Rattler Alumni Report: 2010 Caribbean Series

Dominican Republic 2, Puerto Rico 1

Puerto Rico:
Martin Maldonado ('09): 1-for-2

Mexico 7, Venezuela 2

Venezuela:
Carlos Maldonado ('98): 0-for-3

Jon Miller, Hall of Famer

The newest winner of the Ford C. Frick Award is Jon Miller.

Growing up in the Bay Area, Giants play-by-play man Jon Miller spent hundreds of days and nights listening to Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons call Giants games.

On Monday, Miller received the ultimate honor for a baseball broadcaster, one Hodges and Simmons each earned.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced that Miller was selected as the winner of the Ford C. Frick Award, given annually to recognize excellence in baseball broadcasting.

Miller, on vacation in Cartagena, Colombia, got the news in phone calls from Hall President Jeff Idelson and Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan, Miller's partner on ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" telecasts for the past 20 seasons.

"The first people I actually thought of were Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons," Miller said in a conference call.

"It really is kind of astounding to me, that I'm the recipient of the award, because Russ and Lon were larger-than-life people to me. They were as big as the biggest movie stars to me."

I just hope that if Mr. Miller says the name of the man for whom the award is named, he has better luck than his time as a hockey announcer for the California Golden Seals when he...well, here is the excerpt from From Peanuts to the Pressbox by Eli Gold.

ESPN's Jon Miller admits that during the first game he called for the NHL's California Golden Seals way back when, he got tongue-tied while trying to say, "The puck fell." Instead he said...well, you know what he said. According to Miller, ever after he has advised aspiring hockey announcers to refer to the puck as "it".

What's in a nickname

Chris Jaffe at The Hardball Times ranks the nicknames of MLB teams. His criteria:

All lists are inherently subjective, but this one is completely so. Even still, I have some general guidelines for making my picks:

- A nickname should be distinctive.

- The nickname should ideally tie in to the local community somehow.

- Above all else, a nickname should sound cool.

The Brewers rank is...

5. Milwaukee Brewers. It's a fitting nickname, given all the beer making going on in Wisconsin. It's certainly unlike any other team nickname.

Click over for the whole list.

This link is via Duk at Big League Stew. Duk ranks the Brewers, based on Jaffe's criteria, at #1.

Preview for 'The Interrogation Room' (UPDATED)

It will be up on the main site around 11:30 this morning. Corey Kemp is the subject. You're going to want to read it. Trust me.



I'll have a link to the interview on this post later.

UPDATE: Click on the graphic below for this week's installment.

Caribbean Series preview

MLB.com has a nice look at the Series, which starts tonight. But, what caught my eye was the history section.

The history of the Caribbean Series in Latin America traces back to the union of the leagues in Cuba, Panama, Puerto Rico and Venezuela -- and the formation of the Caribbean Federation in 1948. After Cuba in 1949, Puerto Rico played host to the Caribbean Series in 1950, Venezuela in 1951 and Panama in 1952.

The initial design was 12 games, with each team squaring off against each other twice. From 1949-60, Cuba won the title seven times. Puerto Rico won four times during that span and Panama won its first and only Caribbean Series title in 1950.

In 1959, Fidel Castro took over in Cuba and declared it a Communist nation, ending the country's participation in the event after 1960. Depleted, the Caribbean Series eventually disappeared for 10 years until a revival in 1970 that included the addition of the Dominican Republic and Mexico and the removal of Panama from the tournament.

What makes the Caribbean Series interesting is the fact that the championship teams in the Winter Leagues are allowed to pick up additional players from their respective leagues. However, these days many Major League players opt out of the tournament in order to prepare for Spring Training.

According to that, I'll need to check the boxscores closely to see if any ex-Rattlers have been added to the rosters. To see the former Rattlers playing in this Round Robin, head to this post.

A six-pack of construction photos

I was going to layoff construction pictures for awhile, but when there is a Bobcat, a steamroller*, and a big pile of dirt involved...I guess that I am contractually obligated to post some.

