Misc. Minor League Alumni News & Notes

[Joseph Zarr]

Tokyo has not been all that kind to LHP Darrell Thompson. For his second outing in a row in Team USA's 2nd game of group play, Thompson was incapable of keeping the ledger clean:

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Venezuela’s bullpen kept the U.S. in check in the seventh and eighth set up for the dramatic bottom half of the eighth, when the home side was able to knot the score at five against Darrell Thompson. Hernan Perez and Carlos E. Perez both singled and Venezuela manager Omar Lopez went to Diego Castillo off the bench to pinch-hit with two outs in the eighth. Thompson got ahead in the count, but Castillo hit a 1-2 pitch over the fence in left center to tie the game at five apiece.

That's a tough blow in a key spot. Full article HERE.

USA did manage to win the game in the 9th off a Taylor Ward dead center HR. They are 1-1 in group play. Thompson will look to get back on track in the games ahead.

[Jim Goulart]

 

[Jim Goulart]

By the way, we’ll start a new alumni thread when the calendar turns to 2025, as the case when threads get a bit unwieldy.

[ARobsBrewCrew]

Former Brewers Rule 5 pick Colin Walsh will be coming out of retirement for the European Baseball Championships next year, representing Ireland.

[Jim Goulart]

On 11/24/2024 at 4:37 AM, Jim Goulart said:

 

 

[sveumrules]

On 12/2/2024 at 1:15 AM, ARobsBrewCrew said:

Former Brewers Rule 5 pick Colin Walsh will be coming out of retirement for the European Baseball Championships next year, representing Ireland.

That 085/317/106 career triple slash is amazing. 

Out of 1,438 players with at least 50 PAs since 2016, Juan Soto is 2nd with an 18.8 BB% trailing only Colin Walsh and his 23.8 BB%.

Colin's 33.2 Swing% is also the lowest in the sample among position players (seven pitchers swung less often) just fractions below Danny Vogelbach at 33.8%.

[AKCheesehead]

At one point on here years back, somebody used Walsh as a verb to describe a batter refusing to swing, and mentally it's stuck with me to the point where I still think of it as "Walshing it" when someone stands there while strike 3 goes straight down the middle.

[CheeseheadInQC]

Good on Evan Reifert for getting picked in the Rule 5 draft. Still no clue how he couldn’t get at least a triple-A look for the Rays last year.

[ARobsBrewCrew]

One of the best guys I’ve met-Payton Henry-has signed on with the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that seems to value former Brewers farmhands (i.e. Weston Wilson, Max Lazar, Max McDowell just to name a few).  Can’t possibly root harder for the guy especially after his scary on-field situation last year and the recent passing of his brother, Brooks.

[Joseph Zarr]

2 hours ago, ARobsBrewCrew said:

One of the best guys I’ve met-Payton Henry-has signed on with the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that seems to value former Brewers farmhands (i.e. Weston Wilson, Max Lazar, Max McDowell just to name a few).  Can’t possibly root harder for the guy especially after his scary on-field situation last year and the recent passing of his brother, Brooks.

Not to mention trading for two of them in Robert Moore and Hendry Mendez (really nice bounce back healthy campaign last year) just last year. Payton is an awesome guy and a really solid backstop with an underrated bat to boot. Phillies get another quality former Brewer. You love to see it!

[Jim Goulart]

Notes out of the Minor league Phase of Rule 5:

2022 Nashville Sounds reliever Hobie Harris was claimed by the Red Sox, this was just two and a half weeks after Harris had signed a minor league deal with the Mets.

RH reliever Taylor Floyd was grabbed by the Mariners from the Twins. Floyd was the PTBNL in the straight-up trade for Trevor Megill, so thank you Taylor (and Matt Arnold).

Outside of Rule 5:

And because we're fascinated by one of the three pitchers in the Adam Lind deal (sorry, Freddy Peralta), this Japanese-born Brazilian 28-year-old will be in big league camp with the Rangers. Daniel Missaki never through an in-game pitch for the Brewers organization and didn't pitch a single professional inning over a five-year period, 2016-2020. Would be quite the story...

 

[Joseph Zarr]

4 hours ago, Jim Goulart said:

Outside of Rule 5:

And because we're fascinated by one of the three pitchers in the Adam Lind deal (sorry, Freddy Peralta), this Japanese-born Brazilian 28-year-old will be in big league camp with the Rangers. Daniel Missaki never through an in-game pitch for the Brewers organization and didn't pitch a single professional inning over a five-year period, 2016-2020. Would be quite the story...

 

That is incredible. Amazing. Thanks for sharing.

[Joseph Zarr]

It would appear the San Francisco Giants have re-upped LHP Ethan Small on a Minor League deal (he had previously been non-tendered as he did not qualify for arbitration) according to Baseball America. Small will look to bounce back after an injury filled (two separate 60-Day IL stints) 2024. 

[Jim Goulart]

Catcher Jacob Nottingham (still just 29 years old, how?) signed a minor league deal with Seattle. The only pro ball Nottingham played in 2024 was in Mexico. You may remember the 2021 yo-yo tenures Nottingham had with the Crew and Seattle.

 

[Joseph Zarr]

RHP Cody Ponce (of the famed 2019 Trade Deadline RHP Jordan Lyles acquisition) stays in the KBO signing a 1 year $1 Million deal with a $200K signing bonus with the Hanwha Eagles. He joins RHP Mitch White in the 'Former Brewers Million Dollar KBO Men' club. 

Despite decent peripherals, Ponce really struggled to keep men off base in 2024 in the parent League:

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Across 67 innings, he put up an ugly 6.72 ERA. His 3.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio was actually significantly better than it was in his first two NPB seasons, and his home run rate was only slightly higher than the league average. Nevertheless, he struggled badly to keep hitters off the bases and runs off the board. On the bright side, his numbers were much better with the club’s farm team in the Eastern League, with whom he pitched to a 2.25 ERA in another 60 innings of work.

More HERE

[ARobsBrewCrew]

RHP Sam Carlson has inked a MiLB deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The former top draft pick of the Mariners signed on with Milwaukee last year and spent the entire season with AA Biloxi.

[Joseph Zarr]

2 hours ago, ARobsBrewCrew said:

RHP Sam Carlson has inked a MiLB deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The former top draft pick of the Mariners signed on with Milwaukee last year and spent the entire season with AA Biloxi.

Awesome news! I had just checked his player page a day or so ago. Very happy for him.

[Joseph Zarr]

Ol' friend LHP Eric Lauer inks a NRI MiLB deal with the Jays returning to full-season affiliated ball after closing his late aeason in 2024 in the KBO. Good for him. Hopefully, his injury woes are further behind him and he can recapture some of his vintage form.

[Seth Stohs]

Sam Carlson signed with the Dodgers. 

 

[Joseph Zarr]

Well, RHP Taylor Clarke joins former Brewers and new 'teammates' INF Cam Devanney and RHP Ryan Brady in the Kansas City Royals organization. Clarke rejoins the Royals (after one mostly disappointing year with the Brewers) on a Minor League deal. We wish Taylor the best as he attempts to earn his way back to a 40-Man roster spot.

[Joseph Zarr]

 

[Joseph Zarr]

I shore do wish RHP Robert Stock's arsenal moved like this when with 2023 Nashville (Hint: it emphatically did not). He's been working and tweaking!