Harold Hutchison

Wiemer has gone 8-for-23 in his last 7 games, with an OPS of .984. After today... I think he's coming around.

With Mitchell out, the best regular OF the Crew can do is Yelich-Taylor-Wiemer (or Yelich-Wiemer-Taylor). Frelick's thumb injury is going to take a while to heal - best to let him return to form in AAA to get back to form.

Brewer fans have been spoiled by the recent development of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta into a trio of aces. But the team has also benefited from seeing some surprise pitchers develop. They don’t get the hype of a Jacob Misiorowski or Abner Uribe, but then again, how many fans thought Brent Suter would blossom into such an asset? Let’s look over the “overlooked” pitching prospects in the Brewers system, Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports Starters RHP Max Lazar Lazar missed a lot of time in 2022, but seemed to return to form in Brisbane over the winter. So far, he’s seeing more time as a long man out of the bullpen, and has some excellent peripheral numbers–despite his last outing being a little rough. RHP Kevin Briceno Briceno appears to be slated to return to the ACL Brewers this summer. RHP Cameron Wagoner Wagoner was aggressively pushed to High-A Wisconsin after a total of 20 innings at the ACL and Carolina, with a solid showing in Brisbane. He’s struggled with a 7.33 ERA, and has looked a bit more hittable than he did last year. LHP Brandon Knarr Following a 2022 breakout season, Knarr’s had a start and a bullpen outing, and it’s been a bit of a rough go, with a few more walks than usual. Knarr’s kicked his strikeout pace up a bit, though, and he still looks promising. LHP Anferrny Reyes Reyes will likely start at the ACL this year. LHP Osbriel Mogollon Mogollon, like Reyes, will make the jump from the DSL to the ACL this year. Relievers RHP Michele Vassalotti So far, he’s not had any saves at Appleton, but he’s punched out 15.8 batters per nine innings, which is a very encouraging sign. Will he create a closer controversy in Appleton with Kaleb Bowman? RHP James Meeker Meeker put himself on the map in Brisbane with sheer dominance. He recently moved to Biloxi’s development list, but so far, the dominance has continued. Since being promoted to Biloxi in 2022, Meeker has an ERA of 0.00. RHP Lucas Erceg Erceg has reinvented himself the last couple of seasons after struggling as a position player. In Nashville, he’s been a solid part of their bullpen and is making himself relevant if the team continues to churn through bullpen options as the season wears on. RHP Jeison Pena Pena’s adjustment to full-season ball has had a bumpy start, but the 20-year-old has rebounded in his last two outings. Pena has given up a pair of go-fer balls so far. RHP/1B/DH Quinton Low Low looked to be a potential option as a closer, but is being stretched out in Carolina for what looks to be multi-inning work at the very least, if not a move to the starting rotation. How this might affect his development at the plate is a fascinating but open question. LHP Clayton Andrews Andrews looks to be rebounding very nicely from a rough 2021 and 2022. He’s not quite flashed the multi-inning capability he showed prior to the lost 2020 season, but he can still be an excellent replacement for Hoby Milner. LHP Pablo Garabitos Garabitos started the season on the 60-day injured list. LHP Karlos Morales Morales has dominated in Wisconsin so far, with a 0.79 WHIP and 1.24 ERA. In addition, he has notched four outs or more in three of his four outings to date. As a 2017 draftee, Morales could be a free agent, and the Brewers would be well-served to find a way to keep him on board. Overview Many of the pitchers who don’t make the prospect lists are performing well, which gives the Brewers a lot of options. This is a good thing, as they could not only fill many roles without breaking the bank, but also become useful as trade assets. View full article

Put Matt Bush on the 60-day DL, sign Britton.

I think it pushed Frelick to Opening Day 2024. The Brewers should not make the mistake they made with Jimmy Nelson. In 2019, they kept Nelson on the major-league roster, even when it was pretty clear that AAA was a better spot for him to ramp back up to pitching every five days because he'd missed all of 2018. Same logic applies to Frelick - keep him in Nashville to recover his form, and to see what is there.

About time. Meanwhile, Tampa gets Castaneda.

I'd say the Crew needs a sweep here, if only rebound from Sunday.

