Brewers Minor League Link Report (4/30): Made is Showing Superstar Aura; Adams is Finding A Powerful Groove in Biloxi

Transactions:

There were a proverbial slew of ACL assignments doled out today. You can catch them all HERE in the organizational transactions page or you can find them HERE in our own Transactions thread. Of note, within, LHP Russell Smith has been officially assigned to the ACL Brewers - our first update of his mysterious 2025 season. Hopefully, he is healthy and ready to ramp up to return to the Shuckers bullpen or beyond. Several 2024 DSL'ers are making their way stateside for the first time. You will likely recognize several of the names from last summer's reports.

• RHP Brandon Woodruff was assigned to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers where he had another rehab outing (details below)

Final:  Gwinnett (Braves) 4, Nashville 3

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):

The Sounds Media Team Didn't Give a Post-Game Article by 11 PM PST-Here's Last Night's Write-Up When they Won the Game (?) 

 Box Score / Game Log 

Nashville came into tonight's tilt 15-7 when they score first and 1-4 when their opponent scores first (that win coming last night). They fell to 15-8. 1B Wes Clarke got the Sounds on the board via a sac fly to deep left field in the top of the first to get the Sounds on the board early. The odds were in their favor. Actually, the Sounds led 3-0 into the sixth when RHP Evan McKendry found himself in all sorts of trouble early and often conceding five knocks and four earned runs. McKendry continues to be an all or nothing pitcher - it's shutdown or it's shelled with very little middle ground. Tonight, he hung many an off-speed pitch and sinker over the heart of the plate. The hard liner at SS Oliver Dunn (you read that right) maybe should have been corralled but it was extremely hard hit on a very late short hop. I didn't begrudge Dunn's inability to scoop the hop. The Sounds ultimately stranded two two out men on base in the ninth frame as they surely lamented the first bullpen runs allowed to the Stripers in over 30 innings. Good things don't last forever. With the loss, the Sounds fall to 16-12 on their season 4.5 GB of Jacksonville (Marlins) and Lehigh Valley (Phillies). It's on to game three tomorrow. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) LF Adam Hall has been playing much better ball of late and it's worth mentioning. We're not talking about anything remarkable here but role players need to fill their roles. Earlier in the season, Hall looked overmatched in nearly every aspect of his game in the International League - offensively and defensively. He's now playing to the tune of a serviceable bench player for the Sounds. Capitalizing on a 3-2 hanger, Hall ripped an oppo triple into the deep right feel corner in a 1-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 3B evening. He now sees his 45 AB sample up to a respectable 0.245 BA and 0.629 OPS. We're not painting baseball Mona Lisa's here but we're starting to see meaningful part-time work. It's a good development within the greater Sounds roster.

2) RHP Elvin Rodriguez pitched an effective 3.0 IP allowing a mere one hit while striking out a batter. It wasn't an overly impressive outing but it was extremely efficient with little wasted effort - 39 pitches and 23 strikes. My personal opinion is I still don't see enough usage of the curve ball -and I don't see enough separation in his sweeper and cutter. Was I expecting more from Rodriguez stateside? Perhaps. He did have quite a bit of run on his four-seamer tonight that maxed out at 93.5 mph - well below his season average. 

3) C Anthony Seigler is back at the Mendoza Line after a 3-for-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB evening. The long ball was a heck of a swing on an inside off speed pitch coming up and in from a righty. Take a look:

That's a heck of a poke. Seigler now has five hits over his last 10 AB with 4 BB and 0 K. It's fair to say he's on a mini run of late after a very slow start to his season. You love to see it.

Final: Biloxi 8, Columbus (Braves) 5

Shuckers Finish April with 8-5 Win over Clingstones - Adams and Warren both Homer; Shuckers are 11-4 over Last 15 Games

Box Score / Game Log

Game Notes

Stop the presses. The Biloxi Shuckers are above 0.500. Pop the champagne. 

RHP Coleman Crow was very much showcasing his pre-TJ Southern League prowess - a time when he was hovering atop the leaderboards in wins and strikeouts - throughout his three innings of work. All the ingredients are there for Crow to become a meaningful high-end starter within the Brewers organization. He is known for his ridiculously spin-heavy swooping curve but my early observation is he has quite a bit more in the tank than the zesty hook. He has some late movement on his heater that gets swings and misses even if it's hovering in that 92-93 mph range. Crow can change-up his pitch mix to easily get ahead in counts to then lure swings high above the zone. He was more in the off-speed tool kit as well - did I see a slider and a change-up tonight? It's hard to say - that game was hours ago and I'm getting older ?. I can tell you he has fast become a pitcher I am going to follow closely as 2025 progresses. My early offering is he has the tools to be a pitcher in the mold of RHP Logan Henderson with similar impacts - if he can stay healthy, build reps, and refine. He's a very enjoyable watch.  All told his final line reads 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 6 K. He threw 57 pitches and pounded the zone for 40 strikes. He came out for the fourth frame but quickly gave up two singles. LHP Nate Peterson inherited those runners and allowed both runs to cross (Peterson shut it down from there - 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 5K, 0 ER). The Shuckers improved to 12-11 on their season and remain in third place in the Southern League South division 4.0 GB Pensacola (Marlins).

Three Quick Strikes:

1) 1B Luke Adams came into this evening's contest leading the Southern League in RBI at 15. This coming from a young man who is hitting a mere 0.173 on the season. We all knew it would likely take Adams a hot minute to get accustomed to the level increase given his overly patient approach at the dish and an inflated OBP due to a record-setting 40 HBP in 2024. What we also knew that if he got comfortable and continued improving we might see an uptick in power. For the second night in a row he hit a mammoth shot. The Clingstones announcers proclaimed this was the furthest ball they've seen hit over the left field wall at Columbus:

He leads the Southern League in RBI at 17 after that blast. He leads his team in long balls. He's playing very solid defense at first base. We should all be extremely excited about the season Adams is putting together. A month's batting average is a fairly meaningless statistic when a player is impacting the game in many other ways. Luke Adams is bringing a winning flavor to the Shuckers clubhouse and I am absolutely here for it.

2) 2B Zavier Warren is quietly having one of the better seasons on a Shuckers squad filled with big name prospects. With Eric Brown Jr. shelved due to another unfortunate injury (sigh), Warren will likely continue seeing more regular playing time. Warren has filled in routinely at the hot corner and at first base throughout his career as a Shucker. In 2025, he's been filling in regularly at LF, 1B, and 2B. If he keeps taking advantage of mistakes like this:

...he's going to stay in that regular playing time rotation. I love it when a veteran starts a season on a tear. Warren is a very easy player to like - he's always available; he always has a good demeanor about him; and he is well liked by his teammates. He is having a fantastic April. Let's hope he can keep a semblance of this going in the months ahead.

3) 3B Brock Wilken leads a category atop the Southern League leaderboard as well: walks. He has nine more free passes (27) than the next player on the leaderboard. He still isn't hitting the ball all that much (12 hits in 73 AB) and he isn't accessing consistent gap power but he is impacting the game with steady defense and a belief in his approach. A 28-to-27 K:BB ratio in one month of ball and 100 PA is kind of a strange version of good - can he start making more contact when swinging at pitches in and around the zone? The jury is still out. We all know what could be possible for Wilken if he could somehow find that next level of hitting within himself. I sure as heck hope we see it.

Final:  Wisconsin 4, West Michigan (Tigers) 2

Woodruff and Wisconsin Pick Up Win Over Whitecaps - Woodruff Works 5 2/3 Innings in Rehab Start

Box Score / Game Log

Game Notes

It's always a sweet sweet thing when a team gets a quick opportunity to move past a bad loss. The Timber Rattlers did just that behind a deep rehab outing for RHP Brandon Woodruff. Hopefully, the news is good in the days ahead but what we know now that the outing is completed: Woodruff sat 93-94 mph throughout with no real drop in velo as the outing progressed. He allowed three softly hit singles in his longest rehab outing to date: 5 2/3 IP, 1 R (unearned), 1 BB, and 3 K. The Big Woo threw 74 pitches in total with 49 strikes. I will say, the scorer charged 2B Daniel Guilarte with the error. I did not agree. 1B Tayden Hall has to snag that ball to reward the all out spinning and throwing effort. Regardless, the Timber Rattlers improved to 9-14 on their season and remain in fourth place in the Midwest West division.

Post-Game Podcast:

Full-Game Highlights:

Three Quick Strikes:

1) A day after two costly errors in right field, Hedbert Perez was back on the same outfield grass and back in the lead-off spot in the batting order. He gave us a clean bill of health defensively and he managed a 3-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 3B, and 1 K outing at the dish. I definitely routinely forget Perez is literally a just-turned 22-year-old prospect. He deserves the benefit of the doubt to continue growing as a player. Can he continue cutting down on his strikeout totals and swing-and-miss tendencies? I see an improved approach in early 2025. Will it last into the season? Can he keep the defensive lapses to a minimum?

2) As the month of May arrives tomorrow, can LF Yhoswar Garcia; INF Daniel Guilarte; and INF Juan Baez start contributing to the Timber Rattlers offense? Each player is hitting below the Mendoza Line - Guilarte sits lowest at a fairly woeful 0.115 BA. Each player is sporting a sub 0.500 OPS - Guilarte sits lowest with a really poor 0.371 mark. A one month slump is not all that big a deal in the grand scheme of a season but there is a traffic jam of talent at Low-A Carolina. The heat is very much on full blast.

3) A night after the T-Rats blew their eighth Save in 12 Save Opportunities, it was RHP Patricio Aquino's turn to try for the miraculous. Thankfully, he managed to work around three hits and one free pass in a 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 ER in his first successful Save effort of 2025 in his second opportunity. Aquino is definitely more a spot starter middle innings work horse kind of arm lacking the top end velocity and relying more on grit and slider savvy on the bump. But, if anything is clear in the 'Needs' department at the A-Levels in early 2025 it's high-leverage late inning arms. I would casually opine both the T-Rats and the Mudcats lack a surefire consistent set up man or Save artist.

 Final: Carolina 7, Myrtle Beach (Cubs) 6

Mudcats Rally Past Myrtle Beach in Extra Innings - Lameda and Made Come up Clutch in the Eleventh

Box Score / Game Log 

You know I love to lead with pitchers. It's what I do in my reports. And, my did RHP Bryce Meccage have a fantastic outing - the young righty is touching 96 and 97 mph on the radar gun as a high school draft pick. I lead with pitchers because it's what we do in the game itself. However, it is time to have the serious conversation about INF Jesus Made. I mean, I hinted at what we might be discovering in my DSL game threads early last summer. Go ahead, you'll find it. I brought it up quite early knowing what we were seeing statistically was anomalous. BUT, I hadn't seen the young man play an inning. We're a month in. It's fair to say it: we have a budding superstar in our midst. The young man absolutely drips with aura. He absolutely mashes from both sides of the plate and to all fields. He is 17 years old for another week. Let us enjoy this time together:

Three Quick Strikes:

1) Back to Meccage. 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, and 7 K. He can throw the curveball to great impact but today it was all about the high riding four-seamer:

Can we join each other in a Brewers prayer circle and envision what it could have looked like with RHP Chris Levonas coming to the bump tomorrow? Can we heal from our collective loss. I believe Bryce delivered quite the message today that he'll be just fine as the marquis high school arm from the 2024 draft class. Thank you Spencer, btw, with his immense offering of in-game clips throughout April. 

2) Welcome to Low-A baseball Luis Lameda. How about coming through with a clutch extra-innings poke to set the table for the walk-off Made 'single'?

Quite an impressive debut in full-season ball to come through with that poke in a 2-for-5, 2 R, 1 RBI game out of the nine-hole. I see you Mr. Lameda. Let's keep the pipeline humming along.

3) Watching LHP Caden Vire pitch is quite an experience. I can't say I know where his pitches are going to wind up one to the next. BUT, it's undeniably exciting. It's very much a boom or bust proposition at present for the former high school draft pick (2 1/3 IP, 5 K, 6 BB, 3.43 WHIP) but, man alive, he truly has such an electric arm on such a moldable long wiry frame. You can see the vision every time he takes the bump (in the few times we've been lucky enough to see him). His heater absolutely rips. Control is very much his Achilles heel at present. It will likely be his heel throughout this season. But the development path is worth being paved as is consistently checking in on his outings. 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 HR, 2 ER, 3 K today. Can he limit the free passes in the months ahead? This is one of my favorite peripheral storylines in the Brewers Minor Leagues for all of 2025.

We have an early evening start in Gwinnett tomorrow as they try to make-up their post-poned Sunday game from their last series. It will be LHP Bruce Zimmerman to start game one and we are 'TBD' for game two. RHP Travis Smith will bring every bit of his 6'4" 220 to the bump in Zebulon as the Mudcats look to race to a 3-0 series lead. RHP Abdiel Mendoza will look to harness his wildness and reclaim that intrigue from his 2025 debut outing - it's been a bit of a struggle for Mendoza to date despite having intriguing tools. And, Wisconsin will look to ride the arm of RHP Christian Welch to a 2-1 series lead as the late game amongst the affiliates.

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

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