As always, click on the picture for a larger image. Click the link in the middle of the post to take off for some classic cinema, eh. Click on the groovy link at the end for some fun, baby!

This is the work they are doing on the old home bullpen.


You can see that the forms are in for the seating in the old visitors bullpen.

This is a field level view of the completed forms on the third base side.

Big pile of dirt in the process of being readied
STEAMROLLER! STEAMROLLER!
The construction crew has been very patient with me when I am photographing them.

*-Is probably not a steamroller, but close enough for what I am going for in this post.

A lot from a lefty

Sorry. Not much out there this morning.

It looks like the only post for today will be this one about ex-Rattler Ryan Rowland Smith ('03) from The Olympian in, um, Olympia.

Big year expected from lefty
Pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith says he learned from an up-and-down season

Don Wakamatsu's face breaks into a grin, then grows serious. It's clear the subject of the conversation - Ryan Rowland-Smith - fills the customarily cool Mariners manager with some emotion.

“I really like Ryan Rowland-Smith,” Wakamatsu said Saturday as the grin slowly returned. “I like his intensity. I like how he competes. I think he’s going to have a big year for us.”
...
“Last year I went though a lot of ups and downs personally,” Rowland-Smith said from Mariners FanFest.

There were a few ups and mostly downs for Rowland-Smith, and he was left to find his way out of the downs.

“You go through a situation where it’s sort of like you are left telling yourself, ‘I have to pitch my way out of the situation,’ ” he said. “It wasn’t because of this or because of that. It was because of nothing. I have to pitch my way out of this situation. On the mental side of it, it really helped me. It makes you more aware. You have to perform and you have to show (you are) able to perform at this level.”

Remember, Seattle is in Milwaukee May 25-27.

Rattlers in the Caribbean

The teams for the 2010 Caribbean Series are set after Naranjeros de Hermosillo won the playoffs in Liga Mexico del Pacifico.

No ex-Rattlers on Hermosillo. But, there are alumn on the rosters of Caracas of Venenzuela, Mayaguez of Puerto Rico, and Escogido of the Dominican Republic.

The Series starts on Tuesday and is a six-day round robin format.

This year's Caribbean Series starts with the Puerto Rico team squaring off against the Dominican Republic in a matinee followed by the opening ceremony and matchup between Venezuela and Mexico on Tuesday night.

Venezuela and the Dominican Republic will meet on Feb. 4, in the third game of the round-robin for each team, and it's going to be a catfight. Venezuela, the reigning Caribbean Series champion, rolled through the 2009 tournament in Mexicali, Mexico, with a 5-1 record. Last year's team from the Dominican Republic finished in the bottom half of the standings along with Puerto Rico with a 2-4 record. Mexico finished the tourney at 3-3.

Those ex-Rattlers include:

Caracas: Carlos Maldonado ('98), Renee Cortes ('03)

Mayaguez: Wilfredo Quintana ('01), Mumba Rivera ('05), Johan Limonta ('06), Martin Maldonado ('09)

Escogido: Julio Mateo ('00), Wladimir Balentien ('04)

Hermosillo may not have any ex-Rattlers, but they do have former Brewers pitcher Elmer Dessens, former Brewers farmhand Ty Taubenheim, and current Brewers minor leaguer Trent Oeltjen.

Please note that the players above are based on the rather extensive rosters on-line. I am not sure who will be on the final rosters for the Series. But, Rattler Radio will have coverage of those Alumni playing down in Venezuela.

Vote for the Right Fielder

First, congratulations to Shin-Soo Choo ('02). He was selected by vote at the Timber Rattlers website as the center fielder on the Timber Rattlers 15th Anniversary Team.

Next up, there are three candidates for the right fielder on the team. They are:

Fernando Espino ('99)
TJ Bohn ('03)
Mike Wilson ('05)

Click the link for the cases made for each player. Then, vote in the poll over at the home page.

If you are an insider...

ESPN.com has something about Wily Peralta behind their Insider wall. The title of the article by Keith Law is Top 2011 Sleepers by organization.

