Ro Mueller

I guess he’ll just keep mashing…

1B Keston Hiura returns to the AAA Nashville lineup after a rest day, having hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games, LHP Eric Lauer makes his second start of the week at home against Charlotte. The Sounds need a win to clinch the series 4-2.

Yeah, that’s a choke job, unfortunately. Led 5-1 late. Had more hits, walks, extra base hits… 10 LOB vs. 5 LOB.

AA Biloxi strives to polish off a 5-1 series win at Mississippi, though with notable lineup absences. LHP Nick Bennett (4.77 ERA in 54.2 IP) gets the start. RF Carlos D. Rodriguez is having his best month (.843 OPS in 63 August PAs).

High-A Wisconsin has had a rough week, trailing 4 games to 1 at Cedar Rapids. 21-year old RHP Edwin Jimenez (3.90 ERA in 97 IP) starts today’s finale. 2B Mike Boeve has a 7-game hitting streak.

RHP Will Childers needs a bounce back start (6 ER in last outing) and Low-A Carolina welcomes 3B Luke Adams (.851 OPS in 356 PAs) back after a day off. The Mudcats need a win in Kannapolis to salvage a 3-3 series split.

The starting experiment presumably over, RHP James Meeker was back to his dominant relief form for Biloxi, although in a losing effort: 1.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks. I hope we get him up to AAA ball. A late bloomer, he’s already older than 8 of our active pitchers in Nashville.

Unfortunately a GIDP limited Wisconsin to only tying the game 5-5. Then Cedar Rapids walked it off on two-out single. Rattlers lose 6-5. Rough night for our full season affiliates. 🥲

The Timber Rattlers were dead in the water, down 5-1 in the 8th inning against might Cedar Rapids. But a Lara double and Wilken single cut it to 5-2 that inning. And now the first 4 batters have reached in the 9th inning: Mendez double, Miller double, Acosta walk, Vargas single. 5-4, 2 on, nobody out, pitching change. Let’s go Wisconsin!!!!!

Brock Wilken is off to a better start than I expected for a power-first player. Maybe we’ll even have him play the final week in Biloxi (September 12-17), after Wisconsin finishes up on September 10th.

RHP Bradley Blalock (2.64 ERA in 61.1 IP) makes his 3rd start for High-A Wisconsin, still looking for his first Win. The Timber Rattlers are down 3-1 in their series at Cedar Rapids.

AAA Nashville can take a 4-1 series lead with another home win over Charlotte. RHP Janson Junk (4.49 ERA in 104.1 IP) is tonight’s starter. SS Cam Devanney has a .914 OPS since May 24 (226 PAs).

The AA Shuckers have won 5 straight games and look for another win at Mississippi tonight. RHP Christian Mejias starts Game 5 of this week’s series. DH Wes Clarke has a .895 OPS since May 4 (328 PAs).

The Low-A Mudcats are even 2-2 in their series at Kannapolis, with dominant RHP Logan Henderson getting the start tonight. LF Jace Avina has a .969 OPS over his last 38 games (153 PAs).

Good team effort in the 8-4 victory over ACL Guardians. Six different players with an RBI. Cooper Pratt reached base 4 times. Eric Brown Jr. homered for the 2nd straight game. The pitching did enough, though nobody stood out in particular. Brailin Rodriguez threw 2 scoreless innings for the win, Blake Whiting K’d 2 of 3 batters faced in the 9th inning. Anthony Perez gets a special shout-out for coming in and getting Jaison Chourio to pop out with the bases loaded and the game 7-4 in the 8th inning.

