Minors

In a reversal of early season form, the lower levels recorded two wins but Nashville and Biloxi fell. Aussie Alex Hall belted two no doubter homers, part of five blasts on the day.

Over the course of a long season, winning just 40% of the time is clearly not ideal. On any one specific date on the calendar, it can be chalked up as just part of the daily ride baseball gives its fans. When the losses aren't necessarily competitive, as was the case Saturday, we search for positives regardless. Let's begin the review of the action, keeping in mind that for consistency's sake all season, we always visit the day from top to bottom in the Brewers' chain, kicking off with the Sounds.

On Friday night, MiLB prospect watchers had their eyes trained on Biloxi, and for good reason, as a couple of 19-year-old top players faced off. Technically, Marlins 6'8" RHP Eury Perez pitched on the eve of his 20th birthday, but yes, officially this was a battle of teenagers on the AA level. The Brewers' Jackson Chourio and Perez each experienced highs and lows within the contest. Elsewhere, the Crew's farm experienced a win, a loss, and well, the state of North Carolina has been a bit water-logged all month. 

Brewers affiliates won two of five games on Thursday, including a doubleheader split for Biloxi and frustrating losses for Wisconsin and Carolina.

While much attention of fans will be directed to the Nashville Sounds, the Biloxi Shuckers are almost as crucial.

It was an early start in a mid-week slate of affiliate games, and after two tough results in Carolina and Wisconsin, I was ready for a turning of the tide in the evening hours. Unfortunately, we had a rain out in Biloxi, where my Chourio fix went unfulfilled. But those Nashville Sounds completed another late-inning comeback showing their grit yet again. Let's get into the report!

After a week on the road for all our beloved Brewers affiliates, it was back home for each and every one kicking off our second week of the Minor League season. Thankfully, I could finally watch the consensus number one prospect in all of baseball in OF Jackson Chourio. Let's just put it mildly: he certainly gave the Shuckers faithful their money's worth. More to follow, folks, but let's be clear: we have a generational talent on our hands. I kept myself under reins in 2022. After tonight? I am feeling a bit 'Chourio Unchained'. 

Sal Frelick had a very exciting spring. Between Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic, posting a .808 OPS in some abbreviated spring training action before he took the WBC by storm with a slash line of .303/.333/.435 for Italy.

The Nashville Sounds, the AAA affiliate of the Brewers, arguably is the minor-league roster of most importance to the Brewers in 2023.

Biloxi pitchers struck out 14 batters in their series-clinching win. Robert Moore’s big day went for naught for Wisconsin, while Shane Smith helped the Carolina escape with a series split.

Nashville reliever Lucas Erceg means business to open the season - three appearances, five hitless innings (3 BB, 6 K). Another RHP who, like Erceg, received a big league camp invite to spring training, Tyler Herb, left the Sounds game in troubling fashion. The Shuckers pitchers had a rough night, as did the Timber Rattler bats. Mother Nature remains undefeated in Fayetteville as the Mudcats have yet to complete an official game. We'll touch on all that and more as we Easter Bunny hop from one Brewers affiliate to another below.

Within the current Brewers MLB Pipeline Top 30, you'll find just ten pitchers, and only one, youngster Jacob
Misiorowski and his 1.2 IP as a pro thus far, among the top eight. Three of the ten Pipeline pitchers saw action on the Crew's farm Friday night, along with nine of their fellow hurlers, combining to toss 32 innings of three-run ball. That's a 0.84 ERA for those about to grab their calculators. Forty-five strikeouts vs. 13 walks is a ratio we can get used to.

So while the position players have been grabbing the bulk of the national headlines this past offseason, the first full Opening Night in the system reminds us that the pitching coaches have been hard at work as well!