Let me get one thing out in the open on the early morning wet outfield grass as we creep into the 2024 MLB/MiLB seasons: I spend over 650 hours each season watching Brewers Minor League games. For those of you at home, who may not know, that’s a lot of innings. A lotta ball. I watch all the affiliates on multiple screens multiple days a week and when the AFL streams hit I fit those Brewers prospect games in when I can as well. It can get a bit hairy, for lack of a better word, when the multi-screen action is demanding attention on several screens - my head can definitely find itself on the proverbial swivel. And, well, I just can't earnestly think of a better way I'd spend my middle-aged years in the heat of mid day and into the sunsets of many an evening. I live a blessed full-time land-locked farmer/forester/dad life and it affords me the daily opportunities to engage this passion. To this end, and I know Daniel and Jim can vouch for this as well, this passion is all about the players. To a man. Each and every one. I do my best to celebrate them; shine a light on them; and give subtle (and, sometimes not so subtle 🤭) commentaries based on my own observations of the games I watch so regularly. In that regard, and like the Brewers organization itself, we Minor League Daily Report writers simply want the absolute best for each and every player - our reports are our humble gift to the great and well-traveled space of Brewer fandom and family.

With all this being said, before I prepare myself for the 2024 season just around the corner, I'd like to share with you 10 surprises of my recent 2023 Brewer Minor League experience. It was a truly incredible ride down to the finish. We witnessed a late summer ACL Championship trophy raised high into the desert air. We saw the AFL Surprise Saguaros grab a championship trophy (with a championship closed out on three consecutive strikeout pitches from the Brewers underrated RHP Justin Yeager in a one run contest, no less!) in early November. Carolina broke their longest-tenured MiLB post-season drought and earned their way into the Carolina League post-season. We had Wisconsin, Biloxi, and Nashville all playing meaningful games into September. The Brewers system rankings may have sky rocketed across the internet and inner circles of the MLB game itself this past off-season, but it is important to recognize we will be extremely fortunate if we flirt with a Minor League season even remotely resembling 2023 in the upcoming calendar year. 

So, pull up a chair. Let me take you on a trip down a not so distant side road of Brewers Minor League baseball lore. Last year was kind of a unicorn and I'm happy to share with you some of the surprises I personally witnessed and savor to this very day.

1) Shane Smith and Tanner Shears: The combined late-inning output of Smith & Shears (Pitching Attorneys at Law) was a true joy to watch throughout 2023. You would be hard-pressed to find a better one-two bullpen punch across the Brewers system. When a young man jumps into the fire of professional pitching, the trick is so often finding the consistency and effectiveness across the successive affiliated levels. I look to the late-season struggles of the uber-talented RHP Yerlin Rodriguez as one example of just how hard it is to harness those developing pitching tool-kits on a nightly basis. This is what made Smith & Shears so dang impressive. From the Frontier League (in Shears' case), to Low-A, to High-A, and then to Double-A and the AFL for Smith (who, apparently, was steadfastly working on a slider in Arizona - oh la la), the dynamic duo dominated the high-leverage late inning scene. Both pitchers have a bit of a classic fearless flamethrower mentality with their respective high-running heaters but both pitchers are quite a bit more than that. With Smith's hammer curve and developing slider and with Shears' absolutely ridiculous splitter (one of my favorite pitches in the entire system), hitters are constantly uncomfortable and off balance (in Shears' case, in particular, so are the catchers and umpires). Regardless, both men staked their claim as two relief pitchers to keep a steadfast eye on in 2024.

2) The Cannon Arm of Lamar Sparks: There isn't an outfielder in the entire organization who possesses a cannon as deadly and accurate as Lamar Sparks. Emphasis on accurate here is most definitely intentional. If there was one player who caused me to jump out of my viewing seat on more than one occasion, it was Lamar Sparks.

Off the top of my head, of the seven outfield assists Sparks put forth in 2023 at least four of these were of the web gem variety. Not a single throw all year across all affiliates was more enthralling than this laser nabbing former Brewers prospect (now current Brewers killer - sigh) OF Tristan Peters at home plate in an intense extra-innings affair with Montgomery:

IF Sparks could cut down on his propensity for the swing and miss, there's no telling us where his career could go. His defense is upper-echelon and his arm is absurdly good.

3) EBJ Healthy and Thriving in the AFL: The early and freakish injuries Eric Brown Jr. suffered in Wisconsin were extremely unfortunate. For the significant majority of the 2023 campaign, it appeared it was likely a snakebitten and lost season for the talented infielder.  For us nightly viewers, however, we saw glimpses of his possible greatness - the speed, the athleticism, the better-than-advertised defense and arm, the improving plate presence - despite the slow start and lengthy absence(s). It probably sound cliché, but it is simply the truth: if you watch as many games as I do, with consistent exposure year-in and year-out to such a large quantity of players across five levels of professional baseball over entire seasons...when you know you know. I saw a compact swing with gap power and pop waiting to be unleashed; a swing simply needing more AB's to marry eyes to embodied mechanics. I saw a menace on the base paths. I saw a high-level athlete with range, again, needing repetition and exposure. Suffice to say, I was extremely pleased to see EBJ achieve success; health; and notoriety for his consistent and solid performances in the AFL. This is a big year for the former first rounder, yes, but let's also practice patience. Development takes time. EBJ has all the tools at his disposal. Let's hope he stays healthy and builds on the AFL Fall Star foundation he just laid.

4) The Wes Clarke Power Surge of August: I wrote about and celebrated Wes Clarke after the 2022 season. Yes, before the stat grabbers jumped aboard the Clarke hype train - long after they worried and complained about his K:BB ratios - I simply saw a hardworking undervalued player worthy of recognition. I saw an intriguing player who added meaningful depth to the Brewers system but, like so many others, was forgotten because he was left off the Top 20 lists. In Clarke, I saw a player who was always available. I saw a player who as always the same guy in the dugout and on the diamond. I saw a steadying force playing oft-overlooked positions with a power bat and consistent, if unspectacular, defense. For me, it was simply a question of: Can he find the all so elusive consistency and build off the sometimes breakout performances? Then August 2023 happened and Clarke's career trajectory changed entirely. Suddenly, I saw a young man thrust into the MLB conversation. And, let's give credit where credit is due: Clarke carried that late season momentum into an AFL Fall Star line-up. He carried that momentum into a non-roster Brewers spring training invite. As the 2024 season approaches, the conversation around Wes Clarke has completely changed and I am so here for it. All credit goes to the man, his family, and the player. He deserves every ounce of the chance he is currently being given. Let's hope he runs with it!

5) Who is this Isaac Collins?!: When switch-hitting infielder (and, in 2023 at least, oftentimes left fielder) Isaac Collins was scooped up in the Minor League portion of the 2022 Rule 5 draft, I'm not so sure it turned a lot of heads in Brewers fandom. At the time, all the focus was on RHP Gus Varland being nabbed from the Dodgers as an MLB Rule 5 pick. My experience, frankly, is that not all too many baseball fans (a) realize there is a Minor League side of the Rule 5 and (b) follow it. After a slow and quiet start to his Shuckers season, Collins hit his mid-summer scorching hot. You could put his July output up there with any single player in the system this past year - it was absolutely that good.

On a nightly basis, Collins was smacking key hits, showing surprising pop, and generally putting on a dazzling display at the plate. He's a solid if unspectacular glove and arm at 2B/LF - he's definitely athletic enough but he'll likely always be somewhat limited by his diminutive stature. If he can continue growing and producing at the dish he's going to place himself in the conversation as a utility call-up at the very least at some point in his career. Collins' dependability, availability, versatility and overall skill gives yet another example of a player who was picked up on the fringes and has made a name for himself. He's definitely a name you should look out for in 2024. I'm truly looking forward to his second year as a Brewers prospect!