During the offseason, we looked over some of the prospects in the Brewers system who have been “overlooked,” in the sense that they don’t get the hype or coverage of Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, or even Jeferson Quero. But these are the prospects who can often come out of nowhere to be valuable contributors to a team. Image courtesy of © Curt Hogg / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK We broke them into five groups: Catchers, first basemen, and designated hitters; middle infielders and third basemen; outfielders; starting pitchers; and relief pitchers. So how are the overlooked prospects doing? Let’s take a look around the farm at the position players first. C Darrien Miller Miller drew attention for his superb OBP skills and his bat. Surprisingly, he’s returned to Appleton to open the season, and the OBP skills are still there, but in the early going, he has slumped. His defense seems to have taken a step up, though. C Edgardo Ordonez Ordonez has not seen the field yet, and is expected to be with the ACL Brewers in 2023. 1B Ernesto Wilson Martinez Martinez is repeating at Appleton after missing most of 2022. To date, the OBP and power are there, while the batting average is a little low. Still, things look promising for the young slugger. 1B/C Jesus Chirinos Like Martinez, Chirinos is flashing both power and OBP, but the batting average seems to be down some. At worst, he and Martinez make for an excellent platoon at first base, but if they reach their potential, it is a 1-2 punch at 1B and DH. 2B Felix Valerio Valerio’s seen the field in six games, splitting time with Isaac Collins and Ethan Murray at the keystone. He’s put up good numbers in the past, though. 2B Zack Raabe Raabe was a surprising release at the end of March, despite superb OBP skills. SS Andruw Monasterio The two-time minor-league free agent signee has held down shortstop in Nashville, due to Brice Turang winning the second-base job for the parent club. He’s walking a lot, but not getting hits to drop in yet. SS Eduardo Garcia Splitting time at short and third, Garcia’s OBP skills took a step up. That’s the good news. The bad? His batting average is below the Uecker line. Then there’s the downright ugly: 18 strikeouts in 39 at-bats. 3B Weston Wilson Wilson ended up signing with the Phillies as a minor-league free agent. 3B Zavier Warren Warren is hitting well, and drawing a lot of walks. The surprise is that he is primarily playing first base for the Shuckers, while Wes Clark is catching more often than expected. OF Tristen Lutz Lutz has split time between left field and DH, but started slowly. The surprise emergence of Lamar Sparks has complicated his efforts. OF Thomas Dillard Dillard was released over the offseason, despite flashing power and OBP skills. OF Noah Campbell Campbell has had a huge offensive start, posting a four-figure OPS in eight games, mostly playing left field, but also seeing some action at first base and DH. OF Joe Gray Jr. Gray has started hot, rebounding from a somewhat rough 2022 season. OF Luis Castillo Castillo has not seen the field yet, instead finding himself on the disabled list. OF Hedbert Perez Perez is drawing more walks in the first part of his second stint at Carolina, but not much else seems to be going right for the one-time top prospect, and his strikeouts are pretty high (14 in 31 at-bats). Overview It is still very early in the season, but some of the overlooked prospects I identified before the season are making their case to get some notice, both from fans and the professional scouts. View full article

Actually, after the way Matt Bush and Javy Guerra imploded in the 8th inning today... I think I'll stand by my thoughts in the article.

