Tue. 8/5 - 2024 15th round RHP Travis Smith Makes T-Rat Debut (Along with Two Other Guys)

[biedergb]

The Monday after trade deadline promotions ....

That is a lot of movement in the past 48 hours.

Still surprised at DeBerry - he has stuff, but has yet to put it together in an outing because he can get hit and gives up runs in bunches. But given his age I guess he gets the bump. A guy like Birchard is still a younger (11 months) and clearly has to work on command. Tanner Gillis could be the next up to Biloxi but may not do so this season, along with the 20 year Anthony Flores.

I am excited for Mercedes to join his ACL pitching crew (Renz, Dubanewicz, Dorchies and Tobias) in Carolina, and that quintet should be fun to follow, along with Meccage, Hernandez and Torres. Pretty young group of pitchers in low A.

I may post this elsewhere as well but Brewers (not surprisingly) have some of the youngest rosters in minors per this BA article (paywall / subscription required). I will just state that they are top 5 in youngest pitching and hitting across minor league baseball, and 7th best winning percentage, and are with Pirates, Guardians, and Dodgers with high winning percentages and younger rosters throughout.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/which-mlb-teams-are-winning-in-the-minors-with-the-youngest-players/

[MattK]

5 minutes ago, biedergb said:

The Monday after trade deadline promotions ....

That is a lot of movement in the past 48 hours.

Still surprised at DeBerry - he has stuff, but has yet to put it together in an outing because he can get hit and gives up runs in bunches. But given his age I guess he gets the bump. A guy like Birchard is still a younger (11 months) and clearly has to work on command. Tanner Gillis could be the next up to Biloxi but may not do so this season, along with the 20 year Anthony Flores.

I am excited for Mercedes to join his ACL pitching crew (Renz, Dubanewicz, Dorchies and Tobias) in Carolina, and that quintet should be fun to follow, along with Meccage, Hernandez and Torres. Pretty young group of pitchers in low A.

I may post this elsewhere as well but Brewers (not surprisingly) have some of the youngest rosters in minors per this BA article (paywall / subscription required). I will just state that they are top 5 in youngest pitching and hitting across minor league baseball, and 7th best winning percentage, and are with Pirates, Guardians, and Dodgers with high winning percentages and younger rosters throughout.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/which-mlb-teams-are-winning-in-the-minors-with-the-youngest-players/

DeBerry has kinda been the girl with the curl.  When he is good, he is very, very good .... 

[Ro Mueller]

 

[Joseph Zarr]

13 minutes ago, Ro Mueller said:

 

This feels an awful lot like RHP Bishop Leston's season-ending departure. Sighs. Have I mentioned how brutal 2025 has been on the ML Injury front? One Blue Chip injury or IL placement after the next. 

[wiguy94]

2 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

This feels an awful lot like RHP Bishop Leston's season-ending departure. Sighs. Have I mentioned how brutal 2025 has been on the ML Injury front? One Blue Chip injury or IL placement after the next. 

I mean this isn't that surprising for Hardin. He absolutely blew by his career high in IP this season. The most innings he had thrown coming in this season was 40 last year. He's thrown 84 this year. Wildly successful season for him.

[Joseph Zarr]

3 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

I mean this isn't that surprising for Hardin. He absolutely blew by his career high in IP this season. The most innings he had thrown coming in this season was 40 last year. He's thrown 84 this year. Wildly successful season for him.

I do not disagree with your statements here. (Shocking, I know).

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Some filthy string drop on these Mayorquin off-speed offerings:

 

Looks a little like A & AA Yoho, when he was making hitters look off-the-charts silly.

[Joseph Zarr]

6 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Looks a little like A & AA Yoho, when he was making hitters look off-the-charts silly.

I miss those days greatly. Thems were times!

[Ro Mueller]

1 hour ago, biedergb said:

Still surprised at DeBerry - he has stuff, but has yet to put it together in an outing because he can get hit and gives up runs in bunches. But given his age I guess he gets the bump.

Just from a roster decimation standpoint, I figured Biloxi needed a first basemen (hence Burke’s mid-week call-up) and a starting pitcher.

I was hoping young Manuel Rodriguez would get the call, though I wouldn’t have said any of Wisconsin’s starters are truly ready for the bump-up.

Hopefully Murray’s move to AAA signifies that Pratt is healthy and Boeve may actually play in the field.

