Spencer Michaelis

Yophery Rodriguez hit his first professional home run! To go with a 10 - 3 walk to strikeout ratio, he's off to a very solid start. Nice to see some of the power show up!

The two Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month articles have had some scouting information on Jimenez 🙂 Basically a low-90's fastball and also mixes a sinker/2 seam at similar velo. Curveball and slider, though I think technically he would call it two different curveballs. Both are above average offerings. Also mixes in a changeup that has come a long way and is a nice fourth offering now. If he can add a little velocity he could really pop. Otherwise he has the potential to be a swingman/back end starter due to really solid command, that could be plus as he continues to develop.

This is by far my favorite draft I have had so far. The chances that Troy makes it to 33 and Waldrep gets to 18 after his outing this last week are slim to none, but I'd rather live in the fantasy world where they do. Zanatello is likely not cheap, but with all the other picks being college players, that might make it possible to sign him. Lasko and Fisher are both solid hitters with some real juice in their bats. IMO, Hopkins has as high a ceiling as any non-Skenes/Waldrep pitcher in the draft with a nasty sinker and slurve, and a decent four seamer as well. He hasn't focused on pitching full time yet (something the Brewers seem to see as a positive) so he's got a ton of untapped potential. This was the first time Chase Davis did not make it to 18 for me, as the Giants took him at 16. Probably my favorite realistic option at 18.

PREACH I would be happy to take Davis in the top 10, if I had a top 10 pick. He's my favorite at 18 right now, barring some huge drop from somebody else.

The bats are good call outs. Joan Gutierrez is a name to watch as well. Reece Walling is so interesting to me, just because he was an UDFA, but out of high school. Such an interesting path to take. Nice looking swing though and a strong dude for his age. Was going to add Childers as a name to watch, but he was apparently just added to the Carolina roster this morning. Jesus Rivero had an awful high amount of walks last year, but he has some of the better stuff in the lower levels and generated a ton of whiffs and strikeouts last year. He's one I will be keeping a close eye on, to see if he can curb some of the command issues. A couple other arms to note, Manuel Rodriguez has a lot of the spin characteristics teams are looking for, but will need to add velocity (a mid to high 80's guy right now). Brailin Rodriguez reached Carolina as a young 19 year old in 2021, but missed all of last season due to injury. Anfernny Reyes had great surface level results last year with an ERA of 1.54 in 46.2 IP in the DSL, struck out more than a batter an inning.

Who were the top bullpen arms in the Brewers minor leagues in May? Click into the article below and find out. Image courtesy of Neal Hock, Carolina Mudcats We close out our MiLB Player of the Month series with our top five Relief Pitchers for the month of May. This list was the most difficult of the group. There weren’t as many dominant performances by the relievers as there were in April, but a group of five did stand out above the rest. We will begin with a couple of honorable mentions. HONORABLE MENTIONS RHP - Tanner Shears - Carolina Mudcats - 6 G, 9.0 IP, 0-1, 1.00 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.78 WHIP, 9 H , 7 BB, 14 K. An Independent league signing by the Brewers, Shears has been working through some command issues but has filthy stuff. His splitter is a borderline elite pitch that completely kills spin at 83-86. His fastball has arm side run, but sits mid-90's and touches higher. It does a great job riding up in the zone and plays well with the big splitter. He also mixes in a slider as a solid third pitch that gets some sweep in the mid-80's as well. Shears struck out a lot of batters in May, but also walked a lot and gave up his fair share of hits too. The results were a little flukey, but with his pure stuff, he can get himself into and out of danger. LHP - Ethan Small - Nashville Sounds - 4 G, 9.0 IP, 0-1, 1.00 ERA, 2.94 FIP, 1.22 WHIP, 4 H , 7 BB, 13 K. The good news for Small is that his MLB stats do not count for this list, as he was much more successful in Triple-A. Most everyone knows what the deal is with Small at this point. If he can command his pitches on any given day he will have success. His fastball is a good pitch and his changeup is a great pitch. The issue is that he doesn’t often command his pitches, and his third pitch is still very much developing. Small is a smart guy with an understanding of what works best for him. Hopefully he can reign in his command and become a successful major league reliever. TOP FIVE RELIEF PITCHERS FOR APRIL #5 RHP - TJ Shook - Biloxi Shuckers - 4 G, 15.0 IP, 0-1, 1.80 ERA, 2.98 FIP, 0.93 WHIP, 11 H, 3 BB, 20 K. Unranked by all publications TJ Shook was an Undrafted Free Agent following the 2020 MLB Draft. Having only five rounds due to COVID killed his chances of getting drafted, but he was a high priority UDFA for the organization. Shook throws one of the best changeups in the Brewers system, at times it will look like one of the best changeups in baseball. While his changeup is his best pitch, he is able to run his fastball up into the mid-90’s and it often will play well up in the zone, though it does flatten out at times which is when he gets into trouble. Shook also mixes in a slider that is short and sharp, at times appearing to be more of a cutter movement than a slider. Velocity wise the slider is in the 85-87 range for the most part. Shook didn’t have the greatest April, but wasted no time turning his season around once the calendar flipped. In his first outing in May, Shook worked four innings out of the bullpen and struck out seven, only allowing one run. He followed that up with two scoreless appearances (in terms of earned runs), including six strikeouts in three innings on the 20th. It is important to note that while his ERA looks really good, he did end up allowing eight runs in May, though only three were earned. While his defense clearly did not help him out, he also seemed to be unable to pick them up either. Based on his usage this month, it is possible the Brewers and Shuckers are still working to stretch him out as a starter, as all of his appearances did last at least three innings. Likely not one that will be moving from Biloxi this year, consistency is going to be key for him. He does a decent job limiting walks, but his in zone command can use work. If he puts it together, Shook does have the stuff to find a role as a major league pitcher in the future. #4 RHP - Zach Vennaro - Biloxi Shuckers - 9 G, 10.2 IP, 1-1, 1.69 ERA, 2.74 FIP, 1.03 WHIP, 5 H , 6 BB, 15 K, 1 SV. Vennaro is a bit older than the average prospect, and his first few years in the Brewers system didn’t produce the greatest numbers on the surface. However, he does possess a very interesting arm. Previously sitting more in the 93-96 range with his fastball, Vennaro now stays around 95-98. He comes at hitters with a lower arm slot and a funky delivery while his fastball runs in on the hands of right handed hitters. He also throws a slider that gets a ton of swing and misses from right handed hitters. The main concern with Vennaro is that he has heavy platoon splits. In some ways, the numbers so far in 2023 are hard to believe. Right handed hitters are hitting .173 against Vennaro with no walks and ten strikeouts. Lefties are hitting .273 against him with ten walks to only seven strikeouts. In many ways, there are a lot of Jake Cousins similarities with Vennaro. Cousins has also struggled with the opposite side hitters, both can be dominant when facing right handers. In May, Vennaro was able to work around his platoon issues, as well as a pretty high walk rate, by striking out nearly 13 batters per nine innings. He was also able to keep the ball on the ground, helping him eliminate some of his free passes by way of the double play. With the way his pitches work, this type of pitching will be the key to success for Vennaro getting right handed hitters out. Despite his ability to get through the month without much success against left handed hitters, he could really use a counter against them moving forward. Developing a changeup is something that would go a long way toward lessening the huge gap in his platoon splits. Peter Strzelecki is a great example to show how this works. Vennaro has already touched Triple-A in 2022, but he will need to continue to show improvement in order to get back there this year. His pure stuff is that of a major league reliever and the Brewers are a great organization to help him attempt to figure out some of the shortcomings. #3 RHP - Brannon Jordan - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 9 G, 12.1 IP, 1-0, 0.73 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 0.65 WHIP, 4 H , 4 BB, 11 K, 1 SV. Unranked by all publications The Brewers ninth round selection in the 2021 draft, Jordan was seen as a relatively high floor type of pitcher who was likely to end up in the bullpen due to some command concerns. His fastball mainly sits in the 91-93 range and can get up to 95 at times. It plays very well in the zone and sometimes above the zone, due to it possessing a good amount of ride. His best pitch is his slider, which he throws in the mid-80’s. His slider has sharp movement that causes a lot of uncomfortable swings from his opponents and is his go-to pitch in strikeout situations. He throws a slower breaking ball as well, that has more of a 12-6 movement to it, used more as a “get me over” offering. He will also mix in a changeup at times that shows decent depth, but hasn’t been a super effective pitch for him and is used sparingly. In May, Jordan was able to keep teams off the board by limiting walks and limiting hits. If you look at Jordan’s FIP, it looks a bit out of place with the others on this list. The reason it’s higher is mainly just because he wasn’t missing a ton of bats, in the way you might expect a high leverage reliever to, he struck out just under one batter per inning. Instead he got his results by missing barrels and generating weak contact. While it does cause a pitcher to be more reliant on his defense, pitching to contact can still be a very effective way to get through an outing. He used that ability to carry him to his very strong results in May. At 24 years old, Jordan is likely going to see time in Biloxi at some point this year. That will be when we see the best The jump from High-A to Double-A is often said to be the toughest jump to make. #2 RHP - Thyago Vieira - Nashville Sounds - 7 G, 9.2 IP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.94 FIP, 0.62 WHIP, 4 H , 2 BB, 12 K, 1 SV. Unranked by all publications A minor league signing this past offseason, Vieira is a player with MLB experience as a member of the Mariners, as well as the White Sox. He had spent the last few seasons in Japan before returning stateside. A Futures Game participant in 2017, Vieira is equipped with a fastball that reaches triple digits, and a wipeout slider to go with it. In the past his command was, to put it nicely, lacking. So far in 2023 he is only walking 2.3 batters per nine innings and that will be huge for him moving forward. Vieira only threw two innings in April, as he joined the Sounds roster in the last week of the month. Once May began he started to get higher leverage opportunities and make regular appearances. Throwing his four seam and his two seam fastball at an average of 97.8 MPH, he uses the four seam up in the zone more and the two seam down more often. Both have generated ground balls at a 50% rate, interestingly. His slider is his go-to out pitch. It’s a very sharp breaking pitch. Not a huge sweeper, but late moving and sharp. He is getting whiffs on over half of the swings against it this season, and it was a huge part of his success in May, as shown in the video package the BrewersPD account put out recently. Vieira is not on the 40 man roster, but his performance is trending toward warranting a look in the major league bullpen, especially if his command continues to continue down the path it is on so far in 2023. #1 RHP - Nick Merkel - Carolina Mudcats - 6 G, 14.2 IP, 0-0, 1.84 ERA, 0.96 FIP, 0.89 WHIP, 12 H , 1 BB, 22 K, 1 SV Unranked by all publications Merkel is another member of the Brewers long list of independent ball signings, signed this past offseason after playing one year for the Missoula Paddleheads, following the conclusion of his college career at NAIA Central Methodist University. Standing at 6’7 and weighing in at 255 pounds, Merkel is an intimidating figure on the mound. Despite his size, he isn’t a flamethrower by any means, though not a soft tosser either. He tends to sit around 93-95 with his fastball that rides well up in the zone and gets on hitters due to the extension Merkel generates with his tall frame. Merkel also mixes in what appear to be two different breaking balls. One is more slurve-like, which seems to be used as a slider, and one is more of a 12/6 breaking ball. He mixes in a changeup as well, though it lags behind the breaking balls and doesn’t appear to be a pitch he goes to very often. Throughout the month Merkel did a fantastic job of playing his high fastball and his 12/6 curveball off of each other. He would use the high fastball to set up the batter for a breaking ball down, or out of the zone and vice versa. It was the main plan of attack, and the stats would seem to indicate that it worked quite well. Not only was the plan a good one, the execution was near perfect. Only one walk to 22 strikeouts is quite the feat, especially for someone as tall as Merkel is. Being repetitive with one’s delivery gets more difficult at that height, as the long limbs can be tough to sync up, but he appeared to be very consistent in his motion. Not only did Merkel perform well, but he also was used in longer outings, often going three or more innings, meaning he was seeing parts of the lineup multiple times and hitters were getting more than one look at his stuff, but still could not square anything up. As a 24 year old, the Brewer may look to move him to High-A soon to give him a more age appropriate challenge. If his command continues to be as good as it was in May, he could be a fast mover. He possesses a lot of the traits that the Brewers like in their middle relievers. Thanks for following along with this three part series on the Brewers minor league system. The plan is to run these every month. Repeat winners may not have as much detail each month, but we hope you learn something new each time around! View full article

