Wed. 5/15: Three Matinees, Then Shuckers Play Two in the Evening

[Joseph Zarr]

We are half way through May. The Shuckers have five guys in their batting order for game 2 with a sub 0.500 OPS. All five also batting under 0.200. I mean...the struggle is obscenely real.  Whewww baby. 

[biedergb]

8 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

We are half way through May. The Shuckers have five guys in their batting order for game 2 with a sub 0.500 OPS. All five also batting under 0.200. I mean...the struggle is obscenely real.  Whewww baby. 

League average is .650 so it’s a poor offensive league but still …. Biloxi can you just get a few hits. This offense looked good for a few days and hope was EBJ-Boeve-Wilken and now Carlos Rodriguez back the O would return. But Wes Clarke leaves and so does the offense 

[Joseph Zarr]

1 hour ago, biedergb said:

Carlos Rodriguez doesn't get as much hype because 1) he's repeating AA; 2) he feels like he's been in the system for a decade; 3) limited power.

How is his defense? I didn't see him much in the last 4 innings that I watched.

His defense is passable. Not plus. Not wow. Average arm. But he covers plenty of ground. Makes the occasional highlight play at the wall to boot. I don't see the repeating Double-A a knock on him whatsoever. He nearly won ROY honors in the Venezuelan Winter League. He was stellar. This after a really solid first season in Biloxi fresh off his ACL tear in 2022. What we often miss in the ongoing clichéd and hype-laden Top 20-30 lists is this alluring promise of 'upside' and 'what if'. Cargo has been consistently really good at the dish for essentially two straight seasons plus a Winter League. That has to carry weight. He also just turned 23 in December. He is simply a really good baseball player. He's oft-overlooked because he's on the smaller side; doesn't have that power stroke and might not ever have it (at this stage, we can say he is most likely a lead-off or bottom of the order bat-to-contact guy). AND, he isn't a dynamo in the OF though he certainly doesn't hurt you there either. You know another guy who was extremely under-valued in our system, previously, who was a dynamic bat-to-ball player who lacked pop? Tristan Peters. He's done really nice things with the Rays and has now made his way to Triple-A Durham this season. He's also 10 months older than Cargo. Anywho, I'm with @sveumrules on this one. Not that you are saying much to disagree with.

[Joseph Zarr]

6 minutes ago, biedergb said:

League average is .650 so it’s a poor offensive league but still …. Biloxi can you just get a few hits. This offense looked good for a few days and hope was EBJ-Boeve-Wilken and now Carlos Rodriguez back the O would return. But Wes Clarke leaves and so does the offense 

I know the League averages. AND, I am telling you: it is ugly. They have 5 guys hitting over 150 points below a paltry League Average OPS. The League at large is absolutely offensively impaired early (emphasis on early, obviously) BUT what we're seeing by the majority of the Shuckers lineup outside a select few players is well below even that pedestrian average.

8 K through 4 IP already. Once again, a line-up entirely overmatched by a top-tier pitching prospect. It truly makes me sad as a Shuckers fan and a fan of all of these guys. They are mired in funks where they legitimately look like they have no plan at the plate. They are going to have to claw their ways out of this. It's a heavy heavy load watching their collective approaches at the dish. JJ Reimer (Shuckers hitting coach promoted from Low-A Carolina) is likely pondering what he did to the baseball gods to deserve this early season pandora's box.

[biedergb]

2 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

He is simply a really good baseball player. He's oft-overlooked because he's on the smaller side; doesn't have that power stroke and might not ever have it

I agree he is a good player. I asked about him last year either (on this or another brewer site), and the lack of power was the main point but the fact he has gone slowly through the system was a knock. And that makes him underrated.

i think repeating a level will add the “under valuing “ process. Not that it should, but just another factor. Usually repeating a level (and meaning bring there for a full season and starting their again) has not bode well for prospects historically.

[biedergb]

3 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

BUT what we're seeing by the majority of the Shuckers lineup outside a select few players is well below even that pedestrian average.

Yup. Thus my typo that now has become my new moniker for them - Suckers, because there are no H’s in that lineup. :(

[Joseph Zarr]

2 minutes ago, biedergb said:

I agree he is a good player. I asked about him last year either (on this or another brewer site), and the lack of power was the main point but the fact he has gone slowly through the system was a knock. And that makes him underrated.

i think repeating a level will add the “under valuing “ process. Not that it should, but just another factor. Usually repeating a level (and meaning bring there for a full season and starting their again) has not bode well for prospects historically.

Repeating a level maybe means that depending on context - but, I hear you. He's a year younger than the average age of a Double-A player. Anywho. It's all good. We can all agree: very very good baseball player. Overlooked. Facets of his make-up will always make it a hard go to get to the MLB level and stick. But, anyone has a shot. He's still very young and has a very good skillset. Anything is possible in the right timing and in the right scenario.

[Joseph Zarr]

1 minute ago, biedergb said:

Yup. Thus my typo that now has become my new moniker for them - Suckers, because there are no H’s in that lineup. :(

Man, that one hurts. 

Anywho, I'm going to zero in on writing this report so I can get some sleep. Hopefully, the Shuckers pull out a miracle and find that virgin run that scores without any contact. 🤭 There's too much talent throughout their line-up, regardless of their current woes, to see this continue. They need to make a stand for their collective morale. 

[biedergb]

Good night. I’ll catch the last couple of innings and update here. But not expecting much, although I’d love to be wrong - c’mon Biloxi

[Ro Mueller]

Here’s the AA Biloxi lineup which was only able to produce 1 run over 8 innings in their loss in Game One of today’s doubleheader at Mississippi, highlighted by terrific RHP Bradley Blalock on the mound and the return from injury of CF Carlos D. Rodriguez. 

[biedergb]

Ok is it right to call it unlucky - hard line out by EBJ, and hard bouncer fielded by the pitcher for Boeve?

or is this just examples of the team struggle as a whole??

[Ro Mueller]

And here’s the AA Shuckers lineup for Game 2 of today’s doubleheader in Mississippi, whom they presently trail 1-0 through 5 innings. C’mon Men!!! 

[Joseph Zarr]

4 minutes ago, biedergb said:

Ok is it right to call it unlucky - hard line out by EBJ, and hard bouncer fielded by the pitcher for Boeve?

or is this just examples of the team struggle as a whole??

Emblematic. EBJ ripped a dart in the top of the 10th last game as well. RIGHT to the SS. That ball finds a hole? Likely a run. EBJ is playing fantastic defense all throughout this double-header, however. He is making plays. Just fielded a ball to his left. Fell to the dirt. Threw a speedster out from his butt. Incredible strength and arm displayed there.

[Ro Mueller]

Shuckers are down to their final 3 outs, trailing 1-0. It’s up to Wilken, Campbell and Warren to make some magic.

[biedergb]

2 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Emblematic. EBJ ripped a dart in the top of the 10th last game as well. RIGHT to the SS. That ball finds a hole? Likely a run. EBJ is playing fantastic defense all throughout this double-header, however. He is making plays. Just fielded a ball to his left. Fell to the dirt. Threw a speedster out from his but. Incredible strength and arm displayed there.

His defense is notable. He just makes plays. If he could just get hit tool to be average at least, I mean I’m not even asking for above average right now, I’ll be unselfish and just ask for average hitting right now

[biedergb]

Wilken looks like he needs to get his timing - maybe rust still? Had a good swing but under and in on hands so fly out. Campbell strikes out

[biedergb]

And Warren whiffs. Oof. No offensive today at all. Loss 1-0.

Nice pitching by Biloxi at least right?

[Joseph Zarr]

The Shuckers go down with a whimper. Wilken gets under one and harmlessly pops out to shallow LF. Campbell goes down swinging on an inside heater off the plate - swing-and-miss K. Warren goes down swinging on a heater that tailed a foot off the plate. This is the symbolic way this double-header ends.

The pitching staff battles and concedes 2 runs in 15 innings. And, yet, the Braves staff was better. Ugly two-game set. The pitchers definitely deserved better.

[Joseph Zarr]

1 minute ago, biedergb said:

And Warren whiffs. Oof. No offensive today at all. Loss 1-0.

Nice pitching by Biloxi at least right?

Pitching was great. Bullpen was better than they have been. Facing a team with an even worse record. They faced the Braves #1 and #2 current pitching prospects. AND, it showed. The Shuckers bats were absolutely overmatched. They were dominated.

[biedergb]

Just now, Joseph Zarr said:

And, yet, the Braves staff was better. Ugly two-game set. The pitchers definitely deserved better.

It was the top 2 pitching prospects in their system right?

So they (particularly Waldrep) are MLB caliber. But still. The offense is offensive- in the bad way

[Joseph Zarr]

1 minute ago, biedergb said:

It was the top 2 pitching prospects in their system right?

So they (particularly Waldrep) are MLB caliber. But still. The offense is offensive- in the bad way

Waldrep's splitter is really really good. The Shuckers bats had absolutely no answers. In a distant rehab room, I can hear RHP Tanner Shears chuckle. Still, there were just numerous poor swing decisions. And, the hitters to a man looked unprepared and overmatched for the moment. Obviously, this is exacerbated by prolonged really bad slumps. Lotta ball games left. We can only hope they hit the hitting cages and the video footage and work their ways out of it. 

[Joseph Zarr]

7 minutes ago, biedergb said:

It was the top 2 pitching prospects in their system right?

So they (particularly Waldrep) are MLB caliber. But still. The offense is offensive- in the bad way

I completely forgot and for accuracy sakes and respecting the Braves system I should amend:

I completely somehow forgot about RHP AJ Smith-Shawver who is widely thought of as the Braves top prospect and top pitching prospect. SO, technically, Waldrep and Schwellenbach are #2 and #3 in both pitching and overall prospect terms. Shawver has been scuffling in Triple-A in 2024 playing for the Stripers. Still plenty of talent in that bag.