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Yelich voted to start 2019 MLB All-Star Game

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Christian Yelich (File Photo)

Baseball fans around the country, including those in Wisconsin, have voted Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich into the starting lineup for the 2019 MLB All-Star Game, which will take place on Tuesday, July 9 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio.

It’s the second career All-Star nod and the first All-Star Game start for Yelich, who finished as the top vote-getter in the National League.

Yelich becomes the first member of the Brewers to start in the Midsummer Classic since 2014, when Carlos Gomez (left field), Jonathan Lucroy (catcher) and Aramis Ramirez (third base) earned starting spots.  Yelich is also the sixth outfielder in franchise history to start in the All-Star Game, joining Ben Oglivie (1980), Jeromy Burnitz (1999), Ryan Braun (2008-10, 2012), Corey Hart (2010) and Gomez (2014).

Second baseman Mike Moustakas and catcher Yasmani Grandal also represented the Brewers on the MLB All-Star Starters Election ballot, with both finishing third at their respective positions.

The rest of the All-Star rosters for both squads, totaling 24 for the NL and 23 for the AL, will be determined through a combination of “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office.  The balance of the rosters will be announced on ESPN at 4:30 p.m. CT this Sunday, June 30.

Fiers tosses second career no-hitter

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Mike Fiers

The game was delayed more than 90 minutes because of a lighting malfunction, but the Oakland A’s eventually blanked the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 as starter Mike Fiers tossed his second career no-hitter.

Fiers pitch count was at 109 after seven innings and he was told by manager Bob Melvin that one more baserunner would end his night, even if he still hadn’t allowed a hit.

The former Brewers pitcher managed to breeze through the final two innings for his second no-hitter.  The first came in 2015 when he needed 131 pitches to lead the Houston Astros past the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Fiers is just the 35th pitcher in major league history to toss multiple no-hitters in his career.  It’s the first no-hitter of the 2019 season.

Fiers walked two and struck out six.  He improved to 3-3 on the season.

Brewers open season with record payroll

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The Milwaukee Brewers open the 2019 Major League Baseball season on Thursday afternoon with a record payroll.

The offseason additions of Yasmani Grandal and Mike Moustakas, saw the Brewers payroll climb to $122.5 million, the largest opening day payroll in franchise history.

The Brewers’ previous high-water mark was $104 million in 2015.

The Brewers started a rebuild following that 2015 campaign and saw their payroll drop to less than $60 million, then saw it climb back up to just over $90-million last season.

The Brewers 2019 payroll ranks 14th in the majors but remains below the league average of $132 million.

Inside the Central Division, the Chicago Cubs have the majors second highest payroll at $214 million.  The Cardinals rank sixth at $160 million.  Cincinnati ranks 17th at $121 million and Pittsburgh is 27th at $75 million.

The Boston Red Sox have the highest payroll at $225 million.  Tampa Bay is the lowest in the majors, coming in around $55 million.

Brewers Crush Cardinals 11-3 in Series Opener

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Brent Suter – File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Brent Suter allowed just two hits and two runs over seven innings as the Brewers drubbed the Cardinals 11-3 in Milwaukee.  Eric Thames contributed a bases-clearing triple and Manny Pina homered for Milwaukee.  The Brewers lead the Cubs by one game in the NL Central at 44-and-30, after the Cubs lost to the Cincinnati Reds Thursday night.  Carlos Martinez was the losing pitcher, giving up seven runs in four innings.  Matt Carpenter led off the game with a first-pitch home run for St. Louis, his fourth in the last five games.  This was the second consecutive start where Suter has gone seven innings, and is now 8-4 on the season.

The Cardinals are 2-and-7 in their last nine. The second game of the series is Friday at Miller Park.  Junior Guerra throws against Jack Flaherty.

Brewers select shortstop in first round of draft

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The Milwaukee Brewers landed prep shortstop Brice Turang with the 21st overall pick in Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft on Monday night.

Turang played high school ball for Santiago High School in Corona, California.  The Brewers were excited to get Turang, who was projected to go higher in the first round after playing for two years for Team USA’s 18U national team.

Turang has a scholarship to LSU and said he is willing to honor that commitment, but Brewers Amateur Scouting Director Tod Johnson said the Brewers are confident they can sign him.

Brice Turang’s father, Brian Turang, was a 20th round pick of the Brewers in 1987 out of Long Beach City College who didn’t sign and was taken again two years later in the 51st round by Seattle. [Read more…]

MLB’s First Year Player Draft opens tonight

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The Milwaukee Brewers have three picks on day one of Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft.  The selection process officially opens at 6 p.m. CT.

The Brewers own the 21st overall selection and will also make picks in the second round (60th) and competitive balance round B (73rd).

