Article: Brewers Minor League Link Report (4/1): Sounds Walk It Off, and then Walk It Off Again!

[Jim Goulart]

Welcome back! 

We've provided a ton of minor league coverage here at BrewerFanatic this offseason, but we're thrilled we now have box scores that count. As much as we've been chomping at the bit, the schedule makers will force us to ease into things this week. Very smart of MLB to kick off AAA games in conjunction with the big-leaguers, in the case of injury and other personnel needs. We'll be patient until this coming Friday to formally greet the other three full-season squads.

Mother Nature delayed Nashville's season by a day, but we were treated to twice the drama Saturday evening.

Image courtesy of BrewerFanatic

Transactions:
The AAA and AA active roster player limits are 28. It's 30 at both A-Ball levels.

The Sounds opened with 16 pitchers and 12 position players on their active roster. In order to pare down to 28, the following moves were made -

Added to the Brewers 40-man and 26-man active rosters: OF Joey Wiemer (congrats, Joey!)

Placed on the "Development List" (effectively a healthy taxi squad):  LHP Thomas Pannone, C Brent Diaz, INF Patrick Dorrian, OF Monte Harrison

Placed on the 7-day injured list: RHP Jake Cousins, INF's Cam Devanney and Josh VanMeterView the Nashville roster here:

Down lower in the system, the season is over for two youngsters -

RHP Fray Morelo, a native of Colombia signed in 2019, will turn 21 in May. He has struggled in 40 appearances (two starts) with a 6.46 ERA and a combined 72 BB/HBP in 69.2 IP. Yet he survived the offseason cut sheet and we wish him a productive rehab.

RHP Rafael Garcia, a native of Panama who, like Morelo, debuted in the Dominican Summer League in 2019, turns 22 later this month. and was also placed on the full-season injured list. Garcia made only three appearances in Maryvale last summer, the last on July 30th. He has a 5.75 ERA in 103.1 pro innings. Neither Morelo nor Garcia have pitched above the Maryvale complex level.

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Here's Your 2023 Nashville Media Guide - 234 pages!

Final, Game One: Nashville 3, Louisville (Reds) 1, eight innings (scheduled for seven)
Final, Game Two: Nashville 5, Louisville 4, nine innings (scheduled for seven)

Via the Sounds' site, game details, and we encourage readers to review each of the affiliate write-ups as part of your season-long Link Report routine:

Sounds Tally Two Walk-Off Wins in Opening Night Doubleheader - Tyler Naquin scores walk-off blast in game one, Skye Bolt gets home on wild pitch to take game two

Pre-Game Media Notes / Additional Pre-Game Tidbits via the "Sounds Bytes" blog

Game One Box Score / Game One Game Log
Game Two Box Score / Game Two Game Log 

Here's a reminder that our Minor League Fan Forum will have a pinned thread each day where our readers, including fellow Link Reporters Joseph and Daniel, will post live as-it-happens reactions, nearly always while watching the games. This was the case again on Saturday - we appreciate the insights and strongly suggest you follow each night!

You will find seven, count-em, seven highlights via the Nashville Twitter Media Feed - see them all here, although we'll also include a few below for emphasis. Yes, watch both walk-off's at that link!

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Here are the three main takeaways from Saturday's twinbill:

1) This Frelick kid is pretty good.

It seems so awkward to say there's not a spot for Sal in Milwaukee right now. The national buzz will continue to build all spring, never mind the fanbase clamor. It's a remarkable depth situation to have, and we're not even at the point of the "Jackson Chourio enters the big-league outfield discussion" point of the season for several months. None of us want to wish Garrett Mitchell or Joey Wiemer slow starts, so let's not go there now, either.

If Frelick remains at AAA long enough to delay free agency until after the 2029 season instead of 2028, so be it, but what strikes me about the focus on that is the automatic look at a Brewers-tenure end point. Meaning, neither '28 nor '29 should be a concern if the Brewers are proactive about an extension to cover additional years. Frelick did receive a $4 million signing bonus, so the urgency on Sal's part is not immediate. That didn't stop Wander Franco, who initially signed for $3.85 million, to reach an 11-year, $182 million deal. Get it done, guys.

2) Who is RHP Pedro Fernandez?

Three shutout innings (4th thru 6th) were huge Saturday. 

Especially when it comes to bullpen arms, the Brewers are open to all-comers, whether it's indy-ballers or those toiling in foreign leagues. Mix in waiver-wire claims and traditional minor league free agents, I just love that the organization turns over many rocks in the search process, as the occasional gem will be unearthed. OK, so let's not let one outing have us doing cartwheels, but still nice to see.

Here's the contents of our January 10th post when Fernandez was signed by the Brewers --

As first reported here:

And then available in reported article form here, if your browser supports translation:

28-year-old RHP Pedro Fernandez was a Kansas City Royal farmhand from 2012 through 2018, after which he qualified for minor league free agency. In those seven seasons, which topped out at AAA Omaha, Fernandez appeared in 150 games, 64 as a starter, posting a 3.50 ERA and 1.234 WHIP.

The native of the Dominican Republic would pitch in the offensively charged Mexican League in 2019 (13 appearances, five of them starts), struggling to an 8.27 ERA.

Fernandez did not pitch in 2020 (understandable), nor 2021, before resurfacing back in Mexico this past season, where he pitched well enough with Tigres de Quintana Roo, leading the entire league in strikeouts, making 17 starts (4.42 ERA).

Likely also catching the Brewers eye, Fernandez has made ten starts with a 2.50 ERA in Dominican Winter Ball and made the winter league All-Star Team with Gigantes del Cibao. He continues to pitch with them in the league's postseason round robin.

Need video? How about very recent video?

Via MLB Film Room, a good luck at Fernandez' pitch mix in a six-inning start highlight package from January 4th in the DWL.

3) Elvis will be the first to leave Nashville's building.
When considering upcoming MLB bullpen needs for the Crew, we can focus on 40-man roster relievers. Jake Cousins' unknown injury status is disconcerting for the moment, and while Tyson Miller, Cam Robinson, and Abner Uribe all impressed in spring camp, RHP Elvis Peguero may very well be the first to be brought up. The recently-turned-26-year-old Dominican native arrived via the Hunter Renfroe Angels trade.

Peguero too, flashed well this spring, and at 6'5" with a hard slider and downward plane heat, would profile well in the Brewers pen. He doesn't provide the multi-inning profile of Miller but has big league experience to counter Robinson's and Uribe's current profiles.

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Follow RHP Janson Junk's Nashville debut vs. old friend Chase Anderson Sunday at 2:05 Central here.

Enjoy your day, everyone, nice to be back.
 

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[Brock Beauchamp]

MiLB season is BACK!

[Joseph Zarr]

Ahhhhhhh, yes. Our first Minor League report of 2023. Tis like a fresh cup of coffee on the front porch.

Here's to an awesome and healthy 2023! Also, completely agreed on Peguero. He was pretty filthy last night. If he can maintain that composure and controlled approach, that's definitely an MLB arm to add to the mix. He was comfortably sitting 94-96. And, he had a lot of downward sink that was getting lots of lunging whiffing bats. I was quite impressed.