6) The Consistency of Oft-Overlooked Ethan Murray and Freddy Zamora: When 2022 had finished, I had more questions than answers surrounding the play and career arcs of both Murray and Zamora. Interestingly, the questions were nearly reversed for each respective player. In Murray, I saw one of the Brewers best defenders at any level but I wanted to see if the offensive struggle of 2022 could be overcome in the challenging Southern League. In Zamora, I questioned the defensive reputation he was given when he was drafted after numerous errors and just erratic play throughout his injury-shortened 2022. The addendum here is both players were clearly very talented baseball players but consistent and complete in-game performance is a whole other beast when it comes to the daily grind of being a professional baseball player. Simply put, as I saw it I had legitimate baseball questions. The 2023 season did more than enough to assuage these previous concerns. As the season progressed, both Murray and Zamora had solidified themselves as key everyday players for then long-time manager Mike Guerrero. Whereas Murray possesses even more defensive versatility given he can more than admirably fill-in at 3B as he did in 2023 - a true utility infielder...

Zamora played the best defense of his young Minor League career. What's more, Zamora played the defense of his career during the most important games of the Shuckers season in August and September. His glove was sure. He showcased his innate fluidity of movement and athleticism while making the challenging play look easy and, more importantly, he made the right plays and the right decisions in key spots. These plays often came in tight games, with men on base, in a neck-and-neck sprint to the finish with the Rays' Montgomery Biscuits. I came away newly confident that Zamora could one day push for a call-up to the Big Show.  It will be intriguing to see where both Murray and Zamora are rostered to start 2024 - both men can provide meaningful depth and leadership at the highest affiliate levels. At present, both young men are definitely more gap hitters with the occasional long ball. Will this change as they accrue more service time? They both have the pop but accessing it in-game is one thing and, let's be real, not every player has the ridiculous innate ability to choose to add more home run power in a single off-season like offensive phenom INF Tyler Black. I will also say, with Zamora, I do wonder if he starts getting a modicum of exposure at 3B given he clearly has the arm to manage the positional requirments:

7) The Resurgence of TJ Shook: Special shout-out to one of my favorite players in the Brewers system. After an up-and-down introduction to the Southern League in 2022, Shook took giant strides toward re-establishing himself as an up-and-coming hurler the further he got from April. I saw a pitcher and a player continuing to develop. With this young man, it's all about locating his off-speed and the fine-tuned location in zone. IF Shook can keep dialing in the pin point accuracy, I have zero doubts he is building the path to a spot in a Big League pitching staff. When his location is dialed, we see dominant stuff. He has an upper-echelon changeup. He has a sharp slider. When these are locating, his heater shows fantastic arm side run - reaching a tick above mid-90's. It's all there. Can he take another step in 2024?

8) The Incredible Second Half Turnaround of Cameron Wagoner: Boy, it was a tough sledding for Wagoner in the first half of the Timber Rattlers 2023 season. And, boy, if his second half turn around wasn't one of the absolute best stories to watch in all of 2023. If you want to understand how absolutely essential locating your stuff is, look no further than the tale of two halves of Wagoner's 2023 campaign. It's important to remember Wagoner was mostly pitching out of the bullpen at Eastern Michigan - he is still learning the nuance and demands of a starting pitcher - so hiccups and self-discovery are to be expected. This being said, you'd be absolutely hard-pressed to find a better second half on the mound than this young man. He was absolutely throwing pin point darts as the Timber Rattlers battled for an elusive post-season birth. It was the very consummation of a 180 degree turnaround. 

His velocity was back to mid 90's and touching 96-97 in spots. His evolving off-speed arsenal was grabbing many many a swing and a miss. And, well, he just wasn't offering up many hittable pitches. Can he build off this late season surge and come out of the 2024 gates tossing diamonds? Stay tuned!

