nominees for the #14 spot are:

Orlando Arcia
Nick Bucci
Khris Davis
Drew Gagnon
David Goforth
Hunter Morris
Jimmy Nelson
Michael Reed
D'Vontrey Richardson
Zelous Wheeler

Follow the jump for more on the candidates, then vote in the poll below.

Orlando Arcia
Age: 17
Top Level Reached In 2011: Dominican Summer League

2011 Stats:

Dominican Summer League: 254 PA, .294/.386/.459, 6 HR, 13 SB, 4 CS, 30 BB, 20 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out Of
John Sickels 16 20
FanGraphs NR 15
Baseball America NR 10

Nick Bucci, RHP
Age: 21
Top Level Reached in 2011: A+

2011 Stats:

Brevard County (A+): 150 IP, 3.84 ERA, 1.293 WHIP, 51 BB, 119 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out Of
John Sickels 14 20
FanGraphs 13 15
Baseball America NR 10

Khris Davis
Age: 24
Top Level Reached in 2011: AA

2011 Stats:

Brevard County (A+): 371 PA, .309/.415/.533, 15 HR, 10 SB, 5 CS, 51 BB, 70 K
Huntsville (AA): 136 PA, .210/.272/.331, 2 HR, 0 SB, 0 CS, 10 BB, 23 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out of
John Sickels Honorable Mention 20
FanGraphs NR 15
Baseball America NR 10

Drew Gagnon, RHP
Age: 21
Top Level Reached in 2011: Rookie

2011 Stats:

Helena (Rookie): 19 IP, 8.05 ERA, 1.842 WHIP, 10 BB, 27 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out Of
John Sickels Honorable Mention 20
FanGraphs NR 15
Baseball America NR 10

David Goforth, RHP
Age: 23
Top Level Reached in 2011: Rookie

2011 Stats:

Helena (Rookie): 40.2 IP, 4.43 ERA, 1.328 WHIP, 10 BB, 42 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out Of
John Sickels 13 20
FanGraphs 12 15
Baseball America NR 10

Hunter Morris, 1B
Age: 23
Top Level Reached in 2011: AA

2011 Stats:

Brevard County (A+): 531 PA, .271/.299/.461, 19 HR, 7 SB, 3 CS, 18 BB, 84 K
Huntsville (AA): 17 PA, .353/.353/.706, 1 HR, 0 SB, 0 CS, 0 BB, 1 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out of
John Sickels 17 20
FanGraphs 10 15
Baseball America NR 10

Jimmy Nelson, RHP
Age: 22
Top Level Reached in 2011: A

2011 Stats:

Wisconsin (A): 146 IP, 4.38 ERA, 1.445 WHIP, 65 BB, 120 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out Of
John Sickels 19 20
FanGraphs 7 15
Baseball America 10 10

Michael Reed, OF
Age: 19
Highest Level Reached in 2011: Rookie

2011 Stats:

Arizona (Rookie): 62 PA, .232/.295/.375, 0 HR, 1 SB, 0 CS, 5 BB, 17 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out of
John Sickels Honorable Mention 20
FanGraphs NR 15
Baseball America NR 10

D' Vontrey Richardson
Age: 23
Top Level Reached in 2011: A+

2011 Stats:

Brevard County (A+): 392 PA, .284/.327/.384, 3 HR, 9 SB, 13 CS, 22 BB, 70 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out Of
John Sickels 18 20
FanGraphs NR 15
Baseball America NR 10

Zelous Wheeler, 3B
Age: 25
Top Level Reached in 2011: AAA

2011 Stats:

Huntsville (AA): 268 PA, .272/.377/.465, 9 HR, 7 SB, 0 CS, 30 BB, 49 K
Nashville (AAA): 61 PA, .275/.383/.431, 1 HR, 0 SB, 0 CS, 9 BB, 8 K
Arizona Fall League: 66 PA, .276/.358/.397, 0 HR, 1 SB, 1 CS, 7 BB, 14 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out Of
John Sickels Honorable Mention 20
FanGraphs NR 15
Baseball America NR 10
Poll
Who should be #14 in our Community Prospect Rankings?

  167 votes | Results


Brewers, Shaun Marcum Avoid Arbitration (one year, $7.725 million)

February 3, 2012

Brewers, Shaun Marcum Avoid Arbitration (one year, $7.725 million)

Per Adam McCalvy.

UPDATE: Marcum will get $7.725 million, exactly the midpoint between his request and the team's offer. If they hadn't settled, his case would've been heard today.


Friday’s Frosty Mug

February 3, 2012

 Milwaukee Brewers' Zack Greinke throws before the first inning inning of spring training baseball game against the Chicago White Sox Tuesday, March 1, 2011, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Some things to read while the dog thinks about killing you.

We're 15 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, and today the topic du jour is Zack Greinke. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN has a story on Greinke approaching free agency without an agent, Nick Prill of The Brewers Bar wonders if the Brewers can or should work out a long term deal with him, and David Golebiewski of Baseball Analytics has a look at the varying speeds of Greinke's curveball.