If you go to that link you'll get the first paragraph and a list of the Top 100 Prospects from Law...and information on how to subscribe to their insider. Looking at that list...

Brewers:
Alcides Escobar is #54

Ex-Rattlers:
Carlos Triunfel ('07) is #44

Brett Lawrie ('09) is at #47

Michael Saunders ('06) is #74

Rattler Alumni Report: Winter League Games of January 29, 2010

Liga Venezuela Beisbol Profesional

Caracas wins the Championship series. Looks like a former Rattlers catcher had a pretty good night in Game Seven.

Caracas 7 @Magallanes 2

Caracas:
Carlos Maldonado ('98): 4-for-5, 2 RUNS, 2B, 2RBI

Liga de Beisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico

Mayaguez wins the Championship series 4-1.

Mayaguez 8 @Caguas 6 (11 innings)

Mayaguez:
Johan Limonta ('06): 2-for-5
Martin Maldonado ('09): defensive replacement

Caguas:
Oswaldo Navarro ('05): pinch runner, RUN

More Prospects

I'll let Jim Callis explain what Baseball America is doing before getting into any potential Rattler alumni or Brewers on The 32nd Team. I'll even leave in their link.

In 2003, we began a tradition of compiling all of the extra scouting reports that were written for the Prospect Handbook but didn't quite make it into the book. Sometimes trade acquisitions squeeze other prospects out of a Top 30, and sometimes we just change our minds. We called the group of extra players The 31st Team. Last year, as a premium for people who buy the Handbook directly from us, we included a supplement with a bonus prospect for each team. So that now functions as The 31st Team. But we still have leftover scouting reports, hence the creation of . . . The 32nd Team.

The inaugural edition of The 32nd team featured 17 players, several of whom graduated to the 2010 Prospect Handbook. The most notable was Mariners third baseman Alex Liddi, who led the minor leagues with a .345 batting average last season. This year's 32nd Team consists of 25 players. That brings the final count of Handbook-related scouting reports to 958: 30 for each team, 30 more in the bonus supplement, two Cuban defectors in the Appendix and this, The 32nd Team.

Now, for the ex-Rattlers on their list:

Nathan Adcock, rhp, Pirates
Born: Feb. 25, 1988. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-5. Wt.: 190. Drafted: HS—Radcliff, Ky., 2006 (5th round). Signed by: Brian Williams (Mariners).
Adcock joined the Pirates in a seven-player deal last July, as Pittsburgh sent Jack Wilson and Ian Snell to the Mariners and received Adcock, Jeff Clement, Ronny Cedeno and minor league righthanders Brett Lorin and Aaron Pribanic. The trade liberated Adcock from the hitter-friendly high Class A California League, but he didn't pitch any better after making a move to the Carolina League. The Pirates put Adcock on a strict pitch count after the trade because he occasionally had been bothered by elbow tenderness in 2008 and 2009. He can dial his fastball up to 94 mph, though it normally sits at 88-92. He has smooth mechanics and could throw harder if he adds strength. He also has a hard curveball and changeup that both need refinement. To find success against more advanced hitters, he'll have to throw more strikes and locate his pitches better in the zone. Adcock needs to make a lot of strides if he's going to cut it as a starter, and he may project better as a reliever. He likely will begin 2010 in Double-A.

Efrain Nieves, lhp, Brewers
Born: Nov. 15, 1989. B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 175. Drafted: HS—Gurabo, P.R., 2007 (7th round). Signed by: Manolo Hernandez/Charlie Sullivan.
Nieves had his ups and downs when he got his first taste of full-season ball in 2009. He appeared a bit fatigued early in the season, perhaps from pitching in winter ball. He lost the feel for his curveball and changeup, making him a one-pitch pitcher in many outings. That proved to be a problem because he can't overpower hitters with a fastball that sits at 88-91 mph. Nieves must rely on command and mixing his pitches. His changeup may be his most reliable pitch, and he also throws a curveball and a slider. He pitched well for Puerto Rico at the World Cup in September, showing good poise for a teenager. Nieves must continue to work on hitting his spots to prove he can be a starter at the top level. Otherwise, he might have to settle for being a lefthanded specialist out of the bullpen. He'll spend 2010 at high Class A Brevard County.

