Spencer Michaelis

Went through his stuff. I’ve seen a decent amount of video with velo attached to it, but it’s obviously not the highest quality of video so it’s mostly an opinion based on watching that.

Actually talked about Wenderlyn King last night on the podcast that was supposed to come out today but will, I assume, come out tomorrow now (blame Jack) but wow what an outing from him today. 4 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 9 K and 1 ER Will be interesting to see if he gets the 9th as well

I do think there are very legitimate similarities yeah. The build and the athleticism and the chance to be a really solid all-around hitter are all there. I will say though that Lucroy doesn't get enough credit for just how good his defense was in Milwaukee; he was an elite defender back there in his prime.

Image courtesy of © Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images This is the first installment of a weekly article focused on prospects who caught my attention during the past week of games. The Brewers system is chock-full of talent right now, and while there may be weeks when this article will feature the likes of Jesus Made or Luis Pena, I also want to draw attention to some of the other names—those who may still be flying under the radar, or those who may have fallen off the radar, like Luis Lara. All statistics are season-long, unless otherwise noted Luis Lara - OF: 116 wRC+, 17.8 K%, 14.4 BB%, 18 SB, 0 CS Once a consensus top-10 prospect in the system, the switch-hitting Lara split his age-18 season between Low-A Carolina and High-A Wisconsin, while posting an above-average line at each level. His return to High-A, still as one of the younger players at the level, did not go very well in 2024, and his Arizona Fall League stat line was underwhelming, as well. That said, I spoke with a few scouts who watched him in Arizona, and they all believed that Lara performed much better than the stats would tell you. He was hitting the ball hard but running into quite a bit of bad luck. Fast-forward six months, and the Brewers seemed to agree that he had made strides below the surface. They were once again aggressive, assigning Lara to Double-A Biloxi as a 20-year-old. After a slow start at the plate in April, Lara has settled in at the level, as evidenced by his slash-line of .325/.409/.403 and 140 wRC+ so far in May. The big difference for Lara in 2025? His swing decisions. His swing rate is down 4% from 2024, and he is more selective early in counts. While his strikeout rate is up a couple percentage points, his whiff rate is down by a similar number. His walk rate, however, is up over 6% for the season, going from well below average in 2024 to well above average in 2025. This more selective approach has helped him draw more walks, but has also helped him impact the ball more, allowing him to get his “A” swing off more regularly. This week, he had five batted balls over 100 MPH, including roping a two-run double at 103 MPH on Saturday and a 106-MPH fly out to right field that would have been a home run on many days—but on this particular day, was knocked down by the wind. Power will never be a massive part of his game, especially given his 5-foot-8 frame, but he is showing that he can impact the ball enough to keep pitchers honest. Lara was always a plus runner, and had 75 steals between 2023 and 2024, but he was also caught 24 times. This season, he has been much better at getting reads on the pitchers. His jumps have improved, and when you pair that with the plus speed, he has yet to be caught stealing in 18 attempts. Defensively, his reads and jumps have always stood out, but he has looked even better in 2025. Lara is a comfortably plus defender in center field with a plus throwing arm, and that could be underselling his abilities. His willingness to run through a wall and to lay out for balls is reminiscent of Sal Frelick. The smoothness of his defensive game evokes Lorenzo Cain and Blake Perkins. In fact, a Blake Perkins type of player is a relatively safe projection for Lara. Both are switch-hitters with glove-first profiles and enough bat-to-ball ability to be competitive offensively. If the bat continues to improve, you can also see a world where Lara is a switch-hitting version of Sal Frelick. Lara has been pushed aggressively, but after seemingly falling behind in 2024, he is catching back up. Marco Dinges - C: 185 wRC+, 12.2 K%, 16.8 BB%, 4 HR A personal favorite of mine since draft day, Dinges was promoted to High-A this week, and it was well deserved. Posting a 199 wRC+ with the Mudcats, he likely would not have lasted at the level as long as he did if not for battling some injuries, while continuing to get comfortable as a catcher. Offensively, Dinges has looked the part the whole season. His walk rate is higher than his strikeout rate, and he clearly was too much for Low-A pitching. In his first week with the Timber Rattlers, he didn’t