Where in the world is Brad Harman?

As I have been flicking through the MLB rosters and checking out what is going on in the minor league camps, there is one name that I keep expecting to see but don't.

Brad Harman.

Way back in April 2008 Harman got the call up to the Bigs from Double-A Philadelphia affiliate Reading. He had a handful of appearances and picked up a few hits. He had some 'ok' years in the Minors over the rest of 2008 and through 2009, but then he seems to have disappeared.

Turns out he was suspended by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority! The Herald Sun reported back in May 2010 that Harman failed to lodge details of his whereabouts with drug officials on three occasions over an 18-month period. He was suspended for 14 months, and is free to resume competition from 26 May 2011.

What a shame.

I wonder if he is still out there slogging it out...

Card Tribute to Aussies in Spring Training - Part 1

With so many Aussies in Spring Training camp at the moment, what better way to kick off some card related posts.

Rich Thompson 2008 Triple Threads

This is a sweet looking GU card from the 08 Triple Threads set. There are a whole bunch of parallels with different colours, including green and white I think. Can't see too many on ebay at the moment.

Phil Stockman 2005 Donruss the Rookies Auto

This is a good looking card. Purple and green somehow go well together.

Luke Hughes 2004 Bowman First Year

It's been a few years since this 'first year' card was printed, and after having a stellar 2008, 2009 could really be Luke's first year in the Bigs.

Grant Balfour 2001 Bowman

Bit more old school action here, with Balf in his Twins threads, and looking a bit younger.

Brad Harman 2008 Bowman DPP XFractor

Shiny!

2009 Spring Training underway; WBC Roster announced

Alright, things are ramping up for the 2009 season, teams are playing again, roster battles are underway and Topps and Upper Deck are battling it out to see who can have the worst gimmick. It's an exciting time.

After much thought, I am going to try and post a lot again this season. I have started a new job this year and am working a lot longer hours. So that makes it tough, but I will try and post at least once a week. I also want to get more into the card side of things - something I didn't really do last year.

The rosters for the World Baseball Classic have been announced, with games set to commence in a couple of weeks. Both Grant Balfour and Ryan Rowland-Smith opted out of the WBC, which is not really a surprise. Balf is a genuine contender in the Rays bullpen this year, and RRS is battling it out to make the Mariners' rotation for opening day. It seemed that RRS was genuinely tossing up about playing the WBC, but in the end he chose to give Spring Training his full attention. I think this is a smart move. No matter what happens this time round, he should be in a good place to play the WBC next time. It makes sense for him to capitalise on the success he had at the end of 2008 and really stake a claim for the Seattle rotation.

There are stacks of Aussies in and about Spring Training. We have:

• Pete Moylan and Phil Stockman at the Braves: with Moylan looking real good, and possibly set for an early return after his surgery last year. The two Aussies met up with Marcus Ambrose at the Nascar Daytona 500, which sounded like a hoot.
• Ryan Rowland-Smith with the Mariners
• Trent Oeltjen has backed up with the Diamondbacks again this year, and Travis Blackley has also signed with them. With some injuries to some of Arizona's regular bullpen arms, Blackley is apparently a bit of a good shot - although it seems he may have done himself no favours by showing up late one day
• Luke Hughes is back with the Twins, although his chances of cracking the bigs at third base were dealt a blow when they signed Joe Crede recently - although Luke will be looking to repeat his 2008 successes. Justin Huber will join him in the Twins organisation after the WBC, after signing a minor leauge contract
• Brad Harman is on the roster for the Phillies spring training, and
• Rich Thompson is back in action for the Angels, and
• of course Grant Balfour is back with the Rays.

So that makes TEN Aussies in or about the mix at this time of the year. That's good stuff. And there were truckloads of Aussies in the minors last year, so there seems to be a steady supply of young Aussies headed to the show. There were some awesome results last year, and hopefully 2009 can offer some more great stories.

