Spencer Michaelis

The Brewers are hot. Jack and Spencer discuss what to make of Milwaukee winning 13 of its last 17 games, including hot stretches for a couple of key hitters. 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

Along these lines it looks like there was one other move involving a pitcher moving to High-A LHP Sam Garcia assigned to Wisconsin Timber Rattlers from Carolina Mudcats

I can try to remember to include age! Each player should have a link to their baseball-reference page as well, which will have their age included. As for those that would be dropped or demoted to make room for promotions, it’s one of those things I don’t like to speculate about publicly, but every level has some players that are mostly falling into the “roster filler” category at this point. Stiven Cruz being demoted for Zach Peek’s promotion to Biloxi is a good example of that.

Image courtesy of Parker Freedman, Biloxi Shuckers May was a strong month for a couple of prospects who have lost some of their shine the last couple years, and some more well-known names, as well. We will take a look at a few honorable mentions for the month, as well as our top five hitters for May. Honorable Mentions: 1B/3B Frederi Montero - ACL Brewers - 70 PA, 24 H, .400/.486/.500 (.986 OPS), 171 wRC+, 6 doubles, 11 R, 12 RBI, 9 BB, 12 K, 3 SB, 1 CS - Unranked by all publications UTIL Juan Ortuno - ACL Brewers - 82 PA, 15 H, .259/.463/.448 (.912 OPS), 154 wRC+, 2 doubles, 3 HR, 16 R, 15 RBI, 17 BB, 13 K, 3 SB, 1 CS - Unranked by all publications SS/3B Luis Peña - Carolina Mudcats - 65 PA, 19 H, .359/.388/.544 (.931 OPS), 166 wRC+, 1 double, 2 triples, 3 HR, 16 R, 15 RBI, 6 BB, 9 K, 10 SB, 2 CS Montero had a forgettable season in the DSL last year, but the Brewers still moved him up a level, and Montero rewarded them with a great first month. He has the build to hit for power, but a swing tuned for line drives and grounders. Ortuno is only 5-foot-8, but he packs some punch, hitting three home runs and posting exit velocities of up to 109 MPH. Peña deserved to make the list based on his performance, but he missed enough time to be short of the requirements of a qualified hitter this month. Plus, you can read more about Peña’s strong performance recently here. TOP FIVE POSITION PLAYERS OF MAY #5 1B/3B Gery Holguin - ACL Brewers - 55 PA, 17 H, .347/.418/.694 (1.112 OPS), 181 wRC+, 3 doubles, 4 HR, 15 R, 14 RBI, 6 BB, 14 K, 1 CS - Unranked by all publications Holguin was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2022. He spent two seasons in the DSL and made real strides in his sequel season. He is undergoing a similar process in the Complex League, as he struggled in his debut season of 2024. His second run at the league has gone much better so far in 2025. In fact, May went so well for him that he was promoted to Low-A Carolina between the end of May and the time this article was released. At the time of signing, Holguin was reportedly a strong defender at shortstop, but after growing a couple of inches, he has settled in at the infield corners. Holguin has an aggressive swing, with his back foot often kicking backward as he makes contact. His strikeout rate of 25.2% in May paints a much prettier picture than the 32.2% rate in 2024, but it's still higher than you’d hope to see in rookie ball. With that aggressive swing, however, his one-time “projectable” power has started to show up in games, as evidenced by his four homers in only 15 games played. Holguin repeated a level for the second time in four years, but each time, he has shown real growth in that second year. His timeline will need to accelerate moving forward. He can’t afford to spend eight years between the remaining four levels, but continued growth is always a good sign for any player. Perhaps he has figured something significant out this year and will carry it over into his Carolina League debut. #4 SS Eduardo Garcia - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 31 H, .290/.350/.523 (.874 OPS), 137 wRC+, 7 doubles, 6 HR, 23 R, 16 RBI, 9 BB, 36 K, 13 SB, 1 CS Garcia was signed in 2018 out of Venezuela, but is still only 22 years old for another month. He's had an up-and-down career, including moving quickly at one point and being demoted at another. At this point, he has regained some of his prospect appeal with a very strong start to 2025 in High-A and a tremendous May. He's spent the season splitting time between shortstop and center field, a position he first started playing in 2024. Garcia has always had issues with strikeouts, and that has not changed in 2025. He has tapped into the power he has always possessed more consistently, as evidenced by his six home runs in May. He has also nearly tripled his walk rate from 3% to 8.7% in 2025. Garcia will never be a high batting average batter, but he could provide slugging—and did just that in May. Garcia’s plus defense at shortstop, as well as his added positional flexibility to play in the outfield, could make it easier for him to eventually be promoted to Double-A despite the abundance of infielders already there. #3 1B Luke Adams - Biloxi Shuckers - 101 PA, 19 H, .271/.485/.457 (.942 OPS), 189 wRC+, 7 doubles, 2 HR, 20 R, 8 RBI, 20 BB, 22 K The Brewers' 12th-round pick in the 2022 draft, Adams stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 210 pounds. He has a rare blend of patience at the plate, plus raw power and surprising baserunning ability for his size. Adams has