Today we continue to recognize the top performers in the Brewers farm system during the month of May by looking at the top starting pitchers. There were several strong options for the top spot but Will Rudy ended the month with a great start to make the choice rather easy. Image courtesy of Neal Hock, Carolina Mudcats We continue our Minor League Player of the Month series with our Top 6 Starting Pitchers for the month of May. To begin with a small disclaimer, the Mudcats once again complicated the choices by having a lot of “tandem” starts, which led to a number of pitchers with starter innings, but only one or two starts. Because of this we have made the cutoff 15 IP, and at least one game started, in order to be eligible for the list. Honorable Mention LHP - Adam Seminaris - Biloxi Shuckers - 3 G, 3 GS, 16.0 IP, 1-1, 3.38 ERA, 2.55 FIP, 1.13 WHIP, 12 H , 6 BB, 17 K. One of the three pitchers acquired in the Hunter Renfroe trade, Seminaris had a really forgettable April before turning the page to May. He struck out more than a batter per inning and kept his walks to a minimum. Unfortunately he was injured during his third start of the month and wasn’t able to continue building off his recent success. Hopefully once he returns he will be able to pick up where he left off. TOP 6 PITCHERS OF APRIL #6 RHP - Justin Jarvis - Biloxi Shuckers - 5 G, 5 GS, 26.2 IP, 3-1, 3.37 ERA, 3.55 FIP, 1.42 WHIP, 28 H , 10 BB, 31 K. Brewer Fanatics newly-ranked number 12 prospect, Jarvis didn’t quite match his dominant April, in which he took home the number 1 spot in these rankings. He did, however, still have a very solid showing, and seemed to prove that April was not a fluke. Jarvis’ stuff did not regress in May, still sitting in the mid-90’s with his fastball and showing the same three secondaries that made him successful in April. His command did take a bit of a step back however, and this was where the results likely faltered a bit in comparison to last month. Still striking out over ten batters per nine innings, his walk numbers weren’t all that bad. The command issues showed more in terms of his in-zone command, as Jarvis was leaving pitches over the heart of the plate a bit more often, which led to some harder contact against him. Jarvis’ month was highlighted by his May 18th outing, in which he went six innings, only allowed two earned runs and struck out nine batters. May was another step in the right direction for Jarvis, who is in a very important year of his development. #5 RHP - Carlos F. Rodriguez - Biloxi Shuckers - 5 G, 5 GS, 27.2 IP, 2-1, 3.25 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 0.98 WHIP, 17 H , 10 BB, 37 K. Rodriguez is another pitcher that has made this list for a second time in as many opportunities. The Brewer Fanatic number six prospect, much like Jarvis, had a really solid May even if the surface numbers took a bit of a step back from what he put up in April. Rodriguez was hit a bit harder in May, but was still able to strike out over 12 batters per nine innings. His fastball continued to ride well up in the zone and his changeup was a plus pitch this month against lefties. The slider was his go-to secondary against righties, and he generated plenty of swing and miss with that as well. Rodriguez’s month-long numbers were dragged down by one outing in mid-May where he walked four and gave up six runs (four of which were earned) in three innings. Without that outing, his May would have been just as elite as his April. While he did have one of his worst outings in quite some time in May, Rodriguez’s best start of his career may have been his most recent, as he went a complete seven innings for the first time. In that outing he struck out 11 and walked zero. He allowed a two-run home run to the second batter of the game and then settled in and was dominant for the remainder of his start. Rodriguez has pitched well enough where the Brewers are likely considering a promotion to Triple-A, where he would be one of the youngest players at the level. This is a name that the larger publications likely need to take more note of, as the results just keep rolling in, and his stuff backs up the results. #4 RHP - Jacob Misiorowski - Carolina Mudcats - 6 G, 6 GS, 22.0 IP, 1-1, 3.27 ERA, 2.08 FIP, 0.82 WHIP, 7 H , 11 BB, 38 K. 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. Despite the command concerns, May wasn’t a bad month in terms of walks for Misiorowski, only walking four batters per nine innings. While not a great number by any means, somebody with his strikeout stuff will be just fine if he holds that number through his career. The concern many will note is that he got a lot of chases from Low-A hitters on pitches that may not have been all that competitive, and upper level hitters would have been able to lay off with ease. It will be something to monitor as he begins his ascension up the minor league ladder. Only allowing six hits in the month, Misiorowski was punching tickets left and right as he struck out over 16 batters per nine innings. While his ERA for the month may not blow you away, his peripherals were that of an absolutely elite pitcher. Misiorowski’s best outing of the month was, without a doubt, his May 25th start. That evening he went five innings for the first time in his pro career, struck out nine batters and did not allow a hit. The lone baserunner he allowed came by way of a hit by pitch. It was a dominant performance that showed just how high the ceiling is for. Misiorowski is dominating the Carolina league, but the Brewers are still likely to keep him there for a bit longer, as he continues to iron out some of the mechanical inconsistencies and build himself up in terms of his pitch count. A promotion to Wisconsin looks very likely within the next month or so though and if you are in the Appleton area, that’s a guy you’re going to want to go take a look at in person. #3 LHP - Nate Peterson - Carolina Mudcats - 4 G, 1 GS, 18.0 IP, 3-0, 1.50 ERA, 2.21 FIP, 0.72 WHIP, 9 H, 4 BB, 23 K. Unranked by all publications The Brewers eighth round pick in last year's draft out of the University of Illinois-Chicago was