show many signs of slowing down, as he crushed his first High-A home run, which left the bat at 111 MPH. When it comes to Dinges, the question for most has been whether he will be able to stick behind the plate defensively. He’s still extremely new to the position, having only caught his senior year of high school and then his one season of junior college ball. He did not catch during his draft season with Florida State. He has been showing growth all season and was able to show off his biggest weapon multiple times in his first series with Wisconsin. His arm is plus, if not better. (Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs has a 70 grade on his throwing.) He caught South Bend Cubs runners sleeping multiple times this week, pulling off two different back picks at first base. While it’s clearly a talented arm, Dinges does have inconsistent footwork on his throws, particularly to second base, which has sometimes caused struggles with the accuracy of his throws. This is something he will continue to improve upon as he gets more comfortable at the position. His receiving continues to be a work in progress, but there’s been noticeable improvement, especially on pitches at the bottom of the zone. It can still look clunky when he’s catching pitches up in the zone, but that’s not uncommon for any catcher, especially one with only two prior years of catching experience. Notably, he has not allowed a single passed ball in his 130 innings behind the dish this year. Dinges is a much better athlete than most catchers, though with a slighter frame, both of which allow him to move around well behind the plate, giving him the potential to be an above-average blocker. To this point, there have been ups and downs, but the flashes are there. He also has good hands, which allows him to pick some of the pitches he doesn’t have time to block. As I watch him progress this season, I believe he will stay as a catcher long-term, which will only make his bat more valuable. Dinges’s stock will continue to rise as more people buy into his ability to handle the position. The Brewers look to have found a good one in their 2024 fourth-round pick. Jesus Flores - RHP: 3.04 ERA, 3.30 FIP, 24.5 K%, 7.5 BB%, 30.1 Whiff% After a tough debut in Low-A to finish last season as a 19-year-old, Flores has gotten off to a better start this season, and there has been a noticeable uptick in the quality of his stuff. Flores first caught my eye in his outing on May 18, when he went four innings in relief, striking out six batters and walking zero. He allowed two hits and one earned run. In my viewings last season, Flores sat in the 89-91 MPH range, touching 93. In 2025, he has sat 91-94, even touching 95 a few times. He throws both a four-seam fastball and a two-seamer. To my eye, neither has an extraordinary shape, but they have different shapes, allowing him to keep hitters from locking in one of them. The uptick in velocity helps them play better than they did last season. Flores’s best pitch—his bread and butter—is his slider. It’s the pitch he is most comfortable with, able to land it for strikes or to try to get a chase, and he’s willing to throw it in any count to both lefties and righties. Coming in around 83-85 MPH, it’s late-breaking and sharp. Without knowing any of the metrics on it, it appears to have a high spin rate and be hard for hitters to pick up. He repeatedly used the slider in his 11th-inning save this past Saturday, striking out the final two hitters he saw with the pitch, stranding the tying and winning runs in scoring position. Flores also mixes in an interesting, upper-80s changeup that shows flashes of generating solid depth. Though you would, ideally, like to see more separation between the velocity on the changeup and the fastball, a pitcher like Freddy Peralta has shown this season that you can compensate for the lack of separation with good shape and good tunneling. He still has work to do in both of those regards, but you can see the flashes, including on the one he threw in the video above. After struggling with command and control in his short stint with the Mudcats last season, he has shown much improvement in the strike-throwing department so far this season. He’s lowered his walk rate by over 10%, and his strikeout rate has improved by nearly 4%. With his whiff rate hovering in the 30% range, Flores likely has more room to grow in the strikeout department as well, in terms of putting hitters away when he has the chance. Flores’s fastball shape worries me a bit, but seeing him go four innings in relief was interesting. With a four-pitch mix and the velocity holding up well over that long a stint, I have to wonder if they will look to stretch him out as a starter at all. At only 20 years old, there are some signs that this could be a pop-up prospect to keep an eye on moving forward. That’s all I’ve got for this week; let us know what you think in the replies! View full article