spent most of the season at first base, with Brock Wilken manning third, but he has shown the ability to play over there. The bat got off to a slow start in April (unsurprisingly, as such a young player at the level), while he was taking some offseason swing changes into games for the first time. Adams continues to swing the bat at an extremely low rate, only swinging 31.4% of the time in May. However, he rarely chased, and limited his whiffs to a solid 25.4% for the month. His quality of contact was also extremely high, hitting the ball well over 100 MPH on numerous occasions. He hit two home runs and seven doubles. The combination of drawing walks, making contact, and quality contact at that, gives Adams such an interesting profile at the plate. It would be beneficial to see Adams get more time at third base, and future promotions from other players in Biloxi (including the number one player on this list) could help grant him those opportunities. Given his age, he should be expected to spend all of 2025 in Double-A, but performances like the one he put up in May will only continue to push him up prospect lists. #2 UTIL Anthony Seigler - Nashville Sounds - 87 PA, 27 H, .386/.506/.671 (1.177 OPS), 214 wRC+, 5 doubles, 3 triples, 3 HR, 16 R, 12 RBI, 17 BB, 16 K, 9 SB, 0 CS - Unranked by all publications Seigler was signed as a minor-league free agent this offseason. Drafted in the first round by the Yankees in 2018 as a catcher, he's a switch-hitter who also throws with both arms. He moved to second base for the Yankees in 2024 and had a bit of an offensive breakout. The Brewers have used him at both catcher and second base this season, and even mixed in some time at third base. His offense is what lands him on this list, however. The switch-hitter should probably be looked at as more of a left-handed hitter; he's really struggled from the right side. That didn’t hold him back in May, as he posted the highest OPS among qualified hitters in the organization. Seigler doesn’t possess considerable raw power, but makes consistently hard contact. His max exit velocity of 107.2 MPH and 90th-percentile exit velocity of 101.8 MPH are below average. However, his average exit velocity of 91.5 MPH and hard-hit rate of 52.4% are well above average. Not only that, but Seigler hits the ball at ideal launch angles as his “launch-angle sweet spot” rate is in the 100th percentile for Triple-A, with 48.6% of his batted balls falling into that sweet spot. This ability to hit the ball at ideal angles and with consistently hard contact helped Seigler hit three homers and add eight more extra-base hits in May. Even though he plays catcher, Seigler is quite the athlete and possesses above-average speed. That speed helped him leg out three triples and swipe nine bases without fail. Seigler getting opportunities at third base is not coincidental. The Brewers have a clear need at that position, and Seigler’s performance in Triple-A has been spectacular offensively, as well as at the two defensive positions he has spent most of his time playing (second base and catcher). If he proves he can handle third defensively, he seems to be next in line for a chance to take some of the third base reps at the big league level. #1 3B Brock Wilken - Biloxi Shuckers - 114 PA, 22 H, .237/.368/.570 (.938 OPS), 174 wRC+, 4 Doubles, 9 HR, 17 R, 20 RBI, 20 BB, 30 K The Brewers' first-round selection in the 2023 Draft, Wilken had an incredibly successful career at Wake Forest, including becoming the career home run leader for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with 71; Wilken set that record throughout only three seasons as a Demon Deacon. He did so well in his brief introduction to pro ball in 2023 that he was aggressively assigned to Double-A to begin 2024, appearing to be on a potential fast track to MLB. Unfortunately, Wilken dealt with a 94 MPH pitch to the face in April of last year, which caused facial fractures and issues with his vision, and he struggled to produce for most of the season. There were a lot of questions regarding Wilken’s ability to stay at third base defensively. He has looked the part over there this year, and with his arm strength being plus, he seems like he will do just fine manning the hot corner moving forward. In his return to Double-A, Wilken got off to a solid start in April before exploding offensively at the beginning of May. A big part of his success in April was due to drawing walks at an absurd rate of 26%. That was never sustainable. He did a great job of upping his aggressiveness effectively, upping his swing rate by around 5%. With a more aggressive approach leading the way, Wilken hit seven of his nine home runs on the month in the first 12 games played. Power was Wilken's most highly graded tool out of college, but he had yet to have a run like this in Biloxi. His exit velocities are above average, but not as high as most would think. He makes up for what he lacks in high-end exit velocities with his ability to pull the ball in the air. Only one of his nine home runs this month were hit to the opposite field. Wilken did slow down quite a bit at the end of the month, notably after a 100-MPH fastball narrowly missed his face again, but he still appears to be at a point where challenging him with a Triple-A promotion in the near future would be a worthwhile venture. Perhaps soon. Thanks for reading! What do you think of the rankings? Did we miss anyone? View full article

Doh... wrote the article before his numbers had updated, and then forgot to update them before submitting 🤦‍♂️Numbers are fixed now, thanks!

Kept forgetting to mention it, but he was posting video of him catching all winter on his IG, so it appears to be a real change.

Well that didn't take long

Image courtesy of © Tom Tingle/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images We're back, for week two of farm system observations. As we did last week, we'll cover two relatively well-known names and a lesser-known, intriguing-looking arm in the lower levels of the system. All statistics are season-long unless otherwise noted Coleman Crow - RHP - Biloxi Shuckers: 2.90 ERA, 2.00 FIP, 29.6 K%, 5.6 BB%, 30.1 Whiff% Crow was a 28th-round selection by the Angels in 2019, but due to COVID, he didn’t make his professional debut until 2021. He worked his way through the system the next two years and ended up starting 2023 in Double A. He made four starts before going on the injured list with an elbow issue that would eventually necessitate Tommy John surgery. He underwent his procedure in August 2023 and would subsequently miss the 2024 season, his first in the Brewers organization. Knowing that, the Brewers still decided he was worth two respectable big-league players, Adrian Houser and Tyrone Taylor. He appears to be proving them right. Watching his entire start on Sunday, Crow showed off his five-pitch repertoire on his way to striking out nine Trash Pandas in five scoreless innings. His four-seam fastball was sitting in the 91-93 range, with a shape that appears to play well at the top of the zone. He was mixing in his cutter as a change-of-pace fastball in the upper 80s, and it was able to generate some swing-and-miss on pitches away. Mainly, though, it drew a lot of foul balls and soft contact. The best pitch (and the put-away pitch) for Crow is his curveball. Thrown in the mid-70s, he has spun some of his curveballs up to nearly 3,600 RPMs. Shuckers broadcaster Javik Blake tweeted out some data on one of Crow’s curveballs in April: 77 MPH, -15.5 IVB, -19.3 HB, 3,240 RPMs. Even when you account for the different baseball used in Double-A, that pitch is expected to move similarly to Seth Lugo’s curveball—one of the best curves in MLB. Crow’s curveball accounted for five of his nine strikeouts on Sunday. Crow also throws a high-spin, low-80s sweeper that he can use for whiffs against righties, though he has struggled to command it when I have been watching. It has a lot of sheer horizontal movement, likely contributing to the difficulty with throwing it where he wants to. He rounds out his repertoire with a rarely used mid-80s changeup, and he has shown a good feel for killing the spin on it, though its shape and his command of it are lagging pretty far behind. As odd as the comparison may seem on the surface, Crow has some similarities to Logan Henderson. Sure, Henderson’s main non-fastball is a changeup. The changeup is Crow’s worst pitch right now. Henderson struggles to spin breaking balls, and Crow is elite in that regard. However, when you look at their builds and mentality on the mound, the similarities begin to crop up. They are always the attackers on the mound. They want to go after batters, and because of this, they both limit walks. Both have the “bulldog mentality,” where they appear to be all business until they record a big out and suddenly, they start showing some positive emotion. They never look flustered on the mound and have a presence about them that is bigger than their stature. Despite only being 24 years old, Crow has been in professional baseball long enough that he is not only Rule 5-eligible this offseason, but also a minor-league free agent at year’s end. The Brewers may have to add him to the 40-man roster to keep him in the system. In order to make that decision, the organization will likely want to see how his stuff plays at the Triple-A level. Crow’s performance is making a promotion in the near future almost unavoidable, though the depth in Nashville also makes it difficult to see where he would fit. His recent performance may force their hand, regardless of the other influences. Luis Peña - SS/3B - Carolina Mudcats: 169 wRC+, 10.7 K%, 9.9 BB%, 5 HR Well, I said I would try to avoid focusing too much on the likes of Peña or Made in the article last week. I made it one week. To be fair, Peña returned from his short stay