Brewers Minor League Link Report (4/9): RHP Logan Henderson Shoves in 5 IP of No-Hit Ball; RHP John Holobetz Pitches a Low-A Master Class

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Final: Nashville 3, Memphis (Cardinals) 0

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 Blank Redbirds for Second Straight Night - Henderson Pitches Five No-Hit Innings Earning Second Win of the Year

Box Score / Game Log

Early reports from Sounds announce Jeff Hem declare RHP Tobias Myers was all systems go after his first rehab outing. Big news for the Big Club Brewers. Let's keep more good news coming out of Nashville: RHP Logan Henderson was fantastic in his third start of the young season. 5.0 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 8 K, 0 R. He only needed 68 pitches to complete his evening. 12 whiffs on 31 swings. His cutter and slider offerings continue to decline slightly in usage but when he's so accurate with his dominant four-seamer-to-change up and limiting max exit velocity to 96.3 mph there is zero reason to nitpick. In week one I showcased his pitch map spread demonstrably showing Henderson was missing all over the zone low. In tonight's outing he had maybe three or four truly errant pitches and you could argue they all came in his first AB.

Tonight was as good as it gets and it leaves us wanting more. Henderson moved to 2-1 on his season lowering his overall ERA to 3.21. He has a very healthy 24 K in just 14.0 IP. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) Alluded to above in my pre-amble, the Sounds pitching staff is on an absolute roll. After tonight's combined shutout (they had a no-no bid into the eighth inning, by the way), the bullpen has now gone seven full games or 38 IP (!!) without surrendering a single run. My goodness. The staff as a whole came into tonight's contest leading all of Triple-A with a 2.21 ERA. They just lowered their team ERA to 1.99. The bullpen sits at 1.12. With a second consecutive shutout that number obviously did not increase. This type of output is obviously not sustainable for an entire season but for an opening ten game stretch it's hard to imagine a better team-wide effort. Major kudos are due to pitching coach Jeremy Accardo who once again finds himself in the middle of something special.

2) Just this past morning our esteemed colleague, @Jake McKibbin, shared some eye-popping data for one 1B Ernesto Martinez Jr.. It was validating in that I've been talking about Martinez's contact and exit velocity rates for well over a year. It was particularly uplifting when we caught wind of his 95.3% In Zone Contact rate. He's the real deal folks and he just continues to mature and refine his approach. Tonight EMJ only added to the growing legend: a 111 mph single to CF and a 116 mph single to right field. These balls were absolutely scorched. Watching the swings and hearing the contact was nearly an out of body experience. He also showcased his casual ballerina-like athleticism on more than one occasion stabbing hard hit grounders and casually and effortlessly scooping challenging short hops. Martinez continues to showcase why is very very clearly option 1A in the 'Future Brewers First Baseman' category.

3)  Earlier this off-season, I opined I thought OF Jimmy Herron would quickly work his way up the greater outfield emergency depth chart. Seeing his early struggles, I've quickly pivoted to a man more deserving in the early going. CF Jared Oliva continues to be a menace in nearly every facet of the game and the Sounds are being rewarded on a near nightly basis as a result. Last night I discussed his incredible sprinting diving catch in right center field. Tonight, he executed a sprinting casual sliding snag to preserve Henderson's no hit bid. It was one of those plays a supreme athlete makes look all too easy - it was not. He is a perfect 6-for-6 in the stolen base department successfully swiping two more bags tonight. He added his sixth RBI in a 1-for-4 night at the dish pushing his 10-game BA to 0.324 with an 0.924 OPS. He has been the best surprise of the Sounds early season.

Final: Biloxi 3, Columbus (Braves) 1

Cornielle Makes History in Shuckers Comeback Win over Clingstones - Righty Sets Historic Organizational Mark in Double-A Debut

Box Score / Game Log

Game Notes

Fresh off of squandering their first real chance at a victory, and their home opener, the Shuckers managed to squeak out a comeback 3-1 victory in a Southern League pitcher's duel. RHP Alexander Cornielle delivered mightily in his Double-A debut and possibly his biggest fan posting in our Minor League forums, @biedergb, couldn't have been more thrilled. And, rightfully so:

As a matter of fact, Cornielle became the first pitcher in franchise history to toss 6.0 shutout innings while allowing one hit or less! Congratulations, Alexander! All in all, Cornielle kept the Clingstones scoreless while allowing a single poke and two harmless free passes. He also struck out four. He threw 78 pitches total with 46 strikes. It appears the young Cornielle (he is 23 years old until August) is finding early comfort being back with his old skipper in Joe Ayrault. 