- INF Abraham Toro optioned to AAA Nashville from MLB Brewers

Hiura is below Santana, Tellez and Canha in the MLB pecking order, after unfortunately blowing his roster spot in Spring Training which caused the team to reluctantly keep Voit. If we covet Hiura’s offense enough to promote him, it would likely require a DFA of Anderson or Taylor (both solid defenders) or option of Wiemer (for service time manipulation purposes). But I assume any of those moves would infuriate Counsell. Yes, if we promote Hiura, we have no easy way of ever sending him down again. We inexplicably burned his final option near the 2022 trade deadline, then DFA’d him early this year. No MLB team picked up his guaranteed $2.2m salary, so we exercised a one-time right to send him to the minors. If we promote again, then DFA again, any other team could claim him, but even if he goes unclaimed he’d have the right to reject the assignment to the minors and become a free agent. Oddly, we believe there’s a special provision which allows us to keep him on his minor league contract for one more year (since he has not yet burned through 7 minor league seasons) at half his 2023 salary. So we can basically do nothing and watch him return for $1.1m next year (though perhaps another team could claim in the Rule 5 Draft(?) - I’m not sure). Truth be told, he’s not diminished his value over the last 9 months, in my opinion, since the time that we guaranteed the $2.2m salary. He’s one of the best hitters in AAA. And he’s played a fair amount of mediocre first base and left field, as expected. So if he was worth $2.2m last winter, he must definitely be worth $1.1m for 2024. But if we promote him to the Majors for this stretch run (e.g. when MLB active rosters expand on September 1), I’m guessing that would shift him into another round of offseason arbitration at higher cost for 2024. At least that’s my understanding. What’s the right thing to do? Well, get his bat on the MLB roster of course. How should we do it? Maybe we need to restructure his contract to agree a 2024 salary (e.g. $1.1m guaranteed, with another $0.3m incentives), then immediately promote him. Option Wiemer for 13 days if we have to (or DFA Taylor or Anderson or put one of them on the injured list), now that Counsell is finally comfortable enough to play Frelick in center field.

ACL Brewers blew a 4-0 lead (falling 7-4 to ACL Mariners) and their chance to clinch the Central division title, but thankfully the ACL Reds also lost. Magic number is now 1 game, with 2 regular season games left for the Crew and 3 left for the Reds. Rehabbing SS Eric Brown Jr. homered, walked. was hit-by-pitch and stole a base. Each of 2B/SS Cooper Pratt and RF Miguel Briceno doubled and singled. LHP Tate Kuehner started and faced the minimum over 2 innings, but got significant help (line out DP, CS, another out on batter interference). RHPs Josh Timmerman and Edrian Robinson added 3 scoreless innings. RHP Darling Solano and LHP Anfernny Reyes gave up 7 runs (4 earned) over 3 innings as the game slipped away.

I don’t really understand why MLB teams didn’t select many hitters in the last Rule 5 Draft, given that they’re now forced to have 13 position players on their roster. That said, INFs Cam Devanney and Patrick Dorrian are both making a case for selection this winter. But perhaps MLB teams will keep focusing 80%+ of their attention on pitchers.

Here’s to never seeing Chafin pitch with a lead again. Good win!

Miguel Briceno’s relativity limited playing time in the ACL suggests he’s not a favored prospect, while his high BABIP further suggests some luck. But his average is now .325 after a double and single today, after a .320 AVG last year. The recently-turned 20-year old is doing everything he can to beat the odds and be given more opportunities in 2024, including playing the corner outfield spots, third base and second base.

Cam Devanney (HR, 2B, RBI), Tyler Black (2B, 1B, BB, 2 RBIs) and Keston Hiura (2 singles, RBI) each had 2 hits to back up Robert Gasser’s sterling outing. Monte Harrison also homered, walked and stole a base. Sounds win their third straight, this one 5-1.

Eric Brown Jr. homered in his first plate appearance of the evening for ACL Brewers. And Eduarqui Fernandez followed with a single. They’re up 1-0 early.

Oh my. The Mudcats have a double, 2 singles and 4 walks in the first 2 innings, but scored just one run. Particularly tough start for Jadher Areinamo: K’d 1st inning; 1-2-3 GIDP in 2nd inning. Winning 1-0 though!