Wed. 4/30 - Early Starts for Carolina (10:00 AM CT), Wisconsin (12:10 PM CT)

[Jim Goulart]

This thread will be utilized for any minor league news Wednesday.

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[Jake McKibbin]

Bryce Meccage is absolutely dealing. Bar a hanging slider on his first pitch, he's been comfortable throwing everything in any count. The fastball plays really, really nicely up in the One, and the curveball is getting all sorts of uncomfortable swings.

Really professional looking approach to mixing pitches too, setting em up and putting them away quickly.

More swing and miss than previous outings so far, 4 K's through the first two innings. Worth a watch!

[Jake McKibbin]

Make that three innings on four K's. Since that first pitch, nothing has been hit hard and his command seems on point

[snoogans8056]

Meccage hitting 97. Looks great.

The Carolina callups are very intriguing. Giving the guys that were in the ACL last year the first cracks at it. Feels like there is a huuuge logjam of infielders who are having to play OF for the Mudcats.

 

[Jake McKibbin]

Meccage with his sixth strikeout on a high heater at 97 mph. Tasty for a 19 year old

[Joseph Zarr]

Peaks at the Meccage box score...

Thanks for the tid bits above, gents!

[Jake McKibbin]

Make that seven strikeouts in four innings on 64 pitches. Some ground balls and bloops got through in the fourth inning as well as a walk in a full count, but another finishing move on the high heater closed out the inning with the bases load.

It'll be interesting to see if he's allowed to go into the fifth (62 pitches in his last outing)

[Jake McKibbin]

My first time seeing Caden Vire, that fastball has some LIFE! Falls off a little, you can see where the control issues come from, but the fastball looks tight

[snoogans8056]

How does Lameda look? Listening to the game and both ABs sounded like hard hit line drives (single and unassisted double play by the 1B).

[Joseph Zarr]

26 minutes ago, Jake McKibbin said:

My first time seeing Caden Vire, that fastball has some LIFE! Falls off a little, you can see where the control issues come from, but the fastball looks tight

Yup. Said it after his first outing. Filthy filthy projections are possible with his innate stuff and his wily frame. Very easy to see how his pitching is a bit like trying to tame a wild horse. But, man, when he's finding those moments in and near the zone...so intriguing. 

[Ro Mueller]

Ya’all have been following 19-year old RHP Bryce Meccage twirl another impressive outing as Low-A Carolina seeks a 2-0 series lead at home against Myrtle Beach. SS Jesus Made entered with 8 hits, 2 HRs and 8 RBIs in his last 3 contests. Here’s the original lineup, by the way: 

[Ro Mueller]

And now High-A Wisconsin will start its early game, needing a victory behind rehabbing RHP Brandon Woodruff to even their home series with West Michigan. DH/1B Blake Burke is heating up: 7 hits, 1 HR, 1 2B in his last 3 games. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Well the Mudcats tied it up in the 8th via a selection from the "DSL Menu":

Walk, WP, K (Bitonti), BB, HBP, pop out to Catcher (Walling), Balk, K (Walther - 3 K's on the day)

2-2. Top of 9. Hodges walked his first batter - never ideal. 

As surmised in yesterday's report: We do not see Dinges in today's line-up. I'm still going with that left upper hammy/lower glute as my amateur prognosis given what I saw in the triple and then stretching it out behind the dish in yesterday's fifth frame. Either way, losing his bat for Walther's has obvious implications. Sad face.

After getting one out, Hodges now has runners on the corner via a single. One down. He has been in a bit of a slump of late on the bump. Hopefully, he can find his way out of this jam.

[Jake McKibbin]

Thankfully facing two struggling early hitters , Hodges has indeed clambered out of a jam! Top of the mudcats! Made on deck as lameda leads off the ninth

[Jake McKibbin]

Bitonti rocketed a loner up the middle, right at the shortstop behind the bag and somehow Payne managed to avoid getting doubled off. Good IQ from the 1st rounder

[Jake McKibbin]

Di Turi comes through, down to his last strike! Laces one to left field and Payne ties us up at 3-3

[sveumrules]

Carolina just relentless.

Give up three top of the eleventh,

Have answered back with a Walling single, Walther HBP and now a Lameda single to tie it up.

And Jesus walks it off with a single.

7-6 Mudcats win.

[Jake McKibbin]

Oh Lordy... I thought the muddies were down and out after Jack seplings had two down and two strikes in the 11th before walking and hitting batters galore , a 2 RBI double and a 6-3 deficit for the cats bottom of the 11th... 

Walling single RBi

Walker HBP

Lameda single RBI + error

Made roasts a ball to the opposite field high off the wall for what's likely a double/triple bar the circumstances on the first pitch. Mudcats walk it off!

I think Made might be good guys

 

 

[wiguy94]

6 minutes ago, Jake McKibbin said:

I think Made might be good guys

Yo chill with the hot takes Jake!

[gregmag]

Cool to see the Mudcats’ bottom of the order get in on the fun. 

Payne has been scuffling. I haven’t watched closely and probably couldn’t diagnose it if I had, but his rising K rate suggests pitchers have found a hole in his swing. Major deal to see if he can make the adjustment.

Made’s slugging percentage got robbed.

[sveumrules]

Wisco out to an early 4-0 lead as Eduardo Garcia and Tayden Hall walks plus a Matthew Wood single loaded the bases for a Yhoswar Garica single and Hedbert Perez triple.

No velo readings on GameDay but Woodruff has 3 H | 3 K over five scoreless with 61 pitches (41 strikes) so far.

 

[sveumrules]

Woody got a ground out and pop out to open the sixth before losing his command and walking the third batter of the inning then getting pulled.

Got in an extra up/down and seven pitches over his previous longest rehab outings.

[Joseph Zarr]

This just in:

The 2025 RHP Jack Seppings experience has been...ummm...not good? When you throw as low velo as the 2024 UDFA does, you can't miss the zone like he's missing early and often in 2025. i hate to say it, but, it just does not bode well for his standing moving forward.

With this Mudcats squad, though, does it even matter?😅

[wibadgers23]

Would love to see the comparison between Made’s first 70 AB in Carolina with Chourio’s.

[sveumrules]

Just now, wibadgers23 said:

Would love to see the comparison between Made’s first 70 AB in Carolina with Chourio’s.

Made (75 PA before today)
323/413/538 (160 wRC+)
10.7 BB% | 20.0 K%

Chourio (first 73 PA of 2022)
328/397/516 (145 wRC+)
11.0 BB% | 21.9 K%