Sounds 'Brew' Up New Affiliation
Published on September 22, 2004 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release
NASHVILLE â The Nashville Sounds announced today that they have signed a two-year Player Development Contract (PDC) with the Milwaukee Brewers, which will run through the conclusion of the 2006 playing season. The announcement was made jointly by Sounds General Manager Glenn Yaeger and Brewers Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Melvin.
The Brewers are the sixth club the Sounds have affiliated with since the franchise was founded in 1978. Nashville served as the Class AAA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates for the past seven campaigns, compiling a 490-504 record over that stretch.
Milwaukee's farm system, which contains a fine stable of players at every position and has an assortment of both power and finesse pitchers throughout the minors, was rated as the best in baseball by Baseball America prior to the 2004 season.
"The Brewers hold an exciting future on both the major- and minor-league levels," said Yaeger. "Several of the top prospects in all of minor league baseball are destined for Nashville. We're looking forward to watching their next tier of stars develop at Greer Stadium."
Of the top ten Brewers prospects ranked by Baseball America prior to the season, eight appeared at either the Double-A or Triple-A level in 2004. Five of the top six prospects are expected to join the Sounds for the 2005 season.
"After Reid Nichols (player development director) met with the management of the Nashville club, we felt confident about this opportunity to put our Triple-A club in Nashville," said Melvin. "This two-year deal will hopefully be the beginning of a long-term relationship between the Brewers and the Sounds."
The Brewers' Triple-A affiliate has been located in Indianapolis for the past six years. The Indians â managed by five-time major-league All-Star Cecil Cooper â finished the 2004 season in third place in the International League West Division with a 66-78 record.
Ben Hendrickson, who was named the IL Most Valuable Pitcher as well as to the International League post-season All-Star team by vote of the league's field managers and media representatives, topped the entire league with his 2.02 ERA, which ranked as the lowest for any IL leader since Tidewater's Dave West posted a 1.80 ERA in 1988. Hendrickson, who started the Triple-A All-Star game for the International League, also led Indianapolis in wins (11, fifth in the league) and shutouts (two, tied for first in the league). The accomplishments led to Hendrickson being named as the Brewers' Minor League Pitcher-of-the-Year.
The Brewers' Double-A affiliate, the nearby Huntsville Stars of the Southern League, finished 65-75 during the regular season. Several of the organization's stars-on-the-rise enjoyed successful years.
The backbone of a club armed with several top-of-the-line batting prospects, Huntsville pitchers â led by starter Jeff Housman (4th in S.L. with 3.13 ERA and 6th with 121 strikeouts) â posted a 3.57 earned run average, third-best in the circuit, keeping the Stars in championship contention into the final week of both halves of the season.
Baseball America heaped accolades on Huntsville's stars. Second baseman Rickie Weeks was chosen by Southern League managers as the circuit's Best Batting Prospect and Most Exciting Player. Prince Fielder, the son of former Detroit slugger Cecil Fielder, was selected by the league's skippers as the player having the Best Strike-Zone Discipline. In addition, league managers chose Tony Gwynn Jr. as the Best Defensive Outfielder and Stars skipper Frank Kremblas as the Best Manager Prospect.
Weeks, rated as the organization's top prospect by Baseball America prior to the season and the NCAA's 2003 Golden Spikes winner, showed why he ranks as one the premier prospects in all of minor league baseball. Weeks finished first in doubles (35) and played for the U.S. squad in the 2004 Futures Game at Minute Maid Park in Houston (0-for-1).
Stars leftfielder Brad Nelson was selected as the club's lone end-of-season All-Star, one of four outfielders tabbed in a poll of the league's field managers, radio broadcasters, and print media. He was second on the club in homers (19, 9th in S.L.) and runs batted in (77, 6th). Nelson wound up fifth in the league in doubles (31) and sixth in extra-base hits (51). He was also named as a mid-season All-Star, started in the Southern League All-Star Game in Chattanooga on July 13th, and won the Southern League Home Run Derby. Nelson was rated the Brewers' No. 5 prospect prior to the season by Baseball America.
Fielder â ranked as Milwaukee's No.2 prospect behind Weeks â paced the Stars' offense, finishing in the Southern League's top 10 in several important power categories. He led the Stars in batting average (.272), home runs (23), and runs batted in (78), finishing third in the league in homers and fourth in RBI. Fielder finished in the top 10 in hits (135, 5th), extra-base hits (53, 3rd), and doubles (29). Fielder started at designated hitter for the West Division in 2004 S.L. All-Star Game in Chattanooga, slamming a monstrous two-run homer (1-for-2). Fielder joined Weeks in playing for the U.S. team in the 2004 Futures Game (1-for-3, 1B).
Gwynn also ranked among S.L. leaders, finishing fifth in steals (35) and ninth in runs scored (74).
Along with a new affiliation in 2005, the Sounds will experience a change in division rivals within the Pacific Coast League. Nashville will play in the new American Conference Northern Division which includes the Iowa Cubs, Memphis Redbirds, and Omaha Royals. The PCL realignment was necessitated by the addition of the Round Rock (TX) Express as a member club for the upcoming season.
The 2005 Nashville Sounds coaching staff will be announced later this fall.
Baseball returns to Greer Stadium in April 2005 when the Sounds open their 28th season of competition. Season tickets are available now by calling 615-242-4371 or visiting the box office.
Pacific Coast League Stories from September 22, 2004
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- Sounds 'Brew' Up New Affiliation - Nashville Sounds
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