With a full season of Greinke on tap Matthew Pouliot of Hardball Talk has the Brewer starting five projected for a 3.81 ERA, which would be the eleventh best in baseball. Ryan Topp of Bernie's Crew has more on the topic behind the JS paywall.

The Brewers also announced two more 2012 bobbleheads yesterday: The team will give away Italian Sausage bobbles on July 1 and bobbles featuring Bob Uecker on July 29.

Earlier this week I mentioned a Bill Petti post at Beyond the Box Score showing that the Brewers have been the best team in baseball since 2002 at keeping below-replacement level players off the field. Yesterday he expanded upon that post with a great chart showing the distribution of players by team.

In the minors:

Meanwhile, Santo Manzanillo leads Orlando Arcia by just five votes and first and fifth place are separated by just eight ballots for the #13 spot in our Community Prospect Rankings. You have until 1 pm today to cast your vote, then stop back after 2 to vote for #14.

Congratulations are due out today to the Brewer marketing team, who received the National Sports Forum's Overall Award of Excellence. Follow that link for more on the honor.

If you'd like more Brewer content this morning but you're sick of reading, @Mass_Haas has links to Chris Narveson's appearance on WTMJ and Rickie Weeks' spot on WSSP from last night.

Around baseball:

Cubs: Signed pitcher Matt Garza to a one year, $9.5 million deal to avoid arbitration and signed pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith to a minor league deal.
Indians: Signed first baseman Casey Kotchman to a one year, $3 million deal, and signed pitcher Rafael Perez to a one year, $2 million deal to avoid arbitration.
Nationals: Signed pitcher Edwin Jackson to a one year, $11 million deal. Also, pitcher John Lannan lost his arbitration case and will receive $5 million this season.

Adam McCalvy says that Garza's deal should help clear the way for the Brewers to reach an agreement with Shaun Marcum, as Garza was one of the pitchers Marcum was being compared to.

Unfortunately today's top story around baseball involves Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, who was spotted drinking in a Dallas area bar Monday night in an apparent relapse of his drug and alcohol issues (FanShot). Until recently, Hamilton's "accountability partner" was new Brewer hitting coach Johnny Narron.

In former Brewers:

It should be a pretty exciting season to be a Brewer fan, but not every fan base is so lucky. Christina Kahrl of ESPN looks at the possibility that 2012 could see at least four teams lose 100 games. Dan Szymborski (in the sidebar of that article) says nine teams have a 10% or worse chance of triple digit losses.

Today in baseball economics:

  • The Mets' search for new minority owners might be over. Comcast and Time Warner are reportedly coming together to fund sports network SNY's purchase of the last four remaining shares, valued at $80 million. If this goes through SNY will own 16% of the team.
  • The Houston Business Journal used the late 90's Brewers as an example of an attendance boost the Astros might see when they switch leagues next season.

Preparations continue for Opening Day at the Marlins' new ballpark, including the installation of a massive aquarium in the fence behind home plate. My favorite story from yesterday was this one about the team inviting first baseman Gaby Sanchez to try to break the tank's glass with a baseball before they put fish in it. (h/t @bigleaguestew)

This morning's edition of Today In Brewer History remembers the second anniversary of the Brewers claiming Marco Estrada off waivers from the Nationals. It's also 1998 Brewer Eric Owens' 41st birthday, and Plunk Everyone notes that his nine HBP are fifth all time among players born on February 3. Finally, Chris Jaffe of The Hardball Times notes that it's been 1000 days since Zack Greinke lost a game 1-0 in 2009 and actually had his ERA go up.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to return Dan's coffee.

Drink up.


Minor League Ball is having an All Questions Answered Thread this morning

February 3, 2012

Minor League Ball is having an All Questions Answered Thread this morning

If you're looking for something to do while waiting for the Mug, John Sickels of Minor League Ball is hosting an AQA thread starting at 9.


Winter League Notes, 2012-02-03

February 3, 2012

Puerto Rico defeated Venezuela 3-1 in the first game of the Caribbean Series.

Batter Team Pos AB R H RBI BB SO E AVG Notes
Sergio Miranda Puerto Rico 2B 3 1 0 0 0 1 1 .333


Today In Brewer History: Happy Anniversary, Marco Estrada

February 3, 2012

Marco Estrada's major league career got off to a bit of a slow start. He made his big league debut as a member of the Nationals in 2008, but posted a 7.20 ERA in 15 games over his first two seasons. As such, it didn't make much of a splash when the Brewers claimed him off waivers on this day two years ago.

Estrada's first season as a Brewer, unfortunately, wasn't much different. He posted a 9.53 ERA over seven appearances and was likely best-remembered for an ill-fated start on zero days rest on May 23. He went on the DL shortly thereafter, and appeared likely to fade off into oblivion. The Brewers re-signed him as a minor league free agent that winter, but didn't invite him to major league camp.

It's amazing, though, how quickly things can change. Zack Greinke's rib injury opened up a spot in the 2011 starting rotation, and after Mark Rogers and others weren't able to win the job Estrada's great spring earned him the assignment. He did well enough in his four starts in place of Greinke to earn a spot on the roster for the rest of the season, and now he's a near lock to make the team again in 2012. He posted a 3.06 ERA and struck out 40 batters in 35.1 innings after the All Star break in 2011.