Quickly, here are your local Biloxi WXXV Shuckers highlights:

Three Quick Strikes:

1) While the ongoing early challenges mount for 3B Luke Adams and RF Bladimir Restituyo (a combined 0-for-7, 2 K mark - both punch outs going to Adams), SS Cooper Pratt continues to establish his Double-A footing in the batters box. His 2-for-4, 1 RBI day pushed his very early sample up to a 0.300 BA clip. It isn't all roses, however. After yesterday's botched fly ball in shallow LF, Pratt was charged with a catching error in a failed Shuckers run down with two down in the seventh frame. The entire sequence was a bit of a classic 2025 Shuckers affair (2:41:18 for those of you at home) with consecutive poor throws from Eric Brown Jr. and Zavier Warren coloring the mishap. Unfortunately, Pratt couldn't quite bring the ball into his glove and the runner at third base easily made it across home plate. Errors happen in baseball and errors like the one just described feel as though they could be shared amongst multiple players. Regardless, the talented young infielder will look to sharpen his fielding tools through the rest of the series.

2) The fact the Shuckers trailed in the seventh inning after the above-described sequence but managed to pull out the 3-1 victory is just the medicine this ailing squad needed. We can thank talented C Ramón Rodríguez (one of my recent favorites since his acquisition just last season) for his two run oppo double to right field in the bottom half of the seventh frame to give the Shuckers a tight lead they wouldn't relinquish. He also added a walk earlier in the game and nabbed a base runner trying to swipe second base. C Darrien Miller will likely get the majority of the work behind the dish given his standing within the organization, but make no mistake about it: Rodríguez is more than capable of stepping in behind the dish and in a DH role. 

3) LF Ethan Murray? Yes, indeed. With the organizational maxim to feed Eric Brown Jr. and Cooper Pratt the majority of the middle infield innings, and with INF/OF Dylan O'Rae still mysteriously absent, Murray is apparently being pushed into an odd early season timeshare with Jheremy Vargas to ensure he gets some opportunity. Put this occurrence in 'Categories I absolutely would not have considered for the early 2025 Shuckers Jeopardy Challenge'. Regardless, given Murray's innate defensive prowess and athleticism I have very little doubt he'll acquit himself just fine wherever they manage to put him in their defensive line ups. Murray managed a 1-for-3 mark at the dish with a free pass. A fine season and organizational positional debut.

Final: Quad Cities (Royals) 1, Wisconsin 0

Bandits Beat Wisconsin 1-0 - Two Consecutive Two-Out River Bandits Doubles Late Lead to Tough Loss

Box Score / Game Log

Game Notes

The Timber Rattlers pitching was fantastic last night. The Timber Rattlers pitching was fantastic tonight. RHP Ryan Birchard managed to pitch 3 2/3 IP of 1 H, 4 BB, 4 K, 0 R ball. He put forth what appears to be a fairly unimpressive 38 strikes in 72 pitches stat line but that doesn't exactly tell the tale. I would opine he suffered at the hands of two things: a very tight zone and the occasional bouts of losing his pitches arm side. He was definitely fighting himself and his mechanics throughout, no doubt, but he also looked to be in better shape with better pitch shapes for a good deal of his outing as well. It was a bit of a mixed bag but I left quite encouraged even though the macro statistics will tell us he put too many free runners on the base paths. Four two out free passes - two apiece in two separate innings - is not a sustainable habit. Yet I saw dynamic late dipping movement and shape with his heater profile. I also saw more than enough intrigue with his off-speed movement to both sides of the dish. In other words, I left this outing more hopeful than I was at any point in 2024. That's a big win for this old farmhand. I can see the vision of what might become with this talented young hurler.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) It's easy to over invest in these early season sample sizes, but it is worth pointing out LF Yhoswar Garcia looks quite overmatched in the Midwest League in the early going. He looks rushed and uncomfortable. Most of his swings at present appear to be swings merely trying to fight off a pitch. It would appear it is going to take him some time to adjust to the new speed and the new level of pitching skill. Just promoted CF Kay-Lan Nicasia had a tough debut (0-for-3, 3 K, 1 BB) including a first AB three pitch strikeout. He did go down swinging, however. Nicasia also managed to work the home pate umpire's extremely tight interpretation of the strikezone for a two out walk to load the bases in the ninth inning. A good ending to a very tough night.

