Brewers Minor League Link Report (4/12): Shutouts Abound! Fortunately the Good Guys Won a Big Majority

[Jim Goulart]

Normally we don't have seven box scores to peruse until the rookie complex leagues get underway in Maryvale and the Dominican Republic. Guess we can consider this a dress rehearsal! Actually, we're not that far away from the rookie levels commencing, as Baseball America notes here - May 4th is the start date in Arizona (and we believe that same week in the Dominican), a month earlier than in past years. 

Image courtesy of BrewerFanatic

Of the seven games played Friday evening, six were shutouts! Thankfully the Brewers farm teams were 5-1 in those six whitewashes, so here we go with a nod to all the pitching coaches throughout the system.

Transactions:

• RHP Evan McKendry placed on AAA Nashville's 7-day injured list
• 3B Brock Wilken placed on AA Biloxi's 7-day injured list

 

The Brewers recently dropped four players from their Dominican Complex. We detail their brief organizational exploits and wish them well here.

 

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Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes
Final, Game One: Memphis (Cardinals) 6, Nashville 0
Box Score and Game Log

Final, Game Two: Nashville 9, Memphis 0
Box Score and Game Log

Via the Sounds’ website, game details, and we encourage readers to review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine:

Sounds Split Doubleheader with Redbirds - Nashville takes nightcap 9-0 after being shut out by Memphis 6-0 in game one

Sounds starter Carlos F. Rodriguez had not shown well in his first two starts but opened Game One with three scoreless. But he then surrendered six runs in the 4th frame - ground ball single, botched bunt play (Eric Haase error included), K, fly ball double, walk, line drive single, run-scoring balk, two-run home run. Not ideal, though Rodriguez then pitched into the 6th. Carlos has fanned 17 in 12.1 innings, so there's plenty of time to come around, especially for a youngster who won't turn 23 years old until November.

Switch-hitting catcher (DH'ing) Francisco Mejia had two of Nashville's three hits in the opener, including a double. Joey Wiemer struck out swinging in all four trips to the plate, once on a foul tip at least.

In the much more pleasing nightcap, RHP Tobias Myers dealt (again). It's really looking like the organization's faith in Myers after his disastrous 2022 elsewhere is going to pay off. A 1.16 WHIP and 19 K's in 14.2 innings portends well. If the big-league staff enjoys both health and success in 2024, Myers at minimum could be a strong candidate for an October addition to the 40-man roster to prevent him from reaching minor league free agency. He won't turn 26 until August.

Wiemer doubled and walked in a bounce-back effort. Only Isaac Collins went home empty-handed from Game Two, as the other eight lineup members enjoyed batting line success. Here's hoping Christian Yelich (back) avoids an IL stint, but the Brewers would be tempted to add spring training stud Brewer Hicklen to the 40-man and 26-man rosters if so. Hicklen doubled, singled and walked here, 1.016 through 41 AB's.

 

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Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes
Final: Biloxi 4, Mississippi (Braves) 0
Box Score and Game Log

Blalock Dominates, Shuckers Steal Six Bases in 4-0 Shutout Win - Seminaris picks up first career save, Biloxi snaps four-game skid

Speaking of pitchers and 40-man roster status, RHP Bradley Blalock already has a home on the Crew's 40-man.

Blalock, the reward for dealing an ineffective Luis Urias to Boston last spring, has been brilliant in his first two AA starts. This is his age-23 season (not 24 until December), so Blalock's lack of experience (only 171 pro innings thanks to the pandemic and Tommy John surgery) means we should hold off on an Am-Fam Field debut until September at the earliest, regardless of said 40-man status.

Brock Wilken's IL stint is the Shuckers' first transaction of 2024. The current Biloxi roster doesn't scream obvious everyday replacement - Eduardo Garcia brought in from his CF transition? Zavier Warren started 43 games at the hot corner in 2023, and there should be a backfill announced soon from elsewhere in the system.

Going back a day on the pre-game audio, be sure to invest six minutes here:

 

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Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes (download link)
Final, Game One: Wisconsin 1, South Bend (Cubs) 0
Box Score and Game Log

Wisconsin Holds on for 1-0 Win in Game 1 at South Bend - Rattlers win fifth straight game with victory to start doubleheader

With my New England lifelong residency, I can tell you that Bryant University is in Smithfield, Rhode Island. It was the college home for New Jersey native Brett Wichrowski, the Crew's 13th round pick last summer. And you'll be hearing a lot about Brett Wichrowski in many Link Reports to come. 

Wichrowski (and we can all look forward to a someday Misiorowski / Wichrowski big-league doubleheader combo) has walked one and K'd nine in his first pro seven innings. Throw in the "ooh's and ahh's" Wichrowski generated in a perfect high-octane inning in a Maryvale spring training appearance with the big boys, and let's say the early buzz seems justified.

Playing first base, Mike Boeve walked twice and scored the game's lone run. By the end of the evening (there's a teaser), Boeve's on-base percentage through seven games is .567.