used in a piggy back role, but was clearly being stretched as a starter, never going fewer than four innings in any of his outings. The report on Peterson coming out of college was that he had a really good looking changeup at times, but it wasn’t consistent and two different breaking balls showed some flashes, but needed to add movement. His fastball had decent carry, but would get flat at times and sitting only around 90-92, touching 94, would get hit around when it did flatten out. So far in Carolina, the fastball has seemed to hold the carry a lot better, and it has been getting on hitters, causing some uncomfortable swings. Velocity readings have been hard to come by during his Carolina outings, but given the uncomfortable swings it’s fair to wonder if he has bumped his fastball up closer to 93-94 more regularly. His changeup has shown more consistency than in college and has been a really good out pitch for him against right handed hitters, though his breaking ball could still use more improvement. He has fared equally well against both righties and lefties so far though, which is always a good sign that the changeup is playing well. Peterson has shown tremendous command, and that shows in his miniscule walk rate for the month, as well as the amount of soft contact he has been generating. For a guy who didn’t have scouts very excited in college, Peterson has shown some unexpected flashes so far. The Brewers track record of finding diamonds in the rough makes it hard not to be a bit excited by what Peterson has shown. At his more advanced age of 23, a promotion to Wisconsin is likely in the cards relatively soon. That will be a bit of a better test for him, but these results are exciting nonetheless. #2 RHP - Edwin Jimenez - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 6 G, 2 GS, 24.1 IP, 2-1, 1.85 ERA, 3.21 FIP, 0.74 WHIP, 14 H, 4 BB, 28 K. Unranked by all publications Jimenez is the third player to make this list in both April and May. Much like in April, Jimenez technically only started a couple of games, but he is still being stretched out as a starter. The 2018 international signee Jimenez had always had a curveball with good traits; a good shape and sharp break and a changeup that showed flashes. However, the fastball had lagged behind in the past. In April his velocity was up into the low 90’s with more consistency and the fastball was commanded better than in the past, and that carried right on into May. If April was going to be Jimenez’s breakout month, as we speculated, then he was going to need to prove that he could build off of it. So far, so good, as he was actually even better in May. Jimenez made the jump to High-A right as the month began, and hit the ground running. Thanks in part to what has appeared to be a more consistent changeup. His changeup is in the 84-85 MPH range, and has sharp and late break. It has splitter movement, though he doesn’t seem to have a true splitter grip. He only allowed one earned run in his first four outings with the Timber Rattlers, spanning 13 1/3 innings. He struck out 19 in that stretch, and only walked three. His final two outings were five and six innings, respectively. He gave up two earned runs in each of those appearances, all of which came due to the home run ball (two solo, and one two-run home run). His strikeouts were down a bit in those last two outings, punching out nine in 11 innings, but he still did a great job locating his pitches and keeping hitters uncomfortable. As noted in the April edition of this list, Jimenez will be Rule 5 eligible this offseason, which means his organizational timer is ticking and the team will likely continue to be aggressive with his promotions. At the rate he is going, a move to Biloxi later in the season does not appear to be out of the question. #1 RHP - Will Rudy - Carolina Mudcats - 5 G, 5 GS, 24.1 IP, 3-0, 0.74 ERA, FIP, 0.95 WHIP, 17 H, 6 BB, 25 K. Unranked by all publications The Brewers fifth round selection in last year's MLB Draft out of Cal Poly Pomona does not currently appear on any of the major prospect lists. Though if his May is any sign of things to come, that will not hold true for much longer. Rudy is a converted shortstop who is still relatively new to pitching and is likely only scratching the surface of what he is capable of, which makes his first month in pro ball even more exciting. A very good athlete with a clean and smooth delivery and an arm action that appears to be very repeatable; Rudy has shown above average, if not plus, command already in Carolina. His fastball sits 90-92 mph with armside run and he seems to be able to throw it up in the zone, as well as down in the zone. With his frame and his relative inexperience on the mound, he should continue to add velocity and will likely get himself into the mid-90’s in the future. He throws a slider that is above average and flashes plus as times, and he also throws a changeup that is a decent third offering and helps keep hitters off balance. Rudy has the repertoire to stick as a starter and he showed it off in May to the tune of a 0.74 ERA. To highlight the type of month Rudy had, his worst start was a 4 1/3 IP outing where he gave up one earned run. That outing was also his first start of the season and of his professional career. His next time out was a five-inning outing where he allowed one earned run. He then finished his stellar month with three straight outings of five innings and he did not allow a run in any of those final three starts. Not only did Rudy strike out more than a batter an inning and limit walks to 2.22 per nine, he also only allowed two extra base hits in May, both of which were doubles. Hitters were struggling to generate contact in general, but hard contact was almost non-existent against Rudy. Rudy’s professional career could not have gotten off to much of a better start than it did in May. If similar results keep rolling in, the Brewers might need to look into pushing Rudy aggressively to High-A Wisconsin in short order. Please share your opinions! Who should have made it that didn’t? Who made it, but should not have? View full article

