Brewers Minor League Week in Review (4/25-30): Cruz, Vallecillo Represent Nicaragua Well

It was another busy week in the Brewers organization. Weather remained a big factor in the schedules. There were doubleheaders and games even cancelled. 

But most important, did the players develop? And, if nothing else, if they played they got opportunities to learn. So which prospects are we seeing in these weekly reports? Any surprises? Any disappointments? Be sure to discuss and ask each other questions in the Comments below. 

Triple-A Nashville Sounds
Last Week: 4-2 hosting Omaha  
Overall: 14-12
Standings: 5th place in the International League West Division (5 GB)
What’s Next: At St. Paul (15-10) for six games

Top Hitter: IF Keston Hiura  
For the second time in three weeks of Week in Reviews, the former first-round pick had a monster week to take the top spot for the Sounds. Last week, Hiura played in six games. He went 9-for-18 and hit .500/.500/.944 (1.444) with two doubles, two home runs, and nine RBI. In 22 plate appearances, he had two walks and just three strikeouts. In 23 games this season for Nashville, he is hitting .325/.383/.687 (1.070) with three homers and nine home runs.

So one question that has to be asked is how Hiura can resurface with the Brewers, or if ultimately he should be traded. In Nashville, he has started at first base and second base five times each. He has made nine starts in left field. Of course, he can also DH.

Honorable Mention
OF Skye Bolt (29): 5 G, 8-for-18, 8-for-18, .444/.524/.889 (1.413), 2-2B, 2-HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K.
IF Andruw Monasterio (26): 4 G, 4-for-9, .444/.667/.556 (1.223), 1-2B, 6 BB, 0 K.
IF Eddy Alvarez (33): 5 G, 9-for-22, .409/.480/.545 (1.025), 3-2B, 2 BB, 3 K. 3 SB.
Rehabbing OF Tyrone Taylor (29): 5 G, 5-for-21, .238/.304/.524 (.828), 1-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 7 K.

Top 20 Prospects
#2 prospect, OF Sal Frelick (23): Out 6-8 weeks after labrum surgery in his thumb.

Top Pitcher: RHP Caleb Boushley   
For the second time this season, Caleb Boushley is the choice for Pitcher of the Week at Nashville. He went 1-0 and tossed five shutout innings. He gave up just two hits and didn’t walk a batter. Yes, he struck out just one batter, but the innings were quick.

The 29-year-old from Hortonville and the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse continues to keep himself in the conversation. He has now made six starts for the Sounds. He is 1-1 with a 5.57 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. In 21 innings, he has walked eight and struck out 14 batters.

Honorable Mention
LHP Clayton Andrews (26): 2 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, 1.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 4 K.
RHP Pedro Fernandez (29): 2 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 5.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K.
LHP Thomas Pannone (29): 1 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 3.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K.
RHP Luis Contreras (27): 2 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 2.1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K.
MLB Rehab RHP Adrian Houser (30): 1 GS, 5.40 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 5.0 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K.   

Other Top 20 Prospects
#7 Prospect, LHP Robert Gasser (24): 2 GS, 7.20 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 10.0 IP, 9 R, 8 ER, 4 BB, 2 HBP, 12 K.
#18 prospect, LHP Ethan Small (26): 2 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 3.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 K.  

Double-A Biloxi Shuckers
Last Week: 3-3, hosting Mississippi  
Overall: 12-9
Standings: 1st place in the Southern League (1 GA)
What’s Next: At Montgomery (11-10) for six games

Top Hitter: #5 prospect, C Jeferson Quero (20)
Last week for Biloxi, Brewers catching prospect Jeferson Quero played in five games. He had six hits in 19 at-bats and hit .316/.350/.632 (.982) with two homers and five RBI. Quero has played in 12 total games this season, and he is hitting .279/.311/.419 (.730) with two homers and five RBI. In other words, his offense for the year is pretty much just what he did last week. More important than the actual stats, which are right around league average, if not slightly above average, he is still just 20 years old, about four years younger than league average.

And that is something that Quero has had to overcome throughout his career. The Brewers signed the Backstop from Barquisimeto (VZ) on July 2nd, 2019, for $200,000. Like many, he couldn’t make his professional debut until 2021 when the Brewers had him play in the Arizona Complex League. He began the 2022 season in Carolina where he hit .278/.345/.412 (.757) with 18 doubles and six homers in 75 games. He was about two years younger than league average. He then played 20 games at High-A Wisconsin and hit .313/.329/.530 (.860) with four doubles, a triple, and four home runs. And he was 3 1/2 years younger than the average player. His 2022 season ended with 15 more games in the Arizona Fall League. By the way, he has also thrown out 31% of would-be base stealers in his pro career, including 43% so far this season.

Honorable Mention
IF Noah Campbell (24): 5 G, 6-for-18, .333/.429/.444 (.873), 1-3B, 3 BB, 5 K.
IF Isaac Collins (25): 6 G, 4-for-11, .364/.462/.455 (.917), 1-2B, RBI, 2 BB, K, 6/6 SB.

Top 20 Prospects
#1 prospect OF Jackson Chourio (19): 6 G, 7-for-23, 304/.308/.348 (.656), 2B, 4-RBI, BB, 3-K, 3/3 SB.  
#8 prospect IF Tyler Black (22): 5 G, 4-for-16, .250/.455/.250 (.705), 2 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K, 4/4 SB.  

Top Pitcher: RHP Justin Jarvis   
Justin Jarvis is another repeat choice here. Jarvis had another terrific start and arguably has had the best month of his pro career. In his start last week, he gave up one run on six hits over six innings. He struck out six batters without issuing a walk. In four April starts, he is 2-1 with a 1.57 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Over 23 innings, he has 29 strikeouts and just six walks. Really, all the numbers that you would look at to evaluate a pitcher are there, and more importantly, have improved from last year.

As a high school draft pick in 2018, you expect that it isn’t going to happen overnight, and Jarvis has continued to work hard over the years, so it’s nice to see the success. Now the challenge is to sustain said success next month, and throughout the season, and even after he becomes the first Lake Norman High School (North Carolina) grad to pitch in the big leagues. Fair to say that picking baseball over basketball was the right decision.

Honorable Mention
RHP Harold Chirino (25): 3 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 3.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 K.
LHP Nick Bennett (25): 2 G, 0.00 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 4.1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 K.
LHP Darrell Thompson (29): 2 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 3.1 IP, 0 R, 0 H0 BB, 3 K.   

Top 20 Prospects
#11 prospect RHP Carlos Rodriguez (21): 1 GS, 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 5.0 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 9 K.
#13 prospect RHP Abner Uribe (23): 3 G, 1-0, 3.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 3.0 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 K.

High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
Last Week: Hosted Beloit, 1-4 (Sunday game cancelled due to rain)  
Overall: 8-12
Standings: 6th place in the Midwest League West Division  
What’s Next: At Peoria (10-5) for six games.

Top Hitter: 2B Jose Acosta  
Last week, second baseman Jose Acosta played in four of the five games for the Timber Rattlers. He had five hits in 12 at-bats and hit .417/.500/.667 (1.167) with a walk, a double and a triple. Of Wisconsin hitters that played more than twice, only Acosta and Ernesto Martinez had an OPS over .581. On the season, the 23-year-old is hitting .333/.379/.519 (.898) with three doubles and a triple in ten games.

The Brewers are the third MLB organization for Acosta already. He signed in July of 2017 with the Cincinnati Reds. In 2019, between the DSL Reds and AZL Reds, he hit .395/.481/.579 (1.060) with 17 doubles, five triples and three home runs. He also had 26 steals in 27 attempts. Unfortunately, the 2020 season was lost. In December of 2020, the Reds sent Acosta to the Texas Rangers in exchange for outfielder Scott Heineman. At the end of May last year, the Brewers sent some cash to the Rangers to acquire Acosta. In 67 games with Wisconsin last year, he hit .216/.294/.372 with six doubles and eight home runs.

Honorable Mentions
IF Ben Metzinger (24): 2 G, 3-for-6, .500/.667/.500 (1.167), 3 BB.

Top 20 Prospects
#9 prospect SS Eric Brown Jr (22): 2 G, 2-for-2, 1.000/1.000/1.500 (2.500), 2B, 2 BB, 2/2 SB. 2 HBP. He was hit by a pitch in the face and has not played since then. 

Top Pitcher: #15 prospect RHP Stiven Cruz (21)
In his start last week, Stiven Cruz gave up one run on four hits and two walks over five innings. He had four strikeouts. He has made four starts this season for Wisconsin. He is 1-0 with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. In 18 innings, he has given up 13 hits, walked nine and struck out 16 batters.

