Spencer Michaelis

Agreed. He just feels like the only one with a little bit of leverage from that group.

The MLB Draft has now come and gone. The Brewers employed a bit of a different strategy in this draft than we have become accustomed to. We will take a look at each pick and then finish with a short wrap-up. Today, let's look at the first two days of the draft, rounds 1-10. Image courtesy of © Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports Day 1 Selections Round 1, Pick 18 overall Brock Wilken, 3B Wake Forest Wilken may possess the most raw power of any player in this draft class, hitting multiple balls over 115 MPH this past season. It’s a relatively flat swing, which should allow him to have a decent enough hit tool, though he will likely never hit for a high average. While Wilken’s strikeout numbers aren’t in a great spot, you would think he was striking out at a 30% rate with how some evaluators have talked about it. In reality, it was closer to 18%, and he cut down on his whiff rate and chase rate in 2023. If there’s any cause for concern, it probably lies more with the Brewers' track record of developing these power-over-hit profiles. Defensively, scouts are split on whether he can handle third base. He certainly has the arm for it, but the actions and movements do look a bit slow. The Brewers haven’t been shy to play slow movers at third base before, though, and his hands seem to be decent enough to handle it. Despite the concerns about the fit within the organization and their ability to develop him, Wilken is pretty well developed already, and he will likely be able to move through the organization relatively quickly. Editor's Note: If you're not following Spencer Michaelis on Twitter for Brewers prospect and draft news, you should be. Round CB-A, Pick 33 overall Josh Knoth, RHP Patchogue Medford HS Knoth might have the highest ceiling of the Brewers' day one selections. His profile was extremely enticing, even when he only threw his fastball in the 90-93 range (T95) last summer. This spring, however, he was up to 98 and sitting more in the 94-95 range. The fastball has good life at the top of the zone and pairs extremely well with what might be the best secondary offering in the entire system the moment Knoth signs. That offering being his hammer curveball. It’s a 3000 RPM pitch with late bite and a ton of movement. He has a smooth delivery that appears to be easily repeatable. Still only 17, Knoth’s upside on the mound might be second only to Jacob Misiorowski in the Brewers system. Round 2, Pick 54 overall Mike Boeve, 3B/2B Nebraska-Omaha Boeve was a personal favorite of mine throughout the entire draft process and also felt like a profile the Brewers would be partial to. At the time of the selection, it seemed a little weird to double up at third base, but it’s important to note that Boeve can also handle second base. Worrying about having too many players at one position is an exercise in futility on draft night. Get as much talent as you can in the organization, and things will work themselves out later on. There are a lot of similarities to Tyler Black with Boeve. The swing is pretty similar, and Black also was seen as much more hit-over power when he was drafted in 2021. This might be a swing that the Brewers feel good about tinkering with, having seen the results as Black tapped into more power. Boeve absolutely has it in him, posting a number of exit velocities over 110 this past season. Day 2 Selections Round 3, Pick 87 overall Eric Bitonti, 3B Aquinas HS If you liked the Wilken pick, especially the power that comes with it, then you should also be very excited about the Bitonti pick. Equipped with some of the biggest raw power in the high school class, Bitonti has a sweet-looking left-handed swing. Like Knoth, he’s young, even for a high schooler, as he won’t turn 18 until mid-November. Despite being a pretty good athlete for his size, it’s unlikely he will be able to stick at shortstop. In fact, the Brewers are already planning to have him start at third base. He should be a very strong defender at the hot corner, and he certainly has the arm to handle it as well. The question for Bitonti will come with his hit tool. He does have some holes in his swing presently, and he has struggled with making solid contact on breaking balls. His issues with breaking balls seem to be more aligned with his feel to hit them, as he doesn’t chase them much. This is a good sign. It means he likely just needs to get more comfortable with his bat path against spinners rather than learning how to recognize them entirely. He crushed fastballs in the prep circuit and should have no issues handling professional velocity. There’s big-time, middle-of-the-order upside with Bitonti. Brewers fans will just need to remember to be patient. Round 4, Pick 119 overall Jason Woodward, RHP Florida Gulf Coast Woodward is a bit of a mystery, and he was likely drafted in part to save money for some of the other selections. But that doesn’t mean he’s a throw-away pick. Though he missed most of the 2023 season with Tommy John, he was very solid in his three healthy starts. He finished his short season with a 1.32 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 13.2 innings. His fastball is normally around 91-94, but he can get up to 96 at times. The fastball is said to have a lot of ride and plays very well up in the zone. His best secondary is a changeup that is considered a plus pitch. He generates a lot of late movement with it. Woodward will be out for most of the next calendar year while he rehabs. We will most likely see him for the first time in the Complex League next summer, around this time of the year. Round 5, Pick 155 overall Ryan Birchard, RHP Niagara County CC Like Boeve, Birchard was a player that I was a big fan of during the process and another that just felt like he would end up a Brewer. He has fantastic pitch characteristics on all three of his main pitches and was a Junior College arm. Everyone who follows the Brewers drafts knows how much they love those Juco arms. His fastball can reach up to 98 and sits in the 94-96 range with good carry. He was using a slider and changeup as his secondary pitches in the fall, but once he had made it through his season and into the draft league, he seemed to have scrapped the changeup in favor of a curveball. The slider and curveball have different shapes and are in different velocity bands. He should be just fine without the changeup. Some think he will end up in the bullpen long-term, but I personally do believe he can make it as a starter with his three-pitch mix. If he ends up falling back to a bullpen role, it could be a high-leverage type of arm and role. Round 6, Pick 182 overall Cooper Pratt, SS Magnolia Heights HS When the Brewers made this choice, I actually jumped up out of my seat. By this point in the draft, I was actually thinking they were already running low on slot bonus money to spend. Frankly, I had written off Pratt as a possibility long before this sixth-round selection. Assuming they do sign him, this is probably the biggest steal of the entire draft. At 6’5, many scouts believe he will be able to stick at shortstop. Based on the little video of his defense available, I am inclined to agree. For a player his size, he moves extremely well on the dirt, and his arm is quick enough to handle short as well. Offensively he is currently hit over power, but considering his frame, there is a lot of room to grow in the power department. Even if the power never does develop, there is a lot to like in his profile. Baseball America says, “Over a 668-pitch sample, Pratt has just a 12% overall miss rate and 17% chase rate. On pitches in the zone, his miss rate falls to just 6%.” Those are fantastic numbers for a player his age. He has a bit of a leg kick but an extremely smooth-looking swing that allows him to hit with some authority to all fields. It would not shock me if, later on down the road, Pratt ended up being the best player the Brewers selected in this draft class. The upside is similar to that of Gunnar Henderson. Round 7, Pick 212 overall Tate Kuehner, LHP Louisville Kuehner was one of Louisville’s most important relievers this year. He throws from a tough lefty angle. His fastball was 92–95 this year with a good amount of run. The fastball works up, as well as down in the zone. His breaking ball is a pretty nasty pitch. However, he did struggle to command it over the last few seasons. There is potential for Kuehner to be a really solid pen guy—an interesting pickup for what will likely be a well-under-slot senior signing. Round 8, Pick 242 overall Craig Yoho, RHP Indiana Another pitcher that I was tracking as a potential Brewers pick. He seemed like an arm that an analytical front office would love, and the Brewers have been great with a profile like his. Yoho is relatively new to pitching full-time, as he was a two-way early in his college career. He’s been hurt a number of times, and despite being 23 years old, he somehow has three (!) years of eligibility left and was committed to transfer to Arkansas next year. It sounds as though he will sign, though, and I find that to be pretty exciting. According to Baseball America, “Yoho’s high-70s changeup has a ton of late fade and tumble, is an effective pitch against both right and left-handed hitters, and had an impressive 61% miss rate. His sweeping slider had a 56% miss rate, while his curveball has big time depth and a 62% miss rate.” While Yoho was used as a reliever at Indiana, and that was the plan at Arkansas as well. I’m not entirely convinced he shouldn’t be given a shot at starting in pro ball. He definitely has a starter's repertoire. It will likely come down to durability and whether the Brewers believe he can handle a starter's workload. Yoho is an older pick, but a four-pitch pitcher with this kind of stuff and solid command to go with it is not commonly available in the 8th round. Round 9, Pick 272 overall Mark Manfredi, LHP Dayton Manfredi wasn’t one on my radar before the draft, but he does show some intriguing traits. Namely, his release point, which is coming from a sidearm slot. This helps his fastball play up a bit above the low 90s velocity that he brings. Manfredi also uses a slider, curveball, and changeup alongside the fastball to help keep hitters off balance. The slider is probably the best of the three, but none stand out as better than a bit above average. This is another senior sign who has shown some signs of development as he worked with Tread Athletics over the last few months. There may be more in the tank yet, and the Brewers do well with funky delivery types like Manfredi. Round 10, Pick 302 overall Morris Austin, RHP Houston Christian U There is next to no information available on Austin. I was able to find a tweet showing trackman velocity for him, where he touched 97.5 MPH, but nothing on his secondary pitches or anything beyond that. He had a 7.00 ERA this past season. However, that was in a pretty small sample, and outside of one complete blow-up where he gave up five earned runs in 0.1 innings pitched, his ERA would have been under 2.00, and he did strike out 13 per nine. The Brewers likely saw something they liked in his pitch data and an opportunity for another under-slot signing. Wrap Up and Opinions When the Brewers drafted Wilken in the first round, I was admittedly a little down on the pick. Chase Davis was on the board, and he was my dream selection (side note: screw the Cardinals). However, as the rest of the draft played out, I felt much better about it. I expect him to sign for a decent amount under slot value, which should play a big role in signing Cooper Pratt, along with the other high school selections made in the first two days, such as Josh Knoth and Eric Bitonti. As I mentioned in their write-ups, Mike Boeve and Ryan Birchard were two of my personal favorites in this draft class. I am guessing Boeve will be another under-slot signing. Birchard appears to be prepared to sign, but I have no idea if he will be over, under, or exactly at slot for his bonus. The college players selected in rounds 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10 will likely all come in under slot, if not significantly under slot. Yoho is potentially the one exception to that, as he does have quite a bit of eligibility left. Though at 23, it seems unlikely he can raise his draft stock much at an even older age. Now, here’s to clean medicals for all and no negative surprises! View full article