Aussie MLB Updates (10-12 May 08)

It was a pretty quiet weekend for the Aussies in the majors. Peter Moylan has hung up the boots for the year, and Chris Snelling is still on the DL. Brad Harman has now returned to the minors, so that just leaves Ryan Rowland-Smith and Justin Huber waving the flag. Here is the latest news from the weekend:

• On Saturday, Justin Huber got a pinch hit in the ninth inning of the Padres opener against the Rockies. He struck out looking on the third pitch at a ball on the outside corner of the plate.
• On Sunday, Ryan Rowland-Smith got the final out for the Mariners, as they lost 8-4 to the White Sox. Rowland-Smith was called on to face switch hitter Nick Swisher, and he drew a fly ball to right to end the top of the 9th inning.
• There were no Aussies in MLB action today.

Meanwhile, Brad Harman has returned to the minors, and has reflected on his cameo in the bigs. His time with the Phillies ended (for now) when Jimmy Rollins came off the DL. "Obviously the first time in the big leagues, I'll remember it forever. It's been a great couple of weeks. It's going to be fun in a sense to go back, get some more at-bats and play every day" said Harman. In his first game back on Saturday, Harman went 0-for-3. On Sunday he struck out twice, but also belted a 2-run homer to signal his return. A deep shot to left field in the third, you can check it out at http://www.readingphillies.com/.

Aussie updates (9 May 08)

Here are today's updates:

• Brad Harman got a couple of at bats today, as his time in Philly seems to be winding up. He came into the game in the 6th inning as a pinch hitter, and got a second swing in the 8th. He flew out in the 6th, and grounded into a double play in the 8th. He fielded at second and was solid. Philly's MVP shortstop Jimmy Rollins is expected to join the squad again, as he is returning from a leg injury. It is expected that Harman will be sent back to the minors to make room for Rollins.


• Justin Huber started today for the Padres, he went 1 for 3 with a walk. He was forced out at second, but as this photo shows, it looks like he did a pretty good job of breaking up the double:

• Ryan Rowland-Smith continued to impress working out of the Mariner's pen. He pitched 3 solid innings today. He gave up only 3 hits and 1 run, while striking out 3. Over the past week he has pitched 6.1 innings, and struck out 6, with a 4.26 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. Over his last 3 starts he has a 1.49 ERA and 0.83 WHIP.

And in the injury corner:

• at AAA Lehigh Valley, Travis Blackley has been on the DL for about a week with a groin strain
• Peter Moylan has had elbow ligament transplant (Tommy John) surgery and will miss the rest of 2008. During the surgery, the doc confirmed that the bone spur in his elbow had lodged into Moylan's ligament and compromised it to the point that rehab was 'definitely not an option'.
  

Aussie update 7 May 08

More Aussie action this week, following up from the bad news about Pete Moylan:

• Ryan Rowland-Smith was very effective again today, as the Mariners went down to the Rangers. He pitched in the 8th inning, striking out one and drawing two flyouts for a 3 up 3 down inning, throwing an effective 11 pitches.
• Brad Harman had a go at third base, after starting at second in Phillie's game against the D-Backs. Not much luck at the plate though.
• Justin Huber was out on a pinch hit again today, as the Pads went down to Atlanta. You really have to wonder how much longer the Padres can keep going the way they are. CF Jim Edmonds is batting .176!!! If this keeps up, you'd have to think starting left fielder Scott Hairston could fill in in centre, opening the way for Huber and Paul MacAnulty to platoon in left.

In minor league action:

• Grant Balfour got another save (his 4th for the year), striking out 2 in 1 inning of work
• Trent Oeltjen smacked a homer for the Tucson Sidewinders, hitting his first for the season in the 5th inning as the Sidewinders went down 4-1
  

Aussie Update (5 and 6 May 08)

Yesterday saw some good Aussie action in MLB:

• Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched 2 digs of relief after Mariners' starter Carlos Silva gave up 6 runs to the Yankees over 3 and a bit innings. Rowland-Smith gave up 1 hit, walked one, and struck out one in his 40 pitch appearance. The Mariners lost 8-2.
• Justin Huber pinch hit in the Padres game against the Marlins. He grounded into a forceout in the 7th inning. Interestingly, he is 1-for-14 after hitting his first MLB homerun off Randy Johnson
• Brad Harman also got a pinch hit, as the Phillies beat the Giants. He grounded out in the 6th inning.