9) The September Bullpen Work of Tobias Myers: When a player flashes like Myers did the last week of the 2023 Sounds' season, they get a call as a non-rostered invite to Brewers spring training. Myers is no stranger to the hype and expectations of a celebrated prospect - he's been rostered; he's been part of fairly big trades; he's seen a lot in his eight year Minor League career. AND, yet, he's still a mere 25 years old. Let me also remind you: he led the entire Brewers system in strikeouts. Oh, hey, let me also remind you he set the Biloxi single season strikeout record: 

Man, I love that confidence. In Biloxi, Myers was the workhorse starter - always available, eating innings, quite often dealing. Any Brewers prospect enthusiast will recall Myers' opening outing last April 7th in Mississippi where he fired off six scoreless 11 K innings. Well, he fired off another 6 inning 10 K outing versus Rocket City in May. Another 11 K outing at Montgomery in July. Three other outings with 9 K. Four more outings with 8 K. You get the drift! AND, all this being said, nothing and I mean nothing compared to the bullpen work in Nashville. It. Was. Electric. It was two outings, yes. BUT, I watched him all of 2023 in the Biloxi stables. His work in Nashville was different. It was a statement. If I'm excited about how Wagoner and Shook start 2024, I am chomping at the bit to see how Myers fares in spring training and how the Brewers plan to use him in 2024. This may be a pitcher the League regrets letting visit the inner rooms of the Brewers infamous pitching lab.

10) Those Carolina Mudcats Were So Dang Special: Let's close this nostalgic trip down last season's memory lane by acknowledging what an absolutely special season we witnessed in Zebulon. In retrospect, it was quite fitting announcer Greg Young Jr. got what ultimately was a post-season send off as he heads to other avenues in his life - Greg, wherever you are, we are truly going to miss you! Going into 2023, the Mudcats had endured the longest post-season drought of any Minor League affiliate in all of Minor League baseball. This was emphatically not a mark the Brewers were proudly wearing. After barely missing a post-season berth in 2022, the Mudcats would not be denied in 2023. To this end, I want to personally recognize and thank some players for the joy they brought me on a near nightly basis:

• C Jose Sibrian: My sweet prince. What a season. Clutch hits. Fantastic work behind the plate. IF this was indeed his send off, what a send off it was. 
• INF Jadher Areinamo: There isn't a better utility infield defender in the entire system. Such a smart player. Such a savvy player. The sky is the limit. 
• OF Jace Avina: I'm going to miss Jace. His energy and intensity and his web gem OF work was a sight to behold. The Yankees got a good one. I wish him all the best!
• INF/OF Dylan O'Rae: Dylan had become a bit of an ACL legend in our eyes. Seeing him in the flesh in Carolina did not disappoint. Such a fun player. So skilled. 
• RHP Patricio Aquino: While Logan Henderson was the rightful Ace out of the Mudcats rotation, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more stabilizing force than this young righty. Fantastic stuff in 2023. He will turn 21 years old in early May. This is a name to keep watching.

There are many more players and stories to highlight (and I'm going to share a few more! It's my blog!😅). We saw ACL dynamo, still 18-year old (!!) INF Juan Baez, promoted and then he took the starting 3B job and ran with it. We saw RHP's Yerlin Rodriguez and Jesus Rivero stake their claims as extremely exciting young arms. We saw INF/OF Luke Adams stake his claim as the next free-swinging athletic dynamo. We saw the broader depth of the bullpen throughout the season with periods of dominance from many arms (Merkel, Costello, Smith & Shears, Galindez, Wehrle, Maldonado and Root all definitively had their moments). As per usual, we saw 1B Jesus Chirinos make a season for himself as a steadying presence in the lineup and the dugout. Despite injuries shelving him for prolonged periods, INF Daniel Guilarte was a definitive bright spot showing a savvy and bat-to-ball skills to make any manager proud. And speaking of managers, we saw the continued ascent of manager Victor Estevez who continues to be my favorite young leader in the system. You got a truly good one Wisconsin Timber Rattlers fans. I expect big things in High-A. 

Here's to the 2023 Brewers Minor League season. There were many surprises throughout and many players staking their claims as players to be reckoned with. Here's hoping for more of the same in 2024. I'll be tuning in early and often and I'll be here to tell you about the many things I see - in those Minor League reports and here in this blog. 

And, please, tell me what you saw in 2023 that surprised you. What players or storylines caught your eye or kept you captivated? The Brewers system is the second ranked in baseball not simply because of its high end talent but also because it runs deep. Feel free to add your surprises in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you!