News
Rotowire DEC 16, 2022
Brewer signed a minor-league deal with the Rays on Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Brewer spent the 2022 season with the Royals, though he pitched exclusively with Triple-A Omaha. He maintained a 4.76 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with a 42:18 K:BB across 39.2 innings while pitching out of the bullpen.
DENVER -- Flint Wallace is in the early stages of adding his touch to the approaches of the Rockies’ Major League and Minor League pitchers -- in a socially distant manner, of course.
The Rockies hired Wallace, 46, as coordinator of pitching strategies. He was most recently player development director at the highly regarded Texas Baseball Ranch operation that works with players across all levels. Wallace replaces Steve Merriman, who recently accepted the pitching coach job at the University of Michigan -- his fourth stint on the Wolverines’ staff.
Wallace will split his time in the Majors and Minors. He’ll help Major League pitchers with strategic approaches. Throughout the system, Wallace is in charge of developing individualized programs that include not only strategy and mechanics, but training and preparation.
The COVID-19 pandemic presents an immediate challenge. In a normal offseason, Wallace and many staff members would already be hosting sessions in the Rockies’ "pitching lab" -- mounds at the Spring Training complex that are equipped with the latest technology to produce detailed data in real time.
“I’m extremely excited to be working with the Rockies -- a fantastic organization, and everybody I’ve dealt with has been first-class, from the GM to the players,” Wallace said Tuesday. “I’ve been getting in touch and getting to know all the coaches, and touching base with players through Zoom calls, putting faces with the names.”
Wallace’s hiring continues a process that the Rockies began quietly in the Minors, then accelerated last season with the promotion of Merriman to a position that combined coaching and the use of the advanced tools. Despite the 26-34 record, advanced numbers showed clear improvement by starting pitchers.
Lefty Kyle Freeland’s increased use of his changeup (12.5% in 2019, 25.3% in ’20, per Statcast) was a major factor in him increasing his ERA+ from 77 to 122 (100 is considered MLB average). MLB Quality of Pitch also shows that Freeland’s change and curve each went from below average to above.
According to MLB Quality of Pitch, the quality of righty Antonio Senzatela’s changeup went from the bottom 36% among Major League pitchers in 2019 to the top 18% in ’20. Senzatela’s changeup location went from the bottom 34% to the top 5%. And Senzatela lowered his ERA from 6.71 in ’19 to 3.44 in ’20.
Right-hander Germán Márquez, who posted a 3.75 ERA and a 140 ERA+, tried to reverse a reluctance to throw elevated fastballs to the arm side as the year progressed. The Rockies believe that area -- especially up and in against right-handed batters -- could increase the pitches that are most effective: fastballs and sliders to the glove side.
Zack Britton is only in the early stages of his recovery from Tommy John surgery, but the Yankees are still hoping to have him back before the season is over.
That puts the team and the pitcher on the same page, according to Aaron Boone.
“I think he’s expecting to pitch this year,” the manager said Sunday. “I think that’s certainly a possibility.”
Britton, who had surgery in September, threw his first bullpen since the injury on Friday. The southpaw tossed at the organization’s player development complex in Tampa and came away happy with the results.
“He was really encouraged again, like he’s been most of the rehab,” said Boone, who talked to Britton the day after the pen session. “He’s been kind of encouraged every step of the way. He’s been doing a lot of work down there with performance sciences and he thinks some of the things he’s doing down there will help him with not only his arm care, but just being more efficient as he works his way back.”
Despite the positive early signs, Boone made it clear that Britton still has a long way to go. The 34-year-old will throw “a number of bullpens” before he faces hitters, according to the skipper, and doesn’t have a timetable for returning.
West Texas families! We will now have youth teams (14U and younger) based in the Abilene area. With the President and Owner of the Ft. Worth Cats being an old Abilene soul, attending both Mann Jr. High and Abilene HS, we have always, since 1989, had players from the Abilene area and beyond.
Well now we are excited to disclose that we will have youth teams based in that area.
For more information on these teams and how to attend a tryout, please contact the Abilene area GM JD Cooley 325.370.0389 or head of Baseball Operations contact Noah Albergucci 325.665.4289.