It is possible that this is Pratt insurance in some ways. Because if for some reason they aren't able to sign him, yes they lose $309k in slot money, but they most likely have saved at least a million for him. Leaving them at least $700k to work with for the post 10 signings. I hope they feel like they're able to sign a few of these guys either way though. I really like Adamczewski's swing.

Or... they will use 3 of their first 4 on high schoolers lol. Edit: 4 of the first 5

Small Day 2 wrap-up Guys they took that were on my list yesterday: Eric Bitonti - This is a high risk, high reward type of pick, but the power could be double-plus and he is going to be a strong defender at third base. Ryan Birchard - One of my favorite Juco arms, can get close to triple digits with a nasty sweeping curve. I think he can be a starter. Though he may need to separate that sweeping curve into two different offerings (in the draft league he may already have done this, so that's a great sign). Two guys that almost made my list yesterday Cooper Pratt - He would have made my list, I honestly thought he wasn't sign-able, so getting him in the 6th is crazy. He's a legit defender who I think will stick at short, which is pretty impressive at his height. The bat will likely lean toward hit over power, but there will be some pop in there. At his size, that could certainly develop more later on too. Craig Yoho - I actually originally had him on the list, but I cut him and a few others out because it felt like it was getting too long. I think he has three above average to plus secondary pitches in his changeup, slider and curveball. His fastball has good characteristics too, just not huge velocity. Pretty new to pitching full time, this one could be a huge steal in my opinion. Some Day 3 guys I would like to see them go after: I'm assuming that the Brewers do not have much, if any, money to go over the $125k bonus in rounds 11-20. So not listing any high schoolers, though they will likely take at least 1 or 2. Pitchers (First 4 are holdovers from my Day 2 list) RHP Sam Knowlton - South Alabama RHP Carson Hobbs - Samford RHP Drew Conover - Rutgers RHP Chris Kean - Louisiana Monroe RHP Tyler Bradt - Eastern Carolina RHP Mathias LaCombe - Cochise (JUCO) RHP Ben Petschke - Samford RHP Hayden Durke - Rice RHP Khristian Curtis - Arizona State RHP Terry Busse - Georgia Tech RHP Brett Banks - UNC Wilmington LHP Anthony Imhoff - Pima (JUCO) RHP Breck Eichelberger - Abilene Christian (TX) RHP Ethan Bell - St Louis RHP Noah Ruen - Tyler (JUCO) RHP Zane Morehouse - Texas LHP Bryson Hammer - Dallas Baptist RHP Colson Lawrence - South Alabama RHP Logan Evans - Pittsburgh Position Players 1B/3B Hunter Fitz-Gerald - Old Dominion OF/C Jared Dickey - Tennessee OF Carter Trice - North Carolina State SS Jared Sprague-Lott - Richmond C Garret Guillemette - Texas 1B Anthony Calarco - Northeastern 3B Brian Kalmer - Gonzaga OF Jackson Gray - Kentucky OF Drew Brutcher - South Florida OF Landon Wallace - West Virginia OF Jace Grady - Dallas Baptist OF Grayson Tatrow - Abilene Christian SS Reiss Calvin - Ventura (JUCO) SS Sam Antonacci - Heartland (JUCO)

