Brewers Minor League Link Report (4/16): Sounds Outfield Continues to Bring It in Charlotte; Shuckers Win Second Straight

Transactions:

• OF Luis Castillo was placed on the 7-Day IL by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• LHP Caden Vire was assigned to the Carolina Mudcats from the ACL Brewers
• RHP Carlos Galindo was officially assigned to the DSL Brewers #1 - the 17-year-old Colombian was a signee in the 2025 International Free Agent class

Final: Nashville 11, Charlotte (White Sox)  7

Via the Sounds' website, please be sure to click and read each of the affiliate write-ups as part of your season-long Link Report routine (believe me, it's worth it):

Sounds Earn 11-7 Extra Innings Win in a Slugfest - Teams Combine for 24 Hits and Six Homers

Box Score / Game Log

The Brewers organization's arch nemesis, 1B Tim Elko, really tried to ruin my night. He's done it many times in his career with the White Sox organization and he certainly continues to wreck things (and Brewers affiliates!) with the Charlotte Knights. BUT, on this fine night, despite Elko's two home run heroics, the Sounds rallied late with two outs to tie the game at 7 runs apiece in the eighth inning. They then put up four runs in their top half of the tenth and held on to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. It was glorioius.

RHP Jacob Misiorowski was cruising until he wasn't. This is truly the tale of the tape. Watching it live, I left wondering what was going on with his gyro slider. Is he mixing in a cutter? OR is this still a tight gyro slider that wasn't sharp? Regardless, it often moved more like a cutter and when it hung it haunted. Both long balls he surrendered were on sliders that sat belt high over the plate. The first hung belt high and in to Elko in an 0-2 count. It was very much a mistake pitch. So, in many ways this was a vintage Misiorowski start: inconsistent; bouts of dominance; moments of lost control. The positives I took away were he pitched into the 80's and he wasn't injured when he took a 98 mph comeback grounder off his right knee. Ouch! All told, he ended his night with 5.0 IP of 7 H, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 WP, 2 HR, 5 ER ball (the last run was allowed to cross - RHP Sam McWilliams inherited Miz's runner). There is plenty of runway remaining on this development path to the Big Leagues. He sat 96 mph for the most part on the heater. He touched 98 and change.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) If you had 31-year-old C Jorge Alfaro turning back the clock to 2013 with a two steal night before Mudcats 1B Eric Bitonti hit his first long ball of 2025, you get a prize. Alfaro continues to give the Sounds meaningful innings behind the dish and he continues to find ways to disrupt the game in the batters box. He's always going to be strikeout prone, but he also has a massive power stroke and he's shown more discipline of late. With phenom Jeferson Quero still rehabbing, Alfaro has definitely provided a very meaningful veteran presence for the Sounds in more ways than one. Two steals in the same game?!? I am a bit speechless.

2) OF's Daz Cameron, Jared Oliva, and Jimmy Herron are having a heck of an early road series. Herron has revitalized his entire season with his two-game effort. Grabbing his first three RBI of his season just last night, Herron grabbed two more with an oppo taco in the second inning:

Beautiful swing of the bat there. It's really great to see Herron rewarded after some tough luck earlier in the year. He finished with a 2-for-5, 3 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR evening. Cameron continues to get on base and wreak general havoc: 2-for-6, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 1 SB, and 2 K. Since coming aboard in the Wolfram swap, he has been a game-changer. He plated the first two of the 10th with a scorched deep line drive double to the left center wall. Lastly, RF Jared Oliva continues to impress me nearly every time he's in the lineup. I can't say enough good things about his smooth, effortless, athletic play. 2-for-5, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 1 2B, 1 SB. This included the exclamation point in the tenth and final frame after he had already tied the game in the eighth with a successful challenge of a 3-2 strike call:

3) Special shoutout goes to 3B Freddy Zamora. He has seen limited playing time early in 2025 but he stepped up in big ways late. He made a tough play down the 3B line and fired an accurate throw across his body to get a bang-bang out and he got the first of two two-out runs across in the eighth inning with a line drive single into left field. If he doesn't collect that first RBI poke, the game likely never goes to extras. We see you, Freddy. Keep grinding.

