Brewers Minor League Link Report (5/3): A Futile Evening, and Why is the Number 165 so Significant?

[Jim Goulart]

It was a glorious afternoon for the big-league Brewers at Wrigley Field, with an 8th inning rally that certainly would lead to an equally wonderful Friday night on the farm. Well, not quite. The Brewers affiliates have maintained a top overall record in comparison with other MLB organizations through the first five weeks of the season, but there was no intrinsic momentum last evening as the Crew farm teams endured a rare sweep. On top of that, the AAA Sounds failed to enter the hit column, ouch.

Image courtesy of BrewerFanatic

We will come to find out this season that the number "165" has significance. Back in February, we began a discussion within our Minor League Forum on the 165-man limit that MLB has placed on the number of stateside players each organization can maintain. For the Brewers, that means the players on the five non-Dominican Summer League rosters - Nashville, Biloxi, Wisconsin, Carolina and Maryvale.

The 165 does not include players on the Brewers' 40-man roster, which means 44 players currently, as four are on the 60-day big-league injured list. Also not included on the 165 list are minor league players on the 60-day IL or "full season" IL. 

The roster limits for MiLB are 30 at the two A-Ball levels and 28 at AA and AAA. But as we'll find out, the Brewers, like many organizations, are dealing with the ravages of day-to-day injuries, the vagaries of big-league coverage needs (catcher Eric Haase currently with the Crew on a taxi squad, etc.), and other miscellaneous situations. Gone are the days of having four catchers on multiple affiliate rosters and excess depth.

Minor league managers are juggling best they can, and we'll examine that along the way within this report.

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Transaction:

• Milwaukee Brewers recalled RHP Corbin Martin from Nashville Sounds.

 

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Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes
Final: Norfolk (Orioles) 2, Nashville 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 No-Hit by Norfolk - Three Tides pitchers combine in first no hitter at First Horizon Park

Shortstop Yonny Hernandez and right fielder Brewer Hicklen drew walks, each in the 7th inning. Hernandez led off the frame, and after two pop outs, Hicklen pushed Hernandez into scoring position, from where Owen Miller also skied out in the infield.

The four Sounds pitchers, led by starter Chad Patrick, combined to allow only one earned run, walking two and fanning 13.

Norfolk's "X" feed posted the final play, but utilized the Nashville feed.

Nashville Roster

Three players on the long-term injured list, three others on the standard injured list, Haase on the taxi squad.

The active, healthy bench for the Sounds Friday was solely catcher Nick Kahle.

Initially there was a second player, as Andruw Monasterio was in the initial announced starting lineup. But shortly after Joey Wiemer injured his leg at Wrigley (status to be determined), Monasterio was pulled from the Sounds lineup and is likely in Chicago now, just in case.

The big-league club's needs absolutely come first. I'm sure we'll hear from Manager Rick Sweet on the topic when Voice of the Sounds Jeff Hem releases his week-long series of pregame audio on Monday. But yeah, 165...

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Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes
Final: Tennessee (Cubs) 8, Biloxi 6
Box Score and Game Log

Shuckers Drop Slugfest to Smokies, 8-6 - Teams combine for 14 runs and 18 hits, Rodriguez records third multi-hit performance of the series

The buzz entering the night was on 21-year-old RHP Brett Wichrowski, making just his 5th pro appearance (and start), and doing so at the AA level. Pretty remarkable.

Wichrowski threw 36 strikes among his 60 pitches in three innings, allowing four runs on four hits, two walks and two HBP's. Considering the faith the organization is showing in the Bryant University product (yay, Rhode island!), we'll focus on the positive:

The bullpen didn't shine either, though 25-year-old RH reliever Sam Carlson is up to ten scoreless innings on the season. Carlson was a recent pre-game interview guest, catch up on all the archives there.

As you just read in the game story linked above, Mike Boeve is still Mike Boeve (wonderful) and Carlos D. Rodriguez' insane offensive week rolled on.

Biloxi Roster

Two players on the long-term injured list, and five others (all position players!) on the 7-day. Manager Joe Ayrault's bench on Friday consisted of backup catcher Andy Yerzy and outfielder Lamar Sparks. Boeve was the DH, so technically the team did have an emergency backup infielder as well in that sense. For the five position players on the 7-day, get healthy! You'll add to the daily depth and no subsequent move will be required.

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Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes (download link)
Final: Great Lakes (Dodgers) 7, Wisconsin 3
Box Score and Game Log

Great Lakes Turns Early Lead Into a Win Over Wisconsin - Loons beat Rattlers 7-3 in game four of the series

Speaking of relievers still sporting 0.00 ERA's, right-hander Chase Costello has only allowed one unearned run in his eight appearances, K'ing seven in 9.2 innings.

As seen in the video, reliever Aaron Rund's hair look has come a long way since his initial MiLB player page photo.

Dylan O'Rae lifted his OBP to .404.

Oh hey, Luke Adams was plunked again, that's eight times now. It's May 4th.

Wisconsin Roster

The 13-man position player crew is healthy, among the four bench players are two catchers, but at least Manager Victor Estevez has options to work with. While Cameron Wagoner and Tanner Shears are out for the year, we can hope RHP Logan Henderson (7-day IL) will be back before summer kicks in.

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Final: Columbia (Royals) 9, Carolina 1
Box Score and Game Log

Columbia Downs Mudcats, 9-1 

This team, regardless of the loss, is 18-7, folks. Smile.

Hey, we had a Brewers organization debut in this game! 23-year-old catcher Victor Torres, a longtime White Sox farmhand, finally entered a contest, grounded out to end the game as a pinch-hitter.

RHP Josh Knoth continues to be eased into his freshman year, and his three innings (58 pitches, 34 strikes, one run allowed) was perfectly suitable, Knoth limited damage considering he mixed in two wild pitches with his two hits allowed and two free passes.

Oh no for one of our favorite $10,000 bonus baby causes to root for. Southpaw Osbriel Mogollon plunked three and walked four as part of his eight-run, two-inning blowup outing. That ERA and WHIP will be bloated for a bit.

Carolina Roster

Three players out long-term, three on the seven-day list. Manager Nick Stanley's bench beyond the catching corps was two outfielders on Friday. With Cooper Pratt as the designated hitter, technically there is a spare infielder on the roster, but it's not overflowing considering this is low-A.

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Some of you may know I maintain a highly secretive (ha!) EXCEL spreadsheet to help track Brewers organization birthdays. I tweet every month to help you find your "Birthday Buddy". But the spreadsheet also allows me to track the full number of players in the organization. I have some confidence in its current accuracy, but don't claim it as gospel.

From the very top to the very bottom of the organization, MLB'ers included, I show 293 players.

From that 293, I subtracted the 44 40-man roster players (including the likes of 60-day injured guys like Brandon Woodruff). That brought the number down to 249.

There are 84 players that are based in the Dominican Republic, a combination of 2023 holdovers and the plentiful new crop. Those players will make up two DSL teams, and don't impact the 165-roster limit at all.

Subtract 84 from 249, and we get, 165! Wow, that's pretty wild.

As we've detailed here for you today, there are ten players on the long-term injured list at the four full-season affiliates, and they are among those on my personal 165 list. When those on the 60-day lists are activated, the Brewers shouldn't need to make room.

Sorry if that's too much math for you on a Saturday morning.

But the long and short of it is, Baseball America was right. It's a nightmare time to be a fringe former big leaguer, and current minor league free agent. Of course, Milwaukee would like to ink bodies for AAA and AA to better field a team every night. The limits are well, limiting. So, it's on to the independent ranks for so many of those players. 

When the Crew recently signed outfielder Justin Dirden for Biloxi, you don't think Dirden and his agency were relieved? It's a landmine for players of that ilk right now.

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Current Maryvale Roster

Wait, what? Yes, the rookie level at the Maryvale complex begins play at 1:00 Central today! Yay, more efforts for the Link Reporters (we love it...kind of).

Note: We still wait on the Dominican Summer League schedule to be announced.

Matinee for the Timber Rattlers, late afternoon for the Mudcats. Go Pat Murphy and the Crew!

Enjoy your Saturday, everyone. 

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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[sveumrules]

Maybe Eduarqui Fernandez could be a promotion candidate to help out at AA?

Off to a hot start with an 892 OPS at Wisco and at 22 years old is one of their older regulars.

Two of the healthy OFs in Biloxi - Jose Acosta (458 OPS) and Lamar Sparks (371 OPS) - have been pretty dreadful in the early going to further exacerbate the shortage of bodies.

Could then send one of Kay-Lan Nicasia or Yhoswar Garcia up to Wisco to fill Eduarqui’s spot.

[biedergb]

I’ve thought Eduarqui up given age and performance as well. T Hall or Nicosia could move up at some point too.

but someone needs to be released or moved to season IL to start adding players to Carolina or Wisconsin.
 

Also just realized as I typed this that our two A clubs are state names (well sort of with a silent “north” in North Carolina - as opposed to towns/cities/counties.)