Less than a month into the season, the Brewers have suffered a couple of injuries to their pitching staff, and seem to have narrowly averted another with Corbin Burnes. Their depth is already being tested. With that in mind, it’s time to take a way-too-soon look at one of the early moves in the Brewers 2022-2023 offseason: the decision to place Brent Suter on waivers. Image courtesy of © Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports A 31st-Round Steal Brent Suter was taken in the 31st round of the 2012 draft after a collegiate pitching career at Harvard. The lefty did not have the velocity or the stuff of the more highly-touted Jed Bradley, a first-round pick in 2011, but in 2015, he broke out, with a 2.36 ERA between Double A and Triple A. While Bradley was eventually traded and got a cup of coffee with the Braves, Suter came up in 2016, and became a solid bullpen asset. Versatile Asset On The Pitching Staff Suter then was a rotation asset for 2017 and 2018, until sidelined by Tommy John surgery. Upon his return, he primarily worked out of the bullpen, but took some starts in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, he filled out the back end of the bullpen, and his numbers slipped, with a 3.78 ERA as opposed to the 2.70 figure he posted from 2019-2021. The Brewers had been looking to clear some salary obligations, given that Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff were due some big raises in arbitration. Suter’s $2.7 million looked like a good place to get some economic gains. So, with a potential $3 million salary for 2023, the Brewers placed Suter on waivers, where the Colorado Rockies claimed him. The Brewers later purchased Bryse Wilson from the Pirates; Wilson is now filling the long-man role Suter held down for the Crew in 2022. Results So Far In his first month with the Rockies, Suter has posted a 1.38 ERA in eight appearances, with a 1.08 WHIP over 13 innings. To put it mildly, this is a superb performance, and in four of those appearances, Suter has gone two full innings. In another three, he got the Rockies four outs. He’s walked a few batters over his last couple of outings, but he’s avoided giving up the big hit when the team has needed him to clean up others’ messes or navigate a tricky part of the opposing lineup. This ability would, quite frankly, have been a boon to a team that saw Woodruff and Freddy Peralta miss plenty of time. In Wilson’s six appearances, he’s posted a 1.35 ERA and notched two three-inning saves, while costing $732,600. So, one can say that this deal hasn’t been bad for the Brewers… so far. That said, a hard look at some of the other members of the bullpen is warranted. Matt Bush has already given up two homers and five walks in eight appearances in 2023. By comparison, he gave up eight walks and six homers in 25 appearances in 2022, following his acquisition for Antoine Kelly and Mark Mathias. The latter performed well for Texas, but is struggling with the Pirates, while Kelly looks like he is finding a groove as a potential closer following some injury struggles in 2021 with the Brewers. Javy Guerra has been so-so with the Brewers, and the cost for him turned out to be starting pitching prospect Victor Castaneda, who seemed slated for Triple A this year. The Way-Too-Early Evaluation Given the 2022 injuries to Woodruff and Peralta, and the current injuries in the rotation, the decision to place Suter on waivers looks bad. Had the Crew kept Suter (perhaps jettisoning Bush instead), the team might be better positioned to weather this period of being short-handed on the mound. More spot starters and long relievers seem to be their biggest need at the moment. View full article

The lowest of the Brewers’ full-season minor-league affiliates, the Carolina Mudcats are a major proving ground for prospects. The Arizona Complex League and the Dominican Summer League don’t get underway until June, and they play 50 or 60 games. Carolina played 131 in 2022, a massive leap that will test these prospects. Image courtesy of © Curt Hogg / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK It’s a big leap, and not all players can handle it. Let’s take a look at the Mudcats roster, and see which players have something specific to prove. Pitching One notable stat jumps out when looking at the Mudcats roster: Eight pitchers are on the injured list for at least 60 days, if not the full season. The rotation could see a mix of Jeferson Figueroa, Yujanyer Herrera, Alexander Vallecillo, Fernando Olguin, and Edwin Jiminez return to the Mudcats, with Patricio Aquino, Tyler Wehrle, and Shane Smith coming up from the ACL. The bullpen has some promising arms, from the 2022 draft and from free agency, including Nick Menzel, Nate Peterson, Aidan Maldonado, and Chase Costello. They will be joined by other farmhands, including Jeison Pena, Miguel Guerrero, and Jakob Brustowski. Much of this pitching staff is raw, but some of them could rocket up the way James Meeker and Ryan Middendorf did in 2022. Quinton Low, pursuing the two-way career like Shotei Ohtani, started in the bullpen in the ACL, but may become a starting pitcher. Catching Matthew Wood, the Brewers’ fourth-round pick in the 2022 MLB amateur draft, will get the nod as Carolina’s primary catcher. Jhonnys Cabrera, who showed power and OBP skills, joins Tayden Hall and Blayberg Diaz behind Wood. Hall and Diaz have also flashed some real offensive potential, although catcher is a secondary position for Hall, who spent most of his time at first base in 2022, and also saw time in the corner outfield positions. Infield Low will be the primary first baseman or designated hitter, where he has shown some real offensive skills to go with his skill on the mound. Luke Adams will be handling third base for the Crew, while Daniel Guilarte, a high-average hitter with OBP skills, will take most of the starts at shortstop. Gregory Barrios and Jadher Areinamo will compete for playing time at second, while Jesus Parra and Kaylan Nicasia will provide a lot of versatility. Outfield Hedbert Perez, Jace Avina, and Eduarqui Fernandez will be the primary starters. The fourth outfielder on the roster, Alberis Ferrer, is on the 60-day injured list, and didn’t play the outfield in 2022. However, Nicasia and Tayden Hall have seen time in the outfield, and Avina, Fernandez, and Perez all have played center field capably in their professional careers. Overview It will be an interesting season in Carolina. While a lot of the players there are on the rise, for some of those who have returned from last season–notably, Hedbert Perez, and some of the starting pitchers–it is arguably a make-or-break season. That being said, this is a chance for some of these players to figure out how to make it through a full 131-game season, and for the Brewers to see just how to maximize the production from these players as well. View full article

