Scott Thorman, Joe Bateman Released

Scott Thorman's strong spring failed to impress the Brewers and Joe Koshansky was brought in to take his AAA roster spot. Meanwhile, Joe Bateman's rough spring was enough to prompt the Brewers to release him despite a record of success, well, everywhere else.

The post also talks about the Nashville outfield from left to right being Tyner, Gwynn, and Brendan Katin with Jason Bourgeois filling in when needed. Cole Gillespie's injured right elbow will limit him to DH'ing at Brevard County to start the year.

7 months ago TheJay 8 comments 0 recs |

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That's a surprise on Bateman

Don’t see any reason to release him, really. Koshansky is better than Thorman.

The artist formerly known as jihad.

by Jordan M on Apr 3, 2009 11:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I know

It’s just amusing to me that Thorman’s good spring didn’t make up for the rest of his career but Bateman’s bad spring was enough to toss his minor league career aside.

Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.

by TheJay on Apr 3, 2009 11:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wish we knew better

why the Brewers give shots to some older minor league vets / indy league vets like DiFelice and Winkelsas, and not to others, like Bray and Bateman.

I have no idea whether the decisions are right or not, but given the numbers and the scouting info we are privy to, there doesn’t seem to be much difference between the guys who get a spot on the Nashville-Milwaukee shuttle and the guys who get buried.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Apr 3, 2009 11:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's exactly what I'd like to know.

"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."

by KLSnow on Apr 4, 2009 8:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

If I may de-lurk to make a WAG...

…Bray and Bateman were both minor league phase Rule 5 acquisitions, no? Don’t believe that’s true of DiFelice; no recollection on Winkelsas.

Over at brewerfan, Mass Haas mentioned that Baseball America had a piece awhile back on how few minor league phase Rule 5 guys make the big leagues and have significant careers. Some of that may be lack of talent, but there might also be a significant institutional bias against players acquired in that fashion. No matter how well they do, maybe the team remembers them as guys acquired purely for minor league depth, not as possible big league contributors.

by Br@wndo on Apr 4, 2009 11:47 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dif & Winkelsas were indy league pickups

if anything, they would seem to be even lower on the food chain . It’s one thing to be made available by the Royals (as, IIRC, Bray way). It’s quite another to be rejected for so long by all 30 teams that you pitch in the Atlantic League.

You may be right. Really, anything we speculate about this is going to be WAG’ing to some degree.

Part of what frustrates me is that the Brewers, in general, are very good about giving opportunities to players that other teams would bury. Heck, even Villanueva came out of nowhere and was given an opportunity long before the scouting consensus had anything positive to say about him. Melvin is definitely a weird mix of “I love me some high cheese” (Coffey, Julio), and “Results, no matter how” (DiFelice). If Derrick Turnbow figured out a way to get guys out by walking them on four 95-mph fastballs, that would be the ultimate Melvin reliever.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Apr 5, 2009 1:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bateman

I completely disagree with this release if there isn’t a more significant reason other than a bad spring. The guy has been pretty good throughout his minor league career. Almost a K/IP, 2.91 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.

If he would have stayed in AAA, we should have kept him.

by cwolf20 on Apr 4, 2009 7:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

It's possible he requested his release, I guess.

But the timing makes it unlikely.

"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."

by KLSnow on Apr 4, 2009 9:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

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