Rattlers manager Matt Erickson, whose club is in the Single-A Midwest League, says having “a player that’s gone through every level of minor league baseball” and on to the big leagues is “usually a positive situation for our younger players.”
A less-than-positive episode came in 2012, when Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez irked a Rattlers foe, the Burlington Bees, by dawdling too long after hitting a homer. The Bees purposely hit Wisconsin’s next batter, sparking a benches-clearing brouhaha.
Gennett prefers the plucky Rattlers to Milwaukee’s less-popular affiliates, such as the Florida State League’s Brevard County Manatees. “The fans and the atmosphere,” he says, “it’s like a normal game. You go to Brevard County, and there’s 10 people in the stands.”
