Spencer Michaelis

While complex level pitching can often lag behind the hitters, the Brewers had some impressive performances this season, and four names in particular separated themselves from the crowd. Without further ado, here are your Brewer Fanatic Minor League Short Season Pitchers of the Year, voted on by the site’s writers, and beginning with five honorable mentions. Honorable Mentions RHP- Wenderlyn King - Dominican Summer League - 10 G, 6 GS, 37.2 IP, 2-3, 3.25 ERA, 3.07 FIP, 1.27 WHIP, 42 H, 6 BB, 43 K LHP- Wande Torres - Dominican Summer League - 8 G, 7 GS, 15.2 IP, 1-0, 1.72 ERA, 1.49 FIP, 0.83 WHIP, 7 H, 6 BB, 33 K RHP- Wandy Cabrera - Dominican Summer League - 11 G, 3 GS, 30.2 IP, 4-2, 2.05 ERA, 4.82 FIP, 1.27 WHIP, 21 H, 18 BB, 25 K RHP- Saul Sanchez - Dominican Summer League - 26 G, 0 GS, 20.2 IP, 3-2, 1.74 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 1.06 WHIP, 13 H, 9 BB, 17 K, 1 SV LHP- Anfernny Reyes - Arizona Complex League and Carolina Mudcats - 27 G, 0 GS, 32.1 IP, 6-1, 2.23 ERA, 4.84 FIP, 1.30 WHIP, 16 H, 26 BB, 41 K, 2 SV TOP FOUR SHORT SEASON PITCHERS OF 2024 #4 RHP - Hayden Robinson - Arizona Complex League - 6 G, 3 GS, 18.2 IP, 0-0, 2.41 ERA, 3.14 FIP, 1.13 WHIP, 14 H, 7 BB, 28 K Unranked by all publications The Brewers 14th round selection in 2023, Robinson was signed away from a Nicholls State commitment, and made his professional debut this summer. He quickly generated buzz within the scouting community in Arizona, specifically due to his secondaries. Robinson throws a fastball, slider and changeup. The fastball is only in the 88-91 MPH range, but it plays up due to his elite extension. At only six feet tall, he is able to get seven feet of extension, which adds around two MPH to his perceived velocity. The slider is a really good offering, sitting around 80 MPH with quite a bit of sweep. The changeup looks similar to Logan Henderson’s on video, and is also hovering around 80 MPH on average. It was used against righties and lefties, and according to Baseball America, both the changeup and slider induced whiff rates of over 45% against them this year. The final two appearances of Robinson’s season were arguably his best. On May 30th he struck out nine batters in 4 2/3 innings, only allowing two hits and one walk, as well as a hit by pitch, though he did allow one earned run. On June 6th, in his final outing, Robinson only allowed one baserunner in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out seven hitters. In total, he threw eight innings of one run ball, allowed only four baserunners, and struck out 16. Unfortunately for him and the Brewers, Robinson ended up missing the second half of the season with an elbow injury. It’s unknown exactly how long he will be out, but if he is healthy enough to handle it, the Brewers may feel comfortable pushing him to Low-A to being 2025. #3 RHP - Ayendy Bravo - Dominican Summer League - 12 G, 4 GS, 45.1 IP, 4-3, 2.38 ERA, 4.24 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 31 H, 16 BB, 34 K Unranked by all publications Signed out of the Dominican Republic in this past January’s class, Bravo turned 17 a couple of weeks after signing. His first season as a professional came with a lot of success. An unheralded signing at the time, his bonus went unreported, and there is not much information available to the public. Based on some social media sleuthing, Bravo appears to throw in the low-90’s with a firm fastball and an over the top delivery. He also mixes in an upper-70’s slider that takes a little more of a curveball shape, due to that previously mentioned arm slot. It’s unclear if he has more secondaries in his repertoire, but it’s certainly possible that he does. Bravo has good stuff for his age, but one thing he will likely look to improve on as he moves through the system is his ability to generate swing and miss. Along with, on the same note, generating strikeouts. He seems like a good candidate to begin 2025 in the Arizona Complex League. #2 RHP - Argenis Aparicio - Dominican Summer League - 11 G, 5 GS, 48.0 IP, 4-1, 2.81 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.08 WHIP, 41 H,11 BB, 41 K Unranked by all publications Aparicio signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2023 as a two-way player. He spent his first season doing both and didn’t find much success on either side of the ball. In 2024, however, he spent all of his time on the mound and had a much better second season. Aparicio possesses a fastball in the 87-91 MPH range. In the video that is available, the fastball appears to have carry and play well at the top of the zone. Similar to Bravo, Aparicio throws from a pretty high slot. His upper 70’s-low 80’s slider has the shape of a gyro slider, getting sharp, late, downer movement on the pitch. He also has a mid-80’s changeup that appears to have quite a bit of fade to the arm side. Aparicio showed an ability to strike hitters out at a decent level, limited walks well, and never allowed more than three earned runs in an appearance. He was 18 for the entirety of the season, but is 19 at the time this article is being written. He seems like another good candidate for the Arizona Complex Brewers in 2025. #1 RHP - Dariel Jaquez - Dominican Summer League - 9 G, 6 GS, 31.0 IP, 2-0, 1.74 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 0.94 WHIP, 13 H, 16 BB, 29 K Unranked by all publications Signed out of the Dominican Republic this past winter, Jaquez had just turned 17 a few weeks before signing. Unfortunately, there is not much in the way of information on Jaquez. Unlike the majority of his DSL teammates, Jaquez doesn’t appear to be very active on social media, thus making it hard to find anything on his repertoire. What we do know is that he struck out nearly a batter per inning this year, which implies that he has an ability to miss bats. His walk numbers were higher than you would want them to be, walking 13% of the hitters he faced, but he did a fantastic job limiting the number of base hits he allowed, and still ended up with a WHIP under one. There’s no way to be sure of this, but often times those three qualities point to a pitcher who has good velocity, or an outlier pitch of some sort which allows them to work around control issues. Jaquez will be 18 in 2025. The high walk rate is the only reason he might not begin next year at the Arizona Complex, but assuming his stuff matches his results, he would seem to be a good candidate to move stateside. Do any of these names stand out to you? Anybody you’re specifically excited to see in 2025? Let us know in the comments! View full article

