Brewers Minor League Link Report (9/17): Sounds Even Series; Gasser Continues to State Case for Brewers Bullpen Role

[Joseph Zarr]

Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic

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- UTL Jheremy Vargas was re-instated from the Development List by the Biloxi Shuckers (I have no idea how this will impact the remaining game(s) in the SLDS but we do know SS Cooper Pratt has not played a game since his HBP on his right thumb - including game one at Montgomery)

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Final: Nashville 4, Louisville (Reds) 1

Sounds Even Series in Louisville - Black Leads the Way with Three Hits

Game Notes

Box Score/Game Notes

RHP Garrett Stallings managed to keep it all together despite being knocked around for eight base hits over his five plus innings of work. The thing is, Stallings did not allow a single XBH and he did not walk a single batter. Take note, young pitchers: free passes are not your friends. In what is likely his last competitive work for the 2025 season, it's truly awesome to see Stallings sneak his ERA just below 4.00 at 3.99 on his season. He finished with a yeoman's line of  5 1/3 IP of 8 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 ER after 82 pitches thrown with 56 landing for strikes. Despite allowing a whopping 0.353 BAA in three starts in September, Stallings held the damage to a minimum with a 'manageable' 1.47 WHIP. It was a "Here, hit this!" kind of month whereby he allowed 21 knocks over 16 1/3 IP but only walked three batters while striking out six.

Stallings is a sinker baller, first and foremost - he invites the ground ball en lieu of overwhelming stuff. Six groundouts induced in today's outing to just two flyouts, for example. I think, when all is said and done, the Brewers will look back at that 2024 Thyago Vieira and Aneuris Rodriguez swap with Baltimore for Stallings and feel quite good about their return. He's eaten innings at Nashville and he's been an adequate if not slightly above-average stabilizing force. After some choppy waters in 2024, Stallings kept it together and improved his numbers and results across the board as a full-time Sound for manager Rick Sweet in 2025. To that end, we salute the 28-year-old veteran who will reach Minor League free agency this fall where he'll consider his options. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) He may be mired in a prolonged bad luck slump, but OF Jared Oliva has been a net positive for the vast majority of his time as a Sound in 2025. Before he missed a stretch of games due to injury, you'd be hard pressed to find a more impactful everyday player in that first half of the season. A plus defender on the outfield grass covering large swaths of grass with his blazing speed - speed that also wreaks havoc on the base paths - I want to be sure to mention Oliva here despite his absence from the line-up in today's game.

Like former Sounds fan favorite INF Patrick Dorrian in seasons past, Oliva did much more in 2025 than simply offer his services on the field and in the clubhouse. Oliva was meaningfully active in the community of Nashville - all the more impressive, in my humble opinion, as a new arrival to the Brewers organization. He is very clearly more than a professional athlete:

It's extremely important we fans remember: these players are much more than the product they put on the field. Like Stallings, Oliva is also headed to Minor League free agency this fall. He didn't get his call-up opportunity in 2025 but if he keeps putting forth the collective good works like this, the karmic wheel of fates should honor his play on the field and give him that next opportunity he deserves. Mr. Oliva, thank you for all you've done in 2025 - on the field and beyond.

2) After leading the Sounds offense with a three hit day, UTL Tyler Black is suddenly hitting 0.311 in September with an 0.848 OPS. Well, how about that? Let's honor this sudden turnaround with some gratitude and recognition. Black has six XBH's in the month (all doubles) while swiping eight bags and not getting caught once. Everything has looked just a notch more dialed in in his 52 September PA's - that inside out swing a bit more meaningful. And, as this season comes to its close Black is salvaging a bit of the shine of his once illustrious prospect status. The season BA is up to 0.238 with the season OPS just north of 0.700 points at 0.709. These overall numbers are a far cry from his best seasons when he was on the come up in the organization, but, as we all know, if he continues to close out this series the way he's approached all of September to date Black will close his 2025 season on a high note.

As I sit here today, as a fan writing about the Brewers Minor League system, I can definitely take a bit of solace knowing Black fought back through an unfortunate injury; he's fought back through many doubts of his place on the baseball diamond defensively; and he's actually salvaged much of his value as a 40-Man Brewers player. When Tyler is right in the baseball world, when he is his best baseball self, swings like this and results like this are fairly commonplace:

I've seen this swing and this near exact same result twice through two games of this current Louisville series. Black is closing his season on top.

3) OF Brandon Lockridge continues to show his value as a Sound hitting safely for the 8th time in 10 games since being optioned. Today, his lone poke was an insurance run adding double high off the left field wall:

Lockridge's current Nashville OPS is a smidge below 0.700 at 0.695 because he only has two XBH's (both doubles) despite hitting a very palatable 0.286 after 47 PA's.

On the other side of the diamond, it is obviously time for LHP Robert Gasser to provide more meaningful upside depth for the Brewers bullpen. Those of us who have watched the majority (or all, in my case) of his ongoing outings with the Sounds, know this was likely true when he was first optioned. Now that the Brewers have seen his multi-inning bullpen wares for a longer stretch - including today's 2 2/3 IP of 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 R work - surely they know his call-up back to the MLB pitching staff where he belongs is imminent.

It would also appear @Jim Goulartand I are both on the exact same page here:

What's that you say? The Brewers are reading my reports and heeding my words? Oh stop. You just stop that now.

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The Shuckers will be back at it with game two of their SLDS tomorrow night. Down 0-1, they'll need a win back home at Keesler Federal Park to avoid elimination while forcing the deciding game three (also at Keesler Federal Park).

They will turn to RHP Jaron DeBerry who will look for a quick and potent bounce back after his last outing's struggles. And, Nashville will turn once again to newly acquired LHP Tucker Davidson who is coming off two consecutive solid efforts. The Sounds will attempt to jump to a 2-1 series lead at Louisville.

With that, in what could very well be my last Minor League Link Report of 2025, I thank you readers for joining me in this journey. It certainly hasn't always been easy in 2025. We saw many players suffer unfortunate injuries abound as well as a fairly disappointing second half as a whole. Regardless, and as always, thanks for reading and thanks for supporting Brewers Minor League baseball. If I don't see you here again in 2025, perhaps you'll see me on the forums and even recapping the season with @Spencer Michaelisin the off-season for our second annual Brewers Minor League system review. 

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[MattK]

Thanks for all the work weekly, Joseph!