Ro Mueller

Low-A Carolina hosts Guardians’ affiliate for 2 games today, with 19-year old 3B Juan Baez (.759 OPS in 184 PAs) returning from injury and 18-year old RHP Josh Knoth (4.01 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 10.8 K/9 in 58.1 IP) starting the opening game.

It doesn’t look like 19-year old LHP Bjorn Johnson will make it a 3rd straight solid ACL start: 3 runs, 4 hits, no Ks in first inning to the Dodgers. I’ll also note that C Edgardo Ordonez hasn’t played since July 5 (and is not in the lineup today), when he exited after 5 innings (out at second on a double play ball).

I'm assuming the team hopes Wiemer shows enough offensive capability (particularly against LHP) to justify a September MLB roster spot -> CF defense when a LHP is on the mound. (I'm not fretting recent defensive lapses, since the focus is on getting back to an MLB level of hitting at the moment). Otherwise Hicklen is the no-brainer as a high quality pinch hit bat who also runs well, though they wouldn't likely put him in CF.

Just a multi-tasking screw-up on my part. Thanks

AA Biloxi (42-43) gets its 3rd chance to claw back to a .500 record, hosting Rays’ affiliate Montgomery (48-39) for 3 games. 2B Adam Hall has hit safely in 12 of 13 games. 24-year old RHP Shane Smith (3.34 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 10.9 K/9 in 62 IP) makes his 11th start (20th appearance).

High-A Wisconsin (56-30) has won 6 straight games and has the top full season record in the Midwest League by 5 games. They play at Twins’ affiliate Cedar Rapids (50-35) this week, with RHP Stiven Cruz (4.40 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 7.2 K/9 in 28.2 IP) making his first start since August 2023.

AAA Nashville (49-44) opens their 3-game set at Orioles’ affiliate Norfolk (44-48), with rehabbing RHP Joe Ross and DH Gary Sanchez featuring.

