Ro Mueller

Winter League Action from Tuesday, December 27 Matt Hardy continued his winter dominance, while Jose Sibrian smacked a homer for his club on Tuesday. RHP Matt Hardy – 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K (0.72 ERA) – in Caguas’ 2-1 extra inning win over Carolina C Brian Navarreto – 0-for-2 (.283 AVG) – ejected in the 3rd inning of Carolina’s loss DH/C Victor Caratini – 2-for-4, 2 walks, SF, 3 RBIs (.233 AVG); had an error and allowed one stolen base – in Ponce’s doubleheader split with RA12 RHP JC Mejia – 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K (2.41 ERA) – in Leones del Licey’s 3-2 loss to Gigantes DH Jose Sibrian – 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBIs (.360 AVG, .865 OPS) – in Cardenales’ 5-2 win over Bravos RHP Christian Mejias (loss) – 2 2/3 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 1 K (5.40 ERA) – in Tiburones’ 5-2 loss to Navegantes

We’re wishing seven recently released players the very best, with some career notes outlined here: 25-year old 1B Thomas Dillard from Mississippi was a 5th round selection ($397,500 signing bonus) out of the University of Mississippi in 2019. Actually announced as a catcher at draft time, that was more of an experiment as he subsequently logged 1737.1 innings at 1B, 150 innings in OF and just 68.1 innings at catcher over three active seasons. Dillard’s bat did not disappoint at any level, producing OPS’ of .784 in Low-A ball, .830 in High-A ball and .753 at AA Biloxi. His 2022 Biloxi stats included a .233/.364/.391 slash, 12 homers, a surprising 14 stolen bases, 81 walks and 157 Ks in 516 PAs. If he wants to pursue it, Dillard should hopefully be able to sign on with another organization. 25-year old RHP Brady Schanuel from Illinois (though born in Missouri) was a 27th round selection ($50,000 signing bonus) out of the University of Iowa in 2018. Pegged as a reliever, he made 99 relief appearances over four active seasons before making 5 spot starts at the end of the 2022 season. Over his first three seasons in Rookie and High-A ball, he produced a terrific 13.7 K/9 ratio but with a 5.94 ERA and 1.66 WHIP. Repeating at High-A Wisconsin in 2022, he improved to a 2.96 ERA and 1.46 WHIP though with his K/9 rate dropping to 9.4, though these figures were supported by a .209 BABIP. We wish him success in his future endeavors. 24-year old 2B/3B Gabe Holt from Georgia was a 7th round pick ($450,000 signing bonus) out of Texas Tech in 2019. The keen-eyed Holt drew 90 walks vs. 79 Ks over three active seasons, though a 2019 injury and the 2020 Covid wipeout essentially limited him to just two years with the Brewers. After a .740 OPS at Low-A Carolina in 2021 (62 walks, 47 Ks, 1 HR, 17 stolen bases), he jumped to AA Biloxi in 2022 and struggled mightily: .500 OPS in 312 PAs, though suppressed by a .223 BABIP. If he’s interested in continuing his baseball journey, hopefully another organization gives him a chance to bounce back in 2023, similar to what Cam Devanney did at Biloxi this past season. Good luck Gabe! 26-year old RHP Robbie Hitt from Connecticut was a 24th round selection (bonus unknown, so likely small) out of Quinnipiac University in 2017. Pitching purely in relief over five active seasons, Hitt amassed 238.1 innings, producing a 3.81 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 9.0 K/9 ratio. After impressive 2019 and 2021 seasons split between Low-A, High-A and AA (combined 2.93 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 9.1 K/9), the Brewers had him repeat at AA Biloxi in 2022 where he unfortunately regressed slightly: 4.80 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 9.6 K/9). Perhaps another organization can assist him to succeed at the next level (AAA) to continue his career. We wish Robbie tremendous success in the future. 24-year old 1B/3B Ashton McGee from North Carolina was an 18th round pick ($125,000 signing bonus) from the University of North Carolina in 2019. After a ho-hum OPS of .701 in Arizona, he made a tremendous leap forward at Low-A Carolina in 2021 (.953 OPS with 10 HRs in 297 PAs) and was respectable in a late season promotion to High-A Wisconsin (.714 OPS in 60 PAs). However, pushed up to AA Biloxi to commence 2022 put him into an unthinkable 30-game funk (20 at Biloxi, 10 at Wisconsin after demotion): .494 OPS with 52 Ks in 105 PAs. After righting the ship in late May, he was able to produce a .749 OPS in 174 PAs over his final 45 games at Wisconsin. If Ashton needs inspiration to continue his pursuit, perhaps he can look at the recent career arc of former Brewer minor leaguer Ryan Aguilar. Best of luck to you, Mr. McGee! 34-year old RHP Marcus Walden from California signed with the Brewers in June 2022 in his 16th professional season. Drafted by the Blue Jays in 2007, he had stints with the A’s, Reds, Twins and even in independent ball (2015 Lancaster) before reaching the majors with the Red Sox from 2018-2020 (106 MLB innings, 4.50 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 8.5 K/9). After a rough AAA in 2021 with the Red Sox and Cubs, he found himself back in independent ball in 2022 (Gastonia) before joining the Brewers’ Nashville squad and registering a 4.53 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 7.8 K/9 in 59.2 innings. Good luck to you, Marcus. 18-year old C Edwin Tamoy from Venezuela signed with the Brewers in June 2022 and went to work with DSL-Brewers2 in the Dominican Summer League. For a first-year player, he had a respectable .244/.296/.342 slash in 44 PAs and also threw out 14 of 34 basestealers (41% rate) in 14 games over 29 days. We can’t possibly know why Edwin’s road with the Brewers is ending so quickly, but we wish him success and happiness in the life ahead of him.

Winter League Action from Thursday, December 22 Recent signing 24-year old LHP Luis Amaya had an impressive relief appearance, though his team blew the game by giving up a 3-run walk-off homer to old friend Renato Nunez. DH Brian Navarreto – 1-for-4 (.302 AVG) – in Carolina’s 5-4 win over Mayaguez C Victor Caratini – 0-for-4 (.167 AVG in limited playing time) – in Ponce’s 1-0 victory over Santurce; he also threw out the only attempted basestealer RHP Christian Mejias (save) – 3 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 0 BB, 1 K (5.24 ERA) – in Tigres’ 7-2 win over Tiburones 1B Jesus Chirinos – 0-for-3, walk (.313 AVG) – in Aguilas del Zulia’s 4-3 defeat to Bravos C Jose Sibrian – 0-for-1 (.294 AVG in limited playing time) – played 2 innings in Cardenales’ 6-3 loss to Leones del Caracas RHP Luis Contreras – 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 Ks (6.23 ERA) – in Cardenales’ loss LHP Luis Amaya – 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks (3.14 ERA) – in Caribes’ 9-8 loss to Navegantes RHP JC Mejia – 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K (2.41 ERA) – in Leones del Licey’s 6-3 win over Aguilas Cibaenas

If he can sustain this type of hitting, why not? But the odds seem quite long, given his career .590 OPS in the minors. If we were high on Navarreto, I doubt we'd have had that unhealthy obsession with Pedro Severino, added Jakson Reetz to the 40-man roster when there was a bit of a depth concern or traded for 40-man Payton Henry (2.5 years younger than Navarreto). And we still have non-40 man Alex Jackson around as well, so Navarreto is likely our #3 catcher in Nashville at present. Let's hope that he can keep it up, though. He clearly outplayed Mario Feliciano defensively last year while producing just-enough offense, earning a start in Nashville's playoff game.

Winter League Action from Wednesday, December 21 Brian Navarreto and Jesus Chirinos were heroes of the day, with Navarreto smacking his 6th home run and Chirinos coming on as a super sub to produce four ribbies in a comeback win. Meanwhile, Arnaldo Hernandez was let down by two errors and charged with his team's loss. C Brian Navarreto – 2-for-4, HR, SF, 3 RBIs (.304 AVG); threw out the only attempted basestealer – in Carolina’s 7-3 win over Caguas DH Mario Feliciano (as we say goodbye to the man claimed by the Tigers) – 0-for-3 (.184 AVG) – in Carolina’s victory RHP Matt Hardy – 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 Ks (0.81 ERA) – in Caguas’ defeat RHP Arnaldo Hernandez (loss) – 1 1/3 IP, 3 R (0 ER), 1 H, 1 BB, 0 Ks (2.89 ERA) – in Tiburones’ 4-2 extra inning loss to Bravos PH/DH – Jesus Chirinos – 2-for-3, 4 RBIs (.325 AVG, .825 OPS) – in Aguilas del Zulia’s 8-7 comeback win over Leones del Caracas

Maybe it’s time to bring 2008 Brewers’ 21st round draft pick LHP Lucas Luetge home: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/yankees-designate-lucas-luetge-for-assignment.html

Thank you for the article. I'm guessing our current plans for rounding out the lineup against LHP are: Plan A: Hope Hiura is fixed (though you wisely cautioned against expecting this) Plan B: Hope Winker, Toro, Miller or Perkins surprisingly hits lefties well in spring training and it carries over to the regular season Plan C: Play a whole lot of small ball with the likes of Turang and Mitchell

Winter League Action from Tuesday, December 20 Victor Caratini hit his first homer of the winter league season in helping lead his club to victory. C Jose Sibrian – 1-for-3 (.313 AVG, .666 OPS in limited playing time); allowed one stolen base – in Cardenales’ 5-3 victory over Tiburones 1B Jesus Chirinos – 1-for-1 (.311 AVG, .806 OPS) – entered in the 8th inning of Leones del Caracas’ 9-4 win over Aguilas del Zulia C Brian Navarreto – 0-for-3 (.296 AVG); allowed one stolen base and had a passed ball – in Carolina’s 9-3 loss to Ponce 1B Victor Caratini – 2-for-4, HR RBI (.214 AVG in limited playing time) – in Ponce’s win 2B Owen Miller – 0-for-4, RBI (.273 AVG) – in Ponce’s win

He appeared to be managing some sort of injury (e.g. wrist?, thumb?) in the middle part of the 2022 season which badly affected his hitting (.500 OPS in 177 PAs from June 11 - August 5), although his fielding and effort remained strong. So long as that discomfort is fully behind him, I assume he’ll man right field for the Brewers for a terrific decade. Corey Hart with more speed and a stronger arm.

Well, now he’s got me excited about some of the lesser-known prospects: Kaylan Nicasia, Will Rudy, Manuel Rodriguez, Aidan Maldonado, Shane Smith. I’m also happy to see Matthew Wood ranked as high as 26 after an injury limited his 2022 experience with the Brewers.

I guess it would most likely be Morales, since he's entering his 7th season in the system (like Vassalotti) and has seen at least a little action in High-A (10.1 IP vs. zero for Vassalotti). He's also the oldest (23) of the three players (Vassalotti and Garabitos are 22).

Winter League Action from Monday, December 19 Workhorse INF Andruw Monasterio exited with arm injury, making for a worrisome Monday. Let’s hope that it’s nothing major. On the bright side, recently signed 23-year old RHP Christian Mejias pitched 5 shutout innings. 2B Andruw Monasterio – 0-for-2 (.317 AVG, .868 OPS); also committed an error; exited with injury in the 4th inning – in Caribes’ 11-3 loss to Tiburones RHP Christian Mejias (win) – 5 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 Ks (5.12 ERA) – in Tiburones’ victory RHP JC Mejia – 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K (2.41 ERA) – in Tigres del Licey’s 7-2 win over Estrellas

Winter League Action from Sunday, December 18 27-year old RHP Matt Hardy continues to dominate winter ball in Puerto Rico, putting up two more innings of zeros on Sunday. Indefatigable 25-year old INF Andruw Monasterio (158 PAs in the offseason!) also homered in a close loss. PR/1B Jesus Chirinos – 0-for-1 (.301 AVG, .791 OPS) – in Aguilas del Zulia’s 15-8 loss to Cardenales PR/C Jose Sibrian – 0-for-1 (.308 AVG, .665 OPS in limited playing time) – in Cardenales’ win RHP Arnaldo Hernandez – 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 Ks (3.12 ERA) – in Tiburones’ 8-5 loss to Tigres 2B Andruw Monasterio – 1-for-4, HR, walk, 2 RBIs (.321 AVG, .880 OPS) – in Caribes’ 8-7 defeat to Leones del Caracas C/DH Brian Navarreto – 0-for-4, 2 walks (.305 AVG, .935 OPS); also allowed 3 stolen bases and committed an error – in Carolina’s doubleheader split with RA12 DH Mario Feliciano – 0-for-2 (.190 AVG, .445 OPS) – in Carolina’s 6-1 loss to RA in the first game of the doubleheader DH/1B – Victor Caratini – 1-for-5, 2 walks, RBI (.100 AVG, .350 OPS in limited playing time) – in Ponce’s doubleheader sweep of Mayaguez 2B Owen Miller – 0-for-2, SF, RBI (.300 AVG, .658 OPS) – in Ponce’s 2-1 opening game win over Mayaguez RHP Matt Hardy – 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 Ks (0.84 ERA) – in Caguas’ 1-0 win in the second game of their doubleheader sweep of Santurce

Based on our recent valuations of other relievers (Lamet, McGee, Suter, Boxberger), we’re more likely to end up with someone like Chasen Shreve. ?‍♂️

Early Saturday AM (US time) Brisbane dropped a rare game 2-1 to Canberra, though their 19-4 record still puts them 3 games ahead of Adelaide. 2B Robert Moore – 1-for-4 (.284 AVG, .896 OPS) C Darrien Miller – 0-for-3 (.243 AVG, .725 OPS); also allowed 2 stolen bases without catching any Also, C Alex Hall caught 2 games as Perth split their doubleheader with Adelaide, going 1-for-7 (.317 AVG, .854 OPS); he picked off one baserunner and allowed one stolen base

Winter League Action from Friday, December 16 Great days for Monasterio, Hardy and Feliciano (finally) contributed to their teams’ wins. 2B/3B Andruw Monasterio – 4-for-5, RBI, SB, 4 runs scored (.326 AVG, .801 OPS) – in Caribes’ 13-3 win over Aguilas del Zulia 1B Jesus Chirinos – 0-for-4 (.306 AVG, .876 OPS) – in Aguilas’ loss C Brian Navarreto – 1-for-5, RBI (.317 AVG, .960 OPS); threw out 2 of 3 attempted basestealers – in Carolina’s 2-1 victory over RA12 DH Mario Feliciano – 2-for-4, RBI (.202 AVG, .473 OPS) – his RBI single in the top of the 8th inning gave Carolina the lead RHP Matt Hardy – 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks (0.93 ERA) – in Caguas’ come-from-behind 3-2 win over Ponce 2B/3B Owen Miller – 1-for-4 (.314 AVG, .685 OPS) – in Ponce’s loss

I doubt we’re content with our MLB/AAA LHP depth: Lauer, Ashby, Milner, Small, Pannone………….2021 draft pick 23-year old Gasser. Expecting some LHP player adds

“Toro, a notoriously good athlete, could benefit from a transition to the outfield.” https://sodomojo.com/2022/03/15/mariners-abraham-toro-center-field/amp/

Oh, wow. Schanuel has some years on him, but thrived when pressed into a 2-3-IP starter role for a time this past season. Dillard seemed like a tweener - not quite ready for AAA, but not much value repeating AA. Holt’s BB/K rate was still decent in 2022, though understandably struggled in AA given that he skipped High-A ball. I thought we might hope for a Devanney-type bounce back this year.