LHP Trip Banta (2021 grad of Lake Country Christian School) commits early this summer to Coach Schlossnagle at TCU. Trip was also a power hitting OF for his summer coach, Robin Thomas on his Ft. Worth Cats 17U White team.
Another year with former Cats players being drafted.
This year we had two former pitchers drafted, Jordan Martinson (Birdville HS/Dallas Baptist University) and Blair Henley (F.W. Arlington Heights/University of Texas).
Jordan Martinson lettered three years while playing at Birdville High School in Richland Hills, Texas. He won various All-State and All-District honors, being recognized as the district’s Pitcher of the Year in 2014, and the district’s MVP as a senior. His domination while on the baseball diamond came as no surprise, as he comes from a family of athletes. His brother, Jason who also played for the Ft. Worth Cats, played baseball at Texas State and was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 5th round of the 2010 MLB Draft, and played in their minor league system for nine years.
Blair Henley was scooped up by Houston in the MLB Draft this year. The Astros used a 7th round pick on Henley, who is a 6-3 RHP from Fort Worth. Henley was the first Longhorn selected in the 2019 MLB Draft. An all-conference honoree in 2018, Henley has been a fixture in UT’s starting rotation over much of the past three seasons. A 39-time starter at Texas, Henley was 16-16 with a 3.65 ERA, 173 strikeouts and 96 walks.
Former Ft. Worth Cats player, Max Muncy (Keller HS, Baylor University) has made Major League Baseball's All-Star Weekend's Home Run Derby!
If your son is 13+ years old and is looking for in-season training, we have the sport-specific certified personal trainers. For more information contact our head trainer Robin Thomas robin@inursha.com 817.360.8000
Three former Ft. Worth Cats have been invited to play in the prestigious Cape Cod League this summer. Pictured are former Cats teammates, Wes Engle (Euless Trinity, Hyannis Harbour Hawks) who plays at Texas State University and Jarrod Huber (Edgewood HS, Brewster Whitecaps) who currently plays at Stephen F. Austin.
Not pictured is University of Texas sophomore RHP Blair Henley (FW Arlington Heights) who will join his CCBL team, the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, once he is done participating at the College World Series.
Congrats to former Ft. Worth Cats pitcher Blair Henley (FW Arlington Heights) as he is headed to Omaha, Nebraska with his University of Texas teammates for the College World Series.
Their first game is Sunday, 1:00 pm vs the Arkansas Razorbacks on ESPN.
3A - Devin Alvey - Peaster HS
3A - Jake Escalon - Breckenridge HS
3A - Cole Lightfoot - Brock HS
4A - Brett Brown - Godley HS
4A - Bobby Goodloe - Godley HS
5A - Rhett Maynard - Amarillo HS
5A - Hunter Rosson - Aledo HS
5A - Colby Seltzer - Eaton HS
Inking the deal!
The Ft. Worth Cats 14U Silver team won the summer-long Texas Premier League Championship with a record of 13-0-1. www.texaspremier.org @texpremier
Ft. Worth Cats 12U Black win the prestigious Texas Premier League championship. This 12U team is coached by Bobby McIntire.
For more about the league and Texas Premier, visit www.texaspremier.org and @texpremier
We will be hosting 17U Summer tryouts on Saturday, November 4 and Sunday, November 18. Both tryouts will start at 2:00PM at FW Arlington Heights High School.
To request a tryout invitation, please contact Steven Jimenez at 817-832-5432 or steve.jimenez@fwisd.org.
We will be hosting 11U tryouts on Saturday, November 4th at 4:00PM at FW Arlington Heights High School.
To request a tryout invitation, please contact Terence Green at 817-825-5847 or tdogatp@gmail.com
We will be hosting joined 15U Black tryouts on Sunday, October 29th at 1:00PM at FW Arlington Heights High School.
To request a tryout invitation, please contact Jeremy Kinder at 817-300-1308 or jkinder77@yahoo.com.
We will be hosting joined 15U White and 16U Black tryouts on Sunday, November 5th at 2:00PM at FW Arlington Heights High School and on Sunday, November 12th at 2:00PM at Western Hills High School.
To request a tryout invitation for 15U White, please contact Robin Thomas at 817-360-8000 or rgustafson001@att.net.
To request a tryout invitation for 16U Black, please contact Rick Gustafson at 469-556-7604 or rgustafson001@att.net.
