Results tagged ‘ Scooter Gennett ’

Narveson to DL, Position Player Coming Tomorrow…But Who?

It was announced just after today’s win over the Chicago Cubs that LHP Chris Narveson was placed on the 15-day Disabled List with a sprain of the middle finger on his left (throwing) hand.

After retweeting my announcement of the status change, Narveson added a little bit more…

Then, in the post-game media availability, manager Ron Roenicke stated that it would be a position player to replace Narveson on the active roster but that the specific player in question would be announced at a later time.

Naturally, the gears began to grind in the Brewer Nation thinkspace as people tried to come up with the name of who will be on their way to join the parent club in Chicago for Game 2 against the Cubs on Tuesday.

Here are some possible candidates, listed in alphabetical order by last name, with reasons for and against them getting the call.

Scooter Gennett

  • Pros
    • On the 40-man roster
    • Infielder
    • Hitting just under .500 on the young season
    • Left-handed hitter
    • Could option back to minors later
  • Cons
    • Limited to second base defensively
    • Not a power bat off the bench
    • Basically no time above Double-A
    • Would only play off the bench

Caleb Gindl

  • Pros
    • On the 40-man roster
    • Left-handed hitter
    • Some pop in a pinch-hitting role
    • Could option back to minors later
    • Seasoned minor leaguer
  • Cons
    • Corner outfielder defensively
    • Off to a very slow start offensively
    • Would only play off the bench

Blake Lalli

  • Pros
    • Plays some first base (an area of need)
    • Plays catcher allowing for additional flexibility and allows Roenicke to play Maldonado at 1B more
    • Left-handed hitter
    • Cup of coffee in the big leagues (with the Cubs in 2012)
  • Cons
    • Not on the 40-man roster
    • No minor league options

Hunter Morris

  • Pros
    • True first baseman
      • Allowing for Alex Gonzalez or Yuniesky Betancourt to start at 3B assuming Jean Segura is healthy
    • Had breakout season in 2012
    • Defensively sound though not spectacular
    • Left-handed hitter
      • Would help add a touch more balance to the Brewers every day lineup
    • Would likely become the starter at first base
    • Has played a little third base in his pro career
  • Cons
    • Not on 40-man roster
    • Has only played a handful of games above Double-A

So, who got the call?

lalli

Blake Lalli, who nearly made the 25-man roster out of spring training in the first place, had his contract selected the Brewers following Nashville’s 1-0 victory on Monday evening.

This will give Ron Roenicke some flexibility to utilize Martin Maldonado as he chooses, including playing him more at first base like I reported was part of the plan back in Spring Training before Alex Gonzalez took to the position so easily.

Lalli will wear uniform number 50 and will join the team tomorrow in Chicago.

Congrats and welcome back to the Show!

The move required a corresponding 40-man roster transaction to clear a spot. To that end, Corey Hart was transferred to the 60-day DL. A source told me back on Opening Day a week ago that Hart’s projected return date had been pushed back to June 1st anyway, so this move makes perfect sense in that regard.

The move is retroactive to March 31st (the earliest is can be) so Hart is now eligible to be activated off the disabled list on May 30th.

Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers – #3 Scooter Gennett

BBtJN Logo

Good morning!

We’re a weekend away from Opening Day at Miller Park. Three days until the games starting to matter. However, those aren’t the first games at Miller Park in 2013. Tonight there will be the first of a pair of exhibition games against the Chicago White Sox.

But for the wins and losses to start to matter in the standings, and what should be a holiday at work, Opening Day is three days away.

Now if you were expecting a profile of Yuniesky Betancourt in this space because after he was signed he took back his old number of 3, you’ll still get it, but not until much later today. Instead, this morning, I’m profiling the prospect who was been wearing number 3 for 99% of camp…

GennettScooter Gennett.

This is going to be a unique profile as I won’t do much explanation of background, or personal history here in the column itself. Why? Well that’s because of the convenience of modern technology coupled with the graciousness of Gennett himself. In other words, I interviewed Scooter last night and will be posting a link to that here.