Jack and Spencer break down the Brewers' Wild Card rosters and talk about the playoffs! In this playoff preview episode, Jack and Spencer break down their preferred Wild Card rosters, how the Brewers will manage their pitching staff, and much 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/ View full article

The Brewers are going to the playoffs! Spencer is joined by Ryan Topp of Milwaukee’s Tailgate. They discuss the Brewers taking 2 of 3 in Arizona and then 2 of 3 at home against Philadelphia, the Brewers clinching the NL Central, Christian Yelich in the TV booth, Chris Hook’s wizardry, and much 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/ View full article

A minor league recap pod you say? We may have to explore this idea haha

As we head into mid-September, the Brewers rotation is something of an unknown as Colin Rea struggles while Aaron Civale and Frankie Montas outperform their (relatively meager) expectations. The guys recap the Rockies and Giants series, Colin Rea’s recent struggles, the changes Aaron Civale and Frankie Montas have made since joining the Brewers, the value of keeping the coaching staff intact under Pat Murphy, 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/ View full article

Do you believe the Brewers can re-sign Willy Adames this offseason? Will they even try? Jack and Spencer discuss some in-game decisions during the Reds and Cardinals series, why re-signing Willy Adames in free agency is unlikely, Jack's presence on two championship-winning softball teams in as many weeks, 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/ View full article