Looks like a Cape Cod guy. Did pretty well in only 3 starts. 11.1 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 in 13 IP. Originally at Sinclair Community College.

Birchard made the list I posted earlier. Really, really like this pick. Huge ceiling.

I was putting my thoughts on Twitter yesterday, but I'll summarize where I landed by the end of it. I like Wilken the player more than I like the fit with the Brewers PD. I worry about them being able to improve a players hit tool / K-Rate. But there's a Pete Alonso type of bat in there, and he might even be able to stick at third. The upside is legit. Knoth is my favorite pick from Day 1. I loved his profile when I thought he only threw 90-93 (T95), but I learned after the pick that he was up to 98 and sitting more in the 94-95 range over the last few months. The curve is probably already the best secondary offering in the system (assuming that he signs). At 17, his upside on the mound might be second only to Misiorowski, in the Brewers system. Love his delivery, think it's very repeatable and I just love an athletic delivery like his. Boeve was on my shortlist for the third pick. I know it seems a little weird to double up on third base, but Boeve can handle second base as well. I see a lot of Tyler Black similarities with Boeve. He was a favorite of mine the whole draft process. Had a feeling the Brewers would like the profile too. As for today... Some personal favorites that I'd love to see as part of the haul today: NCAA Pitchers RHP Alejandro Rosario - Miami RHP Teddy McGraw - Wake Forest RHP Brody Hopkins - Winthrop RHP Zach Fruit - Troy RHP Drew Conover - Rutgers LHP Christian Oppor - Gulf Coast State College (JUCO) RHP Sam Knowlton - South Alabama RHP Carson Hobbs - Samford RHP Chris Kean - Louisiana Monroe LHP Hunter Owen - Vanderbilt RHP Cam Minacci - Wake Forest LHP Kyle Carr - Palomar (Calif.) (JUCO) RHP Ryan Birchard - Niagara (JUCO) NCAA Position Players OF Jack Hurley (I'm honestly shocked he hasn't been picked yet) - Virginia Tech OF Jace Bohrofen - Arkansas OF Spencer Nivens - Missouri State OF Travis Honeyman - Boston College OF Cam Fischer - UNC-Charlotte OF Zach Levenson - Miami OF Avery Owusu-Asiedu - Southern Illinois OF Alberto Rios - Stanford 1B Garret Forrester - Oregon State SS John Peck - Pepperdine High School (assuming they have enough bonus money) C Zion Rose SS Antonio Anderson RHP Justin Lee SS Trent Caraway SS Eric Bitonti RHP Steven Echavarria RHP Joey Volchko

I have said it a few times, but barring an insane fall for somebody, Davis is my favorite realistic prospect for the Brewers.

I took a peak at Scooter’s 4 homer game and it’s very possible he’s who I was thinking of. I think there’s an active guy still, but Scooter’s fits the bill either way!

He was literally the first name I thought of too. I checked some video of him right away, but like @wiguy94 said, the one hand finish is different and that was a big part of what I was thinking of.

His swing reminds me a ton of somebody, and all day since I saw that video on Twitter I've been trying to figure out who it is lol. It's a major leaguer, and I believe a current one. Really annoying me 😂

I do a very similar thing haha. Young is seriously fantastic. I'm actually hoping he ends up doing Brewers games in the future. You're right that the Brewers have a really solid announcer group down in the minors in general. The away games can be a rough listen sometimes.

Yeah, Rivero was one that I'd heard had insane stuff through the grapevine. I didn't have a chance to watch last night, did they give any velocity readings on the fastballs? That's one thing I've been hoping to find out about.

I am with you. It's part of why I love keeping my own list and staying so up to date with the system. I don't think it's necessarily the publications fault, I just have a hard time believing a staff of 1-4 people can truly keep up with all 30 systems. The Top 100's are usually pretty accurate, in my opinion, but the individual team rankings I think tend to lag behind.

