ABOUT LAST SEASON: The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers concluded the 2008 campaign with a 56-80 record. Last season was the third straight season with 80 or more losses for the Timber Rattlers. In September of ’08, the 16 year affiliation between the Timber Rattlers and the Seattle Mariners ended. Seattle is now the parent club of the Clinton LumberKings of the Midwest League.
A 16-YEAR RECORD: From 1993 through 2008, Appleton baseball teams – in 1993 and 1994 the Rattlers were still known as the Appleton Foxes -- compiled a record of 1,077 wins and 1,124 losses. That is a winning percentage of .489. The Timber Rattlers made it to the playoffs eight times in 16 seasons with the Mariners and reached the Championship Series three times (1996, 1999, and 2005).
MEET THE NEW PARENT CLUB: After Seattle left, the Timber Rattlers reached an agreement with the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee had spent the last four seasons with the West Virginia Power of the South Atlantic League as their low Class-A affiliate.
MAN IN CHARGE: The new Timber Rattler manager is Jeff Isom, a former minor league pitcher from the San Diego Padres system and the independent leagues. Isom spent several years as a manager in the independent leagues before joining the Milwaukee system as the manager of Helena, the Pioneer League affiliate of Milwaukee, in 2007. Last season, Isom was the manager of the Power and helped lead that team to the South Atlantic League Championship Series.
BREAK IT DOWN: Here is the breakdown of how the 25 players on Wisconsin’s Opening Day roster were acquired:
2008 Draft:..13
2007 Draft:...5
2005 Draft:...1
NDFA:.........3
MiLB FA:......2
Rule 5 Draft: 1
PROSPECTING: There are seven members of the active Timber Rattler roster who are rated as top 30 prospects in the Milwaukee system by Baseball America. Infielder Brett Lawrie (#3) and outfielder Cutter Dykstra (#7) are both in the top 10. Pitchers Cody Scarpetta (#15), Wily Peralta (#22), Efrain Nieves (#23), Evan Frederickson (#24), and Cody Adams (#28) are also on the list.
HOW THEY DID LAST YEAR: The majority of this year’s Timber Rattlers played for either Helena in the Pioneer League or Milwaukee’s affiliate in the Arizona League. Helena finished with an overall record of 35-41 and missed the playoffs. Their first half record of 20-18 was good for second place in their division and their 15-23 record in the second half was third best in their division. The Arizona League affiliate of the Brewers went 13-42 and missed the playoffs.
WHAT ABOUT THIS LEVEL? There are six Rattlers on the active roster who spent at least some time with the West Virginia Power last season. They are outfielder Michael Vass and pitchers Michael Bowman, Evan Frederickson, Pedro Lambertus, Dan Merklinger, and Wily Peralta. The Power were 32-37 in the first half, but rallied for a division championship in the second half with a record of 45-25. West Virginia defeated Lake County in the Division Championship Series, but lost to Augusta in the Championship.
FUN FACT #1: The Cedar Rapids Kernels are now the team in the Midwest League with the longest current affiliation with a major league club. The Kernels, who have been partnered with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim since 1993, had been tied with Wisconsin at 16 years.
FUN FACT #2: The Timber Rattlers have lost their last two home openers. They also committed seven errors in both the 2007 and 2008 home debuts. Wisconsin last won a home opener on April 6, 2006. They beat the Peoria Chiefs 4-2.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Quad Cities River Bandits are the Midwest League affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. This is the fifth season of the partnership between the River Bandits and the Cardinals. Last season, Quad Cities missed the playoffs. They were 33-31 in the first half and 35-35 in the second half for an overall record of 68-66.
2008 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers were 8-6 against the River Bandits last year. Wisconsin was 4-2 in Grand Chute against Quad Cities.
PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook listed just one member of the current River Bandit roster as a Top 30 prospect in the St. Louis system. Infielder Niko Vasquez is ranked at #18.
OUT OF THE DRAFT 2008: The Cardinals have placed 10 members of their 2008 draft class on the River Bandit roster. Pitchers George Brown (28th round), Scott McGregor (15th), Kevin Thomas (33rd), and Adam Veres (49th) are joined by catcher Charlie Cutler (14th), infielders Alex Castellanos (10th) and Niko Vasquez (3rd), and outfielders Paul Cruz (40th) and Chris Swauger (26th).
RETURNING LETTERMEN: There are 10 members of the Opening Day Roster for the River Bandits who spent part of the 2008 season in Quad Cities. Pitchers Dave Carpenter, Chuckie Fick, Deryk Hooker, McGregor, catcher Roberto Espinoza, infielders Domnit Bolivar, Aaron Luna, Osvaldo Morales, and Vasquez, and outfielder John Edwards.
QUAD CITIES STARTING PITCHER: RH Adam Veres was the 49th round selection of the Cardinals in the 2008 draft out of St. Petersburg Junior College in Florida. Veres split time between Johnson City (Appalachian League) and Batavia (New York-Penn League) last season. He went 2-2 in eight games (three starts) with a 2.38ERA and 32 strikeouts in 22-2/3 innings for Johnson City. He was promoted to Batavia and was 1-1 in six games (three starts) with a 4.35ERA and 26 strikeouts in 20-2/3 innings. Veres walked 14 in 43-1/3 innings.
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