Man, not sure how I completely missed that one. Good call!

Or maybe it only took a Ruf injury… Truly an awesome story!

Along with the big-league awards for May, we will also be sharing the Brewers minor-league awards for last month, starting with the Hitters. This group has a good mix of prospects, power guys and speed guys, prospects in the lower levels and prospects nearing a big league opportunity, and some in between. Image courtesy of Steve Buhr, Twins Daily May 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 four hitters for the month, as well as a couple of honorable mentions. Honorable Mentions 1B/DH Jon Singleton - Nashville Sounds - 25 H, .287/.392/.598 (.990 OPS), 143 wRC+, with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 7 home runs, 14 R, 18 RBI, 15 BB, 21 K. Singleton was crushing baseballs in May. As a 31-year-old in Triple-A, it didn’t feel quite right to include the former top prospect in this month’s top four, but he does deserve a mention for having a great month. If Rowdy Tellez were to miss significant time, it would not be a shock to see Singleton join the major league club. C Darrien Miller - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 19 H, .284/.342/.493 (.835 OPS), 138 wRC+, with 8 doubles, 2 home runs, 7 R, 12 RBI, 3 BB, 11 K, 1 SB The Brewers ninth rounder in 2019 had a really solid May hitting two home runs and sporting strong .835 OPS. Miller has had some issues throwing out runners in the past, but has improved upon that in 2023 with a 29.2% caught stealing rate. If he continues to hit and make strides as a thrower, he will be a name to watch. THE TOP FOUR MAY HITTERS #4 C Matthew Wood - Carolina Mudcats/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 27 H, .295/.436/.409 (.845 OPS), 152 wRC+, with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 9 R, 22 RBI, 21 BB, 18 K, 1 SB. Wood is the only player from the April list to repeat on the May list. The Brewers 2022 fourth-round pick was seen as a high-floor catcher who should be able to stick behind the plate, with a very sound approach at the plate. In his first two months in the system he has been able to show all of those traits, doing a good job at the plate and behind it as well. In May, the majority of Wood’s damage came while he was still with the Mudcats, where he posted a 200 wRC+ through 11 games, prior to his call up to Wisconsin. In Wisconsin his numbers dipped a bit to a 113 wRC+, which is still nothing to scoff at, but not the same level as the start he got off to in Carolina. Wood hit both his home runs and his doubles in May while with the Mudcats. His triple was as a member of the Timber Rattlers. His walk rate and strikeout rate did change in a negative way as well once he was promoted, though neither are in a bad spot at 21% and 10% respectively. The main point of this is not to rip on Wood, not at all. In fact, he still did very well in his first action at High-A. This context is mainly to point out that he is likely now at the correct level for his talent. A level where he will be challenged more, and where we will be able to learn more about him as a player. Wood was moved quickly from Low-A to High-A after his strong start. Wisconsin has proven to be a bit of a tougher challenge for him thus far. It’s likely he will be spending more time there than he did in Carolina. The tools that a major league catcher need to possess are all there for Wood. Now we wait to see if he can continue to put it together like he has the first two months. #3 IF/OF Patrick Dorrian - Nashville Sounds - 20 H, .299/.365/.627 (.992 OPS), 141 wRC+, with 4 doubles, 6 home runs, 16 R, 17 RBI, 6 BB, 23 K Unranked by all publications. Dorrian was an under-the-radar pickup by the Brewers front office last season. Acquired in a trade with Baltimore for cash in June of last year, Dorrian was off to a really poor start in Triple-A for Baltimore, sitting at a 43 wRC+ through 46 games. In the 48 games he played for the Sounds after the trade, he had a 126 wRC+ and showed some very interesting power flashes. After another slow start to the 2023 season, Dorrian came out swinging in May. His six home runs were third in the organization this month, behind only Jon Singleton and Jeferson Quero (each with seven). Dorrian has a sweet looking, left-handed swing that allows him to generate a good launch angle on the ball and get to his power in games, something he struggled with earlier in his professional career. Sporting a fantastic 27% line drive rate so far and hitting home runs on 32% of his fly balls, Dorrian is elevating the ball at a good clip and he’s doing it at an ideal launch angle for extra base hits. While most of his power does come to his pull side, Dorrian does have six batted balls hit over 100 MPH to the opposite field this year as well, including one of his home runs, showing an ability to get to the power even on pitches away from him. Dorrian’s bat is what placed him on this list, but he has also been able to rotate between second base and third base, as well as a few games at first base, while only committing one error so far this season. He has a strong enough arm for third base, and his hands are pretty good as well. He’s not just a hitter, he has a lot of the tools that a utility player would be asked to possess in the major leagues. Despite such a great month, Dorrian is likely not knocking on the doorstep of the Brewers roster. Unfortunately for him, there is a lot of depth at the positions he plays. However, he is continuing to make himself known and should that depth deteriorate even further than it already has this season and he continues to swing the bat like he did in May, he may force his way into being given a shot. Sometimes a player gets their chance and runs with it. #2 C Jeferson Quero - Biloxi Shuckers - .256/.295/.573 (.868 OPS), 128 wRC+, with 5 doubles, 7 home runs, 16 R, 17 RBI, 5 BB, 18 K, 1 SB Quero is the Brewer Fanatic #4 prospect after the most recent re-rank. From the moment he signed out of Venezuela in 2019, Quero has been heralded for his makeup and ability to handle a pitching staff, both within the organization and externally. His defense and his arm are his calling cards. As a very good athlete for a catcher, Quero does a great job blocking, as well as picking, pitches in the dirt. His arm is consistently posting pop times in the 1.8-1.9 range and with good accuracy. In 2023 so far Quero has retired nine of 26 that have attempted to steal against him, good for a very impressive 34% caught stealing rate, which would rank sixth in MLB. While defense may be his calling card, there was a lot to like with Quero at the plate as well coming into the season. Quero hit ten home runs as a 19 year old catcher in 2022, to go along with a 116 wRC+ between Low-A and High-A. He also showed off a few exit velocities over 105 MPH in the AFL. His bat really exploded onto the scene in May which is what garnered him the number two spot for this month. His batted ball profile is in a good place, as he is only hitting ground balls at a 37% rate and pulls the ball around half the time. Putting himself in a good position to get to his power. Quero ended the month with 12 extra base hits, including seven home runs, many of which left the bat at over 105 MPH. He was able to keep his strikeout rate to a very reasonable 20% which will be very important for him as he continues to move forward. Quero is not one to draw many walks, so continuing to get the bat to the ball with regularity will be critical to his offensive success. Quero’s month was highlighted by a huge week in Chattanooga in which he hit five of his seven home runs, including one game with three home runs and another with two. Quero is putting the Brewers in an interesting position. He will certainly be placed on the 40-Man roster this offseason to avoid Rule 5 eligibility. If he continues to perform, the question will become how quickly Quero makes it to MLB, and what the plan becomes with Williams Contreras and Victor Caratini. That will, however, be a good problem to have if they do run into it, and it will likely sort itself out. Hopefully Quero forces the issue and causes the organization to make that call soon. #1 SS Eric Brown Jr - 28 H, .344/.439/.467 (.908 OPS), 165 wRC+, with 5 doubles, 2 home runs, 19 R, 8 RBI, 14 BB, 15 K, 13 SB, 1 CS The Brewers first round pick in last year’s draft, Brown Jr is a premium athlete at a premium position. He plays a strong shortstop, where his arm plays well enough, especially with the quick release he uses to get his throws off. His quick twitch athleticism, good range and good hands have allowed him to make some very impressive defensive plays. At times he has seemed to lose concentration and make some errors on some of his more routine plays, but that is not uncommon of younger players. In college Brown had a very low strikeout rate and an even lower chase rate to go with some pretty intriguing exit velocity numbers. Brown fell a bit further than his numbers would have indicated because he had a very peculiar looking load and stance in college, as well as some concerns about elevating the ball. He was an analytical darling, but traditional scouts were less excited due to the stance. In 2023 he came in with a load that involves a lot less movement than the one he was sporting last season. The early returns on that change were not great, and it may have actually hurt him to start the year as he got off to a horrific start as he learned to adjust to his new setup. His wRC+ through April was 39. He was hit in the face by a pitch on April 26th, but luckily avoided major injury and after returning on May 3rd, he started hitting much more like one would expect a first rounder to hit. The 39 wRC+ in April quickly turned to a 165 wRC+ in May, which has raised it all the way to 120 for the full season. Brown reached base in all but two games this past month, and was only hitless in five games. After one double in April, Brown had seven extra base hits in May including his first two home runs of the season. He did this while maintaining nearly a 1:1 strikeout to walk ratio, striking out 15 times while walking 14 times. While seven extra base hits is a solid number, it isn’t going to knock anybody’s socks off. However, Brown’s speed and baserunning abilities, helped him turn a number of his singles into extra base hits by successfully stealing 12 of 13 bases in May. This is the offensive package that the Brewers were expecting when they selected Brown last season and he showed all of it off over the last 30 or so days. Brown will be 22 for all of the 2023 season so High-A is about right for him in terms of his age. However, as a first-round pick, it is safe to assume the Brewers will look to promote him aggressively, as they did with Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick. Another month or two similar to this one, and he may find himself in Biloxi. 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