It’s got the story behind his nickname if you don’t already know it. We discuss his childhood play and what led to him moving to Sarasota, Florida (where he was drafted out of high school) after being born in Cincinnati, Ohio. I ask him for a self-scouting report so you can get to know his game a bit better. There’s really a lot of information and a bit of fun involved in the conversation.

(To download an MP3 file of the interview from my Box.com site, CLICK HERE. I’m not sure if it can only be downloaded so many times, so get it while you can. I’ll replace this link with a permanent one after the file gets uploaded to our usual audio archive website.)

As for his 2013 outlook though, Ryan Joseph Gennett (soft G) told me in the interview where he is expecting to start play in the regular season. More than that though, this year will be another proving ground type year. Gennett has advanced up the organizational ladder every year since beginning professional play. He played in full-season affiliated ball right away in 2010 after signing in late 2009. He was with the Class-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in 2010, the Class-A Advanced Brevard County Manatees in 2011 and spent all of 2012 racking up a .293 batting average with five home runs, 44 RBI and 11 stolen bases at Class-AA Huntsville.

But as Scooter said in my interview with him, the location where he’s doing his work doesn’t matter as much as always working hard to get better with that work. He’s sounds like a hungry player who not only wants to get better but needs to get better. That’s a distinction in professional athletes where the drive to succeed burns within them.

Just a couple of final notes as an addendum to what you can hear in the audio of our interview:

  • Scooter’s dad, Joe, was a scout with the Houston Astros.
  • Gennett was added to the 40-man roster last year on November 20, 2012.
  • Gennett hits left-handed, and is listed at 5’10″ and 157 pounds in this year’s Brewers Media Guide

And, as I mention in the interview, you can follow Scooter Gennett on Twitter: @Scooterg11

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Miss anyone along the way? Catch up on the Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers profiles to this point:

Official Release: Brewers On Deck To Feature Over 50 Players, Coaches

brewersondeck2013

Thirty-two current Milwaukee Brewers players from the 40-man roster plus a host of alumni, Minor League prospects, coaches, front office executives and broadcasters are scheduled to participate in Brewers On Deck, which is set to take place Sunday, January 27 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Delta Center.  The event is presented by Time Warner Cable.

Brewers On Deck is the annual Fan Fest that bridges the gap between winter and Spring Training.  Players, coaches and alumni scheduled to attend include the following (all subject to change):

PLAYERS

COACHES

  • Ron Roenicke
  • Joe Crawford
  • Marcus Hanel (@Markoos55)
  • Garth Iorg
  • Rick Kranitz
  • Jerry Narron
  • Johnny Narron
  • Ed Sedar
  • John Shelby
  • Lee Tunnell

MINORS

ALUMNI

  • Jerry Augustine (@jaugie46)
  • Jim Gantner
  • Larry Hisle
  • Gorman Thomas
  • Bob Uecker

Tickets for Brewers On Deck are currently on sale.  Advance tickets are $15 for adults and $9 for children ages 14 and under. Tickets may be purchased at the Miller Park ticket office, by calling the Brewers Ticket office at 414-902-4000, or online at Brewers.com/ondeck. On the day of the event, only cash will be accepted for purchases made at the door.  Tickets the day of the event are $20 for adults and $15 for children 14 and under.

Brewers On Deck will feature a number of activities for the entire family.  Autographs and photos from Brewers players and coaches, interactive games in the Kids Area, Q&A sessions and game shows with coaches, players and staff, vendor booths with baseball memorabilia, the Brewers Community Foundation Treasure Hunt and many other activities will all be a part of Brewers On Deck.

The same system for autographs will be used for Brewers On Deck that was used last year.  Recipients of any “PREMIER” autographs (players to be announced at a later date) will be chosen through a random selection process. Numbered coupons to be entered into the random selection process will be available the day of the event only and will be distributed beginning at 8 a.m. at the Delta Center. Coupon distribution will be available up to an hour before each designated autograph session. A schedule of players, their session times, and distribution info will be posted later this month.

Fans can receive one coupon per event admission ticket and can use that coupon to enter the random selection process for any one of the select Brewers players. There is no cost for coupons to enter the random selection process; however, those holding coupons that are chosen must pay $25 at the respective autograph stage to collect their player signature. There will be 250 winners for each of the PREMIER autograph sessions.