Cruz signed with the Brewers in July of 2019 from Managua, Nicaragua. Of course, that meant that his professional debut didn’t come until 2021. That season, he posted a 1.37 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in the DSL. In 52 2/3 innings, he walked 23 and struck out 73 batters. He came to the States last year and skipped the Arizona Complex League. He began with 15 starts in Carolina where he went 3-5 with a 4.60 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. He finished the season by posting a 0.47 ERA in four starts with the Timber Rattlers. In 91 1/3 combined innings, he walked 24 and struck out 109 batters (10.7 K/9).

Honorable Mention
RHP Max Lazar (24): 1 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 3.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 K.
RHP Joseph Hernandez (23): 1 GS, 3.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 6.0 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 K.

Top 20 Prospects
#20 prospect RHP Alexander Cornielle (21): 1 GS, 0-0, 3.38 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 5.1 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 1 BB, 7 K.

Low-A Carolina Mudcats 
Last Week: Hosting Kannapolis, 3-2 (Sunday’s game postponed due to weather).
Overall: 11-8  
Standings: 2nd place in the Carolina League (1 GB)
What’s Next: At Delmarva (12-7) for six games

Top Hitter: OF Kaylan Nicasia (21)
In four games for the Mudcats last week, outfielder Kaylan Nicasia went 6-for-12 and hit .500/.625/.750 (1.375) with a double, a triple, and four walks. He was 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts. In 11 games this season, he is hitting .259/.444/.370 (.815) with four steals. Before last week against Kannapolis, he had just one hit in 15 at-bats, but he was getting on base with walks.

Nicasia was born in Oss, Netherlands, a small town about halfway between Amsterdam and Dusseldorf. The family went to Curacao and then to Miami. The Brewers drafted the switch-hitter in the 16th round in 2021 out of Champagnat Catholic High School in south Florida. After playing just 16 games in the ACL in 2021, he played in 43 games in Arizona last summer. He hit .232/.342/.435 (.776) with seven doubles, three triples, and five home runs.

Honorable Mention
IF Daniel Guilarte (19): 5 G, 8-for-19, .421/.522/.526 (1.048), 3B, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K, 5/6 SB.

3B Luke Adams (19): 5 G, 4-for-15, .267/.500/.333 (.833), 2B, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K, 2/3 SB.

Top 20 Prospects
#17 prospect OF Jace Avina (20): 4 G, 2-for-13, .154/.353/.462 (.815), 2B, HR, RBI, 3 BB, 6 K.    

Top Pitcher: RHP Alexander Vallecillo (20)   
Last week, Vallecillo made a start and was phenomenal. He tossed five scoreless innings and gave up just one hit. He struck out six batters and didn’t walk any hitters. He has made two starts and two relief appearances this season. Combined, he is 0-0 with a 1.29 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP. In 14 innings, he has given up just six hits and three walks, and he has 19 strikeouts. In his four outings this season, he has worked two innings, three innings, four innings, and now five innings. Maybe this week, he’ll complete six innings…

Vallecillo signed in January of 2021 out of Managua, Nicaragua. He went to the Dominican Summer League and went 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA over 40 innings. Last year, he pitched 37 2/3 innings in the Arizona Complex League and ended the season with 20 innings with the Mudcats. Combined, he struggled to a 5.62 ERA, but he had 62 innings over 57 2/3 innings.

Honorable Mention
RHP Edwin Jimenez (21): 1 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 4.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 8 K.
LHP Nate Peterson (23): 1 GS, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 4.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 4 BB, 5 K.
RHP Shane Smith (23): 2 G, 1-0, 1 S, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 3.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K.

Top 20 Prospects
#10 prospect RHP Jacob Misiorowski (21): 1 G, 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 2.0 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K.  

YOUR TURN…
Now is your opportunity to vote on the weekly Brewers minor league awards:

Hitter of the Week
Nashville – Keston Hiura, 6 G, 22 PA, 9 H, 2-2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .500 (1.444)
Biloxi – Jeferson Quero, 5 G, 20 PA, 6 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .316 (.982)
Wisconsin – Jose Acosta, 4 G, 14 PA, 5 H, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, .417 (1.167)
Carolina – Kaylan Nicasio, 5 G, 16 PA, 6 H, 2B, 3B, 0 RBI, .500 (1.375)

Pitcher of the Week
Nashville – Caleb Boushley, 1 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.40 WHIP, 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K
Biloxi – Justin Jarvis, 1 GS, 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 6 IP, 1 R, 6 H, 0 BB, 6 K
Wisconsin – Stiven Cruz, 1 GS, 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 5 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Carolina – Alexander Vallecillo, 1 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.20 WHIP, 5 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 6 K

Feel free to ask questions and discuss the Brewers’ minor league affiliates and prospects in the COMMENTS below.