10 tickets north? First look at the Brewers’ September callups

With the AAA Nashville Sounds and AA Huntsville Stars‘ seasons winding down (the Sounds finish up on Monday, September 1 and won’t make the post-season, while the Stars finish their regular season on September 1 and are also not expected to make the playoffs), the Brewers’ clubhouse could get crowded 11 days from now…very crowded.
Here’s the first look at who the Brewers’ will probably call up for the month of September to help them make the playoffs:
1. Catcher Angel Salome–AA Southern League’s leading hitter (.361 BA), Salome will should beat out Racine native and fan favorite Vinny Rottino (.253 at AAA Nashville); manager Ned Yost is dying for another catcher on the bench so he can put Mike Rivera in at the end of games in which the Brewers have a large lead to help keep starter Jason Kendall fresh.
2. First baseman Brad Nelson–hitting .290 at Nashville, Nelson would serve as a late inning replacement for Fielder and as another lefty bat off the bench.
3. Shortstop Alcides Escobar–a late inning defensive replacement, plus a pinch-hitter who is hitting .334 at AA Huntsville.
4 & 5. Third basemen Joe Dillon and Mat Gamel could both be called up for different reasons–Dillon as the veteran presence (and as a reward for doing so well at the start of the season) and Gamel to give him a taste of the bigs (and to gauge his progress against big league pitching).
6. & 7. Outfielders Hernan Iribarren and Tony Gwynn, Jr.–Neither are tearing up the ball in AAA Nashville, but Iribarren (.281) and Gwynn (.265) both need some exposure to the majors…and both would be invaluable in late innings as left-handed bats to face righty relievers or as pinch-runners.
8., 9., & 10. Pitchers Mitch Stetter, Mark DiFelice, and Tim Dillard–all three had a cup of coffee with the parent club earlier in 2008–and all three had some success while at the major league level. Adding two or three arms gives Yost a lot more options later in games.
Only Salome and Gamel are not on the current 40-man, so, to be called up, two other players would have to be removed; Rottino may be taken off the 40-man…or he could be called up, given his versatility to play the infield and the fact that Yost only needs a 3rd catcher for a game in case one of the other catchers gets injured after having been put in the game.