Love it! I think you'd be doing just fine in terms of money with you going almost all in on college players outside of Mako. I like Kuehler a lot as a fit for what the Brewers like in a pitcher. I worry that neither Taylor, nor Morales can actually stick at third base, and think Taylor specifically is more likely a left fielder. I like Taylor's bat much more though. Morales likely can play third, but I'm not sure it'd be done very well, and his offensive profile concerns me. Low walks, big swing and miss concerns. I can deal with whiffs, but they worry me more when it comes with a lack of feel for the zone in general.

Here's an example of my most recent attempt. Like I mentioned, the bonus pool may make a pick like Zanatello unlikely after Martin was already selected, but why not dream big!

Prospects Live has created a Mock Draft Simulator for the first five rounds of this years MLB Draft. Though obviously not perfect, with there being no good way to implement the bonus pool system, it's a pretty fun tool to play around with. The link is below (keep in mind, you have to simulate each pick one at a time in order to get to the Brewers). https://www.prospectslive.com/2023-mock-mlb-draft-simulator

I get why the 0-for's can get a bit frustrating. Keep in mind, he is the youngest position player in AA by 3/4 of a year, is striking out less than last year while keeping the same line drive rate and is playing in a league where hitting is really at a premium because MLB decided to mess with the baseballs and create whiffle balls for the pitchers to throw. It seems like you are basing this entirely on box scores, with nothing else factored into the thought process, which is shortsighted to say the least. His batted ball data has still been quite good. Again, he's 19 in a league full of 23 year olds. Not to mention he's only a little over 1/3 of the way to his total plate appearances from last year.