Players and staff not included in the PREMIER autograph list will not use the random selection process. Each of these players will sign 250 autographs at prices ranging from free to $10. The autograph opportunities are for signatures on photo cards provided by the team; the Brewers cannot guarantee that any player will sign other memorabilia.  For additional information regarding the lottery process, visit Brewers.com/ondeck.

All autograph proceeds benefit Brewers Community Foundation. Please note that cash is the only acceptable form of payment for autographs.  The Brewers cannot guarantee that any player will sign other memorabilia, and personalization of items is solely up to the discretion of each player.

Brewers Rule V Draft Results

RuleVDraftLogo

The Rule V Draft (long live the Roman numeral!) took place this morning in Nashville on the fourth day of the 2012 Winter Meetings.

There are three portions of the draft. MLB, AAA, and AA. If a player is taken in a particular portion of the draft, the player must then stick at that level for the balance of the 2013 season or be offered back to their original team.

In the Major League portion of the draft, the Milwaukee Brewers chose to pass with their selection. Doug Melvin had indicated that they were interested in one player but didn’t expect that player to still be available to select when it was their turn to pick. No one in the Brewers organization was selected by another organization during the MLB portion either.

Eric FarrisThe Triple-A portion got underway and the Seattle Mariners (led by Jack Zduriencik, of course) chose Eric Farris out of the Brewers organization. Farris has had a couple of brief turns with the Brewers but is primarily a second baseman and is blocked as a result in Milwaukee. The Brewers worked it out with Farris’ agent after Farris was outrighted off of the 40-man roster this fall to assign him to the Double-A roster making it easier for a team to select Farris and give him an opportunity. Had the Brewers assigned Farris to Triple-A Nashville, a team would have had to take him in the MLB portion.

It’s just another example of the Brewers organization doing right by its players. They didn’t have to give Farris that opportunity. But along with the fact that they prefer to play top prospect Scooter Gennett at 2B in Nashville in 2013, they realized that Farris deserved an opportunity and it wasn’t going to come here.

Kudos to Melvin, Zack Minasian & Dick Groch for their decision despite it resulting in the loss of one of my favorite Brewers minor leaguers to root for.

***UPDATE: Eric Farris tweeted out a message following his selection by Seattle.***

Brewers Protect Five From Rule V Draft

The Brewers announced this morning that they have added five players to their 40-man roster ahead of tonight’s midnight EST deadline for protecting players from the upcoming Rule V Draft.

The players protected are:

  • RHP Nick Bucci
  • RHP Hiram Burgos
  • OF Khris Davis
  • INF Scooter Gennett
  • OF Josh Prince

Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash was contacted for some quotes* about the players added today and said the following about how they arrived at these five names.

“They’ve all excelled at various times over the course of the season at different levels. Probably even more important than that are the tools and ability they possess. We want to manage and protect our assets. We didn’t want to lose any of the five.”

“We had some other guys we liked as well,” said Ash. “We did our due diligence. We started with a list of nine or 10 names and whittled them down. There are surprises (in the Rule 5) every year. You can’t protect everybody.”

Nick Bucci

Bucci is 21 years old and coming off of a very good 2012 season split between the Low- and High-A levels of the Brewers farm system. He posted combined numbers of a 1.90 ERA, 1.102 WHIP, 9.3 K/9 in 42.2 innings over 10 starts. He missed time to begin the season coming off of an injury. His season debut was July 18th with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Bucci finished his year with a stint in the Arizona Fall League. Not only are the Brewers high on him, but after missing the amount of time he did, it was a way to help him get more innings before shutting it back down for the winter.

“I wouldn’t put much emphasis at the level he pitched at. That was mostly a rehab assignment,” said Ash. “He’s young and has a good arm, and a team could keep him as the 13th pitcher on the staff (if taken in the Rule 5 draft). For $50,000 (the draft price), you can’t replace that kind of arm. It might be a longer road for him but we like his upside.”