One of the big reasons: Right now, bringing Suter in (say for Lutz or some other blocked OF prospect like Gray) would probably NOT disrupt the team chemistry. The Hader trade's taught the Brewers front office that.

Quite frankly, the team cohesion and the approach are two of the biggest reasons I am optimistic. Seriously, games I thought were in the "L" bucket are probably in the "up for grabs" bucket, including the starts by Rea. That says a lot about this team, and it's very good, IMO. At this point, I'd be cautious about big adds, but again, looking to bring back Suter might be better, especially with how the Raptor's been doing so far.

A cheap closer is not a bad thing to have.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers bring some surprising returnees and exciting prospects for 2023. These are players facing some real tests–some of whom may not make it past this level. But at the same time, there are legitimate prospects for Brewers fans to be excited about, and they play right in many fans’ neck of the woods. Image courtesy of © Danny Damiani/USA TODAY NETWORK- via Imagn Content Services, LLC So, who might Brewers fans get a glimpse of this year? Let’s take a look. Pitching While the Shuckers bullpen is extremely exciting, the Timber Rattlers have a rotation headlined by Stiven Cruz and Alexander Cornielle, followed by comeback candidate Max Lazar. Russell Smith, Cameron Wagoner, and Joseph Hernandez also look to take time in the rotation. The bullpen looks to be led by Michele Vassalotti, Karlos Morales, and Joey Matulovich, with Taylor Floyd and Ryan Brady among others in the mix. Ryne Moore, a potential rotation candidate, is starting the season on the 60-day injured list. Catchers This position has a couple of surprises. Darrien Miller, who had an excellent offensive season in 2022, returns to Wisconsin. He will be joined by organizational soldier Alex Hall, who performed well in the Australian League in the 2022-2023 winter season, and Jesus Chirinos, who primarily played first base but has experience at catcher. This could be a very potent offensive group, but the defense may be an issue. Infielders First baseman Ernesto Martinez also returns to Wisconsin after spending a lot of time on the shelf in 2022. He is joined by second baseman Robert Moore, who dominated at Brisbane over the 2022-2023 winter season in Australia. Eric Brown and Eduardo Garcia will be competing at shortstop, with Brown having an edge there. Ben Metzinger will end up the primary third baseman. Jose Acosta will be the primary backup for second and third base, while Chirinos may see a lot of time at first, especially if Martinez can’t avoid the IL. Outfield Some legit prospects are in the Wisconsin outfield, even if they aren’t as hyped as Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, and Joey Wiemer. We start with Joe Gray Jr., who has flashed a three-true outcome bat with some solid defense. He’s joined by Hendry Mendez, who brings superb OBP skills, but a suboptimal swing, and Je’Von Ward, who missed playing last season barring a short AFL stint. Ernesto Martinez could see time here, too, along with backups Terence Doston and Micah Bello. Overview A lot of the players in Wisconsin have potential, particularly in the rotation and in the middle infield. For others, this is a make-or-break season. Miller and Martinez are potentially significant contributors, but one has to find a defensive home, and the other needs to stay healthy. Ward is in a similar situation. Gray needs to hit higher than the Uecker line, Mendez needs to fix his swing, Garcia has to show he can hit reliably, and Lazar must show he is back. We will probably know more in a couple months about how these questions will shake out – the Brewers tend to aggressively promote prospects at times, and should some of those in the make-or-break get moved to Biloxi, it will be a good sign for them and the Brewers. If not, we could see some very heartbreaking cuts take place. View full article

Wiemer's got the strongest arm, which argues for keeping him in right, if you ask me. Frelick in center, Wiemer in right, Yelich in left.

