Fri. 5/16 - System (minus the Rattlers) is 39 Games Over .500; Go Wisconsin, Playing Two Tonight!

[Jim Goulart]

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

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MiLB TV (Subscribers)

[Joseph Zarr]

"Help us, Tanner Shears. You are our late innings only hope."

[Jim Goulart]

Enjoy the full pod, but @Spencer Michaelis's "Minor League Sandbox" begins at the 01:31:00 hour/minute mark.

 

[Ro Mueller]

High-A Wisconsin hosts Beloit in a doubleheader today, trailing 2-0 in this week’s series. Solid RHP Tyson Hardin (1.42 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 9.7 K/9 in 31.2 IP) gets the start in Game One. For what it’s worth (nada? rien?), I think this is Manager Estevez’s preferred infield defensive alignment. 1B Blake Burke’s hit streak is 11 games. 

[Jake McKibbin]

Perfect BA, apparently Ethan Dorchies has seen a solid velo bump. Up from sitting 91 to sitting 95 mph with impressive horizontal movement on his fastball

Also mention for Jose Anderson and has strike zone recognition plus the pull side lift he generates 

[Ro Mueller]

The Low-A Mudcats can clinch a 4-0 home series win over Fayetteville, but likely have to do it without Adamczewski (out past 2 weeks), Payne (exited early yesterday) and Made (rest day?). RHP Jaron DeBerry (2024 third round pick - 1.93 ERA, 8 Ks in 4.2 IP) makes his 3rd start. 3B Filippo Di Turi’s up to 5 homers with a .816 OPS.

[Ro Mueller]

AA Biloxi hands the ball to RHP Brett Wichrowski (1.29 ERA, 5 Ks in 7 IP) for his 3rd start of 2025, leading 2-1 in their series at Montgomery. Shuckers’ players hold 4 of the top 5 Southern League spots in runs (Adams, Wilken, Lara, Pratt) and RBIs (Warren, Adams, Pratt, Wilken). 

[Ro Mueller]

Jaron DeBerry only needed 21 pitches (15 strikes) to get thru the first 2 frames (2 Ks, a bloop single, GIDP).

Now Walling and Nadal have walked to lead off the bottom of the 2nd inning. Mudcats still looking for their first hit though. 

 

[wiguy94]

Nice outing by DeBerry. 4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO. He stranded a 1 out double with two strikeouts in the 4th inning. The 4 innings and 54 pitches are both pro highs for DeBerry as he continues to stretch out after a delayed start to the year.

Bjorn Johnson will enter in the 5th. I imagine the hope is for him to go 3-4 innings as well.

[biedergb]

And Carolina is still being no-hit.

[biedergb]

8 minutes ago, biedergb said:

And Carolina is still being no-hit.

Worked.

Lameda singled in the bottom of 5.

But B. Johnson allows a hit, then a force out then the runner scores stealing second with errors on the play (I haven't watched but scoring trying to steal second sounds like a lot of little league fielding miscues).

[biedergb]

Wichrowski struggled in the 1st.

After the first out, a HR. Then a fly out.

And a 4 pitch walk. Another walk, and another walk.

Then a single up  the middle. Just not locating tonight. He gets out of the inning but it's 3-0 Biscuits.

 

I'm staring at the beginning to watch Hardin's start tonight.

[biedergb]

So you think 12 in a row and Hardin is going so well. Well the results are awesome, and he is locked in. But 4 of the balls hit for outs were very nice defensive plays by Areinamo, Garcia and Baez (yup a real nice play at second up the middle). He also threw a few pitches way wide.

But in the 4th he threw three pitches that he thought were strikes, and his body language shows he didn't believe call and get the batters out with the next pitch. That is nice and impressive.

[biedergb]

Hardin has been really efficient - 44 pitches to get through 4 IP so far. And he hit 95 in the 1st, but mostly 93-94 mph.