We continue our Minor League Player of the Month series with our top five Relief Pitchers for the month of August. The Brewers minor league pitching was very impressive on the starting side of things, but the relievers stole the show this month. Let's start with a couple honorable mentions: HONORABLE MENTIONS RHP - Jacob Misiorowski - Nashville Sounds - 8 G, 2 GS, 12.2 IP, 0-0, 2.13 ERA, 4.41 FIP, 0.63 WHIP, 2 H, 6 BB, 13 K, 1 SV He makes the honorable mention section, because of a dominant six-game stretch out of the bullpen after playing “opener” for his first two appearances. RHP - Kevin Herget - Nashville Sounds - 8 G, 8.2 IP, 0-0, 1.04 ERA, 1.47 FIP, 0.70 WHIP, 6 H, 0 BB, 12 K, 1 SV Unranked by all publications RHP - Nick Merkel - Biloxi Shuckers - 8 G, 1 GS, 18.0 IP, 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 2.65 FIP, 1.11 WHIP, 12 H, 8 BB, 21 K Unranked by all publications RHP - Tyler Bryant - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 8 G, 11.0 IP, 1-0, 1.64 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 1.19 WHIP, 7 H, 6 BB, 11 K, 3 SV Unranked by all publications TOP FIVE RELIEF PITCHERS FOR AUGUST #5 RHP - Craig Yoho - Biloxi Shuckers and Nashville Sounds - 9 G, 10.1 IP, 0-0, 1.75 ERA, 2.24 FIP, 1.16 WHIP, 6 H, 6 BB, 17 K The Brewers 8th round selection in the 2023 draft out of Indiana, Yoho is the only one of these arms that appears to already be slotted into a relief role in the future. At one time a position player in college, he transitioned to a two-way role for a couple of seasons, but after battling quite a few injuries, he finished his college career as a pitcher-only. 2023 was his first season focusing solely on pitching. So, despite his advanced age, he entered pro ball with some untapped potential. Starting in High-A, he’s already made his way to Triple-A now. Yoho may not throw as hard as most elite relievers, only sitting in the 91-93 range with his fastball, but his pitch mix is as impressive as any pitcher in the system. He throws his fastball with nearly 20 inches of arm side run, a changeup that appears to be very similar to the Devin Williams “Airbender”, as well as a sweeping curveball and a high-80s cutter. You can read more about the pitch mix in this article from April 22nd. In August, Yoho actually had some struggles. At least for his standards. His whiff rate was his lowest of the season, and his walk rate was the highest. Despite this, he showed an ability to get outs in different ways. A great sign for his future that he could get by without being on his “A” game. Yoho seems like he could be in line for a legitimate MLB opportunity this season. Perhaps a sign that the organization is starting to look at him more closely was the fact that he pitched in back to back games for the first time this season on July 27th and 28th. If he’s not , a debut in early 2025 would seem to be likely. #4 RHP - Garrett Stallings - Nashville Sounds - 4 G, 8.0 IP, 0-1, 0.00 ERA, 2.79 FIP, 0.63 WHIP, 2 H, 3 BB, 9 K, 1 SV Unranked by all publications The Brewers acquired Stallings from Baltimore in exchange for Thyago Vieira and Aneuris Rodriguez in late May. A fifth round pick by the Angels in 2019, Stallings had been traded one other time before, going from the Angels to Orioles in exchange for Jose Iglesias. Since being acquired, Stallings has been pitching in Nashville, mostly in a starting role. In August, he spent the whole month in a bullpen role and the results were quite good. A “kitchen sink” type of pitcher, Stallings throws all three variations of fastballs. His four seam and sinker are both averaging 91.3 MPH since coming to the Brewers organization. His cutter sits around 87 MPH, and has been his most oft-used offering as a Sound. He also throws a slider, curveball and changeup, all of which are around 79-81 MPH. His changeup has performed extremely well all season. In the bullpen his four-seam fastball has been his primary pitch, and despite it not having great characteristics, it generated extremely soft contact this past month. While the four-seam didn’t generate whiffs, he picked up the slack with the other five pitches. All five of which had whiff rates of at least 37%. His overall whiff rate of 34% was far and away his highest of the season, previously topping out at 29%. His 32.1% strikeout rate topped his previous high of 21.3% as well. At 27 years old, his clock is certainly ticking, and Stallings is likely an organizational depth type of player, but August showed that there’s potential for a bit more as a reliever. His performance in September will be worth monitoring. He could earn an invite to MLB Spring Training with continued success. #3 RHP - Sam Gardner - Biloxi Shuckers - 5 G, 7.0 IP, 2-0, 1.29 ERA, 1.60 FIP, 0.71 WHIP, 3 H, 2 BB, 9 K Unranked by all publications Gardner graduated from Murray State in 2021, and after going undrafted following his senior season he signed with the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League. The Brewers purchased him from the Grizzlies in early June of 2023 and he had a strong finish to the season. He continued that run in the Australian