Tue. 8/26 - Final T-Rats Home Series of Season (Carolina also, but hopefully playoffs to come)

[Jim Goulart]

NOTE: Both Wisconsin & Carolina end their regular seasons on the road next week.

This thread will be utilized for any minor league news Monday (no games) and Tuesday.

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[Joseph Zarr]

Well deserved tor these two! Phenomenal weeks:

 

[MudcatsfaninBrunsCO]

Attending my last ever Mudcats game tomorrow unless we make the playoffs. I'm guaranteed to cry as soon as I pull out of the Old NC 264 lot tomorrow night. It's a end of a era. I'll make a "So Long Five County" post after this week is over. 

[Joseph Zarr]

37 minutes ago, MudcatsfaninBrunsCO said:

Attending my last ever Mudcats game tomorrow unless we make the playoffs. I'm guaranteed to cry as soon as I pull out of the Old NC 264 lot tomorrow night. It's a end of a era. I'll make a "So Long Five County" post after this week is over. 

Hopefully, the bats show up for you and give you a proper send off!

[Playing Catch]

I feel like two months is a long time for a shoulder contusion...

Luke Adams to AFL?

[sveumrules]

Nice breakdown & video highlight reel of Made’s SS defense over at FanGraphs today.

Sounds like Longenhagen is doing this for all the top ranked SS prospects so future installments will likely feature Pratt and Peña as well.

[Joseph Zarr]

Getting Brock Wilken back before the playoffs is such a massive get for the Shuckers line up (and our collective enjoyment). Big congrats to LHP Jesus Broca. A well deserved opportunity - he won't get away with all the walks in Double-A so hopefully he can continue to keep those down.

Seeing EBJ go right back on the 7-Day IL is just depressing. His career is certainly heading deeper into the "I wonder what could have been had he ever been healthy..." stages. Sigh. Large Mammal also to the 7-Day IL. He is such a solid relief arm. That's a real loss ahead of their post-season. 

[Joseph Zarr]

1 hour ago, sveumrules said:

Nice breakdown & video highlight reel of Made’s SS defense over at FanGraphs today.

Sounds like Longenhagen is doing this for all the top ranked SS prospects so future installments will likely feature Pratt and Peña as well.

Quote

 

Made is rough enough around the edges that it’d be a mess (with the occasional Web Gem) if you dropped him onto a big league infield right now. At a certain point, it’s going to be more important for him to clean up these details if he’s going to continue being promoted at the pace he has been so far, but he’s still only 18 (he turns 19 next May), and at this juncture, I care much more about his physical ability and talent than his technical polish. I think he has big long-term ceiling as a defender because of his athleticism, range, acrobatic actions, and arm strength, but the cement here is far from dry. I’ve given him a present 40 grade as a defender and a future 60

A 40 here for the now is too low. A 40 is a below-average mark. There is zero baseball universe where High-A Jesus Made isn't already a top 3 player at the position in his League. I would go higher than the 60 future potential as well. Made's insane athleticism and agility and hands lend him to more Plus-Plus scenarios than he leads on here. His ranking is odd considering his deepest criticism is throwing accuracy which he admits has nothing to do with the physical part of Made's game but rather repetitions and exposure. Facets of his write-up I agree with. Facets I find miss the mark. But, then again, I often feel this way with Longenhagen.😅

[Joseph Zarr]

We should probably casually bring up the fact that despite missing 50 Games due to injury, 3B Brock Wilken is still atop the Southern League HR leaderboard (albeit, in a Tie). 

Wild. 

[sveumrules]

12 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

We should probably casually bring up the fact that despite missing 50 Games due to injury, 3B Brock Wilken is still atop the Southern League HR leaderboard (albeit, in a Tie). 

Wild. 

Some serious shade here on Luke Adams 21 HBP which still lead the Southern League as well. Darrien Miller trying to catch him in 2nd place with 14 plunks of his own.

[Joseph Zarr]

1 hour ago, sveumrules said:

Some serious shade here on Luke Adams 21 HBP which still lead the Southern League as well. Darrien Miller trying to catch him in 2nd place with 14 plunks of his own.

