Spencer Michaelis

Image courtesy of © Dan Powers / USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Arizona Fall League (AFL) will begin on October 6, and the Brewers will be sending seven players to play as members of the Surprise Saguaros. There will be three position players, and five pitchers. Position Players C Marco Dinges -- Carolina Mudcats and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers -- 317 PA, .930 OPS, 161 wRC+ The Brewers usually send a catcher to the AFL, and this year’s representative is an exciting one in Dinges. The Brewers used their 2024 fourth-round pick on Dinges out of Florida State, only a year after he had battled a rare immune deficiency disorder called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Severe cases can lead to organ failure and death, and Dinges had to fight for his life in the hospital for almost six weeks, all while transferring from Tallahassee Community College to Florida State. He eventually beat HLH, and he still put up a strong performance in his lone season as a Seminole. In his first full season of professional baseball, Dinges had a breakout season, flying up prospect lists. His bat did most of the heavy lifting, as evidenced by his combined 161 wRC+ between Low-A and High-A. He also combined for 13 home runs and 62 RBIs between the levels. Defensively, there’s still work to be done, but he is an outstanding athlete for a catcher. He caught only his senior year of high school and one year at Tallahassee Community College. Despite his lack of experience, he has been making big strides this season and looks like a catcher who will be an average defender at his peak, especially with FanGraphs giving his arm a 70 grade. His footwork needs work, but his arm could be a big-time weapon behind the dish. Above all else, the Brewers are likely sending Dinges to the AFL to get him continued reps as a catcher in a competitive environment, especially given that he missed time this season with a hamstring injury. OF Josh Adamczewski -- Carolina Mudcats and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers -- 308 PA, .910 OPS, 155 wRC+ The Brewers drafted Adamczewski in the 15th round of the 2023 draft and signed him away from a Ball State commitment. Adamczewski missed time in 2024 due to injury, but when he was healthy, he performed very well between the Arizona Complex League and Low-A Carolina—as evidenced by his 156 wRC+. The same is true of his 2025 season, where he again missed time due to injury but posted a 155 wRC+ between Low-A and High-A. Adamczewski’s carrying traits are connected to his ability to hit the ball. His hit tool has the chance to be above-average, with an ability to hit the ball with authority to all fields. After some changes to his setup and stance this year, he reduced his groundball rate by 10 percentage points. While he doesn’t possess huge raw power, Adamczewski’s more consistent ability to pull the ball in the air (and to hit the ball at ideal launch angles) does give him a chance to get to game power, with potentially above-average future grades. He has hit home runs with exit velocities of up to 108 MPH as a teenager, and shows quite a bit of gap-to-gap power, as well, with plenty of doubles and triples on his ledger. On the defensive side of the ball, Adamczewski’s glove work is certainly solid enough to get the job done, but his lack of arm strength leaves him as a likely second base-only prospect on the infield. However, he is being listed as an outfielder on the AFL roster, after spending four of his games with the Timber Rattlers in left field. Getting Adamczewski reps in the outfield, as well as continued at-bats against higher-level competition, will be the objective of his time in Arizona. INF Luke Adams -- Biloxi Shuckers -- 302 PA, .879 OPS, 165 wRC+ The Brewers' 12th-round pick in the 2022 draft, Adams stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 210 pounds. He has a rare blend of patience at the plate, plus raw power, and surprising baserunning ability for his size. Adams only turned 21 in April and was the fifth-youngest player in the Southern League on Opening Day. He also started the year by making a swing adjustment. It wasn’t a huge surprise, therefore, when the bat got off to a bit of a slow start; he posted a line of .173/.326/.387 in April. This was good for a 118 wRC+ in the oppressive Southern League hitting environment, but it was not the type of line you'd hope to see from a genuine prospect. He turned things around after that, and with a week remaining in the regular season, he’s posted a 165 wRC+ for the season, along with 11 home runs and 13 doubles. Adams hits the ball extremely hard, but has struggled to tap into game power, as over 40% of his fly balls have been of the infield variety. Line drives are great, but they don’t often leave the ballpark, so finding a happy medium between pop-ups and line drives would go a long way for Adams. Adams spent most of the season at first base, with Brock Wilken manning third, but third base is a spot he has shown an ability to handle. Getting more reps over there could be a big part of the reasoning behind this AFL assignment. Like the others above, Adams also missed about two months of the season, and that is also likely playing a role in this assignment. Pitchers LHP Jesus Broca -- Carolina Mudcats, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Biloxi Shuckers -- 76.1 IP, 3.77 ERA, 4.09 FIP, 21.1 K%, 12.3 BB% At 19 years old, Broca was signed by the Brewers out of Mexico in 2023, and will be Rule 5-eligible in 2026. He performed well in High-A after an early-season promotion and is closing out his season in Double-A now. Broca’s delivery was already helping the velocity play up a bit above what the gun was reading, as he hides the ball well, and his release point appeared to be tough to pick up. Therefore, a jump from 89-91 to sitting 92-94 MPH and touching all the way up to 96 MPH this year is even more encouraging. He mixes