Final: Biloxi 4, Birmingham (White Sox) 0

Four Shuckers Combine for 4-0 Shutout of Barons - Kuehner Leads Way for Shuckers First Shutout 

Box Score / Game Log

Game Notes

The Shuckers took a 2-0 series lead on the Barrons and moved to a 4-7 overall in the process. Credit to LHP Tate Kuehner for putting forth his best effort of 2025 in his third start. None the less, Kuehner rarely makes it easy on himself in the Southern League of late (and, honestly, in general) - he saw runners on base in every frame. He did tally his first strikeouts of his season which was a breath of fresh air. All in all, he gave his teammates 5.0 IP of 3 H, 4 BB, 1 HB, 4 K, 0 R work. He needed 87 pitches and threw 47 strikes. Five free base runners is not a sustainable habit as a starting pitcher but we are taking baby steps here given the start to his season and how he ended his 2024 season. He still isn't fully dialed in but, even with the walks and the HB, I saw far less wild. His slider wasn't missing terribly all that much. He was touching 93-94 throughout. It was a step in the right direction. And, we'll take those chips and cash them in.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) Before the Shuckers tacked two insurance runs on the scoreboard in the top of the ninth frame, LHP Mark Manfredi was working through a precarious two men on and one out situation. 3B Brock Wilken absolutely saved runs and saved the shutout with this sublime piece of defensive work:

It was an exhilarating play to watch live. Shout out to 1B Luke Adams for attacking the hop with confidence and skill to sell the out at the bag. Adams has really become a fantastic scoop artist at first base. Wilken may be struggling to swing the bat with any level of consistent impact (we can't have a player of this caliber with a mere 29-30% swing rate), but he's playing very solid defense at the hot corner and he's still managing to get on base.

2) CF Luis Lara is pressing and it is showing. He is hunting his hits over-aggressively. I personally witnessed him strike out aggressively on two breaking balls through the center of the zone with big swings and misses. He doesn't look overmatched, per se, but he looks imbalanced and impatient. After an 0-for-4, 1 BB, 3 K night his batting average dipped down to 0.133. His approach in Double-A is very much a work in progress.

3) LHP Josh Maciejewski had a truly forgettable debut as a Shucker. However, tonight, he gave off vibes that he is absolutely settling into his role. Of the four pitchers who saw action in this Shuckers shutout, it was Maciejewski who looked the most dialed and in control of his arsenal and his plan. 25 pitches and 17 strikes in 2.0 IP of 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K work is just what the doctor ordered. His soft breaking curveball was getting strikes looking and swinging and missing. If we have outings comparable to this one moving forward, it would be a massive boon to a bullpen that has struggled with consistency across the board. Special shoutout to RHP Justin Yeager, as well, for a clean 1.0 IP of 1 K work to shut the door. 

Final: Lansing (Athletics) 3, Wisconsin 1

Rattlers Let One Get Away Against Lansing - Lugnuts Erase 1-0 Rattlers Lead

Box Score / Game Log

Game Notes

The T-Rats have opened their six-game home stand by losing two straight falling to a 4-7 overall record. With their offense continuing to scuffle, they still led 1-0 headed to the eighth frame but RHP's Zach Peek and Yerlin Rodriguez both struggled through some control issues (and a bit of bad luck, honestly) while the Lugnuts took advantage loading the bases and clearing them in the frame. RHP Manuel Rodriguez continued his High-A transition with apolomb: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 0 ER. He needed 86 pitches and threw 57 strikes. He is showcasing a ridiculous 1.69 ERA over three starts. As I stated all last season, this young man just knows how to pitch. As the second youngest pitcher in the Midwest League, this is an extremely exciting ongoing development.

Post-Game Podcast:

Full Video Highlights:

We're skipping the three quick strikes here for a quick trip to the mound. The Timber Rattlers offense continues to snooze for the most part. You know who isn't snoozing? Newly minted 2025 lead-off man, 1B Tayden Hall. 0-for-1, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K. His OPS is sitting at 0.910. Three free passes to set the table a day after ripping a massive triple to the 405 mark in the center field alley? Hall continues to showcase why many of us have believed in his swing and his athletic profile since he came aboard the Brewers organization. Given the limited offensive opportunities the greater line-up is creating, a 1-for-7 mark with RISP is just not going to get it done at present. The Timber Rattlers are going to need more from both Blake Burke and Jadher Areinamo, obviously. They certainly haven't been disappointing by any stretch but they are likely going to need to produce more to try and kick start the offense at large. Given the state of the rest of the line up, who is going to step up in the six remaining spots? I honestly have no idea at this point. There's a whole lot of streaky in those spots and not a whole lot of consistent production historically. 