2) RHP Zach Peek looked like a poised and collected pitcher who had a cup of coffee in Double-A last season. Everything he threw tonight looked effortless and with real purpose. He stranded Birchard's two inherited runners in rapid and impressive fashion. He then pitched another impactful and precise frame. 1 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 WP. 20 pitches and 14 strikes. That's the type of output that will keep your name in the high-leverage conversation. I came away quite impressed and I would definitely add he is every bit of the posted 6' 3" in height.

3) This was our first look at young 20-year-old RHP Daniel Corniel in High-A. The first inning was downright filthy including a ridiculous pull the string swinging K slider to end a quick and efficient bit of work. He looked a bit more filled out than all of 2024 - the young man clearly put in some work to fine-tune his physical body. We didn't hear any velocity readings so I can't compare it to anything I saw on the bump for Carolina in 2024, but the off-speed was quite dialed for the most part with plenty of horizontal and vertical movement. Unfortunately, he was indeed the man on the mound for the two consecutive two out doubles in the bottom of the seventh. Corniel limited any further damage, however, and ultimately gave his team every chance they needed. 3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 ER is an impressive debut. His highly efficient 40 pitch 30 strike effort is also quite impressive given his occasional loss of control in the Carolina League just last season.

Final: Carolina 9, Myrtle Beach (Cubs) 2

Mudcats Beat Myrtle Beach to Win Fifth Straight - Catcher Yannic Walther Takes His Turn in Breakout Performance

Box Score / Game Log

The Cubs Low-A video conspiracy rambles on. Threads are running amok on the social media channels. Is it a Ricketts family conspiracy? Are they intentionally cutting costs for this series alone to save face with their Wrigleyville crowds? We'll report back with more as our investigative journalists crawl their ways out of the Ivy and into our Slack channels. Regarless, this ongoing 'Cameragate' cost us all an opportunity to see the caliber of LHP Wande Torres in his Low-A debut. Shameful. More importantly, it stole the 5 IP of 1 H, 1 BB, 9 K dominancing put forth by one very dreamy RHP John Holobetz. Atone for your baseball sins, oh lowly Pelicans. Get those cameras back on board.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) C Yannic Walther put forth a 2-for-4, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K performance batting in the nine-hole. My goodness the depth and upside of the youth on this squad is astounding. And, the best part is, in the limited AB's I've seen of Walther in the Carolina League I can definitively say this isn't all that surprising. He has decent pitch recognition and plate discipline. I like his swing. To see him come through like this, however, speaks to possible untapped or unrealized or, frankly, unconsidered upside. Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet, obviously, but this has to be a major early-season boon to his overall confidence.

2) Special shout out to one DH Demetrio Nadal who rose above my constructive criticisms just one report ago to put forth his best performance to date in his very early season. 2-for-4 with 2 R, 2 BB, and 2 SB is the type of disruptive chaos we could come to expect from such a dynamic and active athlete. Kudos to Nadal for showing up and finding a groove. Special shout out, as well, to RF Reece Walling for his 2 BB, 3 R effort. He managed a few K's in there as well but as I was watching the Gamecast alongside my live game action and he worked several counts deep. 

3) It's hard to make any type of judgment or informed commentary when we can't see these games in any format, however it is appropriate to share talented young SS Luis Peña was charged with two more errors on the evening. He now has four errors (all from the shortstop position if I'm not mistaken) on his very early season. He'll need to shore that up. He also put forth a 3-for-5, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB outing at the dish. Impressive stuff. 

That's a wrap for my reporting duties this week. Stay tuned as Jim and Daniel take us through the weekend. More pitching worthy of our attention is on the docket for tomorrow's full evening slate: RHP Jack Hostetler will look to continue inflicting pain on the Pelicans' bats, RHP Manuel Rodriguez will attempt to reach double digit strikeouts in consecutive starts, RHP Jacob Misiorowski will look to stay in command of his five-tool arsenal, and LHP Tate Kuehner will look to bounce back and keep the Shuckers in the win column after a surprisingly pedestrian debut performance.

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

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