We conclude our monthly Brewers award by looking at the best minor league relief pitchers in June. Image courtesy of Neal Hock, Carolina Mudcats We close out our MiLB Player of the Month series with our top seven Relief Pitchers for the month of June. This list was filled with viable candidates and was very tough to narrow down to even seven. After a bit of a down month in May, the reliever group was pretty dominant in June throughout the system. We will begin with a couple of honorable mentions. HONORABLE MENTIONS RHP - Abner Uribe - Biloxi Shuckers and Nashville Sounds - 9 G, 8.2 IP, 1-1, 2.08 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 3 H , 6 BB, 17 K. Uribe was featured in the May version of this article and had another very solid month, including a promotion to Triple-A. Most months he likely would have made the top group, but there were a lot of top of the line performances in June. RHP - Miguel Guerrero - Carolina Mudcats - 4 G, 11.1 IP, 1-0, 1.59 ERA, 2.35 FIP, 0.88 WHIP, 8 H , 2 BB, 12 K Guerrero was signed in 2020 as a 19 year old. He has now spent parts of the last three seasons in Carolina. Last season he got off to a great start there and received a promotion to High-A. Unfortunately he struggled mightily there and ended up back in Carolina to start this season. His fastball is in the mid-90s and has some sink to it. He also throws a slider. If you’re projecting best case scenario down the line, there is some Elvis Peguero to Guerrero’s profile, though his slider does not have the same type of velocity. As of 7/4, he is on his way back up to Wisconsin where he will be hoping for better results his second time around. RHP - Jeferson Figueroa - Carolina Mudcats - 5 G, 9.1 IP, 0-0, 1.93 ERA, 4.32 FIP, 0.88 WHIP, 8 H , 2 BB, 12 K Figueroa was the Brewers 32nd round pick in 2019 (the last draft that expanded beyond round 20). He was a high schooler out of Florida. Currently showing a fastball with life at the top of the zone and touching 96-97 at times, he also throws a wipeout slider. His command could use work, but June was a step in the right direction for him. He is another that could end up in Wisconsin soon. TOP SIX RELIEF PITCHERS FOR JUNE #6 RHP - Ryan Brady - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 7 G, 20.0 IP, 2-0, 1.35 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 0.75 WHIP, 13 H , 2 BB, 16 K, 1 SV. Unranked by all publications Brady snuck into the April Relief Pitcher of the Month rankings as well. Much of the next portion is pulled from that article, as there hasn’t been any change to his repertoire since then. Brady was an undrafted free agent pickup by the Brewers, following the 2022 draft. Though he’s already 24 years old, and thus a bit of an older High-A player, his results have been great and his repertoire has the looks of a legitimate reliever. A fastball that sits in the 93-96 range, with great life at the top of the zone, pairs extremely well with his sharp slider and his slower, yet powerful curve. Brady has lightning fast arm speed, but a very relaxed delivery where he is not leaking any of his power. It should allow him to maintain very very strong command, which he showed in May with only two walks and three hit by pitches. He also showed off his athleticism on the mound a few times, including on an incredible double play in extra innings. Brady’s June was filled with strong outings, as he went three or more innings in six of his seven appearances. However his longest outing of the month was also, arguably, his best. On June 30th, Brady went four scoreless innings, only allowing two hits and striking out four batters. This was the last day of the month, meaning it was obviously his last outing of the month, but as it turns out it will also be his last outing at High-A. Brady was rewarded with a promotion to Double-A Biloxi earlier this week. The BYU product may not have been drafted in the 20 round draft last summer, but he’s just another example of the depths the Brewers will go to in order to find good arms. If you’re an undrafted or independent ball pitcher and the Brewers approach you, it would seem wise to join an organization that gives the type of opportunity the Brewers give to these types. They don’t care what your background is, they just want pitchers who can get the job done. Brady could be one of the next, in a pretty long line, of overlooked prospects to prove that point. #5 LHP - Clayton Andrews - Nashville Sounds - 8 G, 10.0 IP, 2-0, 0.90 ERA, 3.08 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, 5 H , 7 BB, 13 K Unranked by all publications Andrews was featured in the April version of this article as well, and the next portion will pull from that a decent amount. Drafted in the 17th round in 2018, Andrews stands in at only 5’6, and if we’re being honest, that might be a bit generous. Despite his stature, his ride through the minor leagues has been an exhilarating one. In 2019, he was not only pitching, but also playing center field and racking up a batting average hovering around .300. After COVID he did get a few more plate appearances in 2021, but would undergo Tommy John surgery shortly thereafter. He returned from TJS last season, no longer playing the field, and also to mixed results on the mound. He was striking out nearly two batters per inning. Unfortunately he was also walking close to a batter an inning and had an ERA over nine. This year he came into a spring training game and immediately caught a lot of people’s attention when he touched 96 MPH and sat in the 94-95 range. For a left handed pitcher, that type of velocity will always create some intrigue. When that left handed pitcher is 5’6? It creates a lot of intrigue. After seeing a bit of a down turn in results. Andrews returned to the type of surface level results we saw in April, though the command was far from perfect. In June, Andrews was walking over six batters per nine, which is not an ideal place to be. He also threw two wild pitches and was generally a little all over the place. He was also, however, striking out over 11 per nine and keeping the ball on the ground really well. His best outing of the month was on June 6th, when he went 2.1 innings, striking out four and only allowing two baserunners with one walk and one hit allowed. Andrews’ month was rewarded with a promotion to the major leagues, which was an incredible accomplishment for someone who was a 17th round pick and the height that Andrews is. Not to mention his recent Tommy John surgery. While his debut did not go very well, his second appearance went much better and showed a lot more of what he’s capable of. Hopefully he will continue to be given chances. The fact he was not immediately demoted following his blowup appearance is a good sign that the organization believes in him. #4 LHP - Darrell Thompson - Nashville Sounds - 9 G, 10.1 IP, 1-0, 1.74 ERA, 3.10 FIP, 0.97 WHIP, 6 H , 4 BB, 15 K Unranked by all publications Signed this past offseason, Thompson’s