The guys discuss renewed concerns over Pat Murphy's aggressive reliever usage, what Tobias Myers needs to work on in Triple-A, why Caleb Durbin's swing is not working in the big leagues, recent moves in the bullpen, and more. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-brewer-fanatic-podcast/id1740648724 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CY8mWsQayqjDXqw9OT2Td iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-brewer-fanatic-podcast-166534588/ Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ommzz627 Watch On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brewerfanatic View full article

Talked to one person who has seen him, and he said that he thinks Montero could pop if he just elevates a bit more. Said it's a downhill path (makes sense, given the lack of fly balls in general), but that he actually hits the ball pretty hard. He's a good athlete especially at his size, has good bat to ball skills and strike zone recognition. Definitely seems interesting.

It has already, and I think it will continue to do so. His issue is entirely footwork related with the throws, in my opinion. Given his lack of experience back there, I don't think that's too surprising, and I think he will continue to clean it up as he gets more comfortable.

One other Dinges highlight today was his back pick at first base

Marco Dinges' first High-A HR gives the T-Rats a 2-0 lead!

Some video of Dubanewicz: Here are a couple angles of Encarnacion's GS:

Not to make light of his release, but no idea when else I could have ever posted this video I found on Yeferson Tales’ TikTok this offseason. He certainly pitched with emotion! Edit: video appears to work on mobile but not on a computer. I have no idea how to fix this. v09044g40000cqld8rfog65q9qm34cj0.mov

Not a huge deal but I have it on good authority that Dorchies has *touched* 95 but sitting more 92-93 so far this year. Think BA just worded it incorrectly.

It was a rough road trip for the Brewers, prompting Pat Murphy to call another team meeting. The guys discuss whether the series finale in Cleveland was a breakthrough, what's wrong with Christian Yelich, whether it's time to promote Jacob Misiorowski, and more. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-brewer-fanatic-podcast/id1740648724 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CY8mWsQayqjDXqw9OT2Td iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-brewer-fanatic-podcast-166534588/ Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ommzz627 Watch On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brewerfanatic View full article

The guys recap a .500 homestand, whether the Brewers' frequent blowout losses should be cause for concern, mixed signs from Quinn Priester's first six outings, and more. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-brewer-fanatic-podcast/id1740648724 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CY8mWsQayqjDXqw9OT2Td iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-brewer-fanatic-podcast-166534588/ Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ommzz627 Watch On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brewerfanatic View full article

Thanks! Letson's sitting more in that 92-95 range, but with the extension it likely plays more like 94-97 and he has been all the way up to 98 in shorter stints. His stuff is very fun. For my money, probably the second highest SP ceiling behind Misiorowski in the org.

Very kind of you to say, thanks Austin!