Eric Bitonti reached base four times and Jose Anderson continued his torrid pace, but the Rookie affiliates lost three games in Arizona and the Dominican Republic. Transactions: N/A Game Action: Final: ACL Angels 8, ACL Brewers 2 (in 7 innings as scheduled) Box Score and Game Log Any dream of winning their final 6 games to climb back to a .500 record were basically dead by the 3rd inning in this game, trailing 6-0 by that point. The obvious bright spot was 3B Eric Bitonti producing a double, two singles and a walk in his four plate appearances, thus lifting his batting average and OPS to .321 and 1.019, respectively. Should we expect the 18-year old to join Low-A Carolina for its final 1.5 months plus the playoffs? Recently-turned 18-year old RHP Melvin Hernandez (3 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 3 Ks) started but had his second straight rough outing. He’s allowed 10 earned runs and 15 hits over his last 7 innings, but continues to limit walks while notching strikeouts. It will be fascinating to follow the paths of Hernandez and others on accelerated career paths over the next 2-3 years (e.g. Josh Knoth, Manuel Rodriguez, Enniel Cortez at Low-A level). Congrats to right fielder Angel Pereira on his first homer of 2024, a solo shot which cut the deficit to 8-2 in the final inning. 2B Josh Adamczewski also had a solid game at the plate: 1-for-3, double, walk, run scored (.915 OPS), while SS Tyler Rodriguez kept his decent offensive line (1-for-3, HBP; .813 OPS) but also committed his 10th error. 21-year old RHP Felipe De Los Santos pitched one scoreless inning (lowering ERA to 11.77), while 18-year old RHP Ismael Yanez conceded 2 runs in 2 innings to also “lower” his ERA to 13.50. The ACL Crew (now 24-31) play at the formidable ACL Rangers (34-20) on Friday evening. Final: DSL LAD Bautista 5, DSL Brewers Uno 2 Box Score and Game Log Despite registering only 5 Ks in 32 at-bats, the hits just weren’t falling in on this day, as Team Uno was out-hit 11-to-5. These few hits were all singles and the squad went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position. After falling behind 4-1 by the 5th inning, Equipo Uno watched its big opportunity come and go in the top of the 7th inning, walking the bases loaded then being mowed down on consecutive strikeouts by incoming 20-year old reliever Joldelanio De Los Santos. 19-year old LHP Wande Torres got the start, facing 8 batters over 1 2/3 scoreless innings (0 R, 2 singles, 1 BB, 3 Ks). It appears that he’s still ramping up activity after losing the 2023 season due to injury. The main damage came against RHP Joshua Quezada: 3 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 2 HR, 3 doubles, 1 BB, 1 WP, 2 Ks), while RHP Carlos Canales navigated through late traffic: 3 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 WP, 1 K. The team did manage to bring the potential tying run to the plate in the 9th inning, but the Dodgers switched pitcher again to strike out the final two batters – yes, all 5 strikeouts for Team Uno in the game came at the most pivotal junctures at the hands of new 20-year old relievers. At the plate, 18-year old switch-hitting C Freider Rojas attempted to lead the way: 1-for-2, 2 walks. The usual Domination Trio of SS Jesus Made, 3B Luis Pena and 2B Juan Ortuno combined for a frustrating 1-for-11 day with a walk, but only one strikeout. Made was also caught stealing and had an error in the field. The young Uno men fell to 20-10 but still lead their division by one game. They play at DSL Padres Gold on Friday. Final: DSL Red Sox Blue 8, DSL Brewers Dos 7 Box Score and Game Log Team Dos fell behind early 2-0, briefly led 3-2, trailed 8-3 by the 5th inning, then chipped away but ultimately ran out of innings. After stud center fielder Jose Anderson (2-for-4, 2 R (1 ER) 1 BB, 2 Ks; 1.031 season OPS) singled in a run with one out in the bottom of the 9th inning to cut the deficit to one run, the Red Sox got a line-out and fly out to strand Anderson at 1st base in this 8-7 defeat. Anderson has been selected to play at the 2024 DSL All-Star Game which the Brewers are hosting at their fabulous Dominican Academy on Sunday. Keep in mind that there are 51(!) teams in the league, yet despite that it appears as many as four Cerveceros players will be featured: King, 18 years old, is a RHP with a 24-to-1 K-to-BB ratio (mix in seven HBP's), and shines with a 1.77 ERA. Made and Pena, each 17, have maintained OPS figures above 1.000 all season while building defensive versatility all across the three infield spots left of first base. Each of King, Made and Pena play on the DSL Brewers #1 Squad. Early in this Team #2 contest, 3B Jonathan Rangel had a bases-clearing double to grab a 3-2 lead in the 2nd inning and DH/INF Jorge Quintana had a bases-clearing double of his own in the 7th inning to cut the deficit to 8-6. However, Quintana was picked off as the team really hurt itself by running into 3 outs on the bases and committing 3 errors in the field. 2023 super-signing SS Kevin Ereu went 2-for-4 with an HBP (.783 season OPS) before unfortunately making the final out. Despite still being listed on the injured list, starting 17-year old LHP Dalvin Bodre (1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 Ks) made his second appearance, facing six batters. RHP Christopher Peralta was the long man of the morning, unfortunately getting rocked for 6 runs (5 earned) over 3 1/3 innings with 2 HRs, 2 doubles, 2 singles, 2 walks and 2 Ks. RHP Francisco Guevara contributed the best outing on the staff: 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K – though his ERA is still an unsightly 19.06 in 5 2/3 IP. Team Dos drops to 17-15 on the season, hosting DSL Astros Blue on Friday morning. We hope that you enjoy the Minor League Link Report. Our four full season affiliates return from their 3-day break on Friday, giving us 7 Minor League games as the Brewers remain idle. Carolina (RHP Jesus Rivero) and Biloxi are hosting Lynchburg and Montgomery, respectively, while Nashville plays at Norfolk and Wisconsin (LHP Brian Fitzpatrick – Zero ER in last 11 2/3 IP) is away at Cedar Rapids. Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View full article

I just pulled up the MILB box scores and I'm confused. Is it still 2024? Both DSL teams losing? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no

That’s a fun ACL box score: Bitonti, Baez, Gardner, Flores, Birchard, etc. Woo hoo!

Super secret, pre-agreed deferred signings which don't get announced until October? That's something to look out for, but then those players would presumably miss out on the first-ever (unofficial) Extended Summer League. But I think non-drafted players will be rather desperate to sign and smart clubs will happily scoop them up. I'm curious how many releases we'll see across the MILB landscape over the next 4 weeks - perhaps a slew of 6th and 7th-year minor leaguers.

I'm reviving this thread since we're getting into the heart of 165-stateside MILB player limit compliance. How will we integrate 22 draftees (okay, maybe 18 will sign), along with non-drafted signings (e.g. 6 last year: Hunt, Jackson, Whiting, Root, Durow, Alejandro Rodriguez)? We also have 4 pitchers which may be activated from long-term injured lists soon: Jason Woodward, Gerson Calzadilla, Easton McGee, Ryan Birchard.

Maybe we were reading too much into it, but in the 2023 ACL Playoffs, the team went with then-19-year old Edgardo Ordonez at catcher in 3 games and Alejandro Rodriguez in the 4th game, with then-21-year old Satchell Norman only DHing despite his terrific season OPS. Norman threw out 4 of 42 baserunners (10%) in that campaign, with 9 passed balls and 2 errors in 147 innings, while Ordonez threw out 9 of 29 (31%) baserunners with 2 passed balls and 2 errors in 165.1 innings. While Norman has improved in some areas in 2024 (24% CS rate, only 2 PBs), he does have 6 errors and his bat is letting him down (.515 season OPS). Oddly, Ordonez has seriously regressed in 2024 in the limited defensive metrics we have access to (12% CS rate, 6 PBs, 7 errors), but he's also hit 7 HRs in the Arizona Complex League (vs. 1 in 2023).

- RHP Ryan Birchard of Low-A Carolina sent on rehab assignment to ACL Brewers - RHP Jesael Cabrera of DSL Brewers retired

I’d been thinking we may need to draft more catchers, but just realized the DSL foursome of Luis Corobo, Kevin Garcia, Freider Rojas and Yoneiker Lugo may already have us quite excited for the future. What a year for our DSL squads.

It’s going to be tempting to add Anderson, Ortuno, Luis Pena, Made and Wenderlyn King to prospect lists.

Dude definitely deserved to have an "out" in his contract (19 HR, 26 SB). I wonder if they tie some of these "outs" to achieving certain performance metrics.

Sorry to re-open this can of worms, but my understanding of why we cannot select the Best Prospect Available is that: 1) We’d end up paying the Cooper Pratts of the world $2.5m signing bonuses instead of $1.35m, costing ourselves a $1.15m second prospect in the process ; OR 2) We’d set too high of a $$ expectation for some Day 1/2 draftees, ultimately failing to sign 1 or 2 in what most would consider an embarrassingly failed draft. I think there’s an amazing amount of art & science that goes into drafting,: - with teams needing near-100% certainly that all Day 1 and Day 2 picks will sign (so no draft pool money is forfeited); - with reps of high schoolers telling you on Day 1 that so-and-so kid really has his sights set on fulfilling his commitment to LSU and won’t consider signing for anything below $2m, then those prospects and their families having a serious re-think on Sunday evening and singing a different tune on Monday; AND - with some HS prospects and their families simply saying “No” to certain MLB clubs who’ve failed to win their trust.

Devin Williams threw a successful rehab inning in Wisconsin’s victory, while Brewer Hicklen, Carlos D. Rodriguez and Luis Castillo were clutch offensive performers in a 4-0 day across the affiliates. For the week, Nashville (5-1), Biloxi (4-2) and Wisconsin (5-0) were each victorious in their series, while Carolina fell 4 games to 2. Transactions: RHP Joel Kuhnel’s contract selected by MLB Brewers from AAA Nashville Of course, Sunday also saw the first two rounds of the 2024 MLB Draft take place, with the Brewers selecting three high schoolers (one outfielder, two pitchers) and one college bat (first baseman). BrewerFanatic will have plenty of information for you to digest on these players, as well as those who are selected in rounds 3-10 (Monday) and 11-20 (Tuesday). Game Action: Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Nashville 3, Iowa 2 Box Score and Game Log Via the Sounds’ website, game details, and we encourage readers to review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine: Hicklen Launches 19th Homer, Sounds Head Into All-Star Break with Victory DH/OF Brewer Hicklen (1-for-3, HR, 2 RBIs, SB, 2 runs) once again led the offense, depositing a 2-run homer over the left field wall for a 2-1 lead in the 1st inning, then helping manufacture a vital insurance run in the 7th inning. Starting RHP Garrett Stallings was effective over 5 1/3 innings, navigating around 2 doubles, 3 singles and 3 walks with 4 Ks, with RHP Janson Junk (2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 1 K) helping strand a baserunner in the 6th inning. The Miller-Capra middle infield combination was terrific in turning 4 double plays. Things got extremely tricky in the 8th inning, with RHP Harold Chirino walking the first two batters he faced to load the bases with one out before inducing a Miller-Capra-Black GIDP. That was so fun that the Sounds decided to pull off a similar feat in the top of the 9th inning, with RHP James Meeker (1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 Ks, Save) relieving Chirino with 2-on, nobody out, inducing a run-scoring ground out and the game-ending Miller-Capra-Black GIDP. Sounds’ Extras: As the team only garnered 3 hits and left 1 on base, it’s no surprise that only offensive player to reach base twice (left fielder Isaac Collins: single, walk). Right fielder Joey Wiemer was ejected for arguing a checked swing call after he grounded out to end the 6th inning, going 1-for-3 in the game by legging out an infield grounder. Two of his at-bats had exit velocities just over 93mph. Next week’s outlook: Nashville has a 10-hour drive east to face Orioles’ affiliate Norfolk for three games starting on Friday. Or will they fly? Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Biloxi 7, Chattanooga 5 Box Score and Game Log Via the Shuckers’ website, game details: Seven Unanswered Runs Lead Way to Comeback Win in Series Finale for Shuckers Despite starting RHP Bradley Blalock no-hitting the Lookouts for 4 innings, Biloxi found itself down 4-0 by the 7th inning, with a win probability of only 3.9%. Center fielder Dylan O’Rae (0-for-0, 5 walks, 3 SBs, 2 runs) started the rally by drawing his 4th walk of the game with one out in the top of the 7th inning. DH/OF Carlos D. Rodriguez reached base 4 times (2 singles, 2 walks, SB), singling and scoring on a bloop double by right fielder Connor Scott in that 7th inning, then notching a 2-run single in the top of the 8th inning to give the Shuckers their first lead at 6-4. Shuckers’ Extras: Along with Blalock’s solid work (4 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 5 Ks) and the terrific late rally, RHP Bo Bowman needs to get a lot of credit for entering with 2-on, nobody out in the 5th inning and stranding both baserunners for Blalock, including fielding and throwing out the lead runner at 3rd base on a sacrifice bunt attempt. RHP Craig Yoho (1 2/3 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 3 H, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 3 Ks) got the Win in relief, but he’s be grateful to RHP Justin Yeager (1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 Ks) for stranding 2 baserunners in the 8th inning before grabbing his 9th Save with a 3-up, 3-down 9th inning. 1B Ernesto Martinez Jr. also reached base 4 times (2 singles, 2 walks, RBI), singling in an insurance run. Next week’s outlook: Biloxi hosts Rays’ affiliate Montgomery for three games, commencing on Friday. Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Wisconsin 5, West Michigan 3 Box Score and Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers’ website, game details: Rattlers Top Whitecaps to Win Sixth Straight Catch video highlights of Wisconsin’s victory which clinched a sweep for the week: And we also have the 22-minute Mehring/Lobner post-game podcast, featuring comments from Devin Williams and Manager Victor Estevez. This game actually picked up from the start of the 2nd inning tied 0-0 after a rain delay on Saturday, with 4,980 fans treated to mostly solid performances up-and-down the lineup. I’m sure the Timber Rattlers 4-run 5th inning put Williams at ease before his 14-pitch rehab inning (3 batters = 3 strikeouts). Each of center fielder Luis Lara, SS Eduardo Garcia and left fielder Felix Valerio had two hits in the game and contributed key hits in that fifth inning. Will Garcia and/or the mustachioed Valerio be seeing action back in AA ball soon? While Williams looked supremely confident on the mound, you could also see RHP Alexander Cornielle happily toying with opposing hitters: 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks, Win. The 22-year old with a 2.78 season ERA has played at this High-A level for nearly 2 years and must be itching for the move to AA. From the video highlights, you can see that this was actually a game of inches, with Lara making the awesome catch to end the top of the 7th inning still leading 5-3, then 3B Luke Adams winning a sprint to tag 3rd base to end the game with the bases loaded. Timber Rattlers’ Extras: Per the podcast, Wisconsin is now 26 games over .500 on the season, the first time they’ve achieved this feat since 2001. Again from the podcast: “Hopefully I’ll be back in a few weeks”, said Devin Williams, along with “I’m already pitching without pain.” 25-year old C Ramon Rodriguez had the pleasure of catching Williams, Cornielle and five other Wisconsin pitchers on Saturday and Sunday, while also reaching base 4 times: 2 singles, walk, HBP. Next week’s outlook: Wisconsin will take the 4-hour drive southwest to Twins’ affiliate Cedar Rapids for three games from Friday. Final: Carolina 7, Fredericksburg 4 Box Score and Game Log Via the Mudcats’ website, game details: Mudcats Swept In Doubleheader After dropping 4 straight games and being shut out in 3 of them, Carolina may have felt some of the pressure come off of them when a Fredericksburg first inning error scored 2 runs instead of stranding the baserunners. Each of center fielder Yophery Rodriguez and right fielder Luis Castillo reached base 3 times (2 hits, 1 walk). Castillo doubled twice and led off Carolina’s 4-run fourth inning with a walk, before Rodriguez notched a 2-run, 2-out single to push the lead to 4-1. On the mound, Manager Nick Stanley was able to use nine pitchers, with starting RHP Josh Timmerman covering 2 frames (32 pitches) in his second game back since a month-long injury. No other Mudcat pitcher faced more than 5 batters or covered more than an inning. Mudcats’ Extras: RHP Jeferson Figueroa (2.67 season ERA) did make things interesting for the 3,003 road crowd, walking two batters to bring the potential game-tying run to the plate before ending the game with a strikeout and groundout. The game log noted injury delays in the 5th and 6th innings, so we’ll have to be watchful on the status of RHPs Harrison Durow and Jeison Pena. C David Garcia also reached base 3 times (2 walks, 1 single), while 3B Miguel Briceno collected 2 singles and left fielder Yhoswar Garcia stole 2 bases (that’s 43 SBs on the season for Yhoswar). Next week’s outlook: Carolina will host Guardians’ affiliate Lynchburg for a 3-game series starting Friday. We hope that you enjoy the Minor League Link Report. On Monday, only our two Dominican Summer League squads will be in action from 10:00am CST, while the Milwaukee Brewers are also on their All-Star break. From Tuesday-Thursday, only the Rookie League clubs are playing (DSL Brewers-1, DSL Brewers-2, ACL Brewers). Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View full article

I hope it's fine to post this here:

Low-A Carolina seeks a win to salvage a 2-4 series at Fredericksburg. RHP Josh Timmerman makes his 2nd appearance (1st start) since a month-long injury:

AA Biloxi gets a second chance to close out a series win (4-2) at Chattanooga:

AAA Nashville aims to close out a 5-1 home series win over Iowa: