The Milwaukee Brewers today claimed C George Kottaras off waivers from Boston. Kottaras, 26, batted .237 with 1 HR and 10 RBI in 45 games with the Red Sox last season.

The Brewers today added CF Lorenzo Cain and RHP Amaury Rivas to the 40-man roster.

 

The Brewers 40-man roster now stands at 35.

Herrera Big On NWL

By Gregg Hoffmann

At 5-6, Danny Ray Herrera is the smallest player in the big leagues, but he’s very big on the 2005 season he spent in the Northwoods League with the Loggers.

“When I came up here, they let me pitch, throw my screwball, and I gained confidence,” said Herrera, before speaking at the Loggers annual BBQ event at the Best Western.

“The whole experience was a good one. We learned about the travel and other things we’d experience at the next level. They told me they wanted to win, but it also was about development. So, I was able to do just that.

“The ballpark and crowds here were better than some of the ones I played at in my early years in the minors.”

Herrera, a product of the University of New Mexico, appeared in 70 games for the Cincinnati Reds last season, went 4-4 with a 3.06 ERA in 61.2 innings.

“I’m very proud of how I held up,” Herrera said of his season. “I didn’t know how I would hold up to the workload. I just stayed with my routine, and my body held up.

“It’s exciting (with the Reds). We have Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, two of the best young players in baseball, and some good young pitchers to do along with Brandon Phillips and some veterans. I think we’ll grow together and just keep getting better.”

Herrera is lucky to be a lefty, a hot commodity in the big leagues. He also has gained the reputation as “the little man with a big heart.”

“I’ve had to deal with the labels about my size at every level from junior varsity to the majors,” he said. “I just played my best at every level and took advantage of opportunities when they came up.”

Herrera signed with the Texas Rangers out of college, but that club traded him in 2007, along with pitcher Edinson Valquez, to the Reds for outfielder Josh Hamilton.

“I was a little upset when I was traded, but thought if it was going to help me advance and make it to the big leagues I would just work hard,” Herrera said. “A lefthander went down, and it’s turned out to be a great situation.”

Herrera’s out-pitch is the screwball. “I needed a breaking pitch and didn’t have a good changeup,” he said.

“I started throwing it at New Mexico, but it wasn’t very good at first. When I came up here, I could really work on it, and against wooden bats too. It breaks like a curve ball against righthanders so it’s been a good pitch.”

##

Gregg Hoffmann, a veteran journalist, publishes www.midwestdiamondreport.com and runs Old School Collectibles in the Antique Center On Third Street in La Crosse, in A-Z Furniture and Collectibles in Westby and online at www.oldschoolcollectibles.com.

RHP Braden Looper and RHP Claudio Vargas have elected free agency. The 40-man roster now stands at 33.

INF Craig Counsell and RHP David Weathers have elected free agency. The 40-man roster now stands at 35.

BREWERS DECLINE 2010 MUTUAL OPTION ON RHP BRADEN LOOPER

 
MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Brewers today declined the 2010 mutual option on RHP Braden Looper. The announcement was made by Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Melvin.

Looper, 35, went 14-7 with a 5.22 ERA in 34 starts for the Brewers in 2009. He signed with Milwaukee as a free agent on February 12. He made at least 30 starts for the third straight season and established a career-high with 14 wins. He also set a franchise record with 39 home runs allowed, which led the Major Leagues, while also leading the league in runs allowed (123) and earned runs allowed (113).

CARLOS ZAMBRANO WINS SILVER SLUGGER AWARD

Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano has earned a 2009 Silver Slugger Award, given annually to the best offensive player at each position as selected by the Major League Baseball managers and coaches. It is Zambrano's third Silver Slugger nod, having won in 2006 and 2008.

Zambrano bested the rest of the National League's pitchers in 2009 with four homers, 11 RBIs and .689 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

MAUER WINS SILVER SLUGGER AWARD

Twins catcher Joe Mauer added to his growing award collection on Thursday when he was honored with a Silver Slugger Award. It's the third time that Mauer has been selected for a Silver Slugger Award. He also took home the award in 2006 and 2008.

The honor came a couple days after Mauer picked up his second-straight Gold Glove, and the catcher is considered one of the leading candidates for the AL MVP Award which will be announced on Monday, Nov. 23. Mauer, 26, led the AL in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.587) in 2009. He earned his third batting title, making him the first catcher in Major League history to accomplish the feat.

RYAN BRAUN WINS SECOND CONSECUTIVE SILVER SLUGGER AWARD

For the second straight season, Ryan Braun will have some hardware to show for his efforts at the plate.

After batting .320 with 32 home runs and 114 RBIs, Braun became the first Brewer since Paul Molitor, more than a decade ago, to win a Silver Slugger Award in consecutive years.

Jones, IL & PCL MVPs Highlight Topps’ Triple-A All-Star Team

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Mitch Jones, who claimed the Joe Bauman Trophy as Minor League
Baseball’s top slugger, and International and Pacific Coast Most Valuable Players Shelley Duncan and
Randy Ruiz are among the players selected to the Topps Triple-A All-Star Team. The best
performances in all Minor League Baseball classifications are again being honored by the Topps
Company of New York, N.Y., in conjunction with Minor League Baseball.
Randy Ruiz (32) of Reading, Pa., hit .320 with 25 homers in winning Most Valuable Player honors in
the Pacific Coast League. The Las Vegas 51s first baseman led Triple-A with 106 RBI and 70 extrabase
hits and finished second in the classification with his 41 doubles. The Toronto Blue Jays signed
Ruiz as a free agent in December 2008.
Kevin Russo (25) of Boulder, Colo., finished fourth in Triple-A with a .326 average. The
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees second baseman had 18 doubles, two triples, five homers and 31 RBI
in 90 games. The New York Yankees selected Russo in the 20th round in 2006 out of Baylor University.
Andy Marte (26) of Villa Tapia, Dominican Republic, hit .327 with 18 roundtrippers and 66 RBI in 82
games for the Columbus Clippers. The third baseman earned IL Topps Player of the Month honors for
July when he hit .385 with nine homers and 24 RBI. The Cleveland Indians, who acquired Marte as
part of a January 2006 trade with Boston, brought him up to the big club at the end of July for the rest of
the season.
Alcides Escobar (22) of Vargas, Venezuela, finished among the top base stealers in Triple-A with 42.
He hit .298 with four home runs, 34 RBI, 24 doubles and six triples for the Nashville Sounds. Escobar,
who was also among the top defensive PCL shortstops with his .975 fielding percentage, was named to
the Topps Double-A All-Star team last year. The Milwaukee Brewers signed him as a free agent in July
2003.
John Bowker (26) of Sacramento, Calif., led Minor League Baseball with a .451 on-base percentage.
His .342 batting average was second best among all full-season domestic Minor Leaguers. The Fresno
Grizzlies outfielder smacked 21 home runs, 22 doubles and four triples in driving in 83 runs. The San
Francisco Giants drafted Bowker in the third round in 2004 out of Long Beach (CA) State University.
Jordan Brown (25) of Tucson, Ariz., paced the International League with a .336 batting average. The
Columbus Clippers outfielder ranked third in the circuit with a .532 slugging percentage and finished
tied for fifth with 35 doubles. The Cleveland Indians selected Brown in the fourth round in 2005 out of
the University of Arizona.
Shelley Duncan (30) of Tucson, Ariz., hit .277 with 30 homers and 99 RBI in being named the
International League Most Valuable Player. Duncan’s home run and RBI totals with the
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees ranked second and third, respectively, in Triple-A. The New York
Yankees drafted him in the second round in 2001 out of the University of Arizona.
John Hester (26) of Alpharetta, Ga., threw out 30% of the base runners trying to steal. The Reno
Aces catcher hit .328 with nine homers and 66 RBI. The Arizona Diamondbacks tabbed Hester in the
13th round in 2006 out of Stanford University.
Mitch Jones (32) of Orem, Utah, won the Joe Bauman Trophy as Minor League Baseball’s top home
run hitter with 35. The Albuquerque Isotopes outfielder also led the Minors with a .651 slugging
percentage and his 103 RBI ranked second in Triple-A. The Los Angeles Dodgers inked Jones as a
free agent in November 2008.
Lenny DiNardo (30) of Gainesville, Fla., went 10-5 with a 3.32 ERA in 23 starts. Omaha Royals
pitchers combined on 13 shutouts in 2009 and DiNardo was involved in five of them. The left-hander
struck out 127 batters, while only walking 38 in 151.2 innings. The Kansas City Royals signed DiNardo
as a free agent in December 2008.
2009 TOPPS/MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TRIPLE-A ALL-STAR TEAM
POSITION PLAYER CLUB/LEAGUE AFFILIATE AVG. HR RBI
First Base Randy Ruiz Las Vegas/PCL Toronto .320 25 106
Second Base Kevin Russo Scr./W-B/IL New York-AL .326 5 31
Third Base Andy Marte Columbus/IL Cleveland .327 18 66
Shortstop Alcides Escobar Nashville/PCL Milwaukee .298 4 34
Outfield John Bowker Fresno/PCL San Francisco .342 21 83
Outfield Jordan Brown Columbus/IL Cleveland .336 15 67
Outfield Shelley Duncan Scr./W-B/IL New York-AL .277 30 99
Catcher John Hester Reno/PCL Arizona .328 9 66
Des. Hitter Mitch Jones Albuquerque/PCL Los Angeles-NL .297 35 103
W L ERA
Pitcher Lenny DiNardo Omaha/PCL Kansas City 10 5 3.32
(Statistics do not reflect players’ performances in other leagues)
Topps Double-A All-Stars will be announced on November 18
Topps Class A All-Stars will be announced on November 25
Topps Short Season/Rookie All-Stars will be announced on December 2
###
Contact: Steve Densa, Minor League Baseball, 727-456-1703

Have you seen what's new at the Baseball in Wartime Blog?
 

Remembering Vic Saltzgaver
Interview at Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf
Battlefield Heroes - Jocko Thompson
Battlefield Heroes - Lefty Johnson
Hall of Famers at War - Duke Snider
Remembering Three Minor League Vets Who Passed Away Recently
Show Your Support for the Baseball in Wartime Website and Blog
Remembering Jack Birtchet – WWII Marine
When Three Servicemen Returned in 1946

There are daily updates at the Baseball in Wartime Blog
 

http://baseballinwartime.blogspot.com/
  
************************************************
Gary Bedingfield
Baseball in Wartime (Founder and Editor)
www.baseballinwartime.com
http://baseballinwartime.blogspot.com/
gary@baseballinwartime.com

MAUER WINS RAWLINGS GOLD GLOVE AWARD®

Twins catcher Joe Mauer has been named to the 2009 American League Rawlings Gold Glove Team®. This marks Mauer's second career Rawlings Gold Glove Award® (2008).

Mauer, 26, batted .365 (191-for-523) with 30 doubles, one triple, 28 home runs and 96 RBI in 138 games for the Twins in 2009. He led the Major Leagues in batting and established career-highs in home runs and RBI. He had a .996 (758 TC, 3 E) fielding percentage and threw out 17 of 71 (24%) runners attempting to steal.

MARK BUEHRLE WINS RAWLINGS GOLD GLOVE AWARD®

Chicago White Sox left-handed pitcher Mark Buehrle has won his first career American League Rawlings Gold Glove Award®, becoming just the second pitcher in White Sox history to win the honor.

Buehrle, 30, joins left-hander Jim Kaat (1974-75) as the only White Sox pitching recipients of Major League Baseball's most prestigious fielding award. He also is the first Sox winner since third baseman Robin Ventura was honored five times from 1991-98. Current White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen also won a Gold Glove at shortstop in 1990.

Today, the Milwaukee Brewers announced the following Transactions:

 

RHP Mark DiFelice, RHP David Riske and 2B Rickie Weeks were all reinstated from the 60-day Disabled List.

 

INF Adam Heether was added to the 40-man roster.

 

CF Mike Cameron, OF Frank Catalanotto, C Jason Kendall, INF Felipe Lopez and OF Corey Patterson announced they have elected free agency.

 

With these moves, the Brewers 40-man roster stands at 37.

Hot Stove Update

This first Hot Stove Update includes news that happened off the field during Post-Season play.

Brewers

** Prince Fielder was named the Brewers Player of the Year, and Yovani Gallardo the Pitcher of the Year by the Milwaukee area baseball writers.

** Former Mets and A’s pitching coach Rick Peterson has been named the Brewers’ pitching coach. Peterson worked with both manager Ken Macha and bench coach Willie Randolph. Stan Kyles will return as bullpen coach.

** Chris Bosio, who served as interim pitching coach during the season, has been named advance scout for the team.

** LF Ryan Braun was named to the Sporting News NL All Star team.

** Nine Brewers, including C Jason Kendall and CF Mike Cameron, filed for free agency. The club declined RHP David Weathers’ option.


Cubs

** RHP Rich Harden and OF Reed Johnson were the first two Cubs to file for free agency.


** The Ricketts family was introduced to the Chicago media as the new owners of the Cubs.

** LHP Ted Lilly underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder and should be ready to pitch by spring.

** Former Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo was named the team’s hitting coach.


** Naples, Florida, and Mesa, Arizona, are competing to host the Cubs in spring training. The team has trained in Arizona since the 1950s and at the Mesa site since 1979. The Cubs can buy out their contract with Mesa after 2012.


Twins

** C Joe Mauer was the top vote getter in the Sporting News All Star poll of 31 MLB general managers and assistant general managers.

** Mauer also was picked the Outstanding Player in the AL by his peers, the AL MVP by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the Twins’ MVP by the area baseball writers. He is considered a leading candidate for the AL MVP, which will be announced Nov. 23.


** RHP Joe Nathan was picked the team’s Most Valuable Pitcher by the writers. For other honors, go to the Twins’ web site via MDR links.

** The club picked up an option for 2011 on OF Michael Cuddyer.

** Five players, including SS Orlando Cabrera and RHP Carl Pavano, are eligible for free agency. The Twins are likely to let Cabrera go now that they have dealt for J.J. Hardy.

** IF Brian Buscher was moved to the Triple A roster.


White Sox

** The Sox bought out the contract of OF Jermaine Dye, which means he will become a free agent.

** 3B Gordon Beckham was named the Sporting News Rookie of the Year in the AL. Beckham will move to second after Chris Getz was included in the trade for Mark Teahan.

** Infield prospect Dayan Viciedo was shut down in the Arizona Fall League because of an elbow problem.

** OF Alejando De Aza was claimed off waivers from the Marlins. Utility player Mark Kotsay signed a one year deal.

** The Sox are talking with the agent of OF Scott Podsednik, who had a comeback season in 2009.

** OF Dewayne Wise has declared free agency. The Sox picked up the options of pitchers Freddy Garcia and Matt Thornton.

Sox Also Work Deal

Hardy, Gomez Trade Places

The Brewers and Twins swapped .229 hitters Friday, but believe both OF Carlos Gomez and SS J.J. Hardy could help their new teams.

“Carlos brings to our club great speed, athleticism and energy at a position that we needed to fill,” said Brewers GM Doug Melvin. “His defense will serve as a key component to us improving our pitching. At only 24 years of age, Carlos can further develop the offensive aspect of his game and give us a different look to our lineup.”

Gomez batted .229 with 3 HR, 28 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 137 games with Minnesota this season. He made 86 starts in center field and committed just one error. The highlight of his season came on October 6 vs. Detroit when he scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning of the Twins’ victory in the American League Central tie-breaker game.


In 2008, his first full season in the Major Leagues, he batted .258 with 7 HR, 59 RBI and a team-leading 33 stolen bases in 153 games, including 143 starts in center field. He set a Twins single-season record with 30 bunt hits, leading the Major Leagues, and produced 50 infield hits overall, which ranked second only to Ichiro Suzuki (52).


Gomez was acquired by the Twins on February 2, 2008 as the key player in the deal that sent two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana to the Mets. He joined the Twins after being ranked as the Mets’ third-best prospect by Baseball America heading into that season.


"He's very, very talented and has a lot to learn, yes," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of Gomez during the playoffs. "But like I said, when you see him out there in center field covering all that ground and then some of the offensive things that he can do that other people can't do, that's why the guy is in the big leagues."

Hardy, 27, batted .229 with 11 HR and 47 RBI in 115 games with the Brewers this season.


“J.J. has been a steady performer for the Brewers,” said Melvin. “His professionalism and popularity with our fans and his teammates made this difficult, but he has been given the opportunity to go to a great organization to play and perform at the high level he is capable of playing.”

In another deal involving a MDR team, theWhite Sox have acquired infielder/outfielder Mark Teahen and cash considerations from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for infielders Chris Getz and Josh Fields.


Teahen, 28, hit .271 (142-524) with a career-high 34 doubles, 12 home runs and 50 RBI in 144 games with the Royals in 2009. He made 99 starts at third base, 31 in right field and three at second.


The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder is a career .269 (667-2,480) hitter with 146 doubles, 24 triples, 59 home runs and 293 RBI in 676 career games, all with Kansas City (2005-09). He was named the Royals Player of the Year in 2006 after establishing career bests in average (.290), home runs (18) and RBI (69).


For more on the deals, go to the team web sites via MDR links.

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Off-Season Schedule

Breaking news, such as trades, free agent signings and others, will be posted when events happen. Regular weekly features will include:

** Mondays - Hot Stove Update, a review of news notes for the previous week through the weekend for the four MDR big league teams.

** Wednesdays - A Look Back historical feature or Elsewhere in Baseball, a brief of interest about Midwest baseball at some level other than the MLB.

** Fridays - The Weekend Rhubarb, an opinion brief intended to stir some debate on the MDR Archives/Blog board, or a Featured Collectible, about a baseball collectible offered by MDR's sister site, Old School Collectibles.

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MDR Season Honors

Players of Year - Joe Mauer, Twins & Prince Fielder, Brewers

Pitcher Of Year - Joe Nathan, Twins

Manager of Year - Ron Gardenhire, Twins

Rookie of the Year - Casey McGehee, Brewers