Brewers Minor League Link Report (4/5): Nashville Romps, Carolina Holds On

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Final: Nashville 10, Gwinnett (Braves) 2
Box Score and Game Log

Via the Sounds’ website, game details, and we encourage readers to review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine:

Sounds Slug Their Way to Saturday Night Win - Season-High 14 Hits, Three Home Runs

I appreciate the Gwinnett social media team's post after this on.

It was a road game, but the Sounds' own "X" feed chronicled all three Nashville home runs, because, let's face it, this power surge was an outlier given the team's early offensive struggles.

Jorge Alfaro's four singles boosted his season line to 6-for-24. He's yet to walk but stole his second base of the season. He last reached double-digits in thefts 12 years ago in the Rangers' system. Had to remind myself that 2B/C Anthony Seigler is the backup backstop and has started for Alfaro in the two games he has sat thus far.

Caleb Durbin has played in seven of the Sounds eight games, this was his second as the designated hitter - four games at 3B, one at 2B. Let's keep the glove on his hand, when possible, especially at the hot corner.

Speaking of wearing the glove, this was Wes Clarke's first game in the field, as he spelled Ernesto Martinez, Jr., who had the night off.

Have not yet researched what kept CF Jared Oliva at the AA level in the Mariners' system for all of 2024 in his age-28 season, but he's going to need to be a major contributor for the Sounds in '25, and so far, so good.

Carlos Rodriguez was back in a Sounds uniform as his "in case someone is hurt or if Nestor Cortes' wife goes into labor early" stand-by stint in Milwaukee ended. He had eight men reach during his four-inning and 84 pitch outing here, so dancing around trouble applies. 

Have seen folks question Jacob Misiorowski's appearance in relief, but it was seemingly planned to help coordinate things given Rodriguez's own unique schedule this week.

Fifteen batters faced for The Mis - four walks. It skews things a bit to look at his entire MiLB body of work, but it's still amazing. Pro career thus far - 179 IP, 101 H, 116 BB, 32 HBP, 251 K. Entertaining, to be sure.

Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes
Final: Pensacola (Marlins) 7, Biloxi 1
Box Score and Game Log

Woessner, Manfredi Combine for 3.0 Scoreless Innings, Shuckers Fall to Wahoos - Vargas records first Double-A hit in middle game of three-game set

Pre-Game Audio with RH reliever Will Childers

Voice of the Shuckers Javik Blake is to be commended on a number of fronts, but especially for his optimism. You can count on Javik to produce video highlights for the team's online "X" account when the positive aspects of a game may be slim, even while on the road (here's Saturday's examples). The game summaries and the associated titles of such will find ways to accentuate the positive, which, to be honest, is the attitude we've tended to take on these Link Reports all these years.

So yes, it was good to see Tyler Woessner and Mark Manfredi pitch well, those innings did come late with the 7-1 deficit already established. It would be big if Woessner can toss aside his 2024 struggles and embrace the fine start to his age 25 season. 

Just three lonely singles and two walks for the Shuckers, although Darrien Miller has now taken a 1-0 lead over Luke Adams in the HBP race that we will all be glued to this season.

Luis Lara and Brock Wilken have combined to K eight times in 15 at-bats thus far (Wilken singled on Friday), and goodness, it must be so frustrating to have some guy at a keyboard point that out in the teeny-tiny sample of two games. These young men are so much more mentally resilient than we give them credit for. We look forward to that statistical base to expand in the coming months to provide a bigger picture value. It seems some guy named Chourio K'd five times on Opening Day, and a future Hall-of-Famer named Altuve did the same this week.

It'd be understandable if 29-year-old southpaw Josh Maciejewski was disappointed in his AA assignment, given the February minor league free agent signing pitched well for the Yankees in his first four MLB games last season. But the words "line drive" can be found often within that 5th inning five-run game log which culminated in a grand slam. Ouch.

Jheremy Vargas, who turns only 22 next month, is going to have a real chance to establish himself in the early going. How so? The INF/OF (primarily outfielder these days) should see plenty of playing time, as the current makeup of the Biloxi bench shows only one non-catcher. Saturday saw Ethan Murray as that bench bat. Get used to seeing the same core lineup often for the Shuckers, at least as it stands now.

Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes (download link) 
Final: Cedar Rapids (Twins) 6, Wisconsin 4
Box Score and Game Log

Cedar Rapids Scores Late to Beat Wisconsin - Kernels break 4-4 tie with two runs on no hits in eighth inning for 6-4 win

The Cedar Rapids logo is more of a wiffle-ball bat than a torpedo bat but still gets high marks from this viewer.

Did anybody share my initial reaction to the Wisconsin opening roster? There's a sense of well, they should be OK (any team under Manager Victor Estevez will be), but it didn't overwhelm the senses.

Looks as though the Eduardo Garcia outfield experiment is on hold (third base also, perhaps), and a reminder that Garcia, though just in his age 22 season, is set to be a minor league free agent this fall (darn you, lost 2020 campaign). Garcia doubled twice here.

Juan Baez, still a teenager until late June, was the team's cleanup batter for this game - and yes, the career .293/.345/.408 line is fun to admire, but Baez had all of one home run with Carolina in 2024 (though lest we forget, two in the Arizona Fall League!). 

Yhoswar Garcia (one of nine "Garcia's" in the system and three on the T-Rats) made his high-A debut at age 23 Friday and as he often did in his 65-stolen base season with the Mudcats, swiped third base in this game immediately after pilfering second base in the 4th inning. Still not sure what the Phillies didn't like when they released him in spring training 2024.

Nice High-A debut for LHP Anthony Flores, as the 20-year-old only made seven appearances (three starts) with Carolina in a 2024 season that began with less-than-stellar results in Maryvale. So, a nice early justification for his advanced placement here.

On the other end of the age spectrum, minor league Rule 5 pickup RHP Zach Peek, who turns 27 next month, also did well. He's had an injury-laced career thus far. A bit of trivia here - Peek was part of a four-player package acquired by the Orioles from the Angels in 2019 for RHP Dylan Bundy - that package included RHP Kyle Bradish.

Sorry, buried the lead:

Click here for the Postgame Podcast with Clubhouse Comments from Eduardo Garcia, Bishop Letson, & Victor Estevez

Letson's a fun listen, also. Insightful and comfortable in front of the microphone.

Final: Carolina 6, Fredericksburg (Nationals) 4
Box Score and Game Log

Augusta Rallies Past Mudcats 

A 2-0 start vs. the dastardly team that knocked the Mudcats out of the playoffs last fall - nice!

Looking forward to about 15 years of Brewers career wordplay on RHP Bryce Meccage (pronounced "message"). Possibilities abound.

- "The Meccage is clear!" 
- "Did (fill in the opponent) get the Meccage?"
- "Bryce gets his Meccage across"

This was a glorious debut and of the day's contests, the one I was able to view live for the better part. 

Signed out of the MLB Draft league, RHP Tanner Gillis threw 3.1 critical relief innings in his affiliated pro debut. The Northern Kentucky product turns 25 in August, so Wisconsin may not be far off. 

RHP Garrett Hodges made his pro debut as well, he'll turn 22 in June. Wasn't as successful, but congratulations are in order. An interesting non-drafted signing, as his 2024 numbers at Gardner-Webb do not impress on the surface.

Oh, what's that, you say, another NDFA making his pro debut? Soon to be 22-year-old RHP Miles Langhorne, out of UNC-Charlotte (and again the MLB Draft League) needed only two pitches to net a GIDP save. That's how you do it.

Important notes -

Braylon Payne had hinted at a potential hamstring injury when he was pulled Friday. Awesome to see him in the lineup and he played the full game here (though as the DH, smart).

No Jesus Made? This may be a case of an off-the-field personal need, as @wiguy94 points out here. Hope all is well.

Telling you that Kay-Lan Nicasia could not have looked more ineffective in his then-critical 6th-inning strikeout on three pitches with the bases loaded, his 4th K of the game. He then shrugged off the golden sombrero with an insurance bomb - take that!

Goodness, this Reece Walling throw is fantabulous!

Hey everyone, Josh Adamczewski is still a teenager. Absolute stud set to skyrocket the prospect charts:

It's a shame that the Mudcats, like others in the Carolina League, don't broadcast road games. Chris Edwards is excellent, and there's no drop-off from the Hem-Blake-Mehring quality we are accustomed to via the other affiliates.

It's all afternoon action on the farm Sunday. Look for Brewers Co-Minor League Pitcher of the Year KC Hunt to notch Biloxi's first "W" (as long as his mates comply).

UPDATE: Via Jeff Hem on the Nashville Sunday start time.

Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores
Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth
Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth

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