organization debut went as well as one could imagine. He began in Double-A Biloxi and finished April in second place in that month's version of this article. Having been signed away from the Schaumburg Boomers, Thompson came to the Brewers throwing a 4-seam fastball at 92-94, as well as a changeup and a slurve. He is now mixing in a cut fastball in the upper 80’s and a “sweeper” and the slurve is a bit more of a true curve. In June Thompson worked parts of multiple innings three times, but only completed two full innings once. That outing, coming on June 22nd, was likely his best of the month. He only allowed one hit and he struck out four in those two innings pitched, and he did it against a very talented lineup in Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate, Norfolk. Thompson was moved quickly from Double-A to Triple-A after such a good start. It did take him some time to get settled in at the new level, as his command faltered and he finished May with a 9.45 ERA at the Triple-A level. It’s hard to say whether this adjustment period was due to leaving the pre-tacked Southern League baseballs behind, simply getting used to a higher level, or perhaps a combination of the two; but once he figured things out at the start of June he was right back to dominating and once again appears to be close to making an impact at the MLB level. #3 LHP - Luis Amaya - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Biloxi Shuckers - 8 G, 15.1 IP, 2-1, 0.59 ERA, 2.88 FIP, 0.78 WHIP, 7 H , 5 BB, 12 K, 1 SV. Unranked by all publications Amaya was signed as a minor league free agent this offseason after he was released by the White Sox organization. His fastball only sits in the upper 80’s, sometimes touching 90, but it is commanded really well and he is able to use it to sneak up on hitters using deception. Despite this Amaya’s start in the Brewers organization has gone extremely well, spearheaded by strong command and his curveball, which is a plus pitch. He uses deception to keep the contact soft and the curve is his go to when he is attempting a strikeout. In June, Amaya only allowed one run, which came in his first appearance, on the first day of the month. His next seven appearances he was able to keep the teams he was facing off of the board entirely. His best outing was probably his last of the month, which was also his first appearance at Double-A. He only threw one inning, but he struck out the side. He did allow one walk in the midst of the strikeouts, but it was a great start to his time in Double-A. Amaya is never going to blow anybody away with his pure stuff, but as discussed a number of times in this article, the Brewers don’t care how you get outs. They only care that you are, in fact, getting outs. So far, Amaya is doing exactly that. #2 RHP - Max Lazar - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 6 G, 14.0 IP, 2-0, 1.35 ERA, 2.32 FIP, 0.75 WHIP, 13 H , 2 BB, 16 K, 1 SV. Unranked by all publications Lazar was selected in the 11th round of the 2017 draft. Before COVID hit, he was seen as an up and coming starting pitcher prospect in the organization. Unfortunately COVID threw a small wrench in those plans, and then a torn UCL threw a much bigger wrench into those plans. Prior to Tommy John surgery and as a starter, Lazar’s fastball only sat in the 88-90 range, dipping as low as 86 at times. He was getting by on deception and with a very good changeup. When he returned from the surgery in 2022, Lazar was moved to the bullpen in a multi-inning role. Now in 2023, his fastball is sitting in the 92-95 range and spinning at 2500+ RPM. Coming from an extremely over the top slot that is somewhat reminiscent of Oliver Drake, it gets a ton of ride and plays very well at the top of the zone. With the jump in velocity it has turned into a much bigger swing and miss pitch for him. His changeup is still his best secondary, but his breaking ball has improved as well. It may not be as a starter anymore, but Lazar has been regaining some of his prospect luster in 2023, June only added to that. In June, Lazar went two or more innings in all five appearances, including three appearances with three or more innings pitched. His best outing was actually a two inning outing on June 18th, where he retired all six batters he faced, including three punch outs. Lazar’s performance in June was rewarded with a promotion to Double-A Biloxi where he will look to continue to re-make a name for himself in the organization. #1 RHP - Shane Smith - Carolina Mudcats - 6 G, 12.0 IP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.10 FIP, 0.58 WHIP, 5 H , 2 BB, 14 K, 1 SV Unranked by all publications Smith was a member of the undrafted class following the 2021 draft, signed out of Wake Forest, where he had been their closer in 2020. Unfortunately for Smith he was in the midst of Tommy John rehab during the draft, which played a big role in him not being selected. Prior to this 2023 season, he had only thrown three professional innings at the complex level. Armed with a mid-90’s fastball and a sharp curveball that he often goes to as his “out’ pitch, Smith also mixes in a cutter that shows good shape and life as well. He may also be mixing in a slider, but it’s very possible that those are just cutters that are generating a bit more movement than average. His entire time at Low-A was very successful, but during June in particular he took it up a notch, as shown in his numbers for the month. Often being used multiple innings at a time, Smith not only used his three pitch mix to rack up more than a strikeout per inning, but also to keep the baseball off the barrel of his opponents. Having allowed three home runs in the first two months, Smith did not allow a single extra base hit in June. Eliminating the home run ball, and the extra base hits, entirely were a huge reason for his successful month. As mentioned earlier, he used the curveball when he was in strikeout counts and it was very successful for him. The cutter is the pitch that did the best job of avoiding solid contact, breaking a few bats and coming close on a number of others. Smith’s month was highlighted by his June 16th outing in Augusta. That Friday night he threw three scoreless and hitless innings against the GreenJackets. His only base runner came on a walk. In that outing he struck out five batters and picked up his only save on the month. After his hugely successful month, Smith was promoted to High-A Wisconsin where he has gotten himself off to a good start through his first three innings. Like with Ryan Brady, the Brewers may have found another good one in the undrafted ranks with Smith. Given his advanced age and the fact he faced a lot of good competition at Wake Forest, he may be a fast mover if he continues to perform. Thanks for following along with this three part series on the Brewers minor league system. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments. We hope you learn something new each time around! View full article