on the concussion IL on Wednesday and proceeded to have three multi-hit games and smash two home runs in that time, bringing his season-long total to five. Even while trying not to focus on him, he continued to catch my eye on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Peña has sometimes struggled with errors this year, which is not unusual for younger players. At the same time, he has shown solid actions on the infield and an above-average arm to boot, though his throwing accuracy is a work in progress. He looks especially comfortable when coming in on the ball or ranging to his glove-hand side. When ranging to his backhand, it seems he gets caught between steps at times, which has caused some of his struggles. Peña likes to slide when going to his backhand, which helps him set his feet, but it generally slows down the operation. He made some nice plays on Sunday, including one of those sliding plays to his right. Peña continues to impress across the board on the offensive side of the ball, and the home run power is starting to show up far more often. Not only has he improved his 90th percentile exit velocity from 99.9 MPH to 106.5 MPH, according to Baseball America, but he has also begun to lift the ball to his pull side more often. With that, including the two games before he ended up on the IL with his concussion, Peña has now homered in four of his last seven games. With his swing starting to generate more power, Peña has also continued to avoid strikeouts well. Jesús Made had his national breakout while in the Dominican Summer League. Peña is having that breakout now, and he appears to be on the fast track to finding himself in a similar position to Made's on national prospect rankings. The Brewers seem to have found two players with true superstar ceilings in the same international signing class. Carlos Carra - RHP - ACL Brewers: 5.40 ERA, 5.99 FIP, 25.0 K%, 7.8 BB% A 2024 signing by the Brewers out of México, Carra had a very successful first professional season in the Dominican Summer League. He finished the season with a 1.66 ERA, and struck batters out at a 27.8% rate. He would, however, need to improve his walk rate of 16.3% as he moved up. Given that ACL games are not often streamed on video, Carra caught my eye in a format other than video this week when his outing against the ACL Rangers was played on a Statcast field. Some footage from his DSL stint had piqued my interest in the past, though. The pitch tagging through Statcast was not great in this game, but Carra appears to be throwing a four-seam fastball, a changeup and a curveball. His four-seamer was generating induced vertical break numbers that reached up to 21 inches, and averaged 17.5 inches (combining the pitches tagged as four-seam and sinkers). When you include the horizontal break that averaged 12.8 inches between the two, the fastball's movement profile is actually similar to Logan Henderson’s in MLB (17.2 IVB/11.0 HB). Henderson throws the pitch from a lower release height, though, and thus has a Vertical Approach Angle of -3.9 degrees. That's an elite number, whereas Carra’s VAA trends closer to average at -4.6 degrees. While the induced movement on Carra’s changeup appears rather average on the surface, he kills spin on the pitch well and also takes around 10 MPH off of it, relative to his fastball. The shape, spin, and velocity compare favorably to Michael Wacha’s changeup, which has been a great pitch for him. His curveball stood out in the video I had seen from his DSL days, and the shape and feel for spin are both very interesting for someone his age. I like that it also gives him another velocity band to play with, sitting in the mid-70s. It's a pitch that can tunnel well with his high-carry fastball, and also slow down bats when he wants to go back to the fastball. One thing the Brewers are likely interested in adding is a shorter slider or a cutter in the mid-80s—something that can give him even one more velocity band to work with and to bridge the gap between his fastball and curveball shapes. Carra’s ERA and FIP may be high at the moment, but I’m betting on his stuff. With proper development, continued velocity gains, and good luck with health, there’s the potential for a future starting prospect within him. I will be monitoring Carra closely moving forward. That’s all I’ve got for this week; let us know what you think in the replies! View full article

Image courtesy of Parker Freedman, Biloxi Shuckers This was a strong month for relievers in the Brewers system, with quite a few making a strong case for this list, which means we will need to begin with a few honorable mentions: HONORABLE MENTIONS LHP - Tyler Jay - Nashville Sounds - 7 G, 8.0 IP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.46 FIP, 1.12 WHIP, 6 H, 3 BB, 9 K RHP - Craig Yoho - Nashville Sounds - 7 G, 8.0 IP, 2-1, 2.25 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 1.38 WHIP, 6 H, 5 BB, 12 K, 1 SV RHP - Will Childers - Biloxi Shuckers - 9 G, 13.2 IP, 2-1, 2.63 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 1.38 WHIP, 6 H, 8 BB, 19 K, 1 SV RHP - Garrett Hodges - Carolina Mudcats - 6 G, 9.1 IP, 2-0, 0.96 ERA, 4.85 FIP, 1.07 WHIP, 1 H, 9 BB, 11 K TOP FIVE RELIEF PITCHERS FOR MAY #5 RHP - Justin Yeager - Biloxi Shuckers - 7 G, 9.1 IP, 1-1, 1.93 ERA, 1.51 FIP, 0.78 WHIP, 7 H, 2 BB, 12 K, 5 SV Unranked by all publications The third piece that the Brewers received in the infamous Esteury Ruiz for William Contreras and Joel Payamps trade, Yeager was drafted in the 33rd round by the Braves in 2019. His mid-90’s fastball plays extremely well when he gets it up in the zone, due to an Induced Vertical Break averaging close to 20 inches. Yeager’s cutter has more of a short slider shape, and sits in the 86-89 range with a lot of late bite to it. Both pitches have the ability to be above average or better, but they can play down at times due to his lack of command. In May, Yeager led the organization in saves, with five. He struck out 34.3% of the batters he faced and generated whiffs on 27% of swings. Yeager finished the month on a high note with a two inning save on May 30th against Rocket City, not allowing a single baserunner and striking out three of the six batters he faced. Now in his third season with the Brewers organization, and after a strong 2024, Yeager has somewhat surprisingly remained in Double-A to begin 2025. Perhaps another strong month of May will change that. #4 RHP - Tyler Bryant - Biloxi Shuckers - 9 G, 11.2 IP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.12 FIP, 0.84 WHIP, 4 H, 6 BB, 10 K Unranked by all publications Tyler Bryant had his contract purchased by the Brewers from the Quebec Capitales of the Frontier League in June of 2024. He split the rest of the season between Carolina and Wisconsin, pitching to a 1.82 ERA in 24.2 innings, striking out batters at a 32.4% rate. He was assigned to Double-A Biloxi to begin this season, where he got off to a slow start in April, before quickly turning things around in May. Bryant is equipped with a fastball that borders on being a plus pitch, sitting in the 94-97 MPH range, and touching 98. It is thrown from a very low release height, with around 16 inches of Induced Vertical Break. In spring training it averaged a -3.8 Vertical Approach Angle. When he locates it up in the zone, it can be really difficult for hitters to square up. He also throws a slider and a curveball, both of which are thrown at similarity velocities in the mid-80’s, but with distinct shapes. Bryant didn’t allow a single run in May, after giving up 12 in eight April innings. His strikeout rate of 23% and whiff rate of 25.4% were both average for the level, but he limited hard contact extremely well, which allowed him to work around a walk rate of 12.8%. Bryant’s May got off to a great start when he went 8.1 innings without allowing a single hit. Looking forward, if Bryant can continue to pitch similar to how he did in May, he will be someone to watch as a potential big league bullpen option in the next year or so. He has the stuff for it. #3 RHP - Jack Seppings - Carolina Mudcats - 11 G, 9.0 IP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 1.28 WHIP, 9 H, 5 BB, 13 K, 1 SV Unranked by all publications The Brewers signed Seppings as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 draft, out of Brown University. The right-hander had a four inning stint with the Mudcats in 2024, and has returned there to begin 2025. Seppings’ four-seam fastball sits in the 91-93 MPH range with around 19 inches of Induced Vertical Break. He throws an 86-88 MPH cutter/slider which appears to have some similarities to Chad Patrick’s cutter in that he seems to be capable of changing the shape of the pitch depending on whether he’s trying to get a whiff or to land it for a strike. He also throws a sweeper in the low-80’s that he’s comfortable using in any count. In May, Seppings worked around a lot of traffic on the bases, both in terms of hits and walks, to avoid allowing any runs. He struck out over 30% of batters he faced, and he was able to generate whiffs on 34.1% of swings. He recorded his lone save on the month on the 7th, working the final 3.1 innings of a 1-0 victory and striking out four along the way. As a 22 year old, Seppings is one that could be pushed to High-A if he continues to have productive months like he did in May. #2 RHP - Zach Peek - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 10 G, 14.1 IP, 2-0, 2.19 ERA, 2.03 FIP, 1.14 WHIP, 9 H, 6 