Winter League this past offseason when he only allowed one earned run in 22.2 innings, while striking out 50 batters for an absurd 19.9 K/9. This earned him a Double-A assignment to start the season where he has been performing well all season. Gardner throws a fastball that sits in the 93-94 range and can get up a bit higher at times. The fastball works well at the top of the zone. He plays off of that fastball with a curveball that sits in the high 70’s. The curve he can both land for strikes, as well as throw it out of the zone to get hitters to chase. It’s his put-away pitch, and might even be his primary pitch, as he uses it quite a bit. In the month of August Gardner was able to continue doing what he does best; racking up strikeouts and limiting walks. His 40.9% strikeout rate placed him in the 95th percentile among Double-A pitchers with at least seven innings in August. He generated whiffs at an above average rate of 34.7%, which placed him in the 82nd percentile. He does a great job of getting soft contact early, and whiffs when he has the opportunity to put hitters away. Gardner is unfortunately on the 60-Day IL for Biloxi, which means we will not see him again in 2024. He was able to take his extremely successful stint in the Australian Winter League and carry it over to a great 2024 and hopefully it will lead to even bigger things in 2025. #2 RHP - Blake Holub- Nashville Sounds and Biloxi Shuckers - 10 G, 12.0 IP, 0-1, 1.50 ERA, 1.32 FIP, 1.00 WHIP, 9 H, 3 BB, 17 K, 2 SV Unranked by all publications Acquired in the Mark Canha trade this past offseason Holub was a two-way player at Division II St Edwards University in Texas, before the Tigers selected him in the 15th round in 2021. Holub began the year with Triple-A Nashville. Unfortunately, he has struggled at that level and has made the trip between Biloxi and Nashville on a few occasions. He spent half of August with each team. Coming from a very high, over the top slot, Holub has a fastball that sits in the mid-90’s and has decent carry on it, along with a few inches of cut. He also adds seven feet of extension, which helps the velocity play up a bit higher. However, the carry he gets on the pitch doesn’t play up much and it can find barrels at times. His slider sits around 85 MPH and has the characteristics of a bullet slider, a change he made in his last stint with Biloxi, going from one with a bit more movement and less velocity to the current iteration. He also has a mid-80’s splitter that he has barely used this year. As mentioned, Holub split his month between Nashville and Biloxi. He allowed two earned runs with Nashville in 5.1 innings, and zero with Biloxi in the remaining 6.2 innings. He generated whiffs at a very strong 36.8% mark between both levels. He also continued an incredible trend of not allowing extra base hits, only allowing one double on the month. His issues have largely been related to the free pass and an inordinate amount of singles allowed. This month he was able to keep both to a reasonable number and thus finds himself on this list. Holub’s numbers at Triple-A are not fun to look at, but there’s definitely something there. He has dominated Double-A. It could be a mental block of sorts at this point, where he could use a solid run with Nashville, simply to boost his confidence. He’s Rule 5 eligible this offseason, but likely will not be protected. #1 RHP - Brailin Rodriguez - Carolina Mudcats and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 7 G, 20.1 IP, 2-0, 0.89 ERA, 3.07 FIP, 1.03 WHIP, 7 H , 8 BB, 20 K, 1 SV Unranked by all publications Rodriguez signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2018 and made it all the way up to Carolina in 2021, in his second professional season. Unfortunately he would miss all of 2022, before struggling in the Complex League in 2023. He began there again this year but has seen a lot more success and has now climbed up two levels this year, now pitching with the Timber Rattlers. Primarily a three pitch pitcher, Rodriguez usually brings a fastball in the 92-93 range, and can get up to 95 with the pitch at times. His best pitch is his slider. He can throw it for strikes, and also get chases with it against both righties and lefties. He mixes a high-80’s changeup into the mix as well, but it lags behind the other two, and he doesn’t have as much velocity separation as you would want from the fastball. This past month, above all else, Rodriguez limited line drives well. Allowing them on 24% of batted balls for the season, he kept that number to 17.3% in August. While he wasn’t able to miss bats at a very high rate, his whiff rate of 24% was pretty average, he did miss barrels pretty consistently. He did not allow any home runs in August. Rodriguez turned 22 in August, so he’s still got time on his side in that regard, but his organizational clock is ticking. He is Rule 5 eligible this offseason and while he isn’t likely to be at risk of being picked this year, they will likely be more aggressive with his promotions, due to that ticking clock. Let us know your thoughts below! Did we miss anybody? View full article

We begin our Minor League Player of the Month series with our top five starting pitchers for the month of August. In order to qualify for the top five, there was a minimum requirement of 13 innings pitched and at least one start made. We will start, as always, with a couple of honorable mentions from another successful month by the Brewers starting prospects. Honorable Mentions RHP - Brett Wichrowski - Biloxi Shuckers - 4 G, 4 GS, 19.1 IP, 0-2, 1.86 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 10 H, 10 BB, 16 K RHP - Chad Patrick - Nashville Sounds - 5 G, 5 GS, 25.0 IP, 3-0, 2.88 ERA, 4.78 FIP, 1.24 WHIP, 23 H, 8 BB, 24 K TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERS FOR AUGUST #5 RHP - Carlos Rodriguez - Nashville Sounds - 5 G, 5 GS, 30.1 IP, 3-1, 2.37 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 0.93 WHIP, 13 H, 15 BB, 30 K A former sixth round selection in 2021, Rodriguez was drafted out of Florida Southwestern State Junior College, which means you can include him on the growing list of JuCo pitchers that have succeeded, or are showing signs of future success, in the Brewers system. Rodriguez is a six pitch pitcher who throws the kitchen sink at hitters and keeps them off balance. His repertoire was discussed more at length in this article from prior to his debut. While the gist of that article is still accurate, Rodriguez has pitched a bit differently in Nashville compared to his MLB stint. In August, Rodriguez’s pitch usage went in the following order; four-seam fastball, changeup, curveball, sinker, cutter, slider. During his time in the big leagues, his usage was as follows; sinker, four-seam, cutter, changeup, slider, curveball. Rodriguez has gone with his offspeed offerings far more often in Triple-A and it has paid off. His changeup in particular ran a 44% whiff rate in August. All six pitches played well for the month, and while the four-seam was the pitch that got hit the hardest, it was still better than the average four-seam compared to the league. The main issue Rodriguez ran into this month was too many walks, walking nearly a batter every two innings. Rodriguez was forced into action at the big league level earlier than he should have been. He’s largely been a solid pitcher for the Sounds, in an environment that heavily swings toward hitters. He’s a guy who could make starts for the Brewers again next season, and perhaps become more of a mainstay a year or two later. #4 LHP - Brian Fitzpatrick - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 3 G, 3 GS, 15 IP, 2-1, 1.20 ERA, 3.27 FIP, 0.93 WHIP, 10 H, 4 BB, 17 K Unranked by all publications Fitzpatrick was the Brewers 10th round selection in 2022 out of Rutgers. A lefty who had put up decent numbers his senior year of college, but really showed some potential in the Cape Cod League where he threw 19 scoreless innings with a 19 to 2 K:BB ratio. August was a continuation of a solid July, as Fitzpatrick made his transition to the rotation full time. Despite an imposing 6’7 frame, Fitzpatrick is more of a finesse pitcher than a flamethrower. He throws his fastball in the 89-92 range, though he can get up a little higher than that at times. He also appears to have some cut action on his fastball once in a while. Fitpatrick’s low-80’s slider has been better in pro ball than it was in college and is a really good swing and miss pitch against lefties. He has done a better job of using it against right handed hitters as well, but his go-to secondary against righties is his changeup, which might be his best pitch. He is able to kill the spin on the changeup and it generates a lot of his swings and misses, coming in around 82-83 MPH. For the month, Fitzpatrick generated whiffs at around a league average rate (26.8%), but he was able to get ground balls at a much higher rate than any other month, getting them on 60% of balls in play. That ground ball rate placed him in the 97th percentile for High-A pitchers with at least 13 innings in August. Fitzpatrick is pretty old for the level, and he’s put up strong numbers, both as a reliever and a starter. The injury probably means he won’t see Double-A this year, but he seems like a strong candidate to begin his 2025 at that level. #3 LHP - Nate Peterson - Biloxi Shuckers - 4 G, 3 GS, 18.0 IP, 1-1, 1.50 ERA, 2.99 FIP, 1.33 WHIP, 17 H, 7 BB, 20 K. Unranked by all publications The Brewers 8th round pick in the 2022 draft out of the University of Illinois-Chicago has had his fair share of struggles this season, but he was able to put together a fantastic August and find his way onto this list. Peterson throws a fastball in the 91-93 range, at times touching 94 MPH. His main secondary is his 86-88 MPH cutter that acts more like a short slider at times. He will also mix in a bigger breaking ball with some sweep to