Ro Mueller

Sounds like Cameron could talk about baseball non-stop for hours! Well done, Seth!

I think Sheffield fits in well with the recent theme of general managers perhaps underestimating the ripple effect of their moves - e.g. Rodgers reacting to loss of Adams, Brewers' roster reacting to Hader trade, Sheffield reacting to trade of Dave Parker prior to 1991 season. I remember when a young Sheffield was upset that Bill Spiers played shortstop ahead of him, but in 1990 he nicely restored his full prospect value: 116 OPS+ in 547 PAs as a 21-year old. However, the team went 74-88 as they allowed the most runs in the American League and Molitor was limited to 103 games. With the club ready to move on from the 39-year old Parker (who was actually terrific in 1990, then struggled in 1991, essentially proving the Brewers' wisdom in trading him), this was actually the time (e.g. December 1990) to also trade Sheffield rather than risk him falling into a funk without his mentor Parker around. It's remarkable that the 1991 club was actually respectable, despite Sheffield doing nothing and the team's new spending (e.g. Franklin Stubbs, Edwin Nunez, raises for Ted Higuera and Chuck Crim) not panning out.

I think Sheffield fits in well with the recent theme of general managers perhaps underestimating the ripple effect of their moves - e.g. Rodgers reacting to loss of Adams, Brewers' roster reacting to Hader trade, Sheffield reacting to trade of Dave Parker prior to 1991 season. I remember when a young Sheffield was upset that Bill Spiers played shortstop ahead of him, but in 1990 he nicely restored his full prospect value: 116 OPS+ in 547 PAs as a 21-year old. However, the team went 74-88 as they allowed the most runs in the American League and Molitor was limited to 103 games. With the club ready to move on from the 39-year old Parker (who was actually terrific in 1990, then struggled in 1991, essentially proving the Brewers' wisdom in trading him), this was actually the time (e.g. December 1990) to also trade Sheffield rather than risk him falling into a funk without his mentor Parker around. It's remarkable that the 1991 club was actually respectable, despite Sheffield doing nothing and the team's new spending (e.g. Franklin Stubbs, Edwin Nunez, raises for Ted Higuera and Chuck Crim) not panning out.

I suspect that Brent Suter is essentially our Marcedes Lewis, so we’ll re-sign him for more than most analysts would expect.

I suspect that Brent Suter is essentially our Marcedes Lewis, so we’ll re-sign him for more than most analysts would expect.

There he is: Jackson Chourio atop the lineup on opening day of the Venezuelan Winter League season:

In addition to OF Jackson Chourio playing for Aguilas del Zulia, I’ve noted 4 other Brewer minor leaguers on Venezuelan Winter League rosters: - INF Andruw Monasterio for Caribes de Anzoategui - C Jason Lopez for Bravos de Margarita - C Jose Sibrian for Cardenales de Lara - RHP Arnaldo Hernandez for Tiburones de la Guaira

I think it’s Brown’s for the taking in spring training, given that Eduardo Garcia and Robert Moore can man SS and 2B at High-A Wisconsin and Brown is 19/15 months older than them. It may also depend on the health and form of Zamora this spring.

I assume we want to see how versatile Black can be, especially given the possibility of Zamora, E. Brown, Valerio, Warren, Clarke and E. Martinez all looking at AA placements to start 2023.

Venezuela's U-23 team lost 1-run games to Columbia and Chinese Taipei, dropping to 2-3 in Group A in the first stage and costing themselves a spot in the Super Round Group. 1B Jesus Chirinos went 9-for-19 with an incredible 7 doubles, 2 home runs and 8 RBIs. His 22 total bases are two times any other player in the 12-team tournament and his 8 RBIs also lead all players (second place has 5). RHP Michele Vassalotti has also been terrific, pitching 5 scoreless innings. Venezuela will play three games for pride against 2-3 Netherlands, 2-3 Cuba and 2-3 Puerto Rico in the "Placement Round Group". Australia's U-23 team also went 2-3, but did so in Group B, where five teams actually tied with identical records. I'm not sure what tiebreaker was used, but C Alex Hall's team officially took 3rd place in that group and advanced to the Super Round Group. Hall went 4-for-14 in the first stage, with a double and 3 RBIs. Australia will likely need to win 2 of 3 games against 4-1 Japan, 3-2 Columbia and 5-0 Chinese Taipei to qualify for the Bronze Medal game.

RHP JC Mejia is also playing in the Dominican Winter League. Thus far, he’s thrown 2 innings of scoreless relief in 2 games for Tigres del Licey, getting credited for one win.

The Dominican Winter League (LIDOM) commenced yesterday. I only noted one Brewer in action (C Brian Navarreto), but of course he went 3-for-4 with a homer and was the player of the game in a 5-2 victory for Toros Del Este.

After winning its opener, Venezuela fell 5-2 today against Japan, but don't blame the Brewers' prospects. 1B Jesus Chirinos delivered another 2-for-3, 2-RBI day including