Adcock played with the Rattlers in '07 and '08. Nieves was a Rattler last season.

My Big Brewers Blog Book

Duk at Big League Stew has put together a series of links to follow the Milwaukee Brewers for the 2010 season. He calls it a blog book. It is not all-inclusive, but there are some familiar names.

Call off the season

Baseball Prospectus has it all figured out*.

Follow the link to see what a series of computer simulations has discovered for the records of the teams in MLB for the 2010 season.

To take a little suspense out of the click, the computer has the Brewers finishing Tied for 4th with the Astros in the NL Central.

*-Kidding. These projections provide a baseline for future performance.

Rattler Alumni Report: Winter League Games of January 28, 2010

Liga Venezuela Beisbol Profesional

Caracas 6 @Magallanes 3

Caracas:
Carlos Malldonado ('98): 1-for-4, RUN, 2RBI, HR #5

The best-of-seven LVBP Finals are tied at three wins each

Liga de Beisbol Dominicano

Escogido 5 @Gigantes 2

Escogido:
Wladimir Balentien ('04): 1-for-4, RUN, RBI, HR #2

The best-of-nine LBD Finals are tied at four wins each

Liga de Beisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico

Caguas 9 @Mayaguez 2

Caguas:
Oswaldo Navarro ('05): pinch runner

Mayaguez:
Johan Limonta ('06): 0-for-2, RUN, 2 BBs
Martin Maldonado ('09): 0-for-3

Mayaguez leads the best-of-seven LBPPR finals 3-1

A list! A Top 50 List!

MiLB.com has released their Top 50 Prospects for the 2010 season.

# of Brewers minor leaguers on the list = 2

# of ex-Rattlers on the list = 2

The Brewers are Alcides Escobar and Brett Lawrie

The ex-Rattlers are Lawrie ('09) and Phillippe Aumont ('08)

Escobar is #12, Lawrie is #26, and Aumont is #47.

The links should take you right to the page with their highlights and vitals. The guys like Aumont because he is 'Big, Tall, AND DANGEROUS!!"

As a warning, if you click any of the links, you should see that player, but if you hang around for a short period of time, an autoplayer kicks in and the show starts over at #50.

Episode Seven: "The Offseason"

It has something to do with walkup music. I think. I just glanced at it because I am running late today.

New head Kernel

The Cedar Rapids Kernels have a new president.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels announced Wednesday that Tom Barbee has resigned as president of the club’s board of directors and is being replaced by longtime board member Gary Keoppel.

Barbee led the Kernels for six years. He cited a “busy schedule, including increasing travel demands,” as his reasons for stepping down.

“Walking through the stadium throughout the summer, meeting the fans and listening to what they have to say, has been and will remain a wonderful experience,” he said.

Under his sted, the Kernels were honored with Minor League Baseball’s John H. Johnson Award in 2008, as MiLB’s top organization. Keoppel has served the Kernels as club vice president and president of the Kernels Foundation.

So, it's not like they have to get someone else up to speed in the next 10 weeks.

Rattler Alumni Report: Winter League Games of January 27, 2010

Liga de Beisbol Dominicano

@Escogido 4, Gigantes 3 (11 innings)

Escogido:
Wladimir Balentien ('04): 0-for-4, RBI

Liga de Beisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico

Mayaguez 3 @Caguas 2 (14 innings)

Mayaguez:
Johan Limonta ('06): 0-for-5, RBI
Martin Maldonado ('09): 0-for-2

Caguas:
Oswaldo Navarro ('05): pinch runner

Construction Photos: Skeleton in the visitor bullpen

Since most of these photos lately have been of the deck, the new bullpen area, and the old home bullpen, let's turn our attention to the old visitor bullpen.

This one is taken from where the mounds were. The skeleton in there is for the 'All You Can Eat' section.

Here is the view from the front row of Section 112.

From field level.

This is the view from the front row of Section 116.

As always, click for a larger image.