Hiram Burgos

Burgos, 25, rocketed through the system in 2012. He began the year with the High-A Brevard County Manatees, made a stop in Double-A with the Huntsville Stars, and finished as a Nashville Sound in Triple-A. There was even talk that he was being kept at the ready in late September should the Brewers have needed an extra arm later in their season. Quite the year. That is evidenced in his numbers which ended up at a 1.95 ERA (2.91 in AAA), 1.035 WHIP (only 128 hits), over 171.0 innings pitched in 28 games (27 starts).

“Everyone wants to put labels on him and he is a Shaun Marcum type,” said Ash. “He has great command and without overpowering stuff he still has a knack for missing bats. It’s hard to explain. He has command of the strike zone and a real knack for getting out of trouble as well. Those are some of the intangibles you look for in a pitcher.”

Khris Davis

Davis is a 6’0″, 195 lb outfielder who both bats and throws right-handed, turns 25 next month. Davis began his season with Huntsville before an injury and subsequent rehab assignment cost him some time. He came back to Hunstville in early July and was promoted to Triple-A on July 30th where he played out the remainder of the season. Davis played a total of 82 games in the regular season posting a combined line of .350/.451/.604 which includes a .310/.414/.522 line at Triple-A in 32 games. Davis was also assigned to the Arizona Fall League in order to get more at-bats but he didn’t fare as well in the desert the second time around. Still, he does appear to have a bat which could play at the MLB level one day.

“He’s a tremendous offensive player,” said Ash. “He’s a bit streaky but when he’s hot, he’s real hot. I saw him hit the longest home run I saw all year at Nashville. It went over the batter’s eye in center field. The ability is there and in the American League it’s easy to carry an extra hitter (as a Rule 5 pick). His bat is close to being big-league ready. We didn’t want to lose him.”

Scooter Gennett

Gennett’s addition to the 40-man roster was probably the easiest to guess (outside of Burgos because Melvin told us so in an interview awhile ago) because despite his small stature (5’9″, 164 lbs) his profile has been an elevated one. All he’s done is hit since signing with the Brewers after being drafted in the 16th round of the 2009 draft. Over .300 at both Low-A and High-A, Gennett continued his progression with a full season in Double-A which saw his average dip to .293 but he basically maintained his OBP including an increase to his walk rate. He is still learning second base defensively after being drafted as a shortstop, but those issues are getting farther away in his rear view with each inning. His errors decreased, his fielding percentage has gone up every season (I know…I know), and his Range Factor per Game has also increased every season.

Josh Prince

The final player who was added today (alphabetically, not necessarily reflective of ability) was tapped due to his incredible “season” in the Arizona Fall League. Josh Prince was just converting from infield to outfield defensively and after a pedestrian season at Double-A Huntsville (.251/.346/.360) the Brewers probably thought that they might be able to avoid protecting him for one more year. Then when Mat Gamel’s exemption request to play in the AFL was denied, the Brewers sent Prince instead and he absolutely rose to the occasion. Now, AFL offensive stats are often inflated but Prince even rose to the top of the inflation. He hit a team-best .404 which was good for second-highest overall in league. His OBP was .491 so he was still drawing some walks (a team-best 15, 5th-best in the AFL) and his slugging finished at .573 which gave him an OPS over 1.000 at 1.064.

“That (AFL) performance certainly put him over the top,” said Ash. “That kind of performance in that setting is something everyone notices. He was the talk of the league, and every scout from every team passes through there at some point. It’s hard to minimize that kind of performance. He solidified his place in the organization.”

With these additions, the Brewers 40-man roster currently sits at 39.

*Appreciation and credit to Tom Haudricourt at the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel for the quotes about the players from Brewers assistant general manger Gord Ash.

Brewers First “Half” Ends With Win, Sunday’s News and Notes

Brewers Defeat Astros, Final: 5-3 (10 innings)

The first “half” of the regular season came to an end for the Milwaukee Brewers this afternoon with a 5-3 Win in Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros.

Zack Greinke started the game, his second in two days (more on that later), but a rough first inning saw the former Cy Young Award winner throw 39 pitches and allow three runs to score. Greinke settled down after the first but with a reduced pitch count was only able to get through three full innings (on 66 pitches) before being lifted for the day’s scheduled starter Marco Estrada.