After a month and a half of minor league baseball, it's time to reevaluate the Brewers' farm system and see who is emerging as new top prospects. Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Heading into mid-May, the Milwaukee Brewers see significant turnover in their farm system as former top ten prospects Joey Wiemer, Brice Turang, and Garrett Mitchell lose prospect eligibility. In their place comes a new wave of young prospects, including a couple from last year's MLB draft. Let's dive into the new names and what we might expect from them in years to come. To track all 20 top Brewers' prospects, visit our prospect tracker with stats and details updated nightly, along with up-to-date scouting reports on every player and recent news and content regarding each player! #10 - Daniel Guilarte Guilarte was an international signing by the Brewers in 2021 and is somebody the organization appears to be very high on internally. Guilarte can pick it at shortstop and third and second base. He has clean actions, good range, and a strong arm. Offensively, Guilarte has a patient approach that may border on being a bit too passive at times. It shows up in some solid walk totals, though it also shows up in the batted ball profile. A bit of indecisiveness can lead to a profile such as Guilarte’s, in which he rarely pulls the baseball and often hits it on the ground. Despite this, Guilarte has gotten off to a fantastic start to his full-season ball career, and as he matures more, there is likely more extra-base hit power within him. Even if he struggles to develop the power, Guilarte’s above-average to plus speed, defense, and hit tools will keep him on prospect radars. #12 - Justin Jarvis Jarvis was the Brewers' fifth-round selection in 2018 out of Lake Norman High School in North Carolina. His fastball has always played above its velocity due to having elite spin characteristics. Because of that, Jarvis has always been seen as a pitcher who needed a little more velocity to take him to the next step. He found that velocity this past offseason, perhaps partly due to a slight adjustment to his arm slot. Formerly with an extremely over-the-top delivery, Jarvis used to sit in the 90-91 range, touching 93-94 at times. While still using a high slot, he has appeared to drop it slightly; Jarvis is sitting more in the 93-95 range this season and has reached back for 96. Accompanied by three distinct secondaries in his slider, curveball, and changeup, all of which are average or slightly above offerings, Jarvis looks to be a player the Brewers will be keeping a close eye on this entire year, as he will be Rule 5 eligible again this offseason. #15 - Freddy Zamora Zamora was the Brewers' second-round pick in the 2020 COVID draft out of Miami (FL). At one point, a consensus first-round pick, some potential attitude concerns, and a recently torn ACL caused him to slide to the Brewers in the second. Zamora got off to a strong start in the minors before an injury-filled second season in 2022. He is off to a very good start in the 2023 campaign, flashing many of the tools that had garnered him such high draft consideration. Zamora has always had the build of a player that would have power in his bat but has struggled to tap into any of it. This season, however, he has begun to tap into it, and it’s showing in early home run numbers. While the power is just now starting to come around, one thing Zamora has always done well is getting the bat to the ball; he maintains a strikeout rate right around 20%. He has also been willing to take his walks and has done so at a rate of 12-15% on average. Defensively, Zamora has great range, great hands, and good actions, with a strong throwing arm. Despite possessing these attributes, he has had a lot of errors early on in his minor league career. Many errors can likely be attributed to a lack of focus, especially when making throws, which is common for young infielders. He has all of the tools to be a plus defender at shortstop. His speed grades out as above average, and his baserunning abilities as a whole follow suit. The former second-round pick is beginning to re-make a name for himself, perhaps just in time, as his Rule 5 eligibility begins this winter. #16 - Matthew Wood Wood was the Brewers' 2022 fourth-round pick out of Penn State. Wood is a catcher with a relatively high floor. He should be able to stick behind the plate, and he’s a disciplined hitter with good bat control. He appears to recognize pitches well, showing the ability to square up fastballs and breaking balls, and he showed a low whiff rate in college and early on in his pro career. There is also some pop in the bat, where he is a home run threat. Defensively, Wood’s a decent receiver but could use some improvement. He moves around pretty well behind the plate and uses his athleticism to his advantage. On throws, Wood gets rid of the ball quickly, helping his average arm strength play up enough to where his pop times are generally around 2.0 seconds and, at times, are in the low 1.9-second range. Wood is a player that could move pretty quickly through the system due to his advanced approach and ability to stick at catcher. #17 - Luke Adams The Brewers' twelfth-round pick in the 2022 draft. Adams was drafted out of Hinsdale Central High School in Illinois and spent the first few weeks of the current 2023 season at 18 before turning 19 in late April. Standing 6’4, 210 pounds, he comes with a rare blend of patience at the plate to go along with his plus raw power and surprising speed for his size. Adams has played a very solid third base where he has the arm to handle the position and has shown an early ability to make off-platform throws, which is not easily done at 6’4. He also spends time at first base, where he is a definite above-average defender. His plus arm would be a good fit in right field as well, which he has the athleticism to handle. At the plate, Adams has a violent swing, yet he also shows an impressive amount of patience. The key for him will be to find the balance between being passive and patient. Otherwise, that may be something that pitchers will be able to take advantage of as he begins to climb the organizational ladder. Very young for his level, Adams will almost certainly have some ups and downs over the next few seasons, but he has a very high ceiling if he can put everything together. View full article

Baseball America released their International Signing Review for the Brewers class today. Some interesting stuff in here, especially regarding some of the lower bonus pitchers they signed. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2023-international-reviews-milwaukee-brewers/

Because there wasn’t any before the article published, I didn’t include a tweet for Chirino, but here is some video from BrewersPD

That is definitely something I can try to include moving forward! The relief pitcher one will not have them in there tomorrow, but it’s something I will try to include for next month!

Well, this was finished before the news, but we saw this play out very quickly, as Jimenez is already with the Timber Rattlers. https://twitter.com/timberrattlers/status/1653509011931635713?s=46&t=SKmvvOvpW97ZHJEZeJBiMg