[wiguy94]

Maybe this is a hot take and it is a bit more negative, but I just don't get the hype with Wichrowski. I think there's a good pitcher in there but for someone who is lauded for having such good stuff he just doesn't get swing and miss or strikeouts at the AA level.

[Ro Mueller]

The AAA Sounds can clinch a 4-0 series victory tonight at Memphis behind LHP Bruce Zimmermann (4.35 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 6.7 K/9 in 31.0 IP). Anthony Seigler, with 312 career MILB starts at catcher or 2nd base, gets his first-ever start at 3rd base and LF Eddie Rosario (.948 OPS in 69 PAs in the PCL) makes his organizational debut. 

[biedergb]

Just now, wiguy94 said:

Maybe this is a hot take and it is a bit more negative, but I just don't get the hype with Wichrowski. I think there's a good pitcher in there but for someone who is lauded for having such good stuff he just doesn't get swing and miss or strikeouts at the AA level.

I think it was the velocity he hit last year, and he does have good stuff. But you are right - he has not shown command, and may be a reliever longer term if he can repeat that peak velo in short stints. The potential is there, but he has some refining on the pitching side to break through.

[biedergb]

Hardin has 5.2 innings of perfect baseball - retired 17 straight - until a liner just over the IF into left.

He was locked  in from the 3rd inning on.

[wiguy94]

1 minute ago, biedergb said:

I think it was the velocity he hit last year, and he does have good stuff. But you are right - he has not shown command, and may be a reliever longer term if he can repeat that peak velo in short stints. The potential is there, but he has some refining on the pitching side to break through.

You don't need command to get whiffs especially at the minor league level. This is a guy who is a basically a consensus Top 15/20 prospect in our system by the industry but in 80+ innings at AA he has an 18% K-rate and a whiff rate under 25% and it goes beyond the whiffs. Watching most of his starts he just rarely seems to have uncomfortable swings against him. Just feels like his prospect ranking is more about what they want him to be and not what he is.

[biedergb]

4 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Just feels like his prospect ranking is more about what they want him to be and not what he is.

Agree. Something is lacking. He hasn't had that 97 mph and his secondary pitches don't work well - for whatever reason. So he has the potential for stuff is maybe what I meant, since he had shown it, but can't seem to recapture it.

[Ro Mueller]

Ugh. Bruce Zimmermann retired the first 4 batters (3 via K), but Luken Baker homered and Memphis added 4 more runs and hits.

Then Anthony Seigler doubled and had to be replaced on the bases by Zamora in the 3rd inning due to injury. Shoot.

[wiguy94]

3 minutes ago, Ro Mueller said:

Ugh. Bruce Zimmermann retired the first 4 batters (3 via K), but Luken Baker homered and Memphis added 4 more runs and hits.

Then Anthony Seigler doubled and had to be replaced on the bases by Zamora in the 3rd inning due to injury. Shoot.

He broke his pinky on the slide into 2B. Could clearly see it on the replay. What a bummer especially considering it was the first time they moved him to 3B this year.

[biedergb]

Very un-Carolina night tonight. Offense only musters 2 hits and only 1 run. Lose 5-1. And they struck out 13 times.

[Joseph Zarr]

6 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

He broke his pinky on the slide into 2B. Could clearly see it on the replay. What a bummer especially considering it was the first time they moved him to 3B this year.

Man, that is just classic. What the heck?!

[biedergb]

Just like yesterday. Beleaguered pitching staff and double header today.

Yesterday Melvin Hernandez with a 7 IP complete game win.

Tonight, Hardin with 7 IP complete game 2-hitter shutout. Rattlers do very little offensively, but Hardin allows less than very little and it's a  1-0 win. 6 K, 0BB and 91 pitches and was still throwing 93 mph in the 7th. Nice win by the T-Rats.

 

Nashville losing big. And Shuckers trying to get out from an early 3-1 deficit. They need that offense to click for one inning. Let's go Shuckers!!