BB, 22 K, 1 SV Unranked by all publications Peek was a Minor League Rule 5 selection by the Brewers this past winter. Coming off numerous injuries, he had not pitched much in professional baseball over the last year and a half. He was sent to High-A this year and has gotten himself off to a solid start, and a very strong May. Peek throws a number of pitches, including a four-seam and a two-seam variation of the fastball. The fastball sits in the 91-93 MPH range and touches 95. He throws a slider in the mid-80’s and he uses it quite a bit. The curveball is thrown in the 78-80 range, with a 12-6 shape. It’s a pitch he goes to when he’s looking for a strikeout against either lefties or righties. He also mixes in a mid-80’s changeup that shows flashes of being an above average pitch. In May, Peek posted a 38.5% strikeout rate and a whiff rate of 29.5%. He was a multi-inning reliever multiple times over the course of the month, and some of his best work happened in his final outing on the 31st, in which Peek threw two innings in extra innings. He allowed only one of the “Manfred Man” runners to score in extra innings, helping lead the Rattlers to an extra inning win. Peek is 27 years old. He should likely get a shot in Double-A sooner rather than later and performances like May only make it more likely that will happen. #1 LHP - Mark Manfredi - Biloxi Shuckers - 8 G, 10 IP, 0-0, 0.90 ERA, 1.43 FIP, 0.80 WHIP, 3 H , 5 BB, 16 K, 1 SV. Unranked by all publications The Brewers used their ninth-round pick in 2023 on this Dayton University left-hander. Manfredi was assigned to High-A Wisconsin in 2024, where he got off to a strong start but struggled with command down the stretch of the season. He did strike out 95 batters in 76 innings and showed flashes of brilliance in his long-relief role. His time in the Arizona Fall League did not go well, with the command issues catching up to him against higher-level offensive competition. He walked 13 in 5.1 innings and posted a 13.5 ERA in his time there. Manfredi’s velocity was down a couple of ticks in the AFL, and it’s possible he was just exhausted from his first full season of professional baseball. Despite his struggles, the Brewers still assigned him to Double-A Biloxi to start 2025. Manfredi is working mostly around his fastball, which is sitting in the 93-96 MPH range and topping out at 97. His upper-80’s changeup has been a big weapon for him as well, especially against right-handed hitters. He rounds out his repertoire with a slider in the mid-80’s that he uses mainly in matchups with lefties. Similar to Tyler Bryant, April did not go all that well for Manfredi, as he again could not find the strike zone with any regularity, walking ten batters in only 6.1 innings pitched and posting an ERA over seven. May was a completely different story. Manfredi’s May was highlighted by striking out 44.4% of the batters he faced, which was well above average for the level. His whiff rate of 31.6% was strong as well. His month was highlighted by his first professional save on May 23, which was of the two inning variety. He did not allow a hit, though he did walk two in the outing. The changeup mentioned earlier was the pitch he used to record the final out. Manfredi’s command is going to continue to be a linchpin for his success, but when he is in and around the zone regularly, there is not a lot of hard contact and quite a few missed bats as well. Thanks for following along with this three-part series on the Brewers' minor league system. Let us know your thoughts below! Did we miss anybody? View full article

I think the missed time may have thrown off his rhythm a bit. I think pitchers are adjusting to him a bit as well, now that they have a report on him as a hitter. He will have to adjust back. The swing is a little inconsistent right now as well and I specifically think he's opening himself up for some vulnerabilities on pitches away from him, and he will have to fix that. But he's still one of the youngest players at the level, and some struggles are to be expected, honestly. Like you said, you can see the tools are definitely there.

Think it's dangerous to rely too much on the running numbers. Many pitchers at that level are downright horrific at holding runners. Obviously, there's not much else to go on currently, so I totally get why people are looking at those numbers, but I think it still just has to be a wait and see situation for the arm. We will know once he gets back in Nashville. Personally, I'm guessing that's next week. Caught a full game yesterday for the first time and has started the last three at catcher instead of DH. I think another full game or two and he will be back, though still with plenty of days off mixed in when he gets to Nashville.

Jack and Spencer recap a chaotic week culminating in a split in Pittsburgh and a sweep at home over the Red Sox, signs of life from a few struggling hitters, whether DL Hall and Aaron Ashby can ease the bullpen's workload, 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

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.