He did have a game with some really bad batted ball luck, yeah. He also had some pretty good batted ball luck in a couple of his better starts too, so I think it evened out overall.

Appreciate it! I’d say this month was definitely a down month for starters around the system. Gasser had a very solid month, but I’m not sure he even finishes top 2 in April or May with his output.

There were several starting pitchers who had real solid months during June. It was a tough call at the top, so be sure to leave comments below to let us know if we made the right choice for Brewers minor league starting pitcher of the month. Image courtesy of Casey Gower/Nashville Sounds We went through the top hitters for the month yesterday, today we will be taking a look at the four starting pitchers who had the best June themselves. Beginning with three honorable mentions. Honorable Mention RHP - Ranwell Smith - DSL Brewers 2 - 3 G, 3 GS, 13.1 IP, 0-1, 1.35 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 1.35 WHIP, 13 H, 5 BB, 17 K. Smith was part of the Brewers 2022 signing class and got little to no fanfare, there is no information on his stuff or his velocity, but the start to the season is hard to ignore. RHP - Janson Junk - Nashville Sounds - 5 G, 5 GS, 29.1 IP, 3-0, 2.76 ERA, 4.70 FIP, 1.02 WHIP, 24 H , 6 BB, 15 K. Junk does not have much in the way of strikeout stuff, but he has had great results pitching to contact in AAA. LHP - Thomas Pannone - Nashville Sounds - 4 G, 4 GS, 24.2 IP, 2-1, 1.82 ERA, 3.21 FIP, 0.85 WHIP, 17 H , 4 BB, 25 K. Pannone was DFA’d after his first MLB appearance for the Brewers, but he had a fantastic June and earned the promotion before falling victim to an unfortunate roster situation. TOP FOUR STARTING PITCHERS OF APRIL #4 RHP - Eric Prado - DSL Brewers 1 4 G, 2 GS, 13.1 IP, 0-1, 1.35 ERA, 3.21 FIP, 0.60 WHIP, 5 H , 3 BB, 13 K. Unranked by all publications Signed by the Brewers in this past international signing class, Prado is one of the rare pitchers to receive a six figure bonus from the Brewers. Out of Mexico, he is already up to 94 MPH at 17 years old. An extremely over the slot delivery creates a lot of ride on his fastball, characterized as “elite carry” by Baseball America. He also mixes in a big, loopy curveball, as well as a changeup with a lot of horizontal movement. In his first four games of professional baseball, he showed ability to limit baserunners at an elite level and he struck out about a batter an inning. His best appearance was on June 22nd, when he tossed five scoreless innings and he only allowed one hit and struck out five. BrewersPD provided us our first look at Prado, including video of that June 22nd outing. If Prado continues to put up results like he did in his first month of pro ball, he may be due for a trip stateside before the end of the year. That isn’t a common occurrence, but if the organization likes him enough to give him $130k, then he isn’t a common international pitcher either. The Brewers are aggressive with promotions and they clearly like him. You never know. #3 RHP - Jacob Misiorowski - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 4 G, 4 GS, 15.2 IP, 1-0, 1.15 ERA, 3.19 FIP, 1.15 WHIP, 9 H, 9 BB, 20 K Misiorowski made the May edition of these awards and this next portion is pulled directly from that article, as nothing changed in his repertoire in June. In terms of pure ceiling, the Brewers' second-round selection in last year's draft has one of the highest in all of baseball. Misiorowski is a freak athlete on the mound, with long levers and a fastball that regularly touches triple digits. He also throws a wicked slider in the upper 80’s and a curveball that is more in the mid-80s. His changeup has been used more sparingly, and he struggles to throw it for strikes, but it has shown flashes as well. There is potential for three elite pitches, and a solid fourth pitch. The concern has been, and will continue to be, with his command. Misiorowski’s lankiness, and long levers make it hard to sync up his mechanics repeatedly, and his stuff is so nasty it can also become tough to command pitches that move as much as his do. In June Misiorowski’s command issues did show up a bit more than they did in May. It did not affect his bottom line, as he still posted a fantastic 1.15 ERA, but the peripheral numbers were not as good as they had been in May. His walk rate was 13%, which was equal to 5.2 per nine innings. His strikeout rate is down a bit at High-A as well, though 11.5 per nine is nothing to scoff at. Misiorowski’s best start of the month was his first, which was also his first at the High-A level. He went 5 1/3 innings, only allowed one hit and one walk while striking out seven. Something that has been very noticeable is that Misiorowski’s velocity has been holding deeper into games, at least pitch count wise. Hitting 99 MPH on pitch number 81 the other day. In Carolina that velocity had dropped down to the mid-90’s once he was beyond 60-70 pitches. Which is a huge deal for anyone hoping to continue his role as a starter and not end up having to move to the bullpen in the future. Misiorowski has started to struggle with command a bit more and is likely starting to find a bit more of a challenge than he was given by the Low-A hitters. Despite that, he still was able to land himself on this list with his ability to avoid giving up a string of hits. It seems likely that he will spend the remainder of the season in Appleton, perhaps being given a cup of coffee in Biloxi for the last week or two, similar to Jackson Chourio in 2022. #2 RHP - Patricio Aquino - Carolina Mudcats 5 G, 5 GS, 20.0 IP, 0-2, 1.80 ERA, 3.44 FIP, 1.05 WHIP, 12 H, 9 BB, 19 K Unranked by all publications Aquino was part of the Brewers 2021 international signing class. He signed for $16k and has moved very quickly, already reaching full season ball and pitching to great success. Aquino’s fastball is in the 92-94 range, but he can reach back for 95 or 96 at times as well. At only 20 years old, he may still develop a bit more velocity as he continues to mature. His best pitch is his slider, which he throws on two different planes. He may be considering it as a slider and a curveball, though the slider version is more of a “slurve”. The breaking balls spin in the 2600 RPM range and generate a lot of whiffs, but is also the pitch he lands for strikes the best. He mixes in a changeup from time to time as well, but it lags behind the other offerings by quite a bit and unless it makes big strides, it will likely be scrapped somewhere along the line. His results prior to this season were not all that exciting on the surface, but his stuff and his peripherals showed a much higher ceiling than the numbers would seem to point to. In 2023 and especially in June, the numbers have caught up to everything else. Aquino used his fastball and breaking ball mix to keep hitters off balance all month, but his best outing was on June 15th where he went 4 1/3 hitless innings pitched and he struck out seven. The only baserunner he allowed was one walk. Outside of one hiccup of a start the next time out on the 21st, where his command faltered and he walked four batters and hit another, he may have taken the top spot on this month’s rankings. Aquino has the stuff to be promoted, and the results have followed as well. He may find himself in Appleton sooner rather than later. #1 Robert Gasser LHP - Nashville Sounds 4 G, 4 GS, 25.1 IP, 2-0, 2.84 ERA, 3.18 FIP, 0.95 WHIP, 20 H, 4 BB, 27 K Gasser was acquired as part of the prospect return in the infamous Josh Hader trade with San Diego. He throws four above-average pitches in his fastball, slider, changeup, and cutter. The regular fastball probably being the worst of the four, closest to average. His slider is best described as a sweeper, and is a pitch he can throw in any count or situation. His changeup is a bit firmer than you would want, but it has good action and is a good counter to right-handed hitters. He mixed his cutter in more with the Brewers than he had with the Padres, and while it wasn’t always perfect, it showed some flashes of being a really good pitch for missing barrels and as another counter to right-handed hitters. He did not throw many curves for the Brewers, and that will likely continue as it lags behind his other offerings. As a Padres 2021 draft pick, Gasser was in the midst of his first full season when the trade happened in 2022. He finished his Padres career at the High-A level, having thrown 90.1 innings for the Fort Wayne TinCaps. The Brewers decided that was plenty of experience at that level and assigned him to Double-A Biloxi to begin his Brewers career. Four starts later Gasser, and his 2.21 ERA and 11.5 strikeouts per nine, were headed to Triple-A Nashville. This is where he would finish the 2022 campaign and where he has begun 2023. Having never walked more than 2.79 batters per nine with the Padres organization, Gasser had raised that number to 3.54 in his four Biloxi starts. Once he reached Triple-A that number had jumped up to 5.47 in 2022. In April of 2023 he had the exact same number at 5.5 per nine. His numbers in May did show some improvement, as he brought that number down to 4.16 per nine. While that isn’t where you would want the number to be, it was a sign of progress and something he would hope to continue to improve upon. When June rolled around, Gasser suddenly got back to the high level command that made him such an attractive piece for the Brewers last summer. Over the course of his four starts in June, Gasser only walked four batters in 25 1/3 innings, which is equal to 1.4 per nine. Unsurprisingly this was also his best month at the Triple-A level, pitching to the tune of a 2.84 ERA and striking out over a batter per inning. While he didn’t have the lowest ERA in the system, he had the full package working for him in June. His strikeout to walk ratio was a fantastic 6.75 and he worked at least six innings in all four of his starts. Gasser appears to be ready for a shot at the MLB level. Whether the Brewers can find a suitable role for him or not, that’s the main question. Barring a collapse in his production, it seems likely we will see him at some point over the next few months. Please share your opinions! Who should have made it that didn’t? Who made it, but should not have? View full article