There were no Aussies in MLB action today, but there were two solid performances from Aussie pitchers in AAA:

• Rich Thompson pitched 2 innings of relief in Salt Lake's 5-1 victory over Nashville. He allowed 4 hits and 1 run, striking out 1.
• Grant Balfour also pitched two innings, as Durham beat Pawtucket 1-0. Balfour faced six batters over 2 innings, and struck out 5 of them. He drew a fly out from the sixth, and took the save - his third for the year. He has allowed only 1 hit, and no runs, in seven appearances for Durham, and is positioning himself well should the Rays need a replacement arm in the pen.

In more news:

• Bad news abounds about Peter Moylan's elbow. Both the Braves official site, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution are reporting that he had to stop throwing halfway through a bullpen session on Saturday. There is no further word yet on whether he will need surgery. However, he has been moved from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL - so there is no indication he will be back anytime soon. Stats.com is reporting that this move was merely to make room for newly acquired first baseman Greg Norton on the Braves roster.
• Tristan Crawford has come off the DL in the Phillies minor league system. He finished 2007 playing AAA, but has started this year at AA Harrisburg Senators. He has had two starts, and was roughed up a bit in his first on 24 April, allowing 6 hits, 2 walks and 4 runs over 2 innings. On 30 April he was more effective, giving up 5 hits and 1 run over 5 innings.
• Scott Mitchinson has had a good start to the year with Class A Kane County Cougars. Over 5 games he has gone 3-0. He has struck out 28 in 28.1 IP. He has allowed 26 hits, and 10 runs, for an ERA of 2.54

RRS appearance today; article on Huber and Harman; Oeltjen hot in AAA

Ryan Rowland-Smith got a pitch in the Mariners' loss to the Indians today. The game was pretty much over when he was handed the ball in the 8th inning, with the Indians leading 8-3. He struggled with his control, with only 9 of his 20 pitches being strikes. He gave up a double, before walking 2. However he then escaped the inning without damage, drawing a pop up and then a grounder into a double play.

Corey Brock from MLB.com has posted an article on the meeting up of Brad Harman and Justin Huber at the Padres' series in Philly. You can check it out here. Theirs is an amazing story really, with both coming from the same club - the same club as pitcher Michael Nakamura, who is currently pitching in the Japanese majors.

In AAA action, Trent Oeltjen continued his impressive start to the season today. Batting third as the Sidewinders met Round Rock, Trent went 3-for-4, with a double and 1 run. He also drew a walk. He now boasts a .317 average.

Thompson called up again, more Aussies in action

Rich Thompson has been called up to the Angels roster, after being sent to triple-A in early April. Thompson had one appearance for the Angels in early April, when he gave up 5 runs over one inning. Since then, he has been quite consistent for the Salt Lake Bees, who have a 18-1 record for the season. The Angels called him, and fellow righty reliever, Jose Arredondo, to bolster their pitching ranks. The Angels' pen pitched a lot of innings in recent series against Boston and Detroit, and manager Mike Sciosia is looking for reiforcements. "We're going to need some coverage the next couple days. I'd rather have an extra guy than stretch some guys", said Sciosia.

Since earning the call up on Saturday (Aus time), Thompson has had one appearance. He played yesterday (Saturday in the US), as the Angels lost to Detroit. He ended the game for the Angels in the eighth inning. He faced the 9-1-2 hitters in the lineup, striking out Brandon Inge, and drawing groundouts from Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco. He pitched 14, with 9 of them strikes...so he may still be hoping to improve his average in this area. But nonetheless it was a solid return for Rich.

Meanwhile, Brad Harman and Justin Huber have made additional appearances for their teams. Brad Harman pinch hit for the Phillies today, drawing a walk in the sixth. Justin Huber played a few digs in the Padres win over Arizona yesterday, but was unable to get on base - going 0-for-2. His season average is now .250.

Brad Harman gets first ML hit and RBI

Harman hit a double in the fourth inning of today's game against Pittsburgh - scoring a run. He went on to score himself. You can see video of the shot - which was a nice liner into a big gap in left centre - at MLB Gameday. He went 1-for-3 for the day. He started the game at second base, while Chase Utley played first, because strikeout machine Ryan Howard is having a break.

Well done Brad!

Some late week updates...

