CheeseheadInQC

I listened to a few games in 1986, but that 1987 season was what made me a baseball fanatic as a youngster and Deer was my favorite player. I can still remember having the life-sized milk poster of him. My dad talked my grandma into letting us bring the TV into the dining room so that’s where we were when he hit that home run.

It will be interesting to see if they hold Chourio back in extended spring and maybe give him some a couple of weeks in Carolina at the end of the season like they did Perez or if he ends up being the one to get the call when the likely Micah Bello promotion happens.

It will be interesting to see if they hold Chourio back in extended spring and maybe give him some a couple of weeks in Carolina at the end of the season like they did Perez or if he ends up being the one to get the call when the likely Micah Bello promotion happens.

Great write up! I think Garcia was at least in the top 10 discussion before the season (I think MLB pipeline has him 12th). He is interesting in that he seems to be improving by making his strengths stronger rather than improving his weaknesses, which is both promising and concerning simultaneously. Hope the strikeout to walk rate improves because everything else seems to be there.

Great write up! I think Garcia was at least in the top 10 discussion before the season (I think MLB pipeline has him 12th). He is interesting in that he seems to be improving by making his strengths stronger rather than improving his weaknesses, which is both promising and concerning simultaneously. Hope the strikeout to walk rate improves because everything else seems to be there.

Does the cold affect pitchers' development more than hitters? I live in northern Illinois, so not a significantly different climate than the southern part of Wisconsin, and while it hasn't translated into more than a cup of coffee recently, pretty much the only players our area has put into the minor leagues lately have been pitchers.

Does the cold affect pitchers' development more than hitters? I live in northern Illinois, so not a significantly different climate than the southern part of Wisconsin, and while it hasn't translated into more than a cup of coffee recently, pretty much the only players our area has put into the minor leagues lately have been pitchers.

Love it. Took me back to memories of my first baseball computer game, Tony LaRussa Baseball (I know, I know, I regret it now, too). That one was nowhere near as in depth as the one you described, but it did have a glitch that I enjoyed. It seemed like the players' skill was based entirely on 1993 stats so I played as the Braves because they had Chipper Jones, Javy Lopez and Ryan Klesko all putting up absurd stats in only a handful of at-bats. I had to turn off the injuries, though, because otherwise the game would have them constantly be hurt to limit them to that many at-bats.

From the time that this site got me mildly obsessed with following the Brewers’ farm system, I have been fascinated with trying to predict breakout seasons. Specifically, pitching breakouts. Sometimes, like Max Lazar, Zack Brown, Evan Reifert and to some extent Bowden Francis, the breakouts happen. Other times … well … I thought Conor Harber and Karsen Lindell were intriguing breakout candidates right up to the point where I saw the notices that they’d been released. I also think I might be to blame for the demise of Preston Gainey’s career because every time I hyped him as a potential sleeper he suffered another injury. Damuelle covered a few (Lucas Erceg, James Meeker, Jolon Zhao, Lazar), but here are several other breakout candidates on the mound. Bring on the stats The Pioneer League was typically unkind to Brewers pitching prospects, and that went doubly so for the young ones. When the league ceased to be a part of affiliated ball it had already been more than a decade since the last Brewers starter 20-or-younger had a FIP of less than 4.00 in the league (Jake Odorizzi in 2009). In the interim only Devin Williams really came close. It had been that long since, in the system's top short-season level, a Brewers pitching prospect who couldn’t yet legally drink posted that kind of season. Until this past year. Before Alexander Cornielle earned a late-season promotion to Wisconsin, the 19-year-old posted marks of 13.64 K/9 and a 3.77 FIP. Even acknowledging that it is not an apples to apples comparison between the old Pioneer League and the current Arizona League, which features a mishmash of players who would have been in the old high and low rookie leagues, Cornielle was still among the ACL’s top five teenagers with at least 20 innings in both categories. Simply put, his season, for his age, deserves notice. His was not the only impressive season for a young Brewers starter in Arizona last season, though. You could make a case it wasn’t even the most impressive. Israel Puello spent much of the year on the Carolina Mudcats’ injured list, and when he finally made his debut in Arizona, the results weren’t always pretty as he shook off the rust. Once he did, however, the results weren’t just pretty. They were stop-you-in-your-tracks gorgeous. In his last four starts, totaling 18 innings, Puello struck out 25 while walking only two and surrendering just three runs. This is a rare case where the peripherals back up a 1.50 ERA. Just a hot streak? Perhaps. But it is enough to signal a possible breakout to me Tea leaves On the list of non-roster invitees to the Brewers’ 2021 spring training, nestled amid the usual crowd of minor league free agents, top prospects and returning triple-A players, was one name that produced a “Wait … what?” reaction. Jake Cousins’ pre-COVID year stats were eye-popping (39:2 strikeout to walk ratio), but they came as a 24-year-old in the low minors. Turns out, Cousins’ invitation MEANT something. The Brewers saw talent there. There aren’t nearly as many notable tea leaves to read this year. No shocking NRIs. The only pitching placement that would have been even mildly surprising at the start of camp was Miguel Segura starting off in Carolina. Scanning through photos from the Brewers early camp, though, along with the highly thought of prospects, guys coming back from injury (or in Tyler Gillies’ case, cancer) and catchers, because you need a lot of catchers at something like this, was one name I hadn’t expected to see: Robbie Baker. The later-season indy ball signing didn’t produce the kind of stat line that Meeker did, but the Brewers apparently saw enough where they at least wanted to see more. While two of the five later season indy ball additions got cut, Baker is joining Meeker in Wisconsin. Is this a stretch? Perhaps, but it is also perhaps a sign that the hopes for Baker should be dialed up at least slightly from the number approaching zero where they currently sit. Need for speed Another one-time indy league signing Zach Vennaro struggled after basically skipping three levels from 2019 to 2021, giving up almost a run an inning, allowing 10 more hits than innings pitched and walking more than five batters per nine innings. So why is Vennaro on this list? He struck out a bunch, can dial it up to 100 and when things are working, this can happen. Sometimes it is just that simple

Man that guy could fly. Shame the first thing that popped into my head was the winning run a lot of people wish he hadn’t scored.

Man that guy could fly. Shame the first thing that popped into my head was the winning run a lot of people wish he hadn’t scored.

Man that guy could fly. Shame the first thing that popped into my head was the winning run a lot of people wish he hadn’t scored.

Man that guy could fly. Shame the first thing that popped into my head was the winning run a lot of people wish he hadn’t scored.

While the one duplicate entry might mean that one of these players is actually on the Wisconsin or Carolina roster, but the only three real surprises on the pitching side were no Zhao in Wisconsin or Carolina and no Brailin Rodriguez or Jakob Brustoski in Carolina. Kudos to Segura on earning a full season spot. Did not see that coming before the exhibition lineups started coming out. On the hitting side, biggest surprise is Luis Silva being listed as a catcher. Is that a misprint or are they playing him there now?

While the one duplicate entry might mean that one of these players is actually on the Wisconsin or Carolina roster, but the only three real surprises on the pitching side were no Zhao in Wisconsin or Carolina and no Brailin Rodriguez or Jakob Brustoski in Carolina. Kudos to Segura on earning a full season spot. Did not see that coming before the exhibition lineups started coming out. On the hitting side, biggest surprise is Luis Silva being listed as a catcher. Is that a misprint or are they playing him there now?

While the one duplicate entry might mean that one of these players is actually on the Wisconsin or Carolina roster, but the only three real surprises on the pitching side were no Zhao in Wisconsin or Carolina and no Brailin Rodriguez or Jakob Brustoski in Carolina. Kudos to Segura on earning a full season spot. Did not see that coming before the exhibition lineups started coming out. On the hitting side, biggest surprise is Luis Silva being listed as a catcher. Is that a misprint or are they playing him there now?

While the one duplicate entry might mean that one of these players is actually on the Wisconsin or Carolina roster, but the only three real surprises on the pitching side were no Zhao in Wisconsin or Carolina and no Brailin Rodriguez or Jakob Brustoski in Carolina. Kudos to Segura on earning a full season spot. Did not see that coming before the exhibition lineups started coming out. On the hitting side, biggest surprise is Luis Silva being listed as a catcher. Is that a misprint or are they playing him there now?

Wonder if Zhao starts in Carolina or, with the AFL experience under his belt, if they move him up to Wisconsin.

Wonder if Zhao starts in Carolina or, with the AFL experience under his belt, if they move him up to Wisconsin.

Ditto. It has done a good job with its shifts from incredibly sincere to incredibly creepy (that's what the waffle party is?!)

I'll guess Wiemer for hitter (although could just as easily be either of the last two top picks) and Smith for pitcher of the year. Random longshot predictions: 1. Corey Ray's strikeout rate is closer to 20% than 25% 2. Israel Puello leads the system in K/BB rate 3. One of the indy ball trio of Hasler, Meeker and Baker is in AAA by August.

I'll guess Wiemer for hitter (although could just as easily be either of the last two top picks) and Smith for pitcher of the year. Random longshot predictions: 1. Corey Ray's strikeout rate is closer to 20% than 25% 2. Israel Puello leads the system in K/BB rate 3. One of the indy ball trio of Hasler, Meeker and Baker is in AAA by August.

Smith is a high enough pick (and is known for control) where I think there is a good chance he starts in the Wisconsin rotation. Also, while he might get pushed down by the backlog of relievers at AAA (there look to be about 15 guys who belong in the Nashville pen), Cam Robinson starting in Biloxi wouldn't shock me.

Honestly, everyone knew he was strong as all get out. Those agility numbers, though, probably made him a lot of money.

Britbox and Acorn have a lot of good mysteries. The longer form than most US procedurals really adds something.