With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:


Brew Crew Ball Community Prospect Rankings: Vote For #13

February 2, 2012

Kentrail Davis picked up the win yesterday, so here's where we stand:

  1. Wily Peralta
  2. Taylor Jungmann
  3. Tyler Thornburg
  4. Taylor Green
  5. Jed Bradley
  6. Scooter Gennett
  7. Logan Schafer
  8. Michael Fiers
  9. Jorge Lopez
  10. Caleb Gindl
  11. Cody Scarpetta
  12. Kentrail Davis

The nominees for the #13 spot are:

Orlando Arcia
Nick Bucci
Khris Davis
Drew Gagnon
David Goforth
Santo Manzanillo
Hunter Morris
Jimmy Nelson
Michael Reed
D'Vontrey Richardson

Follow the jump for more on the candidates, then vote in the poll below.

Orlando Arcia
Age: 17
Top Level Reached In 2011: Dominican Summer League

2011 Stats:

Dominican Summer League: 254 PA, .294/.386/.459, 6 HR, 13 SB, 4 CS, 30 BB, 20 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out Of
John Sickels 16 20
FanGraphs NR 15
Baseball America NR 10

Nick Bucci, RHP
Age: 21
Top Level Reached in 2011: A+

2011 Stats:

Brevard County (A+): 150 IP, 3.84 ERA, 1.293 WHIP, 51 BB, 119 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out Of
John Sickels 14 20
FanGraphs 13 15
Baseball America NR 10

Khris Davis
Age: 24
Top Level Reached in 2011: AA

2011 Stats:

Brevard County (A+): 371 PA, .309/.415/.533, 15 HR, 10 SB, 5 CS, 51 BB, 70 K
Huntsville (AA): 136 PA, .210/.272/.331, 2 HR, 0 SB, 0 CS, 10 BB, 23 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out of
John Sickels Honorable Mention 20
FanGraphs NR 15
Baseball America NR 10

Drew Gagnon, RHP
Age: 21
Top Level Reached in 2011: Rookie

2011 Stats:

Helena (Rookie): 19 IP, 8.05 ERA, 1.842 WHIP, 10 BB, 27 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out Of
John Sickels Honorable Mention 20
FanGraphs NR 15
Baseball America NR 10

David Goforth, RHP
Age: 23
Top Level Reached in 2011: Rookie

2011 Stats:

Helena (Rookie): 40.2 IP, 4.43 ERA, 1.328 WHIP, 10 BB, 42 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out Of
John Sickels 13 20
FanGraphs 12 15
Baseball America NR 10

Santo Manzanillo, RHP
Age: 23
Top Level Reached in 2011: AA

2011 Stats:

Brevard County (A+): 41.1 IP, 1.52 ERA, 1.089 WHIP, 14 BB, 43 K
Huntsville (AA): 20.1 IP, 2.21 ERA, 1.230 WHIP, 12 BB, 19 K
Arizona Fall League: 2.2 IP, 6.75 ERA, 1.880 WHIP, 2 BB, 1 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out Of
John Sickels 11 20
FanGraphs NR 15
Baseball America NR 10

Hunter Morris, 1B
Age: 23
Top Level Reached in 2011: AA

2011 Stats:

Brevard County (A+): 531 PA, .271/.299/.461, 19 HR, 7 SB, 3 CS, 18 BB, 84 K
Huntsville (AA): 17 PA, .353/.353/.706, 1 HR, 0 SB, 0 CS, 0 BB, 1 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out of
John Sickels 17 20
FanGraphs 10 15
Baseball America NR 10

Jimmy Nelson, RHP
Age: 22
Top Level Reached in 2011: A

2011 Stats:

Wisconsin (A): 146 IP, 4.38 ERA, 1.445 WHIP, 65 BB, 120 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out Of
John Sickels 19 20
FanGraphs 7 15
Baseball America 10 10

Michael Reed, OF
Age: 19
Highest Level Reached in 2011: Rookie

2011 Stats:

Arizona (Rookie): 62 PA, .232/.295/.375, 0 HR, 1 SB, 0 CS, 5 BB, 17 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out of
John Sickels Honorable Mention 20
FanGraphs NR 15
Baseball America NR 10

D' Vontrey Richardson
Age: 23
Top Level Reached in 2011: A+

2011 Stats:

Brevard County (A+): 392 PA, .284/.327/.384, 3 HR, 9 SB, 13 CS, 22 BB, 70 K

Other Rankings:

Source Rank Out Of
John Sickels 18 20
FanGraphs NR 15
Baseball America NR 10
Poll
Who should be #13 in our Community Prospect Rankings?
16%
Orlando Arcia
29 votes
9%
Nick Bucci
17 votes
8%
Khris Davis
16 votes
1%
Drew Gagnon
2 votes
4%
David Goforth
8 votes
20%
Santo Manzanillo
36 votes
12%
Hunter Morris
22 votes
12%
Jimmy Nelson
22 votes
1%
Michael Reed
2 votes
13%
D' Vontrey Richardson
25 votes

179 votes | Poll has closed