Why did Greinke start consecutive days? That would be the direct result of being ejected from Saturday’s game after facing two hitters, and only throwing four pitches. Greinke was tossed after arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Joe West. Something that will get you tossed every time.

Wait…what? That’s not what happened?

Then it must have been because he spat in an umpire’s face.

No?

Kicked dirt on an umpire’s shoes.

Really?

Of course I’m being facetious. Greinke was tossed because he spiked the baseball into the dirt after failing to cover first base quickly enough on a ground ball. Greinke was late getting over and the quick Jose Altuve tied him to the bag. First base umpire Sam Holbrook called Altuve safe (the right call) and Greinke, mad at himself for getting over late, threw the ball down in disgust. Holbrook, who isn’t exactly known for his patient temperament, sent Greinke to the showers.

Anyway…after such a short outing (and no scheduled plans for Tuesday), Greinke offered to come back and start Sunday’s game. He did just that, struggled through the first inning, but left on a positive note when he struck out the side in a perfect third inning.

Estrada entered and allowed only one baserunner on a walk, but who was retired on a double-play. Therefore, Estrada faced the minimum through three innings of work. He was lifted for Jose Veras who was then followed by Francisco Rodriguez, each of who worked perfect innings in the 7th and 8th respectively.

The Brewers had tied it up by the 9th inning when Manny Parra entered and worked a clean frame to send the game into extra innings.

That ended up being just “extra inning” however as the Brewers plated a pair despite leaving the bases loaded.

John Axford entered the game and, though allowing a couple of baserunners, closed the door for his 15th Save of the 2012 season.

The victory gave the Brewers a series victory and saw them end the first “half” of the year with a record of 40 Wins against 45 Losses.

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Gennett Participates in Futures Game

Gennett entered the game in the 5th inning but still managed to amass four plate appearances, which is reflected in the fact that Team USA scored 17 runs in a rout of Team World.Brewers prospect Scooter Gennett didn’t start, but did finish the 2012 All-Star Futures Game which was played on Sunday night in Kaufmann Stadium which will host the All-Star Game on Tuesday night.

The final box score for “Scooter”:

AB R H RBI BB K LOB AVG
3 2 1 0 1 0 0 .333

The hit was a double, and Gennett scored both times he reached based for Team USA.

Gennett was the only Brewers representative in the Futures Game this year.

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Taylor Green Optioned to Nashville

After the big league game ended, utility man Taylor Green was optioned back to Triple-A Nashville in a move designed to give the former organizational Minor League Player of the Year some playing time.

While up with the parent club, Green got chances but they came spottily at best and barely at all once Corey Hart was basically permanently moved to first base defensively.

Green needs the chance to play every day and to get some swings. He’s only had four plate appearances all month and hasn’t logged a hit since June 26th, not coincidentally his last start.

The team stated that they would call up a bat in time for Friday to replace Green on the roster, but they did not name the player who would be coming. Chances are it will be a middle infielder as they are covered quite well in the outfield and at the infield corners.

Based on 40-man roster implications, my money would be on second baseman Eric Farris who is the only infielder at Nashville currently on that roster. Farris also would offer a right-handed hitting option off the bench in games where manager Ron Roenicke starts nearly all right-handed hitters. Previously, the bench options would have been lefties Nyjer Morgan, George Kottaras, Green, and switch-hitting Cesar Izturis who is cover-your-eyes awful from the right side.

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Greinke Slated to Start Friday

Zack Greinke will be making Brewers history this coming Friday, assuming he makes his scheduled start at Miller Park.

More than that, he’ll be doing something that hasn’t been done since 1917!!

If Greinke makes the start as planned, he’ll be starting three consecutive games for a team in the same season. This feat was last performed 95 years ago by Hall of Fame pitcher Red Faber who did it for the White Sox. Faber’s three games were a bit different than what Greinke’s All-Star-break-aided trio will be though.

Faber started both games of a double-header (he got shelled in both leading to short outings) and then threw a complete game, 16-hitter (only 3 runs!) the next day.

Still, starting three consecutive games in the same season is a feat unmatched since.

Leave it to Zack Greinke (credit Holbrook with the assist?) to challenge history.

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