Spencer Michaelis

I think some of the bigger names will likely sign on Friday when they are back at home. They like to have the biggest bonus players sign at American Family Field, meet with media and take some BP with the team (if they're hitters obviously). And then Wilken will definitely do an interview with whoever the commentary team is on Friday, as well.

Thanks! Was my first pod, and it was a ton of fun. Ryan and Jaymes made it very easy.

Appreciate it! Thanks for reading!

The MLB Draft has now come and gone and the Brewers employed a bit of a different strategy in this draft than we have become accustomed to. Today, let’s finish up by looking at day three of the draft, picks 11-20. Image courtesy of © Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK Day 3 Selections Round 11, Pick 332 overall Bishop Letson, RHP Floyd Central HS This is where the Brewers draft really started to surprise me. Teams don’t usually use an 11th-round selection on a guy they deem 100% unsignable for them. This leads me to believe that the Brewers see a chance to sign him away from his Purdue commitment. Where would the money come from, you ask? That is a fantastic question and one I will be interested to have answered myself. Letson has a fastball in the low-90s that pairs well with a tight slider and a solid changeup. His command is very strong for a high school pitcher, while his stuff is a bit closer to average currently. The good news is that he’s a very projectable arm, and the stuff should improve quite a bit as he matures. I’m not sure of the odds the Brewers have in terms of being able to sign Letson, but I hope they are able to. Editor's Note: If you're not following Spencer Michaelis on Twitter for Brewers prospect and draft news, you should be. Round 12, Pick 362 overall Bjorn Johnson, LHP Floyd Central HS Another high school pick was not what I was expecting in round 12, but it would be the second of seven high school selections the Brewers made on day three. Johnson has a fastball in the low-90s that he has held deep into his outings. He also mixes in a slider and a changeup; the changeup is probably the better of the two offerings at this moment. Strong command was a theme with each of the first two picks on day three. Johnson may be another tough sign, depending on the type of bonus pool the Brewers actually have left over. Round 13, Pick 392 overall Brett Wichrowski, RHP Bryant A starter and a reliever at Bryant, I imagine he will be primarily out of the bullpen in the Brewers system. He sat in the 93-96 range on his fastball, but he moves well on the mound, and I bet he will add a bit more to that once he is in pro ball. His slider is an above-average pitch as well. Command issues and the lack of a third pitch are why he likely will have to be a full-time pro ball reliever. It seems likely that he will sign. Round 14, Pick 422 overall Hayden Robinson, RHP Berwick HS Robinson is another HS prospect; this one committed to Nicholls State. He has a fastball in the upper 80s and low 90s range but with a lot of projectability left. His slider spins in the 2700 RPM range and has sharp, late-breaking movement. He also mixes in a changeup that is a fringe-average pitch. Nicholls State is likely very hopeful he will make it to campus, but I have to wonder if that’s a school that he may be willing to pass on in order to take his shot in pro ball. Round 15, Pick 452 overall Josh Adamczewski, SS Lake Central HS A position player? In this economy? Adamczewski broke a string of eight straight pitchers selected in this class. Equipped with a sweet looking left-handed swing, this may be my favorite selection from Day 3 and is one I really hope they can sign. A Ball State commit from a Midwest state in Indiana, he seems like a player who has been overlooked a bit. Not too dissimilar to Luke Adams in last year's draft. As someone who viewed Adams as a top-10 prospect in the organization (prior to the draft), I would not be against adding another exciting prospect to the pipeline. Round 16, Pick 482 overall Josh Timmerman, RHP Ohio State Timmerman was originally at Wabash Valley College in Illinois, which is where the Brewers drafted Antoine Kelly out. Timmerman is up to 95 on his fastball, with 17 inches of induced vertical break, meaning it should play well up in the zone. He also has a sweeper, cutter, and changeup. The sweeper is a good pitch that spins at 1700 RPMs. He uses the cutter to keep the ball off the barrel, especially against left-handed hitters. The changeup is more of a work in progress. He is most likely a reliever in pro ball, but he’s been stretched out, so starting isn’t out of the question. While he is a college selection, he is also a young draft-eligible guy who won’t turn 21 for a few more weeks. The age factor is important to consider, as he may be willing to return to college and try to improve his draft stock for next season. Round 17, Pick 512 overall Jacob Gholston, RHP Flower Mound HS Gholston has already made it pretty clear that he will not be signing and will honor his Oklahoma commitment. He has a huge ceiling, and this pick was likely made just to show that they’re interested and to be able to talk to him over the next couple of weeks. Round 18, Pick 542 overall Dylan Watts, RHP Tacoma CC Auburn must recruit the Pacific Northwest pretty well. Like Bjorn Johnson, Watts is an Auburn commit from Tacoma Community College. Used mainly out of the bullpen at Tacoma, he will likely be a reliever at Auburn as well. Based on a small amount of video and data I found, he has a quick arm and a loose delivery. The only velocity readings available came from 2022, but he was a low-90s arm at that time with a low-80s slider that is probably his best pitch. My guess is that he winds up attending Auburn, but it’s a pretty interesting relief profile if the Brewers can sign him. Round 19, Pick 572 overall Isaac Morton, RHP Spring Lake Park HS Morton is a Minnesota Blizzard product, one of the best travel organizations in the Midwest. Up to 97 on his fastball with a curveball and slider, Morton’s commitment to Texas A&M is likely pretty strong and seems to be an unlikely sign. Round 20, Pick 602 overall Justin Chambers, LHP Basha HS Chambers is an Arizona State commit. He is in the upper 80’s and touching 90 with his fastball. He also mixes in a big, loopy curveball, a slider, and a solid changeup. Chambers is coming off of Tommy John surgery, and maybe that will entice him to take a chance in pro ball, where he will have access to rehab facilities that he may not have in college. Otherwise, though, this feels similar to Morton and Gholston; he seems unlikely to sign. Wrap Up and Opinions I have no idea what the plan is for the seven high school players they selected on day three. It’s definitely possible that they took some of them as Carter Pratt insurance. While the Brewers would lose the 6th round bonus slot of $309.9k, they were likely saving at least one million for Pratt, if not closer to $1.5 million. Meaning they would then have at least $700k to try to go after all the other high schoolers. If Pratt is a done deal, I will be extremely interested to see if they actually have enough money for any of the high school guys on day three. It would be nice to see them lock up a couple, as they have been doing well with those profiles the last couple of years. Players like Quinton Low, Jace Avina, Kay-Lan Nicasia, and Luke Adams all fit that bill and have shown some pretty fun flashes at Carolina this year. They loaded up on pitchers, using 16 of 21 picks on them, and depending on how many they sign, that may cause a chain reaction in the system, as they will not have room for all of those new arms on top of the ones already in the organization. We may see an influx of pitchers released over the next few weeks. Overall, while day three was a bit confusing and surprising to me, this was probably my favorite draft the Brewers have had in quite some time. Assuming they sign Pratt, they ended up with five players I viewed as Top 50-60 in the class as well as Birchard, who was a top 100 or so guy in my eyes. With the MLB draft, only time will truly tell how they did, but at first glance, the Brewers should be very happy with their class. Now, here’s to clean medicals for all and no negative surprises! View full article

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.