Brewers make changes in scouting department

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MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Brewers have made several changes and promotions in their scouting operations.

A vacancy near the top of the department was filled yesterday, when Joe Ferrone was named as the Brewers’ national cross-checker. He replaces assistant scouting director Ray Montgomery, who left to run Arizona’s scouting department. The 44-year-old Ferrone has spent the last two years as a scout and a special assistant in Pittsburgh. He scouted for Detroit and the Los Angeles Dodgers before that. Also, the Brewers promoted Jim Rooney from a roving cross-checker to the national checker for pitching. Jay Lapp was promoted from an eastern Canada scout to a supervisor for all of Canada. Lapp was the one who recommended the signing of Brewers’ closer John Axford. Also, Amanda Kropp was promoted to the department’s manager-of-administration.

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The Brewers have sent pitcher Josh Butler on an outright basis to their Triple-“A” farm club in Nashville, and they removed him from the 40-man big league roster. Butler showed promise in 2009, but he had a shoulder injury last spring and never fully recovered. The right-hander had an ERA of almost 11 in three starts at Class-“A” Brevard County. He had a high ERA at Double-“A” Huntsville, before going 5-1 with an ERA of four-and-a-half in Triple-“A.” Butler is 1-4 in the Mexican Winter League, with an ERA of nine. The move creates a third vacancy on Milwaukee’s 40-man roster.

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