Mr. Goulart suspects that Mario Feliciano can reject any outright assignment, since he's been in the system for seven years already. I'd consider him 90% gone (though sometimes players surprise us), either by rejecting the assignment, straight waiver claim or trade. DFA limbo is 7 days, so we should know his final status by December 21st:

Winter League Action from Thursday, December 15 RHPs Arnaldo Hernandez and Luis Contreras bounced back with decent games, while Andruw Monasterio keeps hitting well. 2B Owen Miller – 1-for-5 (.323 AVG, .708 OPS); one error – in Ponce’s 7-3 win over RA12 DH Brian Navarreto – 1-for-4 (.323 AVG, .987 OPS) – in Carolina’s 2-1 loss to Santurce C Mario Feliciano – 1-for-3, SF, RBI (.189 AVG, .450 OPS) – in Carolina’s loss C Jose Sibrian – 1-for-4 (.333 AVG in limited playing time); allowed 2 stolen bases – in Cardenales’ 10-5 defeat to Bravos RHP Luis Contreras – 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks (7.36 ERA) – in Cardenales’ loss PH Jesus Chirinos – 0-for-0, walk (.324 AVG, .842 OPS) – in Aguilas del Zulia’s 2-1 loss to Caribes 2B Andruw Monasterio – 2-for-4, RBI (.306 AVG, .848 OPS) – in Caribes’ victory RHP Arnaldo Hernandez – 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K (2.76 ERA) – in Tiburones’ 4-0 win over Navegantes

I’m really hoping Mogollon, Reyes and Briceno build on last year’s success and Lazar’s (along with LHP Clayton Andrews) able to get back to pre-injury form. I’ll also be watching 20-year old RHP Jeison Pena - hopefully a breakout candidate for 2023.

Winter League Action from Wednesday, December 14 RHPs Matt Hardy and JC Mejia had good days at the office, making up for a down day by others. RHP JC Mejia – 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K (lowers ERA to 2.41) – in Tigres’ 3-1 win over Gigantes 1B Jesus Chirinos – 0-for-3, walk (drops average to .324) – in Aguilas del Zulia’s 3-2 loss to Leones del Caracas RHP Arnaldo Hernandez – 0 IP, 3 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 K (raising ERA to 2.93) – in Tiburones’ 6-4 loss to Cardenales when they blew a 3-0 lead by yielding 6 runs in the 7th inning PH/2B Andruw Monasterio – 0-for-1 (lowering average to .300) – in Caribes’ 7-5 loss to Navegantes C Brian Navarreto – 0-for-2, walk (average dips to .326); exited after 5 innings of play – in Carolina’s 9-4 defeat to Caguas DH Mario Feliciano (in DFA limbo but still a Brewer) – 0-for-4, RBI (average falls to .184) – in Carolina’s loss RHP Matt Hardy – 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 Ks (lowers ERA to 1.02) - in Caguas' victory

RHP Braden Webb (free agent), whom the Brewers released in March 2022 when he elected to have surgery, has a 1.90 ERA and 53 Ks after 47 1/3 IP in the Puerto Rican League, leading the league in innings, wins and strikeouts. He'll likely be looking to sign a minor league contract somewhere soon. RHP Bowden Francis (with the Blue Jays' AAA squad) also appears to be enjoying himself in Puerto Rico this winter: 0.35 ERA after 26 IP, with 35 Ks.

Almost-27 year old C Jakson Reetz stays with Kansas City/Omaha on a minor league deal: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/royals-to-sign-jakson-reetz-to-minor-league-deal.html