Brewers Minor League Link Report (5/9): There's No Mis-taking It, the Crew has a Budding Ace

[Jim Goulart]

Image courtesy of BrewerFanatic

Transactions:

- INF Andruw Monasterio and LHP Bryan Hudson recalled to MLB Brewers from AAA Nashville 

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Final: Nashville 4, Norfolk (Orioles) 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:

Career Night from Jacob Misiorowski Leads Sounds Past Tides - Brewers' no. 4-rated Prospect Works Six-Plus Scoreless Innings, Fans 11

It's not often we do a pure copy-and-paste from an affiliate game report, but Cory Hilborne of the Sounds did a fantastic job of capturing the numerical details of Jacob Misiorowski's night.

"Misiorowski was dominant on the mound for Nashville as he worked a career-high for IP (6.2) and tossed a career-high 99 pitches without allowing a run. He set a Nashville season-high for IP by a starter and strikeouts, becoming the first Nashville arm to reach double digit strikeouts in a game in 2025 and the first since Chad Patrick had 12 on September 15, 2024, vs. Memphis. Misiorowski struck out each of the first six batters he faced and reached 100+ MPH 12 times through the first two innings and topped out at 102.3 MPH, the hardest fastball thrown by a Major League or Triple-A starter in 2025 (Baseball America). Over his last 23.2 IP he has allowed just one run and lowered his season ERA to 1.49 through his first eight games (7 starts) and 43.1 IP. Entering Friday's action with the second-most strikeouts in Triple-A, he catapulted himself into first place in all of the minors with 54 and is eight clear of Durham's Ian Seymour for the most in Triple-A. Iowa's Cade Horton (1.24) is the only qualified Triple-A pitcher with a better ERA than Misiorowski while Horton and Sugar Land's Brandon Walter are the only two pitchers in Triple-A with a better BAA than Misiorowski (.148). The right-hander should be in line for his third International League Pitcher of the Week award come next Monday."

Time will tell, but the Brewers seem to have won the waiting game on Misiorowski as a starting pitcher option, where he has so much more value than as an oft-projected late inning reliever. "Start him until he proves he can't" does appear to have been a wise mantra to follow.

Until the likely outcome that Vinny Capra clears waivers and is outrighted to the Sounds, there are zero non-catcher position players on Rick Sweet's bench. It's been close to six weeks since Tyler Black (remember him?) broke the hamate bone in his right hand. That's normally an eight-week absence at best.

This was Ernesto Martinez Jr.'s 2nd game back (thumb), but his first in the field. He walked, scored a run, and grounded into two double plays.

The offense was uninspiring here, but the Nashville "X" feed has video proof that runs were indeed scored.

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Pensacola (Marlins) at Biloxi, postponed, rain
Game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday at 5:05 PM Central

Catch up on Biloxi pre-game audio

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Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes (download link)
Final: Peoria (Cardinals) 8, Wisconsin 4
Box Score and Game Log

We'll delay discussing the loss by providing pre-game media:

Chiefs Pull Away from Rattlers 

It was fitting on the day that Kyle Lobner's "T-Rat Talk" was released, that Tyson Hardin got the start. It was a very good outing - 6 IP, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. We've been spoiled by Hardin's efforts to be caught off-guard by nine hits allowed, including two doubles and a triple, but those walk vs. strikeout figures nicely offset, as do the 67 strikes among the 96 pitches thrown.

The Yerlin Rodriguez rollercoaster is an exhausting carnival ride. Over his last three appearances, he has walked 11 over 4.1 innings. The middle instance of those stints was actually quite effective, 2.1 scoreless innings in which he walked two. It's been the outer crust of that Oreo cookie of outings that's been particularly unappealing. There were six games in 2024 when the fireballer walked three or more. Things had been so promising this April, with no walks in his first four appearances, 7.2 innings of one-run ball.

Do we forget that first baseman Blake Burke is still just 21 years old (22 next month). We all look forward to when the sample sizes are large enough that the "Splits" MiLB Page breakdown is more significant, but Burke has been consistent April vs. May, and that's a fine thing - game summary noted his current 14-game on-base streak.

Midwest League Team Batting Stats - Wisconsin currently in the bottom three of the 12-team league in all three slash figures. Sidenote - the Reds' Dayton affiliate is dead last in all three categories.

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Final, Completion of Thursday's Suspended Game: Carolina 5, Kannapolis (White Sox) 4
Box Score and Game Log

Final, Regularly Scheduled Game: Kannapolis 5, Carolina 4, seven innings as scheduled
Box Score and Game Log

Mudcats Split Doubleheader with Kannapolis 

Moving to the nightcap first, we haven't seen much video on 18-year-old starting pitcher Melvin Hernandez this season, so it's unfair to link to the only home run he has allowed in 27 innings this season. How rare was that? The youngster has now allowed just TWO home runs in 114 innings, and the prior one was in his 16-year-old rookie DSL season in 2023. No wonder Hernandez spun so quickly to watch the flight of the ball. The Nicaraguan native's ERA rose to 2.33 despite a fine effort here.

Kannapolis infielder Mikey Kane is not a two-way player; however, he has already been called upon to pitch three times this season, the first two of those in blowout loss situations. This was a tighter instance, with the Cannon Ballers down 4-1 with two outs in the 6th inning of this seven-inning affair. Kane stranded an inherited runner and proceeded to survive an Eric Bitonti leadoff single in the 7th. His first career strikeout was on one of multiple eephus pitches and had Reece Walling ejected after questioning umpire Alayna Georgio's strikeout call.

