Brewers Minor League Link Report (4/19): Gasser's Control Issues Persist; Misiorowski Dazzles in Another Short Stint

Game Balls: We're going to Carolina and RHP Jacob Misiorowski who continues to dazzle even in limited pitch counts (more below), LHP Ethan Small for a fantastic relief outing showcasing mastery of all parts of the zone (hitters are now 2-of-24 versus Small in 7 1/3 IP), RHP Tobias Myers who again gave his Shuckers teammates a fantastic showing in todays' knock at Rocket City, the continued torrid output of early season Sounds MVP Eddy Alvarez who became the first Sounds player with four hits in a game in 2023, and we'll end with the fantastic overall effort from Timber Rattler Ben Metzinger who played fantastic defense at third base and drove in what proved to be the winning run.

Transactions:

• OF Blake Perkins was recalled by the Milwaukee Brewers
• RHP J.B. Bukauskas was optioned to the Nashville Sounds 
• OF Monte Harrison was activated from Nashville's Development List
• LHP Thomas Pannone was activated from Nashville's Development List

Final: Jacksonville (Marlins) 10, Nashville 9 
Box Score / Game Log

Game Notes 

Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review:

Sounds Stunned by Jumbo Shrimp in Extras

Suddenly gone are those feel good stories and improbable late-inning victories from the very early going of the Sounds 2023 season. The men are in a struggle and they are playing their way deeper into their ongoing slump. After today's loss, Nashville has suddenly squandered five straight games. And, given what I'm seeing, they need a clubhouse come to Baseball Jesus moment to steady their ship. No play was more emblematic than OF Monte Harrison's misplay and errant throw off a sublime reach and poke single to center field in the tenth and final inning. The failed Harrison effort led to the winning run scoring all the way from first base. It's a runner that should have never crossed - especially given the stakes. There was a lack of urgency. There was a lack of execution. 

Sadly, these snafus are suddenly hitting up and down Rick Sweet's line-up. The Sounds are, simply put, in a funk.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) LHP Robert Gasser continues to struggle locating in his second and third trips through Triple-A line-ups. Today was no different. After three very successful and impactful innings, Gasser once again lost that elusive control. He began walking batters. His pitch count elevated. And, he was pulled early. Rick Sweet, unfortunately, was again forced to dig deep into his bullpen in the early going. This overuse is starting to wear on the pen's early season success as today's outing showcased. Getting back to Gasser, there's a mystery going on with him at Triple-A. He very clearly has more than ample stuff as I've said on more than one occasion. But, the accuracy - the trust, the release point, the attack...it's hard to tell - is just not there in any fashion that repeats itself. He'll have to battle these current woes if he is to have any success at the MLB level. There is so much to work with here but it has to be closer to the zone more consistently for the high-caliber arsenal to really start turning heads.

2) LHP Clayton Andrews showcased MLB-ready stuff today and not in the manner we've come to expect. He didn't have his best stuff, whatsoever - uncharacteristically missing the zone early and often. But, he also worked around the control issues and willed his team into extra innings. He rescued struggling J.C. Mejía from further damage to his already shaky 2023 numbers when he grabbed a crucial strikeout off his patented nasty change-up. This got out of the ninth frame with threatening runners on the corners. He showed me quite a bit more mettle today. It won't always be perfect, obviously. What do you do when you're fighting your pitches? He continues to be my favorite arm in the Nashville bullpen. 

3) INF Eddy Alvarez continues to be an offensive revelation for the Sounds. A key one out two-run smoothly hit ball to right field grabbed the Sounds a two-run lead in the 10th (we'll bypass the very odd pick-off at first base on a very weakly hit pop up to foul territory) and a 4-for-5 game (two doubles) saw his numbers rocket higher once again: 0.341 BA / 1.133 OPS overall. He's been the Sounds most productive everyday player by a significant stretch in the early going. It's been one of the unexpected surprises of 2023. He's showcasing his dependability should the Brewers suffer yet another untimely injury. 

Game Notes 

Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please visit and review:

Myers' Eight Strikeouts Leads Shuckers to 7-1 Win over Trash Pandas

The bases were dripping for INF Felix Valerio. OF Noah Campbell had just sent a run across with his third free pass on the day (special shout out to the entire Shuckers line-up, actually: 12 BB on the day). And, well, the power literally went out across Rocket City's Toyota Stadium. All feeds were cut. The live stream withered into a cloud of darkness. And, I was left to follow the twitter feeds for random updates. RHP Tobias Myers was fantastic yet again:

It got so desperate for Shuckers fans they were sent to Instagram Live to follow new Biloxi announcer, Javik Blake! None the less, the Shuckers rebounded from yesterday's thrashing to put forth a dominant outing of their own. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) OF Jackson Chourio has indeed started 2023 slowly. The K's have piled up more than we baseball purists would like, but it's important to focus on the positives with such a talented 19-year-old super prospect. He's still making very good contact. Five of his ten knocks have been for extra bases. Hence, though the batting average is barely treading water above 0.200 we still see the OPS hovering in and around 0.700. He finished his day 2-for-6 with a two-bagger and two more runs. It's a long season. There have been plenty of sparks early.

2) If RHP Tobias Myers continues at this rate, we may see him SOS bat signaled up to Nashville's extremely thin (and struggling) starting pitching staff. After eight more punch outs today, we are looking at a 24:4 K:BB rate in just 16 IP. That's elite output at any level. Batters are hitting a woeful 0.175 against him and the WHIP is sitting at 0.88. It's just three outings but he's showcasing an arsenal worthy of last year's Triple-A status. I, for one, hope he gets another shot. What a fantastic start to his career with the Brewers!

3) Let's talk about another early season revelation: OF Lamar Sparks. We typically hear of Indy League gems unearthed on the pitching side of the Brewers organization. However, early in 2023 Sparks is staking his claim for the offense. Batting lead-off today, Sparks finished 2-for-3 with three free passes and two runs. More importantly, not a single strikeout in that crucial spot in the batting order. In his first action in affiliated since the 2021 season, he is starting to make a name for himself in the highest level he's ever competed in. What's more, we now have a 10:10 BB:K ratio contributing mightily to his 0.839 OPS. 

Game Notes  

Via the Timber Rattlers' site, game details, please visit and review:

Rattlers Bounce Back with 2-0 Win at Quad Cities

RHP Joseph Hernandez really competed tonight and, best of all, improved as his pitch count got higher. We still see AB's get away from him when he's nibbling around the zone but failing to find it - a bit too many 3-1 and 3-0 counts for my liking at this stage. The walks are consistently rearing their heads and that will continue to pose problems if this persists for obvious reasons. But, this is nitpicking. This is a young man who showcases a really interesting pitching tool kit. He can attack hitters from different angles with different speeds and from different arm slots. Tonight, his best pitch was the slider - most impactful as a strikeout pitch versus righties. Again on the plus side, he did not give up much hard contact but for a couple of fly outs directly to Je'Von Ward in left field - with his off-speed deliveries he was mostly seeing a bevy of ground ball outs. A truly solid outing overall and an outing to build upon: 6 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K, 0 ER.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) Let's recognize the sublime field work from Ben Metzinger at the hot corner. He made several difficult charging scoop and throws to Ernesto Martinez at first base (whose continued ability to drop into the splits is a marvel); he made a deep accurate throw from well beyond the bag; and he made a key stab and pop and toss out with a runner on second base and two down. This last play mentioned here prevented what was a surefire run and it ultimately proved to be the key defensive play of the game. 

2) Though the young Rattlers couldn't muster a thing versus Quad Cities LHP Tyson Guerrero (a very impressive outing from the 24-year-old southpaw), they did all they needed to do during one key two out sequence in the seventh inning. One Joe Gray Jr. walk; a wild pick-off throw allowing Gray Jr. to advance; a sharply hit opposite field single off the bat of Ben Metzinger; a superb slide and effort at home plate from Gray Jr. beating a bang-bang throw and tag by what appeared to be an eyelash. When your pitchers are shutting the door, that's all you need. One sequence. One series of sublime execution. It was a proverbial baseball chef's kiss.

3) Hats off are indeed ordered for the bullpen efforts of LHP Karlos Morales and RHP Kaleb Bowman. They took the ball after Hernandez's fine work and kept that door shut. Bowman nabbed his 4th save of the young season showcasing his full arsenal of tools getting the final out off a weak dribbler coughed to the dirt before home plate while Morales grabbed his second hold with two scoreless innings himself. I can't help but wonder what glorious southpaw nectar awaits us should LHP Pablo Garabitos get healthy enough to join Morales in the Rattlers pen. 

Final: Carolina 5, Down East (Rangers) 2
Box Score / Game Log

Game Notes 

Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please visit and review:

Mudcats Win Third Straight, 5-2 in Kinston

The Mudcats have indeed won three straight, and four of five overall, on the heels of two consecutive 5-2 victories at Down East. RHP Jacob Misiorowski appears to have dazzled in another reduced pitch count workout: 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 3 K. It would appear we are working with pitch counts in the twenties at this stage while maybe reaching thirty. With results like this, however, let's take our time. Unfortunately, as I mentioned yesterday, there is no live feed at Down East. I publicly share some of your frustrations Brewer fans:

Stay strong. Stay thirsty. More Misiorowski starts are coming 'round the bend.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) The early part of the 2023 Mudcats season was originally all about the young and tantalizing infield. However, it has quickly become the intrigue of the pitching staff. Another fantastic pitching outing across the board today. Special mention will be given to one my ongoing favorites in RHP Edwin Jimenez who remains extremely sharp early in 2023 - 5 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 5 K. Go get that promotion, young man! 13 K distributed amongst the staff - three apiece for the aforementioned Misiorowski and RHP Nick Merkel while RHP Shane Smith grabs two and his first save.

2) Back to the young infield, it's really nice to see both Gregory Barrios and Daniel Guillarte start getting some hits! The young duo went a combined 5-for-10 today manning the top of the order. We see 1 RBI apiece with Guillarte grabbing two runs in the lead-off slot. On the other side of things, 1B/DH/RP Quinton Low did his best Jace Avina impression going 0-for-5 with 5 punch outs. He'll look to bounce back. Clearly, Low's best work in the early season is happening on the mound. 

3) 1B (and only occasional catcher these days) Tayden Hall is showcasing a continued patient approach at the dish. Today's outing feature a 2-for-3 output - 2 BB, 1 K. We'd like to see more XBH's as the season progresses, but the ongoing 3:1 BB:K ratio is a wonderful thing to look at. Patience with the lumber in hand is one of the most difficult skills for young players to develop. I'm looking forward to tracking his AB's as soon as live streams become available again.

Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth

Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth

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