Well, there's plenty to keep an eye on at the moment, its all happening. Here's a summary of some news stories about the place:

• Brad Harman had his first outing as a Philly (that doesnt sound very masculine does it?)yesterday. With Philly leading, he got a pinch hit in the 9th inning. He worked to a 3-1 count before popping out to short. You can read more about Harman's debut and his thoughts about being called up here and here. Harman yet again is a great example of the down to earth attitude held by Aussie players: 'I got the call on my birthday, so it was a nice little birthday present to be put on the 40 [man roster]. It's been a fun ride the past five months for me. It's been indescribable in a sense. It's been one good thing after another'.
• Thanks to MatM from Ozcardtrader.com.au, here is a top article from the San Diego Union-Tribune about Justin Huber. In the article, Padres manager Bud Black notes 'he's a better all-around player than I thought' . That cant be bad! The article also gives an insight into Huber's approach to the game and at the plate on the night he hit his first MLB homer. He arrived at the game early to study tape of Johnson, and he had a clear plan to stay away from the slider. I have a lot of respect for people (not just baseball players) who can have such 'gameplans' and execute them. I think Manny Ramirez (and probably most of the Red Sox roster actually) are awesome at being able to get into hitters counts and draw out the pitch that they want to hit. Huber has shown an ability to get deep into counts and pick the right pitch to hit. This level of professionalism and attention to detail should bode him well in his MLB career.
• Speaking of Huber, he played again today - pinch hitting late in the game for the Padres, who lost 3-2 in 13 innings. He played leftfield and went 0-for-2 with the bat. His season average is now .333, after 15 at-bats.
• Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched today. He gave up a homer on the first pitch. Ouch. He came on in the 8th inning with 1 out. He faced Baltimore right-fielder Nick Markakis, who lined a 90mph fastball over the right field fence. Rowland-Smith took the loss, as the shot gave the Orioles a 3-2 lead. He recovered, and retired the next two batters to escape the 8th. He also retired the first hitter in the 9th, before being replaced. It was a disappointing (and maybe unlucky) outing for Rowland-Smith, who has been good lately. "I tried to get ahead of him with a fastball, and it probably was a stupid choice," Rowland-Smith said. "I should have started him out with something else. It was like he was sitting dead-red on a fastball, and no matter what I threw him, he was going to be swinging." This is an interesting observation from Rowland-Smith, particularly as he has made use of his slider heavily this year...as his first pitch too. I guess he was trying to vary it up a bit.
• In minor league action, Travis Blackley had a bad outing yesterday. That's the only word for it - bad. He did not make it out of the first inning, giving up 4 walks, 2 hits and 6 runs. He obviously struggled with his command, with only 16 of his 35 pitches being strikes. After 4 games this year, Blackley is 0-3 , with an ERA of 8.22, and a WHIP of 1.72. Over 11 innings pitched he has managed to strike out 12...but has given up 11 walks. Meanwhile, at Tucson, Trent Oeltjen had a busy old day. He took 5 catches in the field, and made one error, as well as scoring the tying run late in the game. A couple of Aussies faced off in AAA today, with Craig Anderson and the Tides meeting Damian Moss, Phil Stockman and the Richmond Braves. Anderson and Moss both pitched in relief, and while the Tides won the game, Moss won the statistical battle against Anderson - who gave up 2 runs in his 1 IP. Michael Collins hit a triple and got 1 RBI, as he went 1-for-4 for the Travs today. His season average is still hot at .355.

Brad Harman gets the call up

Big congratulations are in order today for Brad Harman. He has become the next Aussie to crack it in to the big leagues. The infielder got the call from the Phillies to step up from Double A at Reading, to help them deal with injuries to key player Jimmy Rollins. They have placed Rollins on the DL while he recovers from a sprained left ankle. He has struggled with the injury for a number of weeks, and this is the first time in his 8 year career he has been placed on the DL.

Harman has never played triple-A, so to get the call to MLB straight from Double-A is quite an achievement. In Harman's last five games, he was hitting .316 at Reading Phillies. Harman had been playing second base at Reading, but will be viewed as a utility infielder. He has played Rollins' position of shortstop, and represented Australia at that position in the World Baseball Classic.

So, hats off to Brad Harman! Congratulations on becoming the 26th Aussie to play Major League Baseball.