Brewers Minor League Link Report (4/15): Young Mudcats Shine Once Again; RHP Alexander Cornielle sets a Shuckers Strikeout Record

[Joseph Zarr]

It's all Mudcats. All the time. My word the young men in Zebulon continue to defy their youth with awe inspiring offensive displays. Today's 11 run outburst showed a little bit of everything and a whole lot of a lot of things in that box score. They snuck an 11-10 victory in there in the process and moved to 9-1 on their season. The Timber Rattlers put forth a snoozy display as they returned home to a cold blustery evening and a 6-2 game one loss to the Lansing Lugnuts. The Shuckers pulled ahead behind some masterful strikeout work (often with runners aboard) by young record-setting RHP Alexander Cornielle and they never looked back in their series-opening 6-1 victory at Birmingham. And, the Sounds won game one on the road in Charlotte as they held on 6-3 and moved back above 0.500 to 8-7 overall. With the three wins, the full-season affiliates moved above 0.500 to a 24-21 overall record. Let's get into the report!

Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic

• RHP Jack Hostetler was placed on the 7-Day IL by the Carolina Mudcats
• RHP Logan Henderson was recalled by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Nashville Sounds
• RHP Elvin Rodríguez, fresh off his best outing as a Brewer, was optioned to the Nashville Sounds by the Milwaukee Brewers
• RHP Albert Vargas was officially signed and assigned to the DSL Brewers #2 (more HERE)
• RHP Jesus Molina was officially signed and assigned to the DSL Brewers #2 (more HERE)
• INF/OF Jheremy Vargas was assigned to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers from the Biloxi Shuckers
• RHP Cristofher Carrasco was released by the ACL Brewers
• OF Garrett Spain has been assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers from the Nashville Sounds

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Final: Nashville 6, Charlotte (White Sox) 3 

Via the Sounds' website, please be sure to click and read each of the affiliate write-ups as part of your season-long Link Report routine (believe me, it's worth it):

García Earns Win in Return to Charlotte as Sounds Win 6-3 - Monasterio and Cameron Lead Way with Three Hits Apiece

Box Score / Game Log

Before I get underway here, let me first give mention and recognition to one 1B Ernesto Martinez Jr. for his accolade recognizing his output last week:

And, what a week it was. RHP Deivi García prevented any runs from crossing but left the bases loaded in his first frame. He had spent 35 pitches in the process and there was indeed an arm up in the bullpen. He struggled putting away hitters in pitcher's counts and he was leaving just a bit too many pitches over the meat of the plate. The fact he was working ahead in the count was a favorable portent, however. While I was left wondering if he'd come back out for the second inning of work, García dug deep; found his efficiency; and managed to pitch through the fifth frame when all was said and done. It was truly a much-needed effort helping the Sounds entire pitching staff for the remainder of the series. When he left the mound for the last time, he had thrown 5.0 IP of 5 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HB, 1 HR ball. I have yet to see that vaunted velocity I heard of coming into this Sounds 2025 season (García topped out at 94.6 mph tonight), but it's hard to nitpick a mere solo shot allowed over five complete innings. He leaned heaviest on his four-seamer, cutter, and change-up. He tossed in five sweepers. In 44 total swings he earned nine swings and misses. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) This was the best overall game played by SS Andruw Monasterio all season. The three pokes were obviously very nice (a triple shy of the cycle, mind you!). The first homer. The first RBI (yes, that's how bad it has been for 'Mona'). All of these are good things. But, more importantly for my eyes, he played solid fundamental defense. He made accurate timely throws. He gathered the ball cleanly and confidently. He didn't force anything. This was a complete performance. The Sounds and the Brewers will need to continue seeing games like this to earn more trust in the former Brewers utility man. 

 

2) RHP Ryan Middendorf's final line will read he gave his skipper and his teammates 2.0 IP of scoreless (one unearned run) work to seal the game one victory. To those of us who watched Middendorf's performance, however, we will very much know the final line of 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 BB tells more the story. He wasn't sharp and his two whiffs in 15 total swings speaks to that. I didn't like the movement or shape of his pitches - they hung and didn't run for the most part. I didn't like the locations. I'll look to future outings to see if this was a just an off night. After all, despite this less than stellar performance, Middendorf has not allowed an earned run this season as of yet.   

3) Congrats are due to long-struggling bottom-of-the-order LF Jimmy Herron. He managed to produce a 2-for-3, 3 RBI, 1 BB night batting in the nine-hole. He also poked across the Sounds first two runs of the game on a two out opposite field line drive single into right field. It can brutal for a player mired in a long slump but a night like this can also get everything trending in a much better direction. 

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Final: Biloxi 6, Birmingham (White Sox) 1

Cornielle's Historic Start Leads Shuckers to 6-1 Win in Birmingham - Righty Strikes out 11 and Enters the Record Books

* despite what the post-game article reads, the Shuckers pitching staff actually set a new season-high with 18 punch outs - not the 16 mentioned in the article *

Box Score / Game Log

Game Notes

Just one game after setting a historic organizational mark in his debut, RHP Alexander Cornielle entered the Shuckers record books yet again becoming the first Shuckers hurler in the organization's history to grab his first nine outs by strikeout. Yabba dabba DO (that every start?)! What an unbelievable start at Double-A for the young Cornielle. Even the wildest Cornielle dreamers of us at Brewer Fanatic, and there were definitely a few (myself included), could not have seen this type of debut in the Southern League for the talented hurler. Uncomfortable opposing swings often give us very comfortable results as nightly watchers:

There's nothing more to say here other than: phenomenal. Just phenomenal stuff and results for the talented 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic who now has 15 K in his 10 IP. He has allowed a mere five hits while walking four and sports a 0.90 WHIP as a result. He did need 87 pitches (throwing 53 strikes) to complete the four frames so he did not decide in the final decision. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) Many things stood out during SS Cooper Pratt's fantastic performance tonight. His arm, for one. He showcased a cannon to nab the speedy and diminutive DH RIkuu Nishida. The speed and savvy. Pratt swiped three bags moving his season total to four stolen bases. The bat. Two doubles and an RBI single to leave with a 3-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB tally pushing his season average to 0.286. The OPS lags just under 0.800 at 0.787. The cherry on top was the hit it where they pitch it casual two out line drive RBI single to plate 2B Ethan Murray (who also had a three hit night! The second multi-hit night for the Shuckers this season. Shout out @biedergbfor that nugget).

 

2) I know C Darrien Miller is playing improved defense behind the dish and is evolving as a catcher. I'm happy for him as a player and as a young man who has always come across as a wonderful teammate. I know he just caught a record-setting performance - a hat tip is in order for guiding his young Ace along the way. These are all good things. However, I will also casually point out the Barons swiped four bags on him tonight and these were not close plays. After an 0-for-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K night at the dish his batting average fell to 0.043 on the season with a woeful 0.310 OPS. Is he this poor at the dish? Absolutely not. Is this a plea for C Ramón Rodríguez to see more opportunity? It is definitely a suggestion. Rodríguez is simply too talented a player to get lost in a pure back-up role. In the very least, I would like to see Ramón behind the dish tomorrow night or in a true 50/50 split. 

3) This was a much needed relief outing from RHP Tyler Bryant. Granted, it wasn't all roses: he came aboard and threw a four-pitch walk including a spiked heater about a foot in front of home plate to send the batter to first base. He had to work his way into form but he certainly did. The heater was sitting 95-96 and ripping across the plate. The slider was active and a very nice compliment. This was the Bryant we saw for High-A Wisconsin during last season's playoff run. 1 1/3 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K. 27 pitches. 16 strikes. I've seen him more accurate. This was a great first step back to good standing in the bullpen.

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Final: Lansing (Athletics) 6, Wisconsin 2

Lugnuts Start Strong to Beat Rattlers in Series Opener - T-Rats Bats Silent for the Most Part in 6-2 Loss

Box Score / Game Log

Game Notes

Talented RHP Ryan Birchard continues to fight his mechanics and his arm-side run. What's potentially even more confounding is his early-season walk issues have reared their head in two out nobody on situations. The four-run first frame was a prime example. And, well, It's a truly odd thing to witness. After that same struggle-filled first frame, Birchard retired nine consecutive batters. He was rolling. Then, with two down he walked a batter on five pitches; fell behind the next batter; and mercifully got the inning-ending strikeout swinging on a high outside heater. To a more mature and disciplined hitter that strikeout pitch is likely a ball and another free pass. Make no mistake, he absolutely continues to show flashes game-to-game. But, these flashes remain mired in a web of inconsistency rearing its head at any time and in any inning. Tonight's final line reads 4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 WP, and 1 Balk. He tossed 76 pitches with 43 strikes. 

Post-Game Podcast:

Full-Game Highlights:

Three Quick Strikes:

1) Let's start with the good. After dipping his toes in the Midwest League last season, DH/1B Tayden Hall has hit the ground running in 2025 and is seeing action in the lead-off spot. Quite a validating start for a young man I've believed in since early in his tenure as a Brewer. The swing and athleticism continue to jump of the screen. Tonight, Hall sat back and got into a slightly hanging inside off-speed offering and drove a 110 mph triple to the deepest part of center field at the 405 foot mark. 

The current Timber Rattlers offense may be struggling to find consistent opportune knocks, but Hall is having a fantastic start and further solidifying his standing within the Brewers organization.

2) While RHP Dikember Sanchez continues to struggle finding the zone (and any luck, frankly) in the early going, tonight we managed to see RHP Aaron Rund have a solid recovery outing out of the Rattlers bullpen. It was a much needed scoreless outing for last year's set up man and sometimes closer. 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K, 0 R. With an offense currently lacking consistent and meaningful punch, the T-Rats are going to need to rely on their pitching staff to keep the runs at a minimum. Getting Rund back into form will go a long way toward that end.  

3) LF Yhoswar Garcia continues to give the Wisconsin offense extremely little out of the nine-spot in his ongoing string of uncomfortable AB's. The adjustment period has been extremely unkind and his approach extremely overmatched. I honestly don't know where his game goes from here but it would be difficult to imagine it going much lower. A 0.071 BA and paltry 0.142 OPS in 28 PA's absolutely matches the eye test. Long gone are those feel good impactful moments of the 2024 season. This 23-year-old needs to kick-start his season lest he sees himself re-assigned to Carolina or worse. I'm rooting for him but we need to see some signs of life. With INF/OF Jheremy Vargas being re-assigned to manager Victor Estevez's clubhouse, Garcia may see his playing time vastly reduced. 

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Final: Carolina 11, Delmarva (Orioles) 10

Mudcats Outslug Delmarva to Claim Series Victory - Di Turi's RBI Single in the Eighth Seals Win in Back-and-Forth Affair

Box Score / Game Log

Back home after a 5-1 series win at the Cubs' Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the red hot Mudcats offense put eight runs across in the first two frames then managed to hang on and take game one late. It was a see-saw affair throughout. RHP John Holobetz certainly didn't put on the master class he did (albeit with no video feed) his last outing on the road at Myrtle Beach - his line reads 2 2/3 IP, 7 H, 6 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 4 K. We also see one of those not so coveted pitch clock violations on Holobetz's tally amongst his 67 total pitches (46 strikes). He'll look to regroup his next outing. The real Mudcats pitching story in this offensive affair was the continued dominance of one young LHP Bjorn Johnson. Of all the pitchers who took the mound for the Mudcats today, it was Johnson who had the Shorebirds hitters consistently off-balance. Strikes looking. Strikes swinging. It was all there for this sneakily dangerous southpaw who commands a truly zesty swooping hook of a curve. This young man just continues to very pleasantly surprise us all in early 2025 - I just desperately wish we'd get more velocity readings in the telecasts. Wait patiently my friends and continue to keep your eyes open for both Johnson and LHP Sam Garcia. These are two very effective lefties in that Mudcats pitching staff.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) 2B Josh Adamczewksi continues to play consistent plus and savvy defense at second base all while absolutely mashing at the dish. As you readers very well know, I've been touting his game since his ACL stint last summer. I lamented his first dip in Low-A ended early late last season due to freakish injuries. But, I believed in his bat the entire way. And, I shared this with you all on any occasion I had the chance to do so. And, well, here we are as he continues to pour it on with a wRC+ well north of 200. He's 19 years of age. What he is doing in early 2025 is nothing short of incredible. 2-for-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR. He is batting 0.405 with a 1.262 OPS after 47 PA's. 

2) Let's not stop there, folks. We touched on the bonkers nature of the young Mudcats offensive output early in 2025 in the game thread over at our Minor League forums (be sure to visit us there and take part in the banter) earlier in the day. Special kudos to @sveumrulesand @wiguy94 for sharing their statistical nuggets heading into today's contest. Keep in mind, this was before the 11 hit, 11 run victory. Read wiguy94's full post HERE, but the main morsel shared really tells the story of the current embarrassment of riches we are witnessing at Low-A Carolina:

Quote

Coming into today you have a lot of hitters performing well over the league average. wRC+ league adjusts minor league hitting and here are some early performers for Carolina. Stats before today's game.

Pena - 43 PA, 142 wRC+

Adamczewski - 42 PA, 209 wRC+

Bitonti - 41 PA, 130 wRC+

Payne - 41 PA, 149 wRC+

Nadal - 39 PA, 111 wRC+

Di Turi - 38 PA, 137 wRC+

Made - 25 PA, 125 wRC+

Dinges - 20 PA, 234 wRC+

3) Speaking of C Marco Dinges and his 234 wRC+ (Yes, in a very small sample size but yowza!), we did not see him in the line-up today. Remember, he left Sunday's game very early with what may have been some type of injury he suffered while legging out an early double. We have no official injury designation as of yet. We haven't heard anything. Let's just hope it's a minor 'something' and nothing prolonged that keeps his beautiful swing on the shelf. Let's all hope he can avoid an IL stint much like CF Braylon Payne somehow avoided this tag:

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RHP Manuel Rodriguez will try to help the Timber Rattlers get back in the win column tomorrow when Wisconsin takes on Lansing in the mid-day matinee (12:10 CST). Carolina will start first in the evening hours as we finally get to watch promising 20-year-old LHP Wande Torres take the bump. Just after the Mudcats start, RHP Jacob Misiorowski and the Sounds will take on the Knights. And, finally, LHP Tate Kuehner will look for that (miraculously) evasive first strikeout of his young season on the road in Birmingham.

As always, thanks for reading and thanks for supporting Brewers Minor League baseball.

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[Jim Goulart]

 

[Jim Goulart]

 

[biedergb]

Great write up, thanks, Joseph!

And the Muddies have started the season on quite a tear. Wow that line up is doing silly things right now mostly given the ages of most of those players (half are teenagers still!) Season still so young, just like the Mudcats line-up.

Hopeful the Shuckers (see there's an H there today), can turn things around. Good pieces who are looking like they could get going (looking at you Brock and EBJ). But Cooper Pratt has had a very good start to his AA career and boy a 3H, 3SB night. And my boy Alexander Cornielle, wasn't anywhere as sharp, but had the Barons off balance with an incredible 11K performance. Ties his career high for affiliated ball, and did it in only 4 innings. His pitch count kept him for logging more innings. Nothing overpowering, but he usually finds the zone and mixes things up well. But if he can find that balance of getting Ks with a reasonable pitch count, he could be a legit pitching prospect real soon. Plus he is bilingual (born in the Dominican, but learned English as a kid and serves as a translator for many Spanish-speaking players on his teams, and that is a good trait to have for clubhouses and winnings teams).

[Austin Tatious]

What a fun night:

1. Pratt.  So nice to see him thriving at such a young age at AA.  Looking like an imposing talent who’s not that far away.  
2. Great to see Cornielle.  11 K’s in 4 innings is basically unheard of.  Does anyone know if he’s got a new pitch or made an adjustment?  From the clips it looked like he was getting great movement.  
3. Daily theme is how fun Carolina is.  Looks like they are having fun and building rapport as a group.  That whole IF looks like major leaguers.  Plus Payne is electric.  One of the most fun groups together we’ve had.  So much talent that Pena sat.  
4. Nice to see Made with three hits after being dinged for awhile.  Impossibly young age to be doing that.  He’s quite literally a kid. 
5.  Bjorn Johnson, lefty with good size.  He’s been intriguing since he was drafted.  Hoping he was another steal.  

[CheeseheadInQC]

Bjorn Johnson’s success so far after his struggles last year has to be right up there with Manuel Rodriguez, strikeout king, and the control artist version of Yerlin Rodriguez for the best positive surprises on the pitching side.

[jay87shot]

Bjorn Johnson reminds me alot of Gasser from what I can remember (it's been a while).

Any chance we see any of the Carolina IF start to get some OF work. It stinks that one of themselves sits out every game. Maybe try Pena/Made a bit in CF? I am not saying full time but sneak a game in here or there just so these top guys don't have to sit a game a week.

I am not sure who sets it up but I feel like we should have a re-rank on prospects soon. I am super excited to see what thoughts are.

[Joseph Zarr]

1 hour ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

Bjorn Johnson’s success so far after his struggles last year has to be right up there with Manuel Rodriguez, strikeout king, and the control artist version of Yerlin Rodriguez for the best positive surprises on the pitching side.

I think I absolutely put Cornielle's insane start to his Double-A transition in this group. I did not see him hitting the Southern League with this kind of impact. That can be a brutally challenging transition and he has hit it out of the park in two starts setting two Shuckers records in the process.

[Joseph Zarr]

We are 10 games in (for 3-of-4 clubs), who had:

DH Tayden Hall batting lead-off and zero 1B Eric Bitonti long balls on their Bingo cards?

Come on, out of the woodwork with ye'! 

[MudcatsfaninBrunsCO]

@Joseph ZarrYou need to find a time to fly in to Raleigh-Durham International for some Mudcats Baseball!

[Joseph Zarr]

30 minutes ago, MudcatsfaninBrunsCO said:

@Joseph ZarrYou need to find a time to fly in to Raleigh-Durham International for some Mudcats Baseball!

IF I can somehow manage to get away from my farm come September and the Muddies are indeed in the playoffs I am going to try and make their Home tilt(s) in the opening round. It's a long ways away and a tough ask but this season could both be special and it is indeed their last at Five County.