[biedergb]

24 minutes ago, Ro Mueller said:

Just from a roster decimation standpoint, I figured Biloxi needed a first basemen (hence Burke’s mid-week call-up) and a starting pitcher.

I was hoping young Manuel Rodriguez would get the call, though I wouldn’t have said any of Wisconsin’s starters are truly ready for the bump-up.

Hopefully Murray’s move to AAA signifies that Pratt is healthy and Boeve may actually play in the field.

So many moving parts in the past week.  Good news (promotions and some rehab news) and bad news (injury front, and at least one so-far-overlooked promotion) and no news (lack of updates on a few players like Wilken).

Maybe these moves jolt the teams (and myself 😉) out of those doldrums.

[Joseph Zarr]

5 minutes ago, biedergb said:

 

Maybe these moves jolt the teams (and myself 😉) out of those doldrums.

[Ro Mueller]

AAA Nashville welcomes previously-rehabbing CF Steward Berroa (.703 OPS in AAA) and newly-promoted 3B Ethan Murray (.823 OPS in AA) to its lineup. They host Marlins’ affiliate Jacksonville this week, with RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez is ramping up to full capacity post-injury (3.2 IP, 0 R, 3 Ks on 74 pitches last week). 

[Joseph Zarr]

No BP for those young Mudcats tonight? No fair!

 

[Joseph Zarr]

7 minutes ago, Ro Mueller said:

AAA Nashville welcomes previously-rehabbing CF Steward Berroa (.703 OPS in AAA) and newly-promoted 2B Ethan Murray (.823 OPS in AA) to its lineup. They host Marlins’ affiliate Jacksonville this week, with RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez is ramping up to full capacity post-injury (3.2 IP, 0 R, 3 Ks on 74 pitches last week). 

Ohhhhhh it's that rare stacked right side double second baseman line up! Zesty Rick Sweet special.

(Obviously, Murray is playing 3B)

[Ro Mueller]

SS Cooper Pratt (.679 OPS vs. league average .658) is right back in the AA Biloxi lineup after exiting Sunday’s game early, as they aim to snap a 5-game skid. RHP Brett Wichrowski (2.98 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 6.8 K/9 in 63.1 IP) gets the start at Cubs’ affiliate Knoxville. 

[Ro Mueller]

RF Handelfry Encarnacion (.832 OPS in ACL ball) makes his Low-A Carolina debut, as the first place Mudcats host Guardians’ affiliate Lynchburg. RHP Tyler Renz makes his 2nd appearance since promotion (3.2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 5 BB, 6 Ks in 81 pitches last week).

Hmmm. RHP Melvin Hernandez (2.04 ERA, 1.98 WHIP, 7.2 K/9 in 92.2 IP) has gotten the start instead.

[Joseph Zarr]

That Melvin Hernandez tailing dipping change-up continues to be an absolute weapon vs lefties. He gets his first K on such a pitch to such a batter. Gorgeous swinging K. Two down.

[Joseph Zarr]

Handelfry debuts with a five pitch BB in his first ever Low-A AB. Good sign. Very patient. Showed a bit of that bat speed in a foul as well.

[snoogans8056]

Just now, Joseph Zarr said:

Handelfry debuts with a five pitch BB in his first ever Low-A AB. Good sign. Very patient. Showed a bit of that bat speed in a foul as well.

He looks a lot like a mirror of Pena on the left side.

[Joseph Zarr]

Stanley goes with three straight lefty bats atop his batting order facing a Southpaw. Don't quite understand the thought process here.

[Joseph Zarr]

3 minutes ago, snoogans8056 said:

He looks a lot like a mirror of Pena on the left side.

I can smell what you're stepping in here.

[Joseph Zarr]

Hernandez gives up a first pitch lead-off single to CF to open his second frame. He then hangs a breaking ball belt high dead center to a lefty with two down and the Mudcats are trailing 1-0 with a man on 2B.

[Joseph Zarr]

A first pitch reach liner into left field on a low tailing change-up scores another but the Muddies back picked the runner at 1B who took too big a turn toward 2B. Muddies trail 2-0. On to the bottom half.

[Joseph Zarr]

Di Turi opens his night with a swinging K. The funk continues. He's just not timing things up consistently. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Holguin ropes a standing double deep to left field one hopping the track into the wall. He scores Ibarguen (BB) who had beat a successful pick-off with a poor throw to 2B by the Lynchburg first baseman - he'll likely get the SB on his tally. A two out RBI. Muddies trail 2-1. We are on to the 3rd.