it. That one is thrown in the low 80’s. His fourth pitch is a changeup that he really struggles to command, but when he does get it up, it shows some fade to it. In August, Peterson generated whiffs at a 34.8% rate, which was the highest of any month in his two year professional career. More importantly, Peterson was able to keep the ball in the yard extremely effectively. His previous low for a month this year was three home runs allowed. In August he only allowed one long ball. Peterson has some work to do on his game, and seems like a good candidate to repeat Double-A in 2025. However, the hope is that he can build off of such a successful August and make his way to Nashville at some point next year. #2 RHP - Mitch White - Nashville Sounds - 5 G, 4 GS, 21.0 IP, 3-1, 2.14 ERA, 2.87 FIP, 0.96 WHIP, 14 H, 6 BB, 24 K Unranked by all publications Mitch White? Mitch White! White spent time in Milwaukee with the Brewers this year, and it did not go well, to put it nicely. He went unclaimed after being DFA’d and was moved to the starting rotation in Nashville after pitching exclusively out of the bullpen for Milwaukee. Much like Carlos Rodriguez, White’s repertoire is mostly the same as it was earlier this season, but there have been some tweaks that helped lead to some incredible success in August. First, his fastball velocity is up about one MPH on the four-seam. White has also swapped the usage of his sweeper and slider. His sweeper was used second most with the Brewers, while the slider was used the least of his five pitches. He has gone to heavy slider usage with Nashville, making that his second most used pitch, and the sweeper now ranks fifth. The slider velocity is also up about two MPH. He still uses a sinker and curveball to round out the repertoire. None of White’s pitches were hit hard in August, with all of his pitches posting well above average whiff rates on them (outside of his slider, which was mainly used to generate grounders). His 32.4% whiff rate was his best in a month all year and so was his strikeout to walk rate of 4.0, nearly doubling his previous high for the season. White is extremely unlikely to impact the Brewers again this season, but he does seem like someone they will try to keep around on a minor league deal for 2025. There have been legitimate strides in both his stuff and his results, and he seems to mesh well with the organization. It could make sense for both sides. #1 RHP - K.C. Hunt - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Biloxi Shuckers - 5 G, 5 GS, 27.2 IP, 1-2, 1.95 ERA, 2.20 FIP, 0.90 WHIP, 22 H, 3 BB, 35 K. Back to back months as the number one starter, after previously taking home the number one spot in April’s version of the Reliever of the Month list, the 2023 Undrafted Free Agent signee transitioned to the rotation in June, and he has taken to it incredibly well so far. His first start of August was as a T-Rat, but the final four took place at the Double-A level. Hunt’s high-spin fastball sits in the 92-94 range and works well at the top of the zone, though he also does a good job of hitting the low and outside corner with the pitch. He has a four pitch mix and while the fastball is closer to average than great, his breaking balls are a different story. His mid-80’s bullet slider is a plus pitch that generates a ton of swing and miss. He also throws an upper 70’s curveball that is a little more inconsistent, but also flashes as a plus pitch and has a lot of depth to it. Hunt will also mix in a changeup on occasion. The changeup is a work in progress, but does give a hitter something else to think about. Hunt finished his time in High-A with five shutout innings, racking up six strikeouts and walking only one. In his first start with Biloxi he went 5 1/3 innings, striking out eight and only allowing three hits, one of which was a solo homer for his lone run allowed. He went at least 5 1/3 IP in each start at the level and struck out at least six in all four starts as well. Only walking three all month, his already stellar strikeout to walk ratio was actually the best it had been in any month this year, coming in at a ridiculous 11.67. Per TruMedia, that number was good for eighth out of 450 pitchers to throw at least 13 innings between High-A and Double-A in August. His whiff rate of 36.1% was in the 89th percentile. Hunt has had arguably the most unexpected season of any player in the system. Going from an Undrafted Free Agent just 13 months ago, to a “Top 30” type of prospect in the system, and already dominating at Double-A is unheard of. With his continued dominance at this level, it’s hard to rule out K.C. as an option (whether it be in a bullpen role, or starting role) for the Brewers, as soon as next season. Please share your opinions! Do any of these names stand out? View full article