a two-seam and a four-seam heater. The two-seam command comes and goes, but it’s heavy and definitely played a big role in his 53.4% groundball rate. The four-seamer mostly plays up in the zone. His changeup was his best pitch in previous seasons, and that held true this year, as one of his best out pitches against right-handed hitters. He also shows good command of an 80-MPH curveball, with good depth. Broca’s inclusion on the roster is a bit surprising, as he had already surpassed his career high in innings by over 45 frames. As a multi-inning reliever this year, perhaps they are aiming to raise the innings even further in hopes of stretching him out as a starter in 2026. LHP Anthony Flores -- Wisconsin Timber Rattlers -- 91.0 IP, 3.89 ERA, 4.52 FIP, 22.8 K%, 11.9 BB% Signed as an amateur out of Venezuela in 2022, Flores will also be eligible for the Rule 5 draft in 2026. The lefty spent his entire 2025 in Appleton with the Timber Rattlers. He began the season making starts, but finished it in the bullpen. Flores operates mainly with a four-pitch mix. He sits in the upper 80s with his fastball, a lack of velocity that he attempts to make up for by mixing his other pitches deftly. He throws a mid-80s cutter as his primary pitch, especially when facing right-handed hitters. It’s not a big swing-and-miss pitch for him, but it does generate a lot of soft contact. Flores also throws a bigger curveball in the 79-81 MPH range, a pitch that he likes to use against left-handed bats as a putaway pitch. He’s pretty comfortable landing it for strikes, too. His changeup has solid fade and is his go-to for trying to put righties away. Flores walked too many players this year, for a hurler who doesn’t possess the pure stuff to work around free passes, but he did strike batters out at an average rate. As a 20-year-old in High-A, he did solid (if unspectacular) work. Similar to Broca, Flores’s inclusion is interesting. Perhaps he is another one they would like to keep stretched out, so he can be a full-time starter in 2026. RHP Michael Fowler -- Carolina Mudcats and Nashville Sounds -- 9.1 IP, 2.89 ERA, 3.14 FIP, 27.5 K%, 15.0 BB% Fowler had a peripatetic college career, beginning at LSU, transferring to Tulane for his third year and then finishing his career at Southern Miss. In terms of results, there wasn’t exactly a successful stop among them. He showed that he possessed good stuff, though, as he struck plenty of batters out. Alas, he also walked them at an absurdly high rate. He throws a four-seam fastball that can get into the upper 90s at times, and has some similarities to Trevor Megill’s fastball, with a borderline cut-carry profile. It can play well up in the zone and still get a little cut action on it. He also mixes in a hammer of a curveball that sits around 80 MPH and generates around -13 IVB, which means it has a ton of depth. He likes to mix both his pitches quite a bit, likely around a 60/40 usage, favoring the fastball. Fowler was a late sign, and someone who has struggled mightily with his command in his amateur (and early professional) career. His inclusion on the AFL roster shows that they think highly of the stuff he possesses, but likely are hoping he can get reps down there and show continued command improvements. RHP Edwin Jimenez -- Missed 2025 season due to injury A 2018 international signee, Jimenez is now 23 years old and running up against the organizational clock. He is set to hit minor league free agency this winter, though one has to wonder if an AFL assignment is a precursor to a return. Starting with a low-90s fastball, Jimenez has a starter’s repertoire and had a pretty solid 2023 season. In his return to High-A in 2024, Jimenez got off to a poor start, before missing the final three months due to injury. That bled into missing all of 2025. Jimenez had always had a curveball with good traits—a good shape and two-plane break—that he used a lot. He also threw a changeup that showed flashes of being a solid offering against left-handed bats. The reasoning behind this assignment is pretty clear. They are hoping to get Jimenez some innings in a competitive setting in 2025. As mentioned above, this would seem to be a likely precursor to him re-signing a minor-league deal with the organization heading into 2026. RHP Brett Wichrowski -- Biloxi Shuckers -- 99.1 IP, 3.44 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 16.7 K%, 10.2 BB% The Brewers' 13th-round selection in the vaunted 2023 draft, out of Bryant University, Wichrowski moved very quickly to Double-A in 2024, his first professional season. He returned there in 2025 and put up strong surface-level numbers. Wichrowski reached 99 MPH in a few of his starts this season, sitting in the 94-95 MPH range more regularly. The fastball shape seems inconsistent, and will be something to watch if he gets any outings on Statcast fields in Arizona. The lack of consistency for the fastball likely contributes to his low strikeout totals. The best pitch in Wichrowski’s repertoire is his low- to mid-80s sweeper. He most often uses it against right-handed hitters as a putaway pitch, though he’s shown an ability to land it for strikes, as well. He does this against righties, especially, but also against lefties at times. Wichrowski also throws a shorter, harder slider, and he appears to be more comfortable using that version against lefties than the sweeper. He rounds out his repertoire with a changeup in the mid- to upper 80s that made some strides in 2025. Wichrowski’s inclusion is interesting, because like Broca and Flores, he’s surpassed his career high in innings already. Given his lack of fastball shape, perhaps they hope to see him in a bullpen role in the AFL, to see if that helps his velocity play up. The Brewers have a very strong system, and they are sending a fun group of players to Arizona. A group that will be worth paying attention to, in order to get your fill of minor league baseball, even after the actual season ends. View full article

Jesus Made 65 OFP The bat is still showing a bunch of signs of being special, but the pleasant surprise this year is that the glove is also showing signs of being special. There's a Prime Francisco Lindor type of ceiling here.Luis Pena 60 OFP Really fun to watch at the plate. Chase rate is around 30%, which is the one nit-pick right now, but love the swing and his ability to drive the ball has been a huge development this year. Defensively, I do have concerns about the actions and the hands, but there's so much athleticism and a great arm, so I'm giving it time. Worst case, he's likely a pretty good outfielder with his speed.Cooper Pratt 55 OFP Pratt has started to tap into some more power, and he's up to a 115 wRC+ in the Southern League, while going 28/33 on SB attempts. I still think there's going to be more and more power as he progresses. The defense is very good, and he's got the ability to play SS long term, for sure. Just a matter of whether Made will allow it.Jeferson Quero 50 OFP Quero is starting to impact the ball again, and that's what I needed to see. He chases a ton but has really impressive bat to ball skills on those pitches. Still something I'd like to see cleaned up at least a bit more. The defense has been good, and the arm is still trending a bit more positively. If the arm was where it used to be, I'd still have him in the top 2 overall.Marco Dinges 50 OFP Seeing Dinges in person has not done anything to lower my opinion of him. The bat speed is immense, the swing decisions are solid. I think he may need to tone down the swings a bit at times, as it's sort of pedal to the medal at all times. Love the way the glove is progressing. I do think he needs to learn not to wear his emotions on his sleeve as often. Especially as a catcher.Braylon Payne 50 OFP Payne is one that I am betting on the upside, and I think people are overlooking him in this system. He is going to have to cut down on the whiffs, but he *just* turned 19 a couple weeks ago, and has shown big time speed, along with potentially above-average or better power, and defensive ability in the center. Lot of Garrett Mitchell in this profile, but (due to being a HS pick rather than college) with a lot more runway to develop the bat to ball skills.Tyson Hardin 45+ OFP Hardin has moved to my top pitching prospect in the org, because I think there's TOR upside some of the others just below him don't have. The fastball is a carrying pitch, it's one of the more interesting fastballs in all of minor league baseball, due to the VAA, IVB and velo it possesses. I like the secondaries quite a bit, especially the cutter and sweeper. There's just a ton to like here, and I haven't even mentioned how he's been one of the best in baseball at limiting walks.Logan Henderson 45+ OFP Henderson's flexor issue doesn't sound major, but never ideal. He has two pitches that are bordering on plus, and the cutter has made some strides. He probably tops out as a mid-rotation type without further improvement from the cutter/slider, but that's a really nice arm to have.Bishop Letson 45+ OFP Letson returned from the IL with a new cutter, adding to an already very fun repertoire. Lots of 93 and 94 and even some 95 in his return. Barring injuries in his first two seasons, he'd likely be ahead of Henderson and have a very good case for being ahead of Hardin too.Robert Gasser 45+ OFP Stuff is essentially the exact same as it was in his MLB debut last year. He's got a very good chance of being a middle of the rotation type.Andrew Fischer 45+ OFP Fischer is interesting. I like the swing, though I don't love how he starts his hands, feels like he creates some unnecessary movement. But I think he's going to hit. I do think he's a 1B, maybe capable of handling LF, but 3B is a major WIP right now. Moves decently once he gets going on the bases. Some things to clean up, but I could see a late 2026 MLB debut without being surprised.Josh Adamczewski 45 OFP Adamczewski can really hit. I think the hit tool might be getting a little overhyped, but I think there's potential for above-average hit and power tools, with tremendous swing decisions. Second base is the only infield spot he can handle, but I think he's fine there. Wonder if they try LF at all.Brock Wilken 45 OFP Wilken is rehabbing in the Bridge League, so I wonder if we see him back in Biloxi before year end? He was showing a lot of good this year. Good eye, swinging a bit more often, the power was showing up, and he looked like a sure-fire third baseman to my eye.Luis Lara 45 OFP Lara is a legitimately elite centerfielder. For my money, the best defensive outfielder in the system, by a decent amount. He's also been a better than average hitter in AA, as the fourth-youngest hitter at the level. His plus speed has him 35/41 on SB attempts too, with improved jumps this year.Luke Adams 45 OFP Like Wilken, Adams is rehabbing in the Bridge League, so it's possible we will see him back in Biloxi before year end as well. The bat has played so well. The Brewers seem to have him pegged as a first base only type now, which lowers some value. I would still like to see a *bit* more aggressiveness at the plate, but I really enjoy Adams' game and think there's a very real shot he's a big league caliber player.Bryce Meccage 45 OFP Outside of some pretty major struggled in June, immediately following a bout with a bad illness, Meccage has looked the part of a young pitching prospect. Fastball has been up to 98, but often sits more 93-95, with solid characteristics. The breakers are his best pitches, the changeup could be solid, and I'd like to see him use it more. Command has been up and down, but mostly pretty solid outside of that stretch post-illness. Will be very interesting to watch him next spring.Ethan Dorchies 45 OFP The walks have been too high in Low-A, but the strikeout stuff is clearly there, and I'm not really convinced that he has bad command. I think he nibbles a bit too much and it hurts him, more than being unable to be in and around the zone. The fastball is 91-93, T95 and decent specs. I *love* the splitter, and like the wide array of pitches he throws in general. Doesn't turn 19 until October. Lot to like here.Coleman Crow 45 OFP Crow looked so good in AA, his debut in AAA was great, his second start was rough and now he's been on the IL since then with an undisclosed injury. I really liked what I saw from the stuff when he was healthy, and assuming he is healthy this offseason, I'm adding him to the 40 man without a second thought.Brailyn Antunez 45 OFP The numbers were not very good in the DSL, but I have continued to hear good things here. I'm sticking with Antunez as the top guy in this class for now.Frank Cairone 45 OFP It's probably a bit aggressive to have him at 20, but I just think Cairone is a perfect fit for the Brewers and how they do things. I love the delivery, the fastball shape, the ability to spin it, the fact he won't turn 18 until mid-September. There's just a lot to like. I'll go up to my top 128 this time around (which is all of my 35 OFP or higher players I currently have ranked). A reminder that I view the tiers as much more important than the rankings, especially once you get outside of the Top 10-20. On my personal spreadsheet, 30+ through 40 tiers tend to have quite a bit of shuffling done throughout the year, but it's harder to move into the 40+ tier and higher 45 OFP 21 Mike Boeve 1B AA 22 Brady Ebel SS Draft - A 40+ OFP 23 Craig Yoho RHP AAA 24 JD Thompson LHP Draft - ACL 25 Eric Bitonti 3B A 26 Blake Burke 1B AA 27 Handelfry Encarnacion OF A 28 Tate Kuehner LHP AAA 29 K.C. Hunt RHP AA 30 Josh Knoth RHP A - IL 31 Brett Wichrowski RHP AA 32 Jaron Deberry RHP AA 33 Anthony Seigler UTIL MLB 34 Sean Episcope RHP Draft - IL 40 OFP 35 Jayden Dubanewicz RHP A 36 Ernesto Martinez 1B AAA 37 Carlos Rodriguez RHP AAA 38 Joshua Flores RHP ACL 39 Jose Anderson OF A 40 Tyler Black UTIL AAA 41 Hayden Robinson RHP ACL 42 Tyler Renz RHP A 43 CJ Hughes SS Draft - ACL 44 Yorman Galindez RHP A - IL 45 Jason Woodward RHP A - IL 46 Manuel Rodriguez RHP A+ 47 Jacob Morrison RHP Draft - ACL 48 Kenny Fenelon OF DSL 49 Alexander Frias OF DSL 50 Luis Corobo C ACL 51 Daniel Dickinson 2B Draft - ACL 52 Ma'Kale Holden RHP Draft - ACL 35+ OFP 53 Melvin Hernandez RHP A 54 Matthew Wood C AA 55 Alexander Cornielle RHP AA 56 Jack Hostetler RHP A - IL 57 Diustin Mayorquin RHP DSL 58 Chase Bentley RHP Draft - ACL 59 Cristopher Acosta SS DSL 60 Gerlyn Payano OF DSL 61 Ryan Birchard RHP A+ 62 Joseph Broughton LHP ACL - IL 63 Ethan Murray SS AAA 64 Juan Ortuno UTIL ACL - IL 65 Filippo Di Turi SS A 66 Juan Baez UTIL A+ 67 Luiyin Alastre SS A+ 68 Travis Smith RHP A+ 69 Bjorn Johnson LHP A 70 Brian Fitzpatrick LHP AA 71 Tyler Bryant RHP AA - IL 72 Josiah Ragsdale OF A 73 Dylan O'Rae UTIL AA - IL 74 Miqueas Mercedes RHP A 75 Will Childers RHP AAA 76 Wande Torres LHP A 77 Mark Manfredi LHP AA 35 OFP 78 Quinton Low Two Way A - IL 79 Tyler Rodriguez SS A 80 Jadyn Fielder 2B ACL 81 Cristian Montilla SS DSL 82 Steward Berroa OF AAA 83 Andrew Healy LHP Draft - ACL 84 Enniel Cortez RHP A - IL 85 Justin Yeager RHP AAA 86 Eric Brown SS AA 87 Eryks Rivero OF DSL 88 Pedro Ibarguen 2B ACL 89 Frederi Montero 3B ACL 90 Daniel Corniel RHP A - IL 91 Chase Costello RHP AA - IL 92 Rylan Mills C ACL 93 Luis Aguayo RHP DSL - IL 94 Chang Tzu-Chun Lin RHP DSL 95 Aidan Maldonado RHP A+ - IL 96 Blake Holub RHP AAA 97 Hedbert Perez OF A+ 98 Eduardo Garcia UTIL AA 99 Luis Lameda UTIL A 100 Bryan Rivera RHP A 101 Griffin Tobias RHP A 102 Jonathan Rangel UTIL DSL 103 Hayden Vucinovich RHP ACL 104 Ayendy Bravo RHP ACL 105 Isais Chavez C DSL 106 Edgardo Ordonez C A 107 Luke Roupe RHP Draft - ACL 108 Nick Merkel RHP AA 109 Jesus Broca LHP A+ 110 Moises Polanco 2B DSL 111 Tanner Gillis RHP A+ 112 Carlos Carra RHP ACL 113 Joan Pena LHP DSL 114 Anthony Flores LHP A+ 115 Leonard Rijo SS DSL 116 Thomas Conrad RHP UDFA - ACL 117 Zach Peek RHP AA 118 Jesus Flores RHP A - IL 119 Gustavo Garcia RHP DSL 120 Cameron Wagoner RHP A+ - IL 121 Wenderlyn King RHP ACL - IL 122 Kevin Garcia C A 123 Demetrio Nadal UTIL ACL 124 Johanderson Tarazona C DSL 125 Enderson Mercado LHP A 126 Raymond Sarmiento RHP DSL 127 Steven Duran RHP DSL 128 Peyton Niksch RHP UDFA - ACL

I think that’s a fair question. I personally don’t have many concerns with Peña’s bat holding up as he’s pushed. It’s been a bit of a struggle in High-A but he’s also shown a lot of the good stuff he showed in Low-A. My guess is they’ll continue moving Made/Peña together, but you’re not wrong that they shouldn’t force it.

He's been in the Bridge League rehabbing, so wouldn't surprise me if he is getting close to a return as well. Troy Collins (@troycollinsbaseballlife) • Instagram reel WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM 2,175 likes, 2 comments - troycollinsbaseballlife on August 19, 2025: "Milwaukee Brewers Luke Adams on a rehab assignment launches a missile out for a home run today against the...

Some video from the Bridge League via Troy Collins on Instagram Luke Adams dinger 👀 Troy Collins (@troycollinsbaseballlife) • Instagram reel WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM 1,381 likes, 0 comments - troycollinsbaseballlife on August 19, 2025: "Milwaukee Brewers Luke Adams on a rehab assignment launches a missile out for a home run today against the... CJ Hughes single: Troy Collins (@troycollinsbaseballlife) • Instagram reel WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM 362 likes, 6 comments - troycollinsbaseballlife on August 19, 2025: "Milwaukee Brewers 2025 11th round MLB draft pick out of Junipero Serra HS CJ Hughes knocks one through the hole for a... Rylan Mills bloop double (with Brock Wilken scoring): Troy Collins (@troycollinsbaseballlife) • Instagram reel WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM 764 likes, 0 comments - troycollinsbaseballlife on August 19, 2025: "Milwaukee Brewers 2025 18th round MLB draft pick Rylan Mills drops an rbi double to right field today against the Seattle...

And while we are here, I might as well start the list of other random projected signees I have found in my internet sleuthing so far. INF Osiris Ramirez Jr -- Instagram and TikTok OF Denyer Ramirez -- Instagram and TikTok INF Rickey Moneys (great name) -- Instagram and TikTok OF Yasleyker Parra -- Instagram and TikTok INF Leander Matos (once thought to be in the 2025 class) -- Instagram and TikTok C Sebastian Franeites (once thought to be in the 2025 class) -- Instagram and TikTok INF Ruben Rebost -- Instagram OF (?) Manny De Los Santos -- Instagram -- Lots of video from both sides of the plate in his IG Highlights INF Frankller Mayora (once thought to be in the 2025 class) -- Instagram INF Edison Mota -- Instagram

Insane timing, as I was working on starting this thread and then saw you had posted it just before I hit send myself lol Here's a link to Frontado's Instagram And a link to Rodriguez's Instagram

Travis Smith was mixing in a low-80s curveball last night, giving him more velocity differential between his fastball and his slowest pitch, so...

Looks like 17-year-old RHP Fausto Barreras (signed June 12th) made his pro debut today for the blue team, pitching one inning, with one walk and nothing else. Brewers have had pretty decent luck with pitchers out of Mexico in the past.

Hadn't noticed this, but very nice to see. He had caught my eye during my pre-signing "scouting" (finding random videos on TikTok and Instagram)

A lot of nice defensive plays included in this video. Really, really been impressed with Made on that side of the ball. Had heard in the offseason that Peña was the better present defender, but I've seen the complete opposite this year.

From what I've been able to find, Garcia is a 4FB/CV guy. Fastball in the 90-91 range and a nice looking curveball.

Enjoy!

Image courtesy of © Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Rattlers were facing off with the Great Lakes Loons, and the starting pitcher was Wyatt Crowell, who sat 91-93 with a sinker and four-seam combo. He mixed in a solid-looking upper-80s cutter, mid-80s changeup and low-80s sweeper. He reminded me a lot of Robert Gasser, with a better changeup, but otherwise similar or worse pitches across the board. Before I get too deep into this, it’s important to note that watching players one time is never enough to form a strong opinion on them, so these are merely observations I made Tuesday night, mixed in with some opinions I had already formed via watching them regularly on MiLB TV. SS Jesús Made -- 1-3, 2B, BB, K, CS, R Made looked the part of a top prospect in this one. His first at-bat, he poked the first pitch down the right-field line for a leadoff double. He proceeded to get a bad jump on his steal attempt of third base, though, and the throw beat him by quite a bit. In his second at-bat, Made chased a first pitch cutter from Crowell, before hitting a routine grounder to second base. The third time up, he showed off the tremendous plate discipline he is known for, taking a well-placed changeup to begin the plate appearance, laying off a back-foot sweeper to make it 2-0 and eventually loading the bases by drawing a five-pitch walk against Crowell. His final plate appearance came against a fireballing reliever, who was able to blow a lively 98 MPH fastball by Made for a strikeout. Aside from the double that he poked to right, the bat speed was evident on every swing, from both sides of the plate. At times, the swing gets a bit too aggressive and he loses his mechanics, especially when it comes to having too much hand movement in his load. The only pitch that gave him some issues against the lefty was the cutter that ran in on him, which he chased twice, but those were well-executed pitches more than anything else. The defensive side is where Made really shined on Tuesday. His instincts jumped out from the start. He was attacking the ball aggressively and confidently. He has a strong arm that can play from anywhere on the diamond. He made the routine look routine, and did the same with some more difficult plays, as well. The play of the game came in the seventh inning, when he ranged up the middle for a ball that, off the bat, appeared to be ticketed for center. He gloved it, spun, and fired to first base from shallow center to record an out—an important one at that, as it kept the bases empty for the top of the order in a one-run game. He played with confidence and conviction in everything he was doing, and if you haven’t seen his pregame media availability yet, you will want to check that out as well. Both he and Luis Peña seem to have a great head on their shoulders, and the talk of hustle with the media was far from empty, as they were both hustling every opportunity they had. 2B Luis Peña -- 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K, R Speaking of Peña, the other half of the recently promoted dynamic duo also looked the part of a top prospect—particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Improving his ability to hit for power has been the biggest positive change for Peña this year, and he put it on display in this one. After striking out in his first at-bat, Peña took an 87 MPH cutter that was left over the heart of the plate and deposited it 384 feet away for a solo home run. The ball left the bat at 104 MPH. Peña’s calling card in the DSL was his hit tool, and he showed that off in his third at-bat by getting himself on plane with a well-executed changeup by Crowell, to line a two-run single up the middle. His ability to get to pitches like this one and line it to center is not normal for a player of his age, with the relative lack of experience he has. It reminds me of what Jackson Chourio was showing a few years ago. He followed that up by stealing second base with ease, and advancing to third on a throwing error by the catcher. The speed was evident, as were the instincts on the bases. Unlike Made, Peña’s night defensively did not go as well as his night at the plate. To my eye, there was a hesitation to most of his reads off of the bat, and he wound up finding himself in-between on most of the hops he was attempting to field. He didn’t wind up with any errors on the books in this one, but he easily could have had two. He saved himself in the first inning when he booted a grounder, but caught the runner on second rounding too far around third base, and fired a bullet behind him to record the third out of the inning. He also whiffed on a perfect throw from Dinges on a caught stealing attempt, that was going to be close enough that they didn’t give him an error. That said, the athleticism and the arm strength will likely allow Peña a lot of time and opportunity to improve in these regards. I think it might be more of a lack of trusting his eyes than anything else. If he never figures it out enough, he has the speed and athleticism that could easily allow him to move to the outfield long term. On the offensive side of things, Peña looks like the better present hitter between him and Made, but lacks some of the pure upside that Made possesses. Defensively, I would definitely give Made the advantage presently. You can view the previously mentioned Peña media availability here, where he also comes off as very mature and grounded. C Marco Dinges -- 0-3, BB, 2 K Dinges didn’t have the eye-catching hit(s) that Peña and Made each had, but seeing him in person only further solidified my view of him as a top-five prospect in the system. Offensively, he struck out twice, but the walk he drew was an impressive one. He fell behind 1-2, before laying off three well-executed sweepers below the zone. These were tough, aggressive takes. While he didn’t end up hitting anything especially hard in this game, the bat speed was impressive and stood out in a game featuring a lot of top-tier talent. On the defensive side, I had a very impressive 1.79 pop time on his perfect throw in the first inning, which Peña dropped. The arm strength is very real. It’s not quite to the level of pre-injury Jeferson Quero, but it’s also not that far behind. His athleticism stands out behind the plate as well, jumping on multiple dribblers in front of the plate to nab fast baserunners at first base. His receiving continues to improve as well, and I also liked the way he called the game on Tuesday. He was willing to double or triple up on pitches that clearly had hitters off balance. I’m sure there will be much better performances to come for Dinges, but the ability was still evident watching him in person. He looked like he fit in with the upper-tier talent in Made and Peña, as well as Zyhir Hope on the Dodgers side (side note: Hope is ridiculously strong and the ball sounded different off his bat when he made contact). Just after I typed the above out, Dinges hit a home run in Wednesday’s day game, so the better performance didn’t take long to show up. RHP Travis Smith -- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 0 K, 3 R, 2 ER Smith got the start for the Timber Rattlers in this one, his second since being promoted to High-A. While he didn’t rack up strikeouts, I came away intrigued. Smith’s repertoire is very fastball-driven, as he throws all three variations of the fastball. His four-seam is not used much, but he did go to it to try to get whiffs up in the zone at times. It topped out at 94 MPH Tuesday, but he has touched 98 MPH this season. The sinker also sat in the 91-93 range and touched 94. His cutter also sat in the low-90s and is the pitch that stood out to me the most. I think the reason he struggled to get whiffs and strikeouts is largely tied to his lack of secondaries. His slider isn’t a bad pitch, but he throws it in the 86-88 MPH range, so the difference in velocity from his fastball is not big enough to cause many timing issues. I didn’t notice any changeups in this one, but he has used it at times this year. He seems capable of spinning the ball, so I feel like improving the breaking ball will be the clearest path forward for him. He has a starter’s build, and the three-fastball combination is usually one associated with starters. That said, this feels like more of a relief profile for me, unless he can both improve the breaker and the changeup. I think if the velocity plays up in a relief role, though, he could do good work in that role. LHP Jesus Broca -- 3.1 IP, 1 H, 3 BB, 5 K, 0 R Broca was the most pleasant surprise for me on Tuesday. I had seen a velocity jump for him this year, but seeing it up close made it clear just how much that jump has helped him. I would imagine that Broca’s delivery was already helping the velocity play up a bit above what the gun was reading, as he hides the ball well, and his release point appeared to be tough to pick up. Broca generated a bunch of whiffs with his fastball, which sat 92-94 MPH and even touched 95 once, according to the scoreboard. He mixes a two-seam and a four-seam heater. The two-seam command seems a bit worse, but it looks pretty heavy, and definitely plays a big role in his 56% groundball rate. The four-seamer was used up in the zone quite a bit, and hitters really struggled to get to it. He struck out Zyhir Hope on a high fastball for one of his five strikeouts. The pitch I had always known Broca for was his changeup, which he also showed a really good feel for on Tuesday. It sat around 84 MPH, but he seemed to be adding and subtracting velocity and movement at times for different situations. It looked like an above-average secondary. He also threw quite a few 80 MPH curveballs with pretty good depth that he showed good command of. I think Broca is definitely capable of raising his current strikeout rate of 17.9%, closer to the 25% that we saw from him in the ACL and Low-A. He will need to limit walks moving forward, as well, but the groundball rate could help limit some of the damage walks normally cause by generating double-play balls. It’s an interesting profile. Summary of the Night Wyatt Crowell isn’t quite the level of prospect that Gasser was, but I think the Dodgers have something there. The Timber Rattlers did well to get to him for four earned runs, especially in less than five innings. In fact, coming into this start, he had only allowed three earned runs in his last 34 innings. Peña’s home run was the first he’d allowed since June 26. I mentioned it throughout, but Made, Peña and Dinges all looked the part of top-five prospects in the system, and I left the stadium feeling even better about their futures than I did heading in. Travis Smith is a work in progress, but he has an interesting baseline to work with, and Jesus Broca has made some serious strides in the past few months. If you have an opportunity to go see this talented group of players in Appleton (or anywhere else), I’d highly recommend it, especially with first-round pick Andrew Fischer getting added to the roster this week. Hope you enjoyed a bit of a different version of the weekly observations. We will be back next week in some capacity! View full article

Definitely agree. Pipeline had Dickinson pretty high up on their draft rankings, so I am not surprised they're sticking to what they thought pre-draft, but it feels like an aggressive spot to me before he plays in pro ball.

Believe it was just the following 5: Carlos Rodriguez, Kenny Fenelon, Brett Wichrowski, Manuel Rodriguez and K.C. Hunt

Feel like I should maybe drop in and clarify that the pitchers available, and the order they’re going to be used in, is more or less set before the game for minor league games. Obviously injury, extra innings or major struggles could change something later in a game, but Nick Stanley is not really managing the bullpen, nor are any of the other minor league managers in the system (only one I’m not 100% sure on is Nashville). It’s all development focused and having guys on a schedule that’s best for them moving forward. So personally, I’m never going to read much into a manager’s ability to manage a game in the minors, because that’s not really their role.

Agreed! I think there’s a pretty decent chance they’ll at least test it out.

Oh, and it looks like NDFA Malachai Halterman is in fact doing some catching down there as well. I'll reference what a couple sources told me after he signed, specifically the part about his potential ability to catch:

Looks like Jeferson Quero is down in Arizona playing in rehab games in the Bridge League already, so that's good to see.

That's a good question. I think they'd at least consider it. They sent Lara when he was about a half a year younger than Adamczewski will be this fall.