Can't have too much depth. I say bring up Frelick either way.

I did point to Yelich's Marlins years as a comp. Would LOVE to see Mitchell end up as Yelich 2018-2019, but think the batting average would still be a little lower.

After he won Sunday's game almost singlehandedly, Garrett Mitchell looks increasingly entrenched not only in the Brewers' lineup, but in the hearts of Brewers fans. Let's try to get a firmer handle on his future, by looking to similar players of the past and present. Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports Garrett Mitchell hasn’t been in the majors long, but already, he’s proven to be an exciting player for Brewers fans to watch. He effectively replaced Lorenzo Cain late in the 2022 season, roughly two years after being selected in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft. Who hasn’t enjoyed Mitchell’s home runs or defensive gems? In fact, in some ways, he seems familiar to Brewers fans. As a left-handed hitter with no shortage of pop so far, he seems very suited for American Family Field. He has also flashed elite speed over his career. Now, who does that sound like? Why, a one-time All-Star center fielder who was also involved in some transaction drama that helped create the run of success the Brewers have had since 2017. Carlos Gómez Gómez twice led the league in the Power-Speed Number, and from 2012 to 2015, he notched a Gold Glove and two All-Star Game appearances. He averaged 20 homers and 32 stolen bases in that timeframe, production that Mitchell could easily match, given the dimensions of American Family Field. They also share powerful arms: Mitchell racked up three assists in 17 games as a right fielder in the minors in 2022, while Gómez once led the NL in assists by a center fielder. But while both Mitchell and Gómez bring potent bats to the mix, the comparison isn’t exact. The biggest area, of course, is OBP. Mitchell has demonstrated superior walk-drawing skills in the minors, and has not done badly in a small MLB sample. Then, there’s the fact that they hit from opposite sides of the plate. So, to completely describe Mitchell’s skills, we probably need to look to another player–one who was with the Crew for just a short time. Curtis Granderson Curtis Granderson spent less than one full season with the Brewers – that magical 2018 run to the NLCS – but in understanding Garrett Mitchell, he is perhaps the other part of the hybrid that Brewers fans should look at. Granderson played a lot of center field, and he could draw walks like nobody’s business – he had 12 in 54 plate appearances with the Brewers. Like Mitchell, he batted left-handed. Granderson, though, brought far more power than Mitchell seems to, hitting as many as 43 home runs in a season. Mitchell’s power potential seems a bit lower than that, based on what we have seen so far. Given that Mitchell is playing in American Family Field, though, 30 homers a season doesn’t seem out of reach, but it may be more likely to see Mitchell approach double figures in doubles, triples, homers, and steals than to challenge the home run record set by Prince Fielder. Then again, Granderson famously had a season that was special in just that way, when he hit 38 doubles, 23 triples, and 23 home runs in 2007. He also stole 26 bases in 27 tries that year, and Mitchell could produce similarly in that dimension. Other Players One can’t help but look at Keon Broxton as another contender–albeit, perhaps, as a worst-case outcome for Mitchell. Broxton handled center field following the Gómez trade, providing defense, power, and speed. Christian Yelich’s years with the Miami Marlins (2013-2017) could also be an interesting comparison for Mitchell, especially given that both were center fielders who could slide over to a corner spot. Looking more to the past, the 1980s version of Fred Lynn could be interesting, if you ignore Lynn’s lack of larceny on the basepaths. Overview Garrett Mitchell could very well be in the heart of the Brewers lineup for five years or more. He may not stick in center field–but that will be due to the fact that the Brewers could place other superb talents like Sal Frelick and Jackson Chourio in that spot. But Garrett Mitchell could force his way into the top 5 list at center field–or any outfield position--in Brewers history. View full article