Well in fairness to this 'shade', and I do see it cast a mighty shadow into the outfield even at Keesler Federal Park (though, honestly, I'm looking through the CF cam and it is still egregiously smudgy. That just might be a false shadow or white smudge from the foul line. Hard to say) one Luke Adams has not officially returned to the line up as of today. I tend to keep these shiny gold nuggets for the day they make it back in a playing capacity to the clubhouse. <COUGH> And, man, I don't feel good about Miller's odds of returning any time soon after that swing to his catching hand after his third catcher's interference in less than two weeks. You mess with the bull and sometimes you get the horns!

[Joseph Zarr]

I just realized, for some inexplicable reason, I'll get to watch Double-A INF Jadher Areinamo all week versus the Shuckers. This pleases me greatly. 

[Ro Mueller]

AAA Nashville is only 4.5 games behind 1st place in the full season standings (no playoff implications) and they host White Sox affiliate Charlotte this week. CF Jackson Chourio (1-for-11) and 1B Rhys Hoskins (5-for-19) make their 4th and 6th rehab starts. RHP Garrett Stallings has struggled of late (16 IP, 15 R, 12 Ks over last 3 outings).

[Ro Mueller]

The Low-A Carolina Mudcats commence the final home Zebulon series (moving to Wilson next year) and find themselves 0.5 games behind first place Fredericksburg with 13 games remaining. Solid RHP Melvin Hernandez (2.13 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 7.1 K/9 in 110 IP) gets the start against Orioles’ affiliate Delmarva (17-36 second half record). LF Josiah Ragsdale (9-game on-base streak) is 16 months older than other Mudcat in the lineup.

[Ro Mueller]

3B Brock Wilken (.942 OPS) returns! (first game since June 18) as AA Biloxi take their 4-game winning streak into Montgomery this week to battle the Rays’ affiliate and old friend Jadher Areinamo. RHP KC Hunt had a solid start last week (6 IP, 2 R, 7 Ks). 

[Ro Mueller]

The High-A Timber Rattlers final home series of 2025 sees Royals’ affiliate Quad Cities come to town. 20-year old RHP Manuel Rodriguez (2.97 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 8.6 K/9 in 66.2 IP) looks to silence the opposition. DH Josh Adamczewski is 7-for-his-last-16 with 3 doubles.

[Joseph Zarr]

Fun dugout convo with Chris Edwards and manager Nick Stanley right now pre-game in Zebulon.

[Joseph Zarr]

Payne grounds out to 2B. Ragsdale walks. Ebel K's looking. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Ragsdale to 2B on a WP. Bitonti has the green light in a 3-0 count but fouls it back. He walks on the next pitch. Men on 1B and 2B. Two down for Encarnacion. Stanley has stacked five consecutive lefties vs this Delmarva RHP starter.

[Joseph Zarr]

Encarnacion now walks on four pitches. Jose Anderson will try to do the damage. Bases juiced. Two down.

[Joseph Zarr]

Anderson takes ball one inside. He fouls back a belt high center cut heater - that was the pitch to hit. Whiffs at a slider outside. Whiffs at an even lower more outside slider nowhere near the zone. A flailing four pitch K. Not a good look for the young outfielder. Muddies strand 3. On to the 2nd.

[Joseph Zarr]

Hernandez has 2 K swinging early on the change-up. As Edwards states, it's hard to overstate just how good and how important Melvin has been to the 2025 Mudcats. Amongst his 5 Quality Starts:

Carolina League Stats:

Tied for 2nd in Wins
First in ERA
First in WHIP
First in IP
First in BAA

He gives up his first hit a slow grounder up the middle. Di Turi makes the sliding stop but he didn't really have a chance at 1B. He gives up the triple off the right CF wall. Back-to-back two out knocks and it is a 1-0 deficit. 

 

[Joseph Zarr]

Di Turi opens the second with a swinging K. Man, this ongoing slump is brutal. He has one August RBI. He is approaching 6-for-60 territory. 24 K to 11 BB.

[Joseph Zarr]

These Mudcats bats would do well to see the ump is very very clearly calling the inside portion of the plate.

Braylon Payne.

TWO RUN JACK!!! Over the RF wall. Yeah baby. That was ripped. 2-1 Muddies.

[Joseph Zarr]

That is indeed only the 2nd HR Palmer has allowed all year (sent to the Orioles in the Ramon Urias deal - was pitching for Fayetteville).