As we close out August, the Brewers are a virtual lock for a division crown. But what can they do in September? The guys discuss the series wins against Oakland and San Francisco, Blake Perkins’s preparation and baseball IQ, Aaron Ashby’s resurgence, Chris Hook’s value to the Brewers, 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/ View full article

It's really hard for me to move Jadher too much higher than the low-mid 20's on my rankings. I will say, the Fangraphs defense grade of 40 is pretty crazy to me. I think he's comfortably above average. His load scares me, as I think it could be taken advantage of, due to all the moving parts. But I also feel hypocritical saying that, as I didn't want them to mess with EBJ's load when he got drafted. It's been very nice to see the power show up a bit more this year, without losing the bat to ball abilities. I think of all the guys in the system, he's got the best chance to just completely prove me wrong. I think if I see the performance translate to AA I'll be able to move him up and feel comfortable with it.

Love this list. I will add some notes I have/know for some of these guys. Tyler Rodriguez's swing jumped out in video I saw this offseason. I'm far from a swing expert, but it checks all the visual boxes for me. Seeing the production back it up is nice, especially at 18 years old. C-Rod and Scott are both definitely interesting. Both are MiLB FA's this offseason. Guessing C-Rod moves on if he isn't added to the 40 man, but Scott might re-sign on another minor league deal. Jesus Broca (he's actually a LHP) is around 91-93 with a curve and changeup. Results in Carolina aren't good so far, including an 18% whiff rate, but the overall K:BB is super encouraging and the stuff is pretty solid for a 20 year old lefty. Wande Torres has been up to 98 MPH and sits in the 95-97 range with a delivery that reminds me a bit of Jared Koenig and Angel Perdomo, and a nice looking slider/slurve. Seems like a tough AB for hitters, and limited walks really well this year compared to last time we saw him in 2022. King is more low 90's with a slider/changeup combo. Tyler Bryant is racking up K's and also whiffs. Whiff rate is a very impressive 41.9% since signing, though it was 46.5% in Low-A and is 36.5% in High-A (still very good, just not the same level). Gardner has some Shane Smith qualities to the fastball and breaking ball mix, though Smith has a bit more velo in the tank. Gardner is usually in the 92-93 range, reaching back for a 94 once in a while. Sanchez's cutter looks gorgeous and throwing it around 93 MPH already is pretty impressive for a pure cutter at 20 years old. The breaking balls are solid too. Whiff rate of 31% and a 63% ground ball rate is a nice combo.

Definitely with you on Yorman and Rodriguez. Though both are on BA's list. All three of the others are definitely fun names. I genuinely wonder if they'll consider adding Ernesto to the 40 man this offseason. Probably not, simply because it's going to be a 40 man crunch already. But the fact they'll likely have to think hard about it says a lot. Merkel is a low 90's guy who I've seen touch 94, but it appears to my eye that he throws a cutter/sinker combo, so the velo isn't what's driving the success on the fastball. I have two guys in my Top 30 that aren't on any of the main lists in Josh Adamczewski and Ryan Birchard. Deeper cuts who have the potential to make a really big leap... I'd say Jesus Rivero still can. He has the stuff to do it. Especially if he can make a leap in velo at some point. This has been a tough year for him though. Hayden Robinson was probably on the precipice of it before his elbow injury. Jason Woodward's stuff is very intriguing to me. I'm hoping to get some actual data on his pitches at some point (beyond velo), because I think he might have 4 average or better pitches. On the position side, I think Hedbert Perez might resurrect his prospect status by this time next year (likely not to the heights it once was, but back to relevancy on these lists). Not too many 21 year olds hit the ball as hard as he does, and he's performing well in Appleton in this small sample. Wonder if he goes to the AFL? Marco Dinges' stats at Low-A haven't been anything exciting in the first week or so there, but I do like the swing a lot and he's posting exit velo's of 110 MPH on opposite field hits. IF he can catch (that's a very big if) I think he could really move up lists. It may be harder to do as a non-catcher though. I'm also not betting against a guy who went through what he went through a couple years ago.

The Brewers could have essentially locked up the division this week but lost a series to the Cardinals. The guys discuss the sweep of the Guardians and the series loss at the hands of the Cardinals. They break down some changes Frankie Montas and Aaron Civale have made and the results of those changes so far, they explain their frustration with a particular part of William Contreras’s game, talk about Devin Williams's heavy usage coming off of injury, and much 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/ View full article

I was able to find some video on his Instagram highlights where you can actually see the readings from the pitches. The two you can see show 96 and 97.on the fastball. It's definitely a bit shocking given how simple it looks, but he reminds me a bit of Jared Koenig in that the rotation is insanely fast while everything else looks smooth and "slow". https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18084470395471722/ Edit: It will be the second "slide" on there that you can see some of the readings.

I mentioned in another topic a while ago, but LaFond was one that I was specifically told to keep an eye on back in spring. I think he could be a pretty quick riser. I love his swing.

With Spencer out for the week, Jack is joined by beat reporter Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel fills in for Spencer as he and Jack discuss Christian Yelich’s season-ending back surgery, a series split with the Dodgers with some questionable bullpen management, whether Jacob Misiorowski or Craig Yoho could join the Brewers down the stretch, 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/ View full article