Yesterday we handed out some proverbial hardware to the Brewer Fanatic Hitter and Pitcher of the Month for June. Today, we will be begin looking at our minor league awards, starting with the Hitter of the Month. Image courtesy of Mike Krebs, Biloxi Shuckers June was an exciting month for prospect followers, as some of the higher ranked prospects had breakout months at the plate. We will look at the top five hitters for the month, as well as a few honorable mentions. Honorable Mentions C/DH Alex Jackson - Nashville Sounds - 19 H, .442/.546/.930 (1.476 OPS), 251 wRC+, with 3 doubles, 6 home runs, 17 R, 13 RBI, 8 BB, 8 K. Jackson may have had the best month of any hitter in the system. However, he didn’t have enough PA’s to be a “qualified” hitter and is no longer a prospect, so he finds himself in the honorable mention section. He has some of the biggest raw power in all of baseball with a max exit velocity of 114.4 and a 90th percentile EV of 107.7. He has proven that he can hit at the AAA level and it will be interesting if the Brewers end up giving him a shot this year as a jolt to the lineup. 3B/1B Luke Adams - Carolina Mudcats - 19 H, .274/.436/.425 (.861 OPS), 155 wRC+, with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 15 R, 7 RBI, 19 BB, 22 K, 6 SB, 3 CS Adams continues to put up really strong numbers as a 19 year old in Low-A. For more on him, check out April’s Hitter of the Month article. C Jeferson Quero - Biloxi Shuckers - 19 H, .297/.418/.438 (.855 OPS), 137 wRC+, with 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 6 R, 11 RBI, 14 BB, 10 K, 1 SB Quero keeps hitting, this month doing it in a totally different way than April and May. He raised his season long walk rate to over 10% and lowered his K rate to under 20%. Check out more on Quero in the article on May's Hitter of the Month. THE TOP FIVE MAY HITTERS #5 IF Juan Baez - ACL Brewers - 27 H, .429/.431/.540 (.971 OPS), 141 wRC+, with 5 doubles, 1 triple 14 R, 13 RBI, 1 BB, 10 K, 8 SB, 1 CS Unranked by all publications Baez was signed in the 2022 international class. After a pretty mediocre showing in the DSL, he was given a surprising assignment to the Arizona Complex League as a 17 year old (he turned 18 in late June). In his first month, he showed why the Brewers were so aggressive with him. Baez has plus feel for contact, is said to have plus speed and to play a very solid middle infield. One thing Baez is going to have to work on is his patience at the plate. He drew his first (and only) walk of the season in the second to last game he played in June, but the bat to ball skills did all of the heavy lifting on his way to an extremely successful month. Baez had 27 hits on the month and his .429 batting average was the highest for all qualified hitters in the Brewers system. He also showed some gap to gap power by hitting five doubles, as well as a triple. He is not thought to have much game power at the moment, but does have a good frame and might be able to develop it over time. If you’re a player who is lacking in power, you want to have a high line drive rate, and Baez is carrying a 19% rate so far. Not an elite number, but certainly a solid one. He has a middle of the field approach as well. Line drives that are hit up the middle are rarely going to end in outs. Along with his ability to generate hits, Baez also uses his plus speed to steal bases, going 9 for 10 on attempts in June. The only real knock on his month will be the walk rate. In order to be a top of the order bat as he moves through the ranks of the organization, Baez will need to draw walks a bit more often. Everything else in his profile points to a player Brewers fans will want to follow. If he continues to hit like he did in June, it would not be a surprise if the Brewers reward/challenge him with a Low-A promotion later in the season. #4 OF Yophery Rodriguez - DSL Brewers 1 - 27 H, .286/.465/.476 (.941 OPS), 148 wRC+, with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 17 R, 15 RBI, 21 BB, 14 K, 7 SB, 4 CS. The Brewers handed Rodriguez their biggest signing bonus in the 2023 international class, giving him $1.5 million to join the system. All reports on him point to a hitter with great bat to ball skills and plate discipline. Defensively scouts believe he has the instincts, jumps and routes to stay in center field, but the speed is closer to average and that could cause him to move to a corner eventually. Equipped with the very good bat to ball skills and plate discipline, Rodriguez has a good hit tool in general. He has a flat swing path, one that does currently prevent him from getting to some of his big raw power, but also allows him to make consistent contact. Adding a bit of loft to the swing might eventually be necessary, as his 58% ground ball rate is rather high. Despite that, the ground ball rate was not an issue for Rodriguez in June as he got off to a fantastic start in his professional career. High walk rates aren’t that uncommon in the DSL, take a peek at a few DSL box scores if you have any doubts about that, but a 24% walk rate is still incredibly high for a calendar month. Strikeouts are also quite common in the DSL, but Rodriguez kept his strikeout rate to a meager 15% in June. Showing off both the bat to ball and the plate discipline skills that scouts were raving about post-signing. While the ground ball rate was high, he did a good job of making his elevated batted balls count, hitting two home runs, along with four doubles and a triple. On the bases he was 7-for-11 on stolen base attempts, a sign that the average speed grades may be onto something. Outside of the stolen bases, the rest of the offensive output in June was very encouraging and it will be interesting to see how he carries it into the coming months. If Rodriguez does continue to hit like he did in his first month, he might be on the Luis Lara and Jackson Chourio path to making his full season debut in his second professional season. #3 OF Luis Lara - Carolina Mudcats - 22 H, .339/.434/.446 (.880 OPS), 157 wRC+, with 4 doubles, 1 home run, 16 R, 5 RBI, 11 BB, 10 K, 7 SB, 3 CS The Brewer Fanatic #11 prospect, Lara was one of the bigger signings for the Brewers in last year’s international free-agent class. After getting off to a scalding hot start in the DSL, he slowed down dramatically for a few weeks before a strong finish. Lara’s 2022 stats did not end up being super exciting, but a 12% K-Rate and 9% BB-Rate were great signs for a player his age. Lara has the potential for a plus hit tool, potentially even elite. Scouts have said he should be able to stay in center field defensively, and FanGraphs has given him a 60-grade arm. The power is probably the biggest question mark for Lara, but despite his diminutive stature, Lara has shown flashes of raw power and even some in-game power from both sides of the plate. Both of his home runs in 2023 are from the right side however. All of the tools are there for Lara, but perhaps the biggest source of excitement should be based on the Brewers willingness to move him as aggressively as they have. So far, he is on a very similar timeline to Jackson Chourio. Not to say that he will ever be the same level of prospect as Chourio (that will likely depend on the power development), but it is hard to ignore that level of belief from any organization in an 18 year old. Lara has handled it all extremely well so far and his second month of full season ball gave a good look at everything he can do. Lara’s OPS of .880 was 12th in the entire Carolina League for the month. Only one other player in the top 15 was younger than 20 years old (fellow Brewers prospect Luke Adams). He tapped into a little more extra base hit power in his second month, with five total, including his second home run. Lara has plus speed, but thus far in his professional career he’s been a mediocre base stealer. He is at 14 of 21 on the season, including 7/10 in June, which is not a great ratio. However, those jumps may improve over time as he gets more and more accustomed to professional pitchers. The carrying tool will be his hit tool. His bat to ball skills and his swing decisions, along with ridiculous bat speed are what helped him to a .339 average in June and will be what carry him through the ranks of the minor leagues. Due to the previously mentioned hit tool, Lara is a prime candidate to move quickly through the system, despite his age. In fact, it would not be a surprise to see him reach High-A soon, especially if he continues to put up results like he did in June. #2 IF Cam Devanney - Nashville Sounds - 24 H, .303/.365/.636 (1.001 OPS), 139 wRC+, with 8 doubles, 1 Triple, 4 home runs, 12 R, 13 RBI, 6 BB, 6 K, 2 SB, 2 CS Unranked by all publications The Brewers selected Devanney with the 463rd pick in the 2019 draft. Not many 15th rounders last as long as he has, but he’s earned it every step of the way. Outside of one poor season in 2021, Devanney has carried a wRC+ of over 110 at every level of his professional journey. While he did finish June at a 95 wRC+ for the 2023 season, he is definitely trending upward, as his number for the month was 139. Devanney plays solid defense at every infield position and has a pretty decent throwing arm to go with it. He is the epitome of a solid baseball player. In June, his bat was more than just “solid” as he posted an OPS of 1.001. Devanney is not known for being a free swinger, but he did not draw many walks in June. His bat to ball skills are very good though, so while the walks were not high, the strikeouts were equally limited at six apiece. Along with his ability to put the ball in play, Devanney also showed some pop in his bat last month with 13 extra base hits, including four home runs. He has a max exit velocity of 108 MPH this year and a 90th percentile exit velocity of 103.4 MPH, neither are elite numbers but they are signs of a bat that is capable of playing at the MLB level. Devanney’s steady bat, and ability to play average or better defense all over the infield gives him a path to the majors as a utility man. As a near major league ready player, he will be one to watch for Rule 5 protection this next offseason. He may be one to keep an eye on in trade talks at the deadline as well. #1 2B/3B Tyler Black - Biloxi Shuckers - 24 H, .347/.449/.653 (1.103 OPS), 192 wRC+, with 5 doubles, 3 Triples, 4 home runs, 19 R, 13 RBI, 10 BB, 15 K, 16 SB, 1 CS The Brewers Competitive Balance Round A selection in 2021, Black has broken out in a major way this season. After some tough injury luck in his first full season last year, Black has been able to stay on the field so far this year and the results are getting to a point where it’s hard to believe he’s still in Double-A Biloxi. Not only is he carrying a .941 OPS and 155 wRC+ into the second half of the season, but Black is showing off a different skill set that nobody could have seen coming. An elite ability to steal bases. Now up to 40 steals on the season, Black is putting up these numbers with what most would consider good, but not great, speed. His baserunning instincts are borderline elite however and that is what is helping him to this ridiculous stolen base clip, including successfully stealing 16 of 17 in June. In June, Black built upon what was already a very good start over the first two months. Black has begun to tap into his raw power quite a bit more this season. He hit four home runs this month, which matched his total for all of 2022, and brought his total in 2023 up to eleven. Black has raised his 90th percentile exit velocity by around four MPH and raised his fly ball rate to over 40%. This improvement in batted ball profile is not common for a college draft pick. Both he and the Brewers have clearly worked hard and done a good job with his development. The current offensive profile is that of an MLB hitter. One that could be very good at the highest level. Along with the power and the baserunning, Black has also shown elite plate discipline and an extremely patient approach at the plate. He has maintained a walk rate of 18% this season and while it was lower in June, it was still a very respectable 11%. Black also has an on base skill that often goes overlooked. He gets hit by a lot of pitches. He is not afraid to hang in on an inside pitch and wear it to get himself on base. He was hit four times in June which brought his total to ten for the season. Tyler Black is far from a perfect player. His defense is a definite work in progress. He has developed a bit more swing and miss to his game, though it comes with the trade-off of the added power. What Black is, is a baseball player. He’s a fantastic hitter, he plays with a lot of fire and energy, and he clearly works his tail off to get better. His progress since being drafted has been rapid and he has put himself in a position, not only to be promoted to Triple-A, but he is likely on the edge of the major leagues at this point as well. Please feel free to agree or disagree with the rankings. Putting them in order was quite difficult. Age and prospect standing were the deciding factors when settling some of the closer calls. Let us know what you think! View full article

I know the announcers are calling all of his breaking balls sliders, but he's definitely throwing two very different breaking balls. He has a slider in the 88-92 range and his curve is 84-86. There are also very different planes on the pitches too. He has also mixed in changeups in the 91-93 range that have also been called out as sliders by announcers. He has a definite three pitch mix. It could become four, but the changeup command is pretty bad, though it does show some signs of being a fine pitch when he gets it up enough.