After naming Luke Adams the Brewer Fanatic Minor League Hitter of the Month yesterday, today we shift to the mound. Several pitchers put together solid showings in April. Find out who was named the Starting Pitcher of the Month and others who also pitched quite well in the season's first month. author-tracker.gifauthor-tracker.gif Image courtesy of Joshua Sumrall, Biloxi Shuckers We continue our MiLB Player of the Month series with our Top 4 Starting Pitchers for the month of April. To begin with a small disclaimer, the Mudcats complicated the choices by having a lot of “tandem” starts, which led to a number of pitchers with starter innings, but only one or two starts. Because of this we made the cutoff 15 IP, and at least one game started, in order to be eligible for the list. Honorable Mentions RHP - Janson Junk - Nashville Sounds - 4 G, 3 GS, 20.2 IP, 2-1, 1.31 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 0.97 WHIP, 12 H , 8 BB, 15 K. One of the three pitchers acquired in the Hunter Renfroe trade, Junk got off to a solid surface level start in AAA, though a bit of a deeper look at his stats, such as a 20% line drive rate, would seem to paint Junk as having a lot of good luck throughout the month. Still, it’s nice to see good results early on in his Brewers tenure. RHP - Joseph Hernandez - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 4 G, 4 GS, 20.0 IP, 1-1, 3.15 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 1.15 WHIP, 13 H, 10 BB, 17 K. Acquired from the Mariners in the Justin Topa deal, Hernandez flashed a filthy slider and changeup combination this month. He will need to limit the walks a bit better, but he got off to a good start as a Brewer and showed the qualities that made him an intriguing pickup for the organization. TOP 4 PITCHERS OF APRIL #4 RHP - Tyler Woessner - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 4 G, 4 GS, 22.0 IP, 0-1, 2.45 ERA, 2.67 FIP, 1.05 WHIP, 16 H , 7 BB, 19 K. The Brewers sixth round selection in the 2022 draft, Woessner was quite a bit older than the average JUCO arm, but he showed a lot of interesting traits, including the way he can spin his pitches and especially his fastball. Woessner is actually throwing six pitches right now; throwing two different sliders, that high spin fastball, a sinker, a knuckle-curve and a changeup. These pitches were all used regularly and gave him the tools to have a very successful April. Woessner’s strikeout numbers were looking fantastic until he was only able to strikeout one in his final start of the month. He still generated a lot of swing and miss the entire month, and it is safe to assume that the strikeout numbers will end up closer to the 9 per 9 that pitchers are always chasing. He did a good job limiting walks, and avoiding line drives, which is a great way to counter the strikeout numbers being down. Woessner’s best start came on April 14th, when he went 5 IP with 8 punch-outs and only 1 walk and showed off the entire repertoire. #3 RHP - Carlos F. Rodriguez - Biloxi Shuckers - 4 G, 4 GS, 17.0 IP, 0-1, 2.12 ERA, 2.81 FIP, 1.24 WHIP, 11 H , 10 BB, 25 K. Carlos Rodriguez likely put his name on some fans’ radars when he pitched for Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic and limited a Puerto Rico lineup, containing numerous MLB players, to two hits over four innings pitched, while also striking out four. Similar to Tyler Woessner, Rodriguez was a JUCO pitcher that the Brewers selected in the sixth round, in his case that was in the 2021 draft. However, despite their similar backgrounds and Rodriguez being drafted a year earlier, Rodriguez is actually over two years younger than Woessner. He is also the sixth youngest pitcher in all of Double-A. The Brewers Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2022 picked up right where he left off with a great start to his 2023 season. Rodriguez is able to keep hitters off balance with two plus secondary pitches, in his slider and his changeup, as well as a “get me over” curveball that really changes the hitting speed, sometimes dropping into the low 70’s or high 60’s. His fastball rides well up in the zone and he gets a lot of swings and misses on the high fastball. His repertoire is that of a fly ball pitcher, so keeping hitters off balance will be key to avoid the home run ball. He did a great job of that in April. When he wasn’t striking hitters out, he was generating a lot of weak fly balls. He did not allow any home runs during the month. While he was racking up strikeouts and generating weakly hit fly balls, Rodriguez was also struggling a bit with his command, walking over five per nine innings, and causing himself to be unable to go very deep into games. This is something he will certainly work to clean up throughout the rest of the season, but for a player who seemed to breakout last season, the hype train will continue to roll after his first month of 2023. #2 RHP - Edwin Jimenez - Carolina Mudcats - 4 G, 1 GS, 18.0 IP, 0-1, 2.12 ERA, 2.16 FIP, 1.00 WHIP, 13 H, 5 BB, 23 K. Jimenez is one of the Mudcats that was referenced in the opening paragraph. Despite only making one true start, Jimenez is definitely being stretched out as a starter. A 2018 international signee, Jimenez is still only 21 years old and beginning to show major progress toward the potential he flashed in the spring of 2022. Jimenez had always had a curveball with good traits; a good shape and sharp break and a changeup that showed flashes. However, the fastball had lagged behind in the past. In April his velocity was up into the low 90’s with more consistency and the fastball was commanded better than in the past. This laid the foundation for what may end up being a breakout month for him. Jimenez struck out over 11 batters per nine innings in April while only walking 2.5 per nine. The strikeout numbers were much more in line with those that he put up in the rookie ball levels back in 2021 when Fangraphs had listed him as a top 30 prospect for the Brewers. Lack of swing and miss last season took him off of that radar, but it’s great to see that return for him. Generating grounders at a 50% clip, Jimenez was able to keep himself out of danger even when he wasn’t missing bats. He did not surrender any long balls in April, which was something he struggled with a bit in 2022. Jimenez, a player who will be Rule 5 eligible this offseason, will look to build upon this strong start to the season. Though he is unlikely to be selected in the Rule 5 draft, being eligible does mean that his organizational timer is ticking and the team will likely be aggressive with his promotions. If he continues to perform as he did this past month, he will handle those promotions just fine. #1 RHP - Justin Jarvis - Biloxi Shuckers - 4 G, 4 GS, 23.0 IP, 2-1, 1.57 ERA, 3.02 FIP, 1.00 WHIP, 17 H, 6 BB, 29 K. Jarvis was the Brewers fifth round selection in 2018 out of Lake Norman High School in North Carolina. His fastball has always played above its velocity due to having elite spin characteristics, and because of that Jarvis has always been seen as a pitcher who just needed a little bit more velocity to take him to the next step. It appears that he found that velocity, perhaps with a slight adjustment to his arm slot. Formerly with a delivery that was extremely over the top, Jarvis used to sit in the 90-91, touching 93 range. While still with a high slot, he has appeared to drop it slightly. Jarvis sat 93-95 in April and got up to at least 96 on a few occasions. Accompanied by three distinct secondaries in his slider, curveball and changeup, all of which are average or slightly above offerings, Jarvis looks to be a player the Brewers will be keeping a close eye on, as he will be Rule 5 eligible again this offseason. Jarvis has shown flashes of dominance at times throughout his career, but had struggled to put it together for more than a start or two at a time. That is, until this past month, where he was the epitome of consistency. He threw exactly six innings in three of his four starts, and he threw five innings in the other. He struck out at least a batter per inning in each start, and was able to keep the free passes to a minimum, which is something he has battled at some of the lower levels. Along with walks, the home run ball has also caused some issues for Jarvis in the past, though he only allowed two in April. The previously mentioned increase in fastball velocity should help him as he moves forward, as the margin for error increases a rather significant amount whenever velocity is increased. In some ways, Jarvis is reminiscent of Brandon Woodruff. Not necessarily in the way their pitches move, but more so in the way that they use their pitches. Both go heavy on the high fastball, and use decent off-speed pitches to keep hitters off balance and to prevent them from barreling the fastball if they do happen to make a mistake with it. Jarvis has a ways to go before he will have a Brandon Woodruff type career, but he does look like a pitcher who is ready to make a bigger name for himself this season. So what are your thoughts on the rankings above and what it means, if anything, for the Brewers. Congratulations to Biloxi's Justin Jarvis and each of the pitchers that we highlighted for their week's performance. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss these players in the Comments below. 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