Final: Delmarva (Orioles) 6, Carolina 3

Mudcats Drop Contest to Delmarva - Bats Stay Quiet in a Rare Low-Scoring Night

Box Score / Game Log

LHP Wande Torres was the starter tonight in a rare clunker from the Mudcats. This was my long-awaited first viewing of the talented lefty Torres - a player I've wanted to see pitch for over two years. I saw him lean heavily into his four-seamer sitting 94-96 mph. And I saw a primary secondary offering of a slider - a pitch Torres really struggled to throw with any semblance of consistent control. He may have thrown a few change-ups in his mix but I really couldn't get a clean read. The fact I really couldn't quite tell if he was throwing an actual change-up also tells me if he throws it, the pitch likely needs work or is undeveloped. I can earnestly say, given how long I've been waiting to see Torres sling it, I was looking for a bit more from the talented young hurler. Keeping in mind we're only two outings into his work in full-season stateside ball, and these offerings shouldn't be taken as any type of proclamation, I would casually opine he'll likely need to find some type of pitch or pitches that run down and away arm side.  Currently, if the four-seamer isn't riding high and away arm side (via intentionality or pitches getting away from him), everything appears to be running across his body to his glove side. All in all, Torres managed 2 2/3 IP of 2 H, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 2 ER ball. He threw 48 pitches with 26 strikes. The DSL/ACL strikeout numbers have not translated early in his Low-A tenure.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) RHP Garrett Hodges will be an arm to watch as the Mudcats season progresses. If you are pumping 95-96 mph of heat while also casually shoestring dropping change-ups underneath bats cutting through the zone, there is already a baseline for impact as a relief arm. This was my first viewing of Hodges and, in a night where the Mudcats arms underwhelmed, he definitely popped off the screen out of that Mudcats bullpen. 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K - 12 pitches overall with eight strikes. That is what I certainly needed to see given the struggles of Flores and Sepping after Torres' work. Let's see how he builds on this fantastic and extremely efficient inning of work.

2) In a game the Mudcats offense didn't see a hit drop for five innings, from the second frame into the eighth, uber-talented infielder Jesus Made managed to get the Mudcats back in the hit column when he ripped a 100 mph double 370 feet and high off the left center field wall. He later crossed home plate to make it a 6-3 game - the final tally. We are starting to see more confident swings. And, we are definitely seeing his innate explosiveness with the bat in his hands. The ball really leaves the barrel cleanly and with purpose. This was his third double of his 2025 season.

3) C Marco Dinges remains a work in progress behind the dish. I really like his overall athletic profile - he clearly can move back there in all directions. But, he'll need to continue working on the glove - he dropped several catchable balls tonight - and his transfer. He did nearly pick off a runner at 1B - I personally thought he and Bitonti made the play. But, he was charged with a throwing error on a stolen base when the ball sailed up the 2B line and into right center field. He was short up the 3B line on another throw though Adamczewski still almost made the play. He did grab a runner at third base as well, which is important to point out, but when you watch him you can see he needs more exposure and reps. This is to be expected and I certainly hope the Brewers continue to do so (it certainly seems a part of the 2025 plan, in the least). If Dinges can keep developing back there, with his immensely talented bat, the Brewers could have a real diamond in the rough. He muscled a jam shot single into shallow center field during a 1-for-4, 1 K night at the dish.

That's a wrap for my reporting duties this week. Daniel and Jim will take us the rest of the way. We're back to an all evening slate tomorrow for the affiliates. Young RHP Bryce Meccage will look to bounce back and harness his tools (if you recall, he failed to get out of the first frame in his last start) as the Mudcats look to get back in the win column. With RHP Brandon Woodruff scheduled for a tune up in Wisconsin this Friday I'm going to predict he is not starting in Charlotte tomorrow so the Sounds appear to be 'TBD'. LHP Anthony Flores appears to be taking a spot start after his recent bullpen work and will get the nod as the T-Rats try to muster some offense and a victory down 0-2 to Lansing. And, finally, RHP KC Hunt will continue looking to get back on track building off a better outing his last time out. This will be his third start in 2025.

As always, thanks for reading and thanks for supporting Brewers Minor League baseball.

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