Notes: Corey Hart has emotional day as he is honored and retires as member of Brewers

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Corey Hart, who played nine seasons with the Brewers, signed a one-day contract with the club on Friday so he retire as a Brewer. Hart, who hit .276 with 154 homers and 508 RBI in 945 games in a Brewers uniform, was also placed on the team's Wall of Honor before the game against the Miami Marlins.

Corey Hart became quite emotional Friday afternoon when talking about his decision to retire with the Milwaukee Brewers, five years after he played his last game for the club.

“It’s been a big part of my life. I don’t really have words for it,” Hart said at a news conference to celebrate his induction into the Brewers Wall of Honor as well as sign his official retirement papers as a member of the Brewers.

Hart finished his career with Seattle and Pittsburgh but played nine years for the Brewers, the team that took him in the 11th round of the 2000 draft out of high school in Kentucky. He was part of a group of young players that turned around the fortunes of the franchise, including Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy and Ryan Braun.

A two-time all-star, the outfielder/first baseman batted .276 in 945 games for the Brewers with a .334 OBP, 154 home runs, 508 RBI and 83 stolen bases. He was on the ’08 club that snapped a 26-year playoff drought and the 2011 club that won a franchise-record 96 games and claimed the NL Central crown, advancing to the NLCS before being eliminated by St. Louis.

BOX SCORE:Brewers 3, Marlins 2

MLB: Live scoreboard, box scores, standings, schedules

Brewers manager Craig Counsell, a former teammate of Hart’s, was instrumental in establishing the Wall of Honor, meant to honor longtime contributions to the organization by players, broadcasters and staff. Those who meet certain statistical criteria automatically qualify, and Counsell said Hart was the embodiment of those who carved noteworthy niches with the Brewers.

“For me, Corey Hart is the perfect example of a player I thought it would be great to recognize, and keep his name in the memory of Brewers fans for a long time,” Counsell said.

“He was part of a special group that was put together. It was fun for me watching Corey grow up in the big leagues. I was proud to be Corey’s teammate.”

Accompanied by a large number of family and friends, Hart recalled being the first of that young group of talented players to arrive in the majors, be it for only one pinch-hit appearance in 2004. He received a standing ovation when he came to the plate, another when he hit a long foul fly and yet another even though he struck out.

“It was nerve-racking,” he said. “I got three standing ovations and struck out but the fans could see where the organization was going.”

Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio allowed Hart to don his No. 1 jersey one last time, though the team retired that number in honor of Bud Selig in September 2014.

“I’m still trying to process Corey retiring,” Attanasio said. “It looks like he could still play.”

Hart, 35, who had significant knee issues in his final seasons, laughed at that notion, saying, “I could play but I’d need a break after one game. My body is not good enough to do anything but random jogging.”

Revolving door: The game of roster roulette continued with more shuffling of the pitching staff, and by all indications that trend will continue.

The Brewers sent right-hander Jorge Lopez back to Class AA Biloxi after one relief outing and recalled reliever Rob Scahill from Class AAA Colorado Springs for his second stint of the season. To put Scahill back on the 40-man roster, the Brewers outrighted reliever Tyler Cravy to Colorado Springs, where he was pitching.

Lopez came up and pitched two innings to close out the Brewers’ 11-3 victory Thursday in Cincinnati, then was sent out to make room for Scahill. The Brewers also must fill the rotation spot of injured starter Chase Anderson, beginning Monday, but with nine relievers, manager Craig Counsell said that might be done internally.

“We’re fortunate where we feel we have depth of pitching at the Triple-A and Double-A level,” general manager David Stearns said. “On a nightly basis, we can make sure we are covered for innings. What Jorge did for us yesterday was pretty valuable. We come in today with a completely fresh bullpen.

“There’s probably going to be more movement over the next couple of weeks as we go through different starters in that Chase Anderson spot. We’re comfortable with that. We think we have a lot of guys who can be on this major-league pitching staff.”

Unlike Lopez, Scahill is out of minor-league options, which is why he was outrighted to Colorado Springs after his first stint with the Brewers. He would have to go through that process again if he is removed from the big-league roster.

“Options and whether a player has them always comes into roster decisions,” Stearns said. “Sometimes, it works in favor of players and sometimes it doesn’t. We’ll just have to manage that as we go forward and see what move at any particular time makes the most sense of the club.”

Things just haven’t gone Cravy’s way since he ripped management after being cut at the end of spring training. He was called up on May 20 in Chicago but sent right back down after the game was rained out. Now, he’s off the 40-man roster after posting a 5.06 ERA in 21 appearances with the Sky Sox.