Image courtesy of © Curt Hogg / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Brewers farm system continues to impress, despite a number of big-time graduations over the last few years. The three new names on this list are just a few examples of the depth the system possesses. No. 13 - 2B Josh Adamczewski The Brewers drafted Adamczewski in the 15th round of the 2023 draft and signed him away from a Ball State commitment. Adamczewski missed time in 2024 due to injury, but when he was healthy, he performed very well between the Arizona Complex League and Low-A Carolina—as evidenced by his 156 wRC+. He is off to an even better start in 2025. Adamczewski’s carrying traits are connected to his ability to hit the ball. His hit tool has the chance to be plus, with an ability to hit the ball with some authority to all fields. Chris Clegg of Dynasty Dugout pointed out that Adamczewski made some changes to where his hands are in his load and also improved the base of his stance. Both changes are aimed at improving the consistency of his timing, and helping him lower his ground ball rate from last season. The early returns have been very positive. While he doesn’t possess huge raw power, Adamczewski’s ability to pull the ball in the air (and to hit the ball at ideal launch angles) does give him a chance to get to more game power than you might expect. He has hit home runs with exit velocities of up to 108 MPH as a teenager, and shows quite a bit of gap-to-gap power, as well, with plenty of doubles and triples on his ledger. On the defensive side of the ball, Adamczewski’s glovework is certainly solid enough to get the job done, but his lack of arm strength leaves him as a likely second base-only prospect on the infield. He does show strong instincts in the field, and makes the extra effort when possible, especially when it comes to backing up first base. An effort that has been able to net the Mudcats a couple of extra outs in the first month of the season. No. 15 - RHP Bishop Letson An 11th-round selection, who was signed away from a Purdue commitment in 2023, Letson had a strong start to his professional career in 2024, posting a 3.13 ERA in his age-19 season. He appears to have made another leap in 2025. Equipped with a four-pitch mix, Letson throws multiple fastballs, with both a four-seam and a two-seam variation in his repertoire. Both fastballs sit in the 92-95 MPH range, and the four-seamer has touched 98 in the past. That velocity plays up even more, due to the elite 7.5 feet of extension he generates. The two-seamer has around 15-16 inches of arm-side run, while the four-seamer gets a lot of carry. That helps him throw the four-seamer at or above the top of the zone with a lot of success. Letson’s secondaries are both strong pitches—especially his slider. That pitch is thrown in the low 80s, with quite a bit of sharp movement to the glove side. It’s been a pitch he can land for strikes, but also get a lot of swings and misses with. His changeup is his fourth pitch, showing good fade to his arm side and being thrown in the mid-80s. Consistency will be key for this pitch, as when it’s on, it shows flashes of being another average or better offering. The biggest jump for Letson in 2025 has come in the form of his improved command. In the early-going, he has essentially chopped his 2024 walk rate of 10.5% in half. If these improvements hold throughout the season (and he shows that he can handle the innings load required), Letson has all the makings of a future big-league starter. #19 1B Ernesto Martinez Jr Signed all the way back in May 2017, Martinez is older than your typical ascending prospect, at 25 years old. Despite his advanced age, however, he continues to rise within the organization, and even on the national scale. After a very strong 2024 season in Double-A Biloxi (especially in the second half), Martinez re-signed with the Brewers on a minor-league deal. While he is currently out with an injury, he was off to a great start in Triple-A Nashville. Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 250 pounds, Martinez is an impressive athlete. One sign of that athleticism can be seen in his defense at first base. He has the ability to do the splits, and he is happy to show it off. A strong defender over there in general, Martinez should not have any issues holding down the cold corner at the major-league level. Another sign of his athleticism lies in the fact that, while first base is his future position and the spot at which he spends the vast majority of his time, he has also spent some limited time as a center fielder. Martinez even went 20-for-25 in stolen base attempts for Biloxi in 2024. Never mind baseball players; not many human beings his size can move like he can. While the defense and the athleticism are impressive, the driving factor behind Martinez’s late ascent as a prospect is his offense. His results have been impressive, as evidenced by his 145 wRC+ in Double A, but his process-based numbers have really drawn the attention of analysts. Martinez hits the ball extremely hard, with a 90th percentile exit velocity of 111.5 MPH. For reference, Oneil Cruz leads MLB in that category at 114.7 MPH. Aaron Judge is at just 111.1. Martinez hits the ball as hard as anyone in baseball. Most players who hit the ball as hard as he does have issues with whiffs—especially players who have a swing as violent as Martinez’s. Martinez whiffs at a 20.3% rate, though, which would be in the 75th percentile at the big-league level. He also doesn’t chase much. One nitpick would be that he would benefit from being able to get the ball in the air more often, as the home run numbers don’t necessarily line up with the hard-hit metrics. Whether the home run power is there consistently or not, there is a ton to like when it comes to Martinez’s bat. Martinez will turn 26 in June, and he is showing that he deserves a chance to play in the bigs sooner, rather than later. It could be tough to find room for him this year without an injury to one of the incumbent first basemen on the roster, but Martinez seems to have the inside track (at this moment) for the 2026 starting first base spot. What are your thoughts on the three additions to the Brewer Fanatic Top 20 prospects? View full article

Some Mercedes video below, referencing the @wiguy94post from the game thread as well. Very intriguing stuff from the 18 year old. Mid-90's velo with two secondaries is always noteworthy.

Good news on this front. Apparently Meccage was having some issues keeping any food or liquid down before, during and after his start today, sounds like not a fun time. More good news, despite that being the case, Meccage still touched 98.5 MPH in his two innings at some point.