BayStars Sign Former Vipers Defenceman Nyjer Morgan:

Former Vernon Vipers defenceman Nyjer Morgan has signed with Japan's Central League's Yokohama BayStars for the 2013-14 season.  Morgan who played the last two seasons with the MLB Milwaukee Brewers before electing free agency, a day after the Brewers hastened his departure by outrighting him from the 40-man roster.  On March 27, 2011, Morgan was traded to the Brewers in exchange for prospect Cutter Dykstra (son of baseball player Lenny Dykstra).  Morgan was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 33rd round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. On September 1, 2007, Morgan made his major league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Milwaukee Brewers as a late-season call-up.  Morgan played for three MLB teams, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Washington.  Morgan played as an "AP" as a 16 year old with the Vipers during the (1996-1997) season. 

Nyjer Morgan's Player Profile:

http://brewers.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=460579#gameType='S'§ionType=career&statType=1&season=2012

This is posted in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel:

Ex-Brewers Nyjer Morgan, Shaun Marcum land deals

By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel

Jan. 24, 2013

A couple of veteran free agents who played for the Milwaukee Brewers the past two seasons found new homes Thursday for the 2013 season.

Outfielder Nyjer Morgan agreed to a $1.6 million contract with the Yokohama BayStars of Japan's Central League, and right-hander Shaun Marcum agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Mets.

Morgan, 32, had a strong year for the Brewers in 2011, batting .304 over 119 games and becoming a fan favorite with his "Tony Plush" persona. He also delivered one of the biggest hits in franchise history with a game-winning single in the 10th inning of Game 5 of the NLDS against Arizona, putting the Brewers in the NLCS against St. Louis.

But Morgan fell off badly in 2012, batting only .239 over 122 games and eventually losing playing time to Carlos Gomez in center field. The Brewers outrighted Morgan off their 40-man roster after the season with the intent of making him a free agent.

Marcum, 31, was acquired in a trade with Toronto in December 2010 for top prospect Brett Lawrie. In 2011, he went 13-7 with a 3.54 ERA in 33 starts but suffered a late-season collapse that carried over to three awful starts in the postseason, including Game 6 of the NLCS against St. Louis when the Brewers were eliminated.

Marcum missed two months of the 2012 season with an ailing elbow and was limited to 21 starts, going 7-4 with a 3.70 ERA. The Brewers were concerned about his health and opted not to offer him a contract for 2013, allowing him to go on the free agent market.

"On Deck" schedule set: The team announced the schedule of events, including player autograph signings, for the "Brewers On Deck" fan event Sunday at the Delta Center.

The same system for autographs that was used last year will be used on Sunday. Recipients of autographs for Ryan Braun, Yovani Gallardo, Rickie Weeks and Bob Uecker will be chosen through a random selection process. Numbered coupons to be entered into the random selection process will be available the day of the event only and will be distributed beginning at 8 a.m. at the Delta Center.

Coupon distribution will be available up to an hour before each designated autograph session. For a complete schedule of autograph signings as well as the events on the main stage, click here.

2013 schedule completed: The Brewers released their completed schedule for the 2013 season, which opens at 1:10 p.m. on Monday, April 1 against Colorado at Miller Park.

The Brewers also will play a pair of exhibition games against the Chicago White Sox at Miller Park before the start of the season. The teams will meet at 7:10 p.m. on Friday, March 29 and at 1:10 p.m. on Saturday, March 30.

Weekday night games at Miller Park will start at 7:10 p.m. Weekday day games in April and May will start at 12:10 p.m. (except opening day and Memorial Day, which are 1:10 p.m. starts), while all Sunday games and weekday day games in June-September will start at 1:10 p.m. Saturday home game times are varied.

New alternate jersey: The Brewers announced the team is introducing a new gold-colored alternate jersey to be worn on occasion this season. The jersey tops will be worn by players and coaches at "Brewers On Deck."

The gold jersey will feature "Brewers" in blue script across the front. The last time the Brewers introduced an alternate jersey was 2010, when the team added the alternate blue "Milwaukee" jersey for road games.

"Our players have worn a similar gold-colored jersey on our annual 'Cerveceros Day,' and the feedback from fans and players has been overwhelmingly positive," said Brewers chief operating officer Rick Schlesinger. "We believe that this jersey will be a very popular style, both on the field and at our retail locations."