Thursday, 12 July 2012 22:11 | Written by Chris Carter
The Brewers' 2012 began just like 2011. They were 14-20 on May 8 of last season, coming off a miserable road trip, stuck in fifth place and six games under .500.
Brewers fans know the rest of that story. The team got hot after that tough trip and wound up winning 96 regular-season games and winning the National League Central for its first division crown since '82.
So when this year's crop got off to a similarly slow start -- the Brewers were 15-19 this time after 34 games -- more than one player expressed the sentiment that, "It's OK. We've been here before, and we can get it going again."
Only the Brewers never got it going, and now find themselves facing a daunting second-half challenge. Win games in bunches, or spend October on the golf course instead of the baseball diamond.
"We still have time," said right-hander Zack Greinke, Friday's scheduled starter as the Brewers open the second half against the Division-leading Pirates...
Monday, 25 June 2012 19:05 | Written by Chris Carter
The Brewers Friday announced the signing of 37-year-old relief pitcher Livan Hernandez, a 17-year Major League veteran.
Hernandez made 18 relief appearances for the Braves with a 4.94 ERA before that team released him last Friday. He is expected to fill a similar bullpen role for the Brewers.
Monday, 25 June 2012 19:04 | Written by Chris Carter
FANS VOTE BREWERS HOME AS OVERALL CHAMPION IN ESPN.COM’S “BATTLE OF THE BALLPARKS”
MILWAUKEE – Miller Park has received numerous accolades from fans and media over the years, and now the home of the Milwaukee Brewers has earned another prestigious honor in winning ESPN.com’s “Battle of the Ballparks.”
This week, ESPN.com ran a bracket fan vote to determine Major League Baseball’s best ballpark. Titled “Battle of the Ballparks,” Miller Park was originally seeded 24th, despite numerous fan and media surveys in recent years that rated the facility as one of the best in sports. Fans of Miller Park ensured that their voices were heard, however, as four heavy favorites (Angel Stadium, Dodger Stadium, #1 seed PNC Park and Camden Yards) were defeated in advancing to the championship round. In the final vote, Miller Park was voted the overall favorite, defeating San Francisco’s AT&T Park by a 58%-42% margin.
In all of the five bracket polls, Miller Park recorded double-digit percentage point wins. More than 130,000 fans voted in the championship round.
In recent national surveys and rankings, both from fans and media, Miller Park has fared extraordinarily well. In fact, the same ESPN.com’s 2011 “Ultimate Rankings” listed Miller Park as the eighth-best stadium among those representing all 122 major league sports franchises. (http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/teamrankings#table).
“We take tremendous pride in Miller Park’s many amenities, and we’re thrilled that fans voted it as the best of the best among baseballs many outstanding facilities,” said Brewers Chief Executive Officer Rick Schlesinger. “We want to thank everyone who participated, and we will continue to focus on delivering the best fan experience possible at all Miller Park events.”
BREWERS SIGN 2012 FIRST ROUND DRAFT SELECTIONS C CLINT COULTER AND OF VICTOR ROACHE
Monday, 11 June 2012 21:48 | Written by Chris Carter
MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Brewers have signed both of their first round selections from the 2012 First-Year Player Draft: C Clint Coulter from Union (WA) High School (27th overall selection) and OF Victor Roache (28th overall) from Georgia Southern University.
Coulter, 18, batted .405 (17-for-42) with three home runs, 14 RBI and 18 stolen bases as a senior at Union (WA) High School. He was named the 2012 Class 4A Greater St. Helens League’s Player of the Year. His manager was former Major League catcher Tom Lampkin, who played for the Brewers in 1993.
A multi-sport athlete in high school, Coulter was the Washington Class 3A state wrestling champion at 189 pounds after going 39-1 as a sophomore. He gave up wrestling last year to concentrate on baseball. Coulter, who played in the 2011 Under Armour All-America Baseball Game at Wrigley Field, had a scholarship offer to play baseball at Arizona State University.
Roache, 20, missed the majority of the season with a broken left wrist after diving for a ball in February. He batted .412 (7-for-17) with two home runs and five RBI in six games this past season. As a sophomore in 2011, he batted .326 with 30 home runs and 80 RBI while starting all 62 games for the Eagles. His 30 homers led the nation. He spent the summer of 2011 in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Cotuit Kettleers (43g, .309, 6hr, 28rbi). Roache was a First Team All-State selection at Lincoln (MI) High School. He was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 25th round out of high school in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, but did not sign.
Monday, 11 June 2012 21:40 | Written by Chris Carter
MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Brewers completed the third day of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft with 25 selections today from Rounds 16-40. Overall, the Brewers made 42 selections over the three days of the MLB Draft.
Earlier today, Milwaukee selected OF Lance Roenicke, son of Manager Ron Roenicke, in the 25th Round. Roenicke batted .310 with four home runs, 35 RBI, 38 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 55 games for UC-Santa Barbara this past season.
The Brewers drafted 27 college players and 15 high school players. Milwaukee chose 21 pitchers (five left-handers and 16 right-handers). Of the 21 positional players, the Brewers took nine infielders, six catchers and six outfielders.