The First-Year Player Draft spans three days from Monday through Wednesday and takes place at MLB Network’s Studio 42 in Secaucus, New Jersey.  Coverage will begin on MLB Network and MLB.com at 5 p.m. CT.

Representing the Brewers at the MLB Network Studio will be former All-Star Geoff Jenkins and Pro Scouting Crosschecker Derek Watson.  Jenkins was selected by the Brewers with the ninth overall pick in the 1995 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Southern California.  Jenkins spent 10 seasons with the Brewers, hitting .277 with 212 HR and 704 RBI.

Jenkins played in the 2003 All-Star Game and will be enshrined on the Brewers Walk of Fame later this summer.

The franchise selected 21st once prior to this year.  The Seattle Pilots selected Gorman Thomas in the 1969 First-Year Player Draft.  Thomas started in center field for the 1982 American League champion Brewers and spent 11 seasons with the team.  Thomas finished his career a .230 average hitter with 208 home runs and 605 RBI.

The first two rounds of the draft are tonight (Monday).  Rounds 3-10 are Tuesday starting at noon with rounds 11-40 starting at 11 a.m. CT on Wednesday.

Molitor named AL Manager of the Year (AUDIO)

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Paul Molitor – Photo Courtesy of Mike Clemens

Former Milwaukee Brewer star and Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor was named the American League Manager of the Year on Tuesday.

The 61-year-old skipper orchestrated an impressive turnaround in Minnesota that saw the Twins jump from 59-103 and a fifth-place finish in the AL Central in 2016 to 85-77 and second in the division in 2017, including a berth in the postseason.

Minnesota became the first team in major league history to make the playoffs after losing 100-plus games the previous season.

It marks the third time a Twins skipper has won the award.  Tom Kelly won it in 1991 and Ron Gardenhire won in 2010.

Molitor is only the second Hall of Famer to be named Manager of the Year, joining Frank Robinson, who won the award with the Baltimore Orioles in 1989.

Torey Lovullo of the Arizona Diamondbacks won the National League award.  In his first full season as a big-league skipper, Arizona reached the playoffs a year after going 69-93.

Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell finished fourth in the National League balloting.

AUDIO: Paul Molitor says this is a team award :14

AUDIO: Molitor said it is satisfying to win this honor after losing 103 games the year before :17

Selig elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

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Bud Selig - Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Bud Selig – Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Former Milwaukee Brewers owner and baseball commissioner Bud Selig was elected for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York on Sunday.

Selig will enter the Hall of Fame with longtime baseball executive John Schuerholz and will become the fifth former commissioner to receive induction.

Selig and Schuerholz will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 30 along with any former players that will be elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America.  That announcement will come on Jan. 18.

The 82-year-old Selig was elected in his first time on the ballot of the Today’s Game Era Committee, which  took into consideration former executives, players, managers and umpires with at least ten years of service and whose contributions came primarily from 1988 to present.

During his time in the commissioner’s office, Selig achieved labor peace and imposed significant penalties for PED use.  Baseball also saw an increase in revenue sharing, expanded playoffs, including wildcard berths, interleague play and instant replay among the many.

With Selig helping lead the way, Major League Baseball and the Players Association have reached another five years of labor peace.

Fielder forced into retirement

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baseballFormer Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder is being forced to retire after a second serious neck surgery.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports first reported Tuesday that doctors won’t clear Fielder to play after having a second neck surgery on July 29 and it was determined then he wouldn’t be able to play again.

Fielder was a first-round draft pick of the Brewers in 2002 and played for the team from 2005 through 2011.  In 998 games in Milwaukee, Fielder hit .282 with 230 home runs and 656 RBI.

Fielder went on to sign a nine-year, $214 million free agent contract with the Detroit Tigers.  Detroit dealt Fielder to the Texas Rangers just two years later.

Fielder first had surgery in 2014 to fuse two herniated disks in his neck.  He followed that procedure by hitting .305 with 23 home runs and 98 RBI last season, but his neck started to bother him again this season, this time in a different area.

Fielder was hitting .212 with eight homers and 44 RBI in 89 games before being shut down.

Fielder’s contract pays him $24 million a year through 2020.

 

Northwoods League has success in 2016 MLB Draft

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NWL MLB DraftThe Northwoods League had record success in the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.  A total of 179 current Northwoods League players and alumni were selected in this year’s draft along with a record five 1st round picks.

The highest pick in this year’s draft was A.J. Puk, a junior left handed pitcher at Florida.  He was picked in the first round by the Oakland A’s with the 6th overall pick.  Puk played as both a pitcher and infielder with the Waterloo Bucks in 2014.

Catcher Matt Thaiss of Virginia played with the Madison Mallards in 2014.  He was taken 16th overall by the Los Angeles Angels. [Read more…]