 

Final, Game Two: South Bend 2, Wisconsin 1
Box Score and Game Log

Rattlers Win Streak Ends on Late Cubs Homer in Game 2 - Rojas hits two-run homer in sixth to send South Bend past Wisconsin

Boeve moved across the diamond to the hot corner in the nightcap and thus tingles our "will he join the Shuckers to backfill Brock" senses. Boeve singled twice and walked, reaching all three times, thus reaching that gaudy OBP above.

RHP Will Rudy made 18 appearances with Carolina in a very solid 2023, all starts, and his debut with Wisconsin was fine here, 4.2 scoreless, three singles allowed, two walks.

It was 56 degrees to start the opener, 51 for the nightcap, you can't really cite brutal weather for the combined four runs scored between both teams over 14 innings of baseball.

Oh, if you want to watch the Cubs' home run that spoiled all the fun, click here.

 

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Final, Game One: Carolina 6, Down East (Rangers) 0
Box Score and Game Log

Final, Game Two: Carolina 2, Down East 0
Box Score and Game Log

Mudcats Shut Wood Ducks Out in Both Doubleheader Games - Carolina allows just four hits over both games in sweep

I'm sure it's happened before, but I'd be hard-pressed to name exactly when a Brewers affiliate authored the double whitewash. 

Prepare to be impressed over the next three minutes, courtesy of Baseball America's Josh Norris --

Not to be outdone, 20-year-old RHP Yujanyer Herrera (21 in August) absolutely dazzled in relief of Knoth in the opener, 4 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 9 K. Herrera faced just two over the minimum, as one of his K's was the result of a wild pitch allowing a K victim to reach. Herrera walked 47 in 79.1 IP in Carolina in 2023, so if the outstanding control here foreshadows well, awesome to see.

While we're on the pitching crusade, nice work by both K.C. Hunt and Harrison Durow, ages 23 and 22, respectively, with a combined 4.1 frames of scoreless work. The Brewers seem set up to follow their prior pitching assignments for the Mudcats - allow the very young and more highly regarded amateur-credentialed hurlers to establish themselves in the rotation and have the relatively older arms begin their journeys as potential bullpen stalwarts.

Keep an eye on: Cooper Pratt was on his way to a big Game One - two singles and a sacrifice fly. He would steal second base in the 5th, was stranded, but then exited to begin the 6th inning. Pratt would not appear in the nightcap. I may have missed it, there wasn't a mention of the cause in the MiLB.TV broadcast replay I just sampled. 

Kay-Lan Nicasia swiped three bags and is now 4-for-4 in that regard on the young season. Nicasia stole 27 bases in 34 attempts last year.

 

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We've recovered from Mother Nature's prior postponements, and we have a very traditional Saturday schedule with four single games, each with mid-to-late afternoon starts. RHP Tyler Woessner should be taking the mound for the Shuckers in Pearl, Mississippi around the same time the Brewers-Orioles game wraps up, so utilize the convenient MiLB audio links page to catch Javik Blake for that one. I'll visit with you again Sunday AM!

Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores
Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth
Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth

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[Joseph Zarr]

2024: the year Pitching announced itself as the Title Belt holder in the Brewers Minor Leagues. My how the makeup of a system can change in a very short window of time. And, this with two 2023 favorites shelved for the season in RHP's Cameron Wagoner and Tanner Shears (two very different but intriguing arms).

[wiguy94]

Looks like Cooper Pratt broke his pinkie yesterday.

 

[Joseph Zarr]

 

3 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Looks like Cooper Pratt broke his pinkie yesterday.

 

I mean, we are past the point of this being ridiculous. Well past. Enough is enough. 

[jay87shot]

Great to see all the amazing young pitchers that were later picks/lower int. signing pitching well. Great job on getting some solid video, Letson's breaking balls looked really strong.

[jay87shot]

Pratt, Wilken, Quero I mean come on we aren't even 10 games into the minor league season.

[Madhawk23]

What do we guess the recovery times will be for Wilken and Pratt to return to action this season? Man though…this has been a brutal start to the season on the injury front.

[wiguy94]

1 minute ago, Madhawk23 said:

What do we guess the recovery times will be for Wilken and Pratt to return to action this season? Man though…this has been a brutal start to the season on the injury front.

I'd guess 4-6 weeks for both of them.

[CheeseheadInQC]

1 hour ago, Joseph Zarr said:

2024: the year Pitching announced itself as the Title Belt holder in the Brewers Minor Leagues. My how the makeup of a system can change in a very short window of time. And, this with two 2023 favorites shelved for the season in RHP's Cameron Wagoner and Tanner Shears (two very different but intriguing arms).

Fun stat: The Mudcats have 8 pitchers 20 or younger and 7 of them have an ERA of 3.00 or better and a WHIP better than 1.20.

[biedergb]

The recovery is likely for both. It’s the experience and development time lost.

some prospects never achieve their potential after lost developmental time. Hopefully quick recovery for both Pratt and Wilkes and on to more development and experience this season.

[Jim Goulart]

VIDEO: Yujanyer Herrera fans his final three batters faced - Brewers prospect Yujanyer Herrera strikes out his final three batters faced to polish off a strong nine-strikeout outing for Single-A Carolina Friday

[Playing Catch]

Sorry for the delay with this question, but did anyone see any velocity from the Carolina kids the other day? That pro debut from Letson has me very, very intrigued.