Home Brews: Uhen, Markson, Pierce come together

January 25, 2014

By Jason Arndt
Brewers Farm Report

Throughout the cold winter months at Miller Park, three Brewers’ minor leaguers with Wisconsin roots come together and work out together and have formed a bond much larger than calling the Dairy State home.

Brevard County right-hander Chad Pierce, 26, of Fond du Lac serves as the elder statesman of the three.

Oshkosh native Josh Uhen, 21, and Whitefish Bay High School graduate Charlie Markson, 22, played their first seasons of professional baseball with a renewed sense of enthusiasm for the game.

While all three crossed paths prior to playing for their home state team, all of them had different journeys to make it to professional ranks.

Josh Uhen, Arizona Brewers

Uhen

It was a “dream come true” for Uhen when Milwaukee selected him with the fifth round pick in the 2013 Draft.

Based on where he was two years prior, it was more of a miracle after he underwent Ulner Collateral Ligament reconstruction surgery in 2011 and missed 12 months of action with University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

“It’s great. I grew up a Brewers fan, I grew up a Packers fan, I grew up a Bucks fan,” Uhen said. “Playing for one of my home state teams means a lot. When I got the call from them it did not seem real. It took awhile for it to set in.”

Uhen crossed paths with Markson in 2012 when both were members of the Northwoods League team Lakeshore Chinooks in Mequon, Wis.

“It was my first real taste of some really solid college ball because I didn’t really get a chance” Uhen said. “Before that I had the elbow surgery.”

The 6’4” right-handed pitcher rebounded during the later portion of his first professional season with the Arizona Brewers where he lost six of his ten initial appearances.

“It had a lot to do with getting some repetitions. I had a hard time getting some innings in and repetitions throughout my college career,” Uhen said. “Once I got out there and had the coaches helped.”

Uhen found his groove during his final four appearances where he allowed just two earned runs through a stretch of 13.2 innings and walked just four batters. He also notched 12 strikeouts during the home stretch of the season.

Markson remains optimistic about his fellow Chinooks’ teammate as he climbs through the Brewers’ organization.

“I have known Josh for a few years and he is a good friend of mine and he is a good guy and great baseball player,” Markson said. “He has a pretty high ceiling and the Brewers think very highly of him.”

“I am excited to get into a full season here of professional baseball,” Uhen stated as he looks into 2014.

Year	Tm	Lev	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	HBP	WP	WHIP	SO/BB
2013	Brewers	Rk	2	6	4.54	14	6	37.2	35	31	19	2	23	31	2	5	1.540	1.35
1 Season			2	6	4.54	14	6	37.2	35	31	19	2	23	31	2	5	1.540	1.35

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/25/2014.

Charlie Markson, Helena Brewers

Markson

Markson experienced a new sense of faith and love of baseball with the Helena Brewers in 2013 after a high pressure senior season at the University of Notre Dame.

The Whitefish Bay native stated he was relieved when Milwaukee announced him as the team’s 38^th round selection in 2013.

“After my senior year I would have been excited to be given a chance by anybody and it was the Brewers and it made it much more cool,” Markson said. “I was just happy to play somewhere at the professional level.”

Markson’s batted a career low .209 with three doubles and 21 RBI his final season with the Irish after a successful junior season where he produced a .303 batting average and .390 On Base Percentage.

“I cannot really put my finger on anything that went wrong but I just know that I put too much pressure on myself to succeed and to get drafted,” Markson said. “It just kind of spiraled out of control. It was a mentally frustrating season for me.”

The outfielder credited Helena’s hitting coach Chuckie Caufield for putting him back on the right track.

“I contribute my success this year to Chuckie,” Markson said. “He makes it simple and makes it easy to understand and relatable because he just got out of playing baseball so he understands the coaching aspect, he understands the playing aspect.”

Markson responded considerably to Caufield’s guidance with a .288 batting average and .377 OBP in his initial season. He also scored 35 runs and collected 12 doubles in 46 games in the Pioneer League.

“He is a great medium between players and coaches,” Markson said. “He just made it fun again. I was looking at baseball as more of a job and with Helena I got a fresh start.”

It also gave him a new geographical experience playing in the Rocky Mountains for the first time in his life.

“I thought it was a great experience because I have played all across the country but that was one area where I never been to,” Markson said.

Year	Tm	Lev	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
2013	Helena	Rk	46	209	177	35	51	12	1	21	8	4	22	35	.288	.377	.367
1 Season			46	209	177	35	51	12	1	21	8	4	22	35	.288	.377	.367

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/25/2014.

Chad Pierce, Brevard County Manatees

Pierce

Pierce was drafted with the 38^th round selection in the 2011 draft from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he first met Uhen as a freshman of a developing Panthers’ program.

The 26-year-old shouldered significant responsibility for an injury-riddled Manatees’ rotation where first-round selection Jed Bradley was lost for the season and other pitchers missed starts.

“When players get hurt, you got to step up and help out and get out there and get in as many innings as possible so your bullpen doesn’t get worn out,” Pierce said.

Pierce responded by accruing second-most innings on the Manatees with 108.2 and allowed just 52 walks and struck out 106 Florida State League hitters in 2013.

“I felt that it was a very positive season, aside from a couple of bad outings I continued pitching throughout the rest of the year,” Pierce said.

Pierce produced his best outing of the year in his final appearance of the season August 31 where he struck out eight batters and allowed one earned run in six innings.

However, Pierce endured a tough initial season with Pioneer League Helena in 2011 where he allowed 50 hits and 29 earned runs through 39.1 innings.

He was able to bounce back with a better sophomore season within the organization as a member of the Single A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers notching 115 strikeouts and allowing 41 walks through 124.2 innings.

The right-hander told Brewers Farm Report he has been impressed by Uhen’s progression since he saw him as a freshman and is just getting to know Markson during his workout experience at Miller Park.

When Pierce was asked about how he reacted to being drafted by his home state team, he stated he never could believe he’d be “part of an organization” he grew up watching.

Fellow Wisconsinite Charlie Markson sees Pierce as a player to look up to as the person with the most experience.

“When I first met Chad I knew he’d fit in great with us,” Markson said. “He knew (Uhen) from college. It’s kind of nice to have someone there that has been with the organization for a few years.”

“When (Uhen) and I have questions, (Pierce) is always willing to answer them. He is really helpful during those workouts and he kind of shows us how to function in the off season,” Markson added.

Year	Tm	Lg	Lev	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP
2011	Helena	PION	Rk	2	4	6.64	15	5	0	39.1	50	36	29	4	19	33	1.754
2012	Wisconsin	MIDW	A	7	5	3.47	27	12	2	124.2	112	51	48	10	41	115	1.227
2013	Brevard County	FLOR	A+	6	6	3.40	30	11	0	108.2	93	44	41	6	52	106	1.334
3 Seasons				15	15	3.89	72	28	2	272.2	255	131	118	20	112	254	1.346

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/25/2014.

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Written by Jason Arndt Posted in High A - Brevard County Manatees, R - Arizona Brewers, R - Helena Brewers Tagged with brevard county, chad pierce, charlie markson, chuckie caufield, josh uhen, notre dame, university of wisconsin-milwaukee