That should have ended the drama for the evening, setting up an uneventful final half-inning for the twinbill sweep. But this happened with LHP Anfernny Reyes beginning his second inning of work:

Walk

Ryan Burrowes walks.

 

Walk

Miguel Santos walks. Ryan Burrowes to 2nd.

 

CAR 4,

KAN 2

Walk

Abraham Nunez walks. Ryan Burrowes to 3rd. Miguel Santos to 2nd.

 

CAR 4,

KAN 2

Walk

Caleb Bonemer walks. Ryan Burrowes scores. Miguel Santos to 3rd. Abraham Nunez to 2nd.

 

CAR 4,

KAN 3

Walk

Calvin Harris walks. Miguel Santos scores. Abraham Nunez to 3rd. Caleb Bonemer to 2nd.

 

CAR 4,

KAN 4

The game ended when just-entered reliever Miles Langhorne induced a ground ball that was bobbled by second baseman Luis Lameda. Leaving Reyes in to walk five in a row is a shining example (OK, not shining) of player development over game situation. Coming into the game, Reyes had walked eight in eight innings.

Looking back to Game One:

You'll find five video highlights via Carolina's "X" feed, including three from this victory.

Kudos to RHP Bryan Rivera (turns 20 next month) for chewing up five innings as the game restarted from Thursday, and impressive 2024 8th round Oklahoma State southpaw Sam Garcia, who avoided any drama over the final three innings despite the Muddies clinging to their one-run lead. Rivera and Garcia combined to strike out ten batters without issuing a walk (one HBP for Rivera).

Despite the lack of crooked offensive numbers in the two combined boxes, of the six players who started both games, you will see that each reached base a minimum of twice over the course of the night. Jesus Made was 2-for-7 with a walk but also fanned four times. Made's 26 K's in 112 plate appearances registers a 23.2 percentage, it was just under 13% in nearly double the sample in the Dominican Summer League last year.

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Final: ACL Brewers 5, ACL Reds 2, seven innings as scheduled
Box Score and Game Log

Consecutive Friday night ACL Brewers games limited to seven innings. We thought the kids were allowed to stay up late on the weekends!

Drake Mann, a baseball analytics intern out of nearby Grand Canyon University, was on hand and provided brief video glimpses of Jose Anderson, Jadyn Fielder, and Handelfry Encarnacion that you can view via Spencer Michaelis' "X" timeline this AM.

Additionally, this game took place in Goodyear (95 degrees, by the way), meaning Statcast data was available. Notations on that aspect of things were posted on our running "as-it-happens" thread here, here, and here. (Hey, it's called the "Link Report" for a reason!

Here's more from the Statcast mound side of things via our Brewer friend in Taiwan, on each of the four Crew pitchers to appear in this game.

Personally, I'm not at the point in my fandom stage of life where poring over small-sample Statcast data is a joy, especially of rookie ball teenagers, but I certainly realize that for some, it's fascinating. You may remember that RHP Cesar Espinal was acquired this spring from the Royals for Mark Canha.

Based on tiny early results (six games), it'll be fun when the top of the order catches up with the sweet figures in the bottom half.

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For the third day in a row, the organization will attempt to play its first six-pack of games, unless Mother Nature intervenes again. Everything begins in the late afternoon shadows or early evening lights with the exception of the Arizona Complex mid-day game, where depending on the heat level at American Family Fields of Pheonix, you may wish to enjoy your own six-pack if you visit.

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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[wiguy94]

I still think one of the craziest Misiorowski stats this year is that coming into the season he had 32 HBP in 170.1 IP. That's about 1.7 HBP/9 innings. This season he has 0 HBP in 42.1 IP.

[CheeseheadInQC]

As much fun as the Mudcats are, you could make a case that the strides taken by the pitchers who ended last year in Nashville (Misiorowski, Patrick, Henderson, Rodriguez) is the biggest story of the Brewers prospects this season.

Staying on pitching, it will interesting if they stick with a somewhat conventional rotation of Mercado, Dubanewicz, Dorchies, Mercedes and Renz or if some of the others like King or Carra mix in as the season goes on.

[Joseph Zarr]

2 hours ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

As much fun as the Mudcats are, you could make a case that the strides taken by the pitchers who ended last year in Nashville (Misiorowski, Patrick, Henderson, Rodriguez) is the biggest story of the Brewers prospects this season.

Staying on pitching, it will interesting if they stick with a somewhat conventional rotation of Mercado, Dubanewicz, Dorchies, Mercedes and Renz or if some of the others like King or Carra mix in as the season goes on.

Let's give them their flowers, shall we:

2024: We are looking at the combined works of Jeremy Accardo and then the step in 'acting pitching coach' work of Patrick McGuff who had previously been the bullpen coach. If I recall correctly, he stepped in to fill that primary role some time in late June? If we remember, Accardo left the Brewers org to become the pitching coach at Arizona State.

2025: The duo of Bryan Leslie (who I think spends his in-game time as the bullpen coach) and newcomer (Pitates org) Justin Meccage. This is Leslie's first day-to-day action with an affiliate but it's important to note he's been a lead strategist in the pitching development program as well as an organization assistant pitching coordinator. This is Meccage's first action in Triple-A as he has been a bullpen coach and assistant pitching coach at the MLB level (Pirates) since 2018. I would say the early returns of this dynamic duo have been phenomenal.

I would also recommend skimming through Jeff Hem's word press page to listen in on their early season interviews. Nod to Jim who dutifully posts these near every week of the season HERE. You will find, as you scroll, an interview apiece for Leslie and Meccage.