A place to follow the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the Midwest League, Minor League baseball, Major League Baseball, and everything in between in that order.
The Milwaukee Brewers' 2006 first-round draft pick missed the first two months while finishing a 100-game suspension for testing positive a third time for marijuana. He then was assigned to low Class A Wisconsin, moving up to high Class A Brevard County and eventually Class AA Huntsville.Emphasis added. Congratulations on your MLB debut last night, Jeremy Jeffress. Here is to many more scoreless innings for you.
Then the big leagues.
"I'm on cloud nine right now," Jeffress said Wednesday after reporting to the Brewers as a September call-up. "It was a hope and prayer (to come up). It's a great opportunity. I couldn't even stand up when I first heard it.
"It was big steps, back on the mound, coming off the suspension. A great learning experience. I've been to the bottom and I worked my way back to the top. I thank everybody that stuck behind me."
The Brewers put Jeffress, 22, on their 40-man roster June 29, some two months before necessary. They called it a reward for good behavior coming off the suspension, but it also protected him from a lifetime ban should he test positive for marijuana again.
Jeffress knew there would be skeptics who expected him to lapse back into marijuana use.
"I've been doing great, staying clean," he said. "The temptation was there, but nothing can be greater than playing baseball for a living. This is what I love to do. The only way I can (stop speculation) is to prove them wrong."
Three Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have been named to the 2010 Midwest League Postseason All-Star Team. Second baseman Scooter Gennett, outfielder Khris Davis, and closer Jon Pokorny were elected to the team in a vote by the managers of the 16 teams in the Midwest League. These three Rattlers are the first postseason all-stars for the Timber Rattlers since Matt Tuiasosopo was the shortstop on the 2005 team.Click the link for all of the details. Why unprecedented? Here is why:
The naming of three Timber Rattlers to this season's postseason All-Star team marks the most Wisconsin players on the team in franchise history. The previous high had been two in four straight seasons form 1998 to 2001.And here is a list of all Timber Rattlers players to make the Postseason All-Star Team:
