Brewers Minor League Link Report (4/26): An Undefeated Day for the Farm Clubs; Awaiting a Cooper Pratt HBP Exit Update

[Jim Goulart]

It should be a rule that a perfect 4-0 day for the affiliates automatically negates and reverses any struggles on the big-league stage. Alas, obviously that's not the case. We are reminded over and over that the main focus at the minor league level is player development, but heck yeah, winning every game on the menu doesn't hurt! Although, someone who is hurting this Sunday morning (hopefully not too much) is Cooper Pratt down in Biloxi. Read on for a very eventful Link Report edition!

UPDATE on Pratt via Adam McCalvy is in the reply to this entry below. Thanks Adam!

Image courtesy of BrewerFanatic

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Final: Nashville 3, Durham (Rays) 2
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:

Logan Henderson Spins Quality Start as Sounds Take Series Lead - Wes Clarke and Anthony Seigler Go Back-to-Back on Saturday Night

Yes, we know what you're thinking - Logan Henderson could have been pitching in St. Louis on five days' rest instead of in Nashville. So, he's on the same schedule as Quinn Priester, and Henderson will have spent the requisite ten option days in AAA should Matt Arnold choose to swap the two pitchers before their next starts. Just saying...the big-league start would be home vs. the Cubs, by the way.

Please, please, please click on the game summary above and read the "Postgame Notes" sub-section titled "GO LO". Somehow, we didn't get any Henderson video on this night, but 78 pitches (53 strikes, yee-hah) and the massively impressive six-inning box score line are all very real.

Thank goodness for this, as it was a very light offensive performance otherwise.

 

Andruw Monasterio singled, walked and stole his 4th base in five tries. The Vinny Capra (0-for-28) watch is real. Monasterio is 9-for-20 with four walks.

Elvin Rodriguez and Tyler Jay combined to squeeze in more walks, balks, wild pitches, HBP's and drama in the final three innings than Henderson had in his pristine six, but in the end, got the job done.

Remember when the Brewers traded for an injured Trevor Rosenthal at the 2022 deadline, sending OF Tristan Peters off the Wisconsin roster to San Francisco? Peters was traded again three months later to Tampa and has been playing vs. the Sounds in this series. The former Pipeline Top 30 player with Milwaukee has a career .263/.355/.414 line (.769 OPS), perfectly suitable but not enough for a big-league look as of yet.

 

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Final: Biloxi 6, Montgomery (Rays) 1
Box Score and Game Log

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

Warren, Adams Back-to-Back Home Runs Lead Shuckers to Series Win over Biscuits - Shuckers earn back-to-back six-game series wins for first time since 2023

Shuckers earn back-to-back six-game series wins for first time since 2023? Boy, we really did sit through a whole bunch of middling average Biloxi results in 2024, didn't we? Very nice that this group has reached the .500 mark after its 1-7 start, and the team is performing just as well at the plate and in the field as on the mound during its sweet stretch.

 

What's that, you say? Let's just have back-to-back blasts within every Brewers farm team game the rest of 2025. Sure, why not. The Shuckers "X" feed provides those taters and more in its usual fine collection.

Now, let's form a Sunday morning prayer circle and hope for the best -

 

23-year-old RH starter Alexander Cornielle's WHIP remains below 1.00 at 0.96, and we'll mention the 0.51 ERA through four starts while we're at it. Throw in the 22 K's in 17.2 innings. That is how you promote a young pitcher at the right time - three starts in Wisconsin to end 2022, then two full seasons still with the Timber Rattlers (42 games, 38 of them starts). It's paying off now, just one walk in this game.

LH reliever Mark Manfredi did a nice job stranding two inherited runners in the 8th for fellow southpaw Josh Maciejewski, but as a I watched live, could not close things out, walking four in the 9th, forcing Chase Costello in for the final out, which Costello ably got on a 3-1 groundout for his 6th career save.

 

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Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes (download link)
Final: Wisconsin 4, Cedar Rapids (Twins) 2
Box Score and Game Log

Pérez Powers Wisconsin Past Kernels - Rattlers win third straight game with late surge

Having just turned 22 years old this month, Hedbert Perez still teases us with what could be if he could just stay healthy for a full season, doesn't he? We need to see a lot more, but it's in there.

 

The T-Rats reached base a dozen times, and a full quarter of those were by 1B Blake Burke (three singles, walk). The early OBP is at .375, and the increased SLG should come soon.

The pitching performances were pretty eclectic, if not always electric. RH starter Tyson Hardin's 4th outing was not as dominant as those prior, allowing eight baserunners over four innings, including two doubles, but limited the damage to the two Kernels runs. The scoreless ball that followed via the three relievers covering the final five frames included two more doubles against Aidan Maldanado (by the same two Cedar Rapids batters who doubled against Hardin). Maldonado maintained his pure 0.00 ERA. As noted in the linked game summary, you'll see three HBP's for Patricio Aquino within a matter of four batters in the 7th.

The "electric" part came from Yerlin Rodriguez' shut-the-door 9th. There is so much Abner Uribe in Rodriguez, from nearly every perspective.

Enjoy three additional Wisconsin highlights from this road game here. If interested in the base hits that drove in runs vs. Hardin, look here.

 

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Final: Carolina 11, Columbia 10
Box Score and Game Log

Mudcats Turn Back Columbia 

The Mudcats snap their four-game skid to improve to 14-6. Among those 14 victories are games they have won by scores of:

• 9-8
• 14-0
• 9-2
• 10-9
• 8-6
• 11-10
• 10-1
• 10-1
• 8-0
• 11-10

Their losses include scores of:

• 12-11
• 10-4

Win or lose, home or away, you'll see plenty of action when you purchase that ticket.

Luis Pena remains sidelined, Braylon Payne had the night off, yet double-digit offense still prevailed.

It's unrelenting, and the rest of the order wasn't bad at all, but the top three of Jesus Made, Marco Dinges, and Josh Adamczewski reached base a combined eleven times, including all five trips for Dinges.

Filippo Di Turi was a home run shy of a cycle. Luiyin Alastre smacked three hits, including a double. Demetrio Nadal, Reece Walling, and Blayberg Diaz all reached base twice. The only name I haven't mentioned yet, Eric Bitonti, drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. Good times.

The early pitching was to be polite, not ideal. 19-year-old Nicaragua native Bryan Rivera's 4th appearance (2nd start) was his most uneven, though two of the four runs he allowed were unearned. 6'6" LHP Caden Vire did not have any command in only his second outing after a long injury layoff. After five innings of scoreless ball in his first three outings, RHP Jack Seppings has been scored upon in each of his most recent three appearances.

That brings us to Rivera's fellow countryman, 18-year-old Melvin Hernandez, and it's clear the Brewers know what they have in this youngster who has been aggressively placed based on age in his brief career. What a glorious 66-pitch effort to span the final five innings of a tight, tight game for a much-deserved win. Once the Muddies scored two in the top of the 5th for the lead, neither team plated a run the rest of the way. Fans in Columbia saw a slugfest and a pitchers' duel all within the same nine innings!

There are a couple more Carolina highlights here, and I can appreciate how the Fireflies social admin summed things up from their perspective:

 

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You'll see four exciting starters listed for the good guys on the linked scoreboard below. It's all afternoon action, although the Carolina game is staggered late. Have a great Sunday!

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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[Jim Goulart]

 

[jay87shot]

Can anyone find a Melvin Hernandez scouting report? All I can find is that he is 5'11 139 pounds (probably old).

[sveumrules]

4 hours ago, jay87shot said:

Can anyone find a Melvin Hernandez scouting report? All I can find is that he is 5'11 139 pounds (probably old).

More of a fun fact than a scouting report, but Melvin is currently the only pitcher in all of A ball on the FanGraphs leaderboard in his age 18 season.

He’s also one of only two pitchers with at least 100 IP since 2023 while playing in their age 16-18 seasons.

The other, Ubaldo Soto of LAA, has thrown all 100 of his IP over two seasons in the DSL and looks to be starting this year in the ACL versus Melvin already notching 22.2 IP with Carolina.

Looking at the stats he’s posted so far what jumps out to me is the 53.4 GB% which is 2nd highest among all Brewers minor league pitchers with at least 100 IP since 2023.

His 6.8 BB% is 3rd lowest on that same leaderboard so looks like a more of a ground ball, command guy but it’s also hard to strike out hitters that have been around four years older than him the last couple years.

[Spencer Michaelis]

15 hours ago, jay87shot said:

Can anyone find a Melvin Hernandez scouting report? All I can find is that he is 5'11 139 pounds (probably old).

10 hours ago, sveumrules said:

More of a fun fact than a scouting report, but Melvin is currently the only pitcher in all of A ball on the FanGraphs leaderboard in his age 18 season.

He’s also one of only two pitchers with at least 100 IP since 2023 while playing in their age 16-18 seasons.

The other, Ubaldo Soto of LAA, has thrown all 100 of his IP over two seasons in the DSL and looks to be starting this year in the ACL versus Melvin already notching 22.2 IP with Carolina.

Looking at the stats he’s posted so far what jumps out to me is the 53.4 GB% which is 2nd highest among all Brewers minor league pitchers with at least 100 IP since 2023.

His 6.8 BB% is 3rd lowest on that same leaderboard so looks like a more of a ground ball, command guy but it’s also hard to strike out hitters that have been around four years older than him the last couple years.

89-90 MPH sinker that gets a lot of grounders, 78-80 MPH changeup is his best secondary, 76-78 curveball looks decent as well. Secondaries are where he will get some swing and miss, the sinker is where he can get early, weak contact. It's definitely an interesting mix. Hopefully can add some mass to his frame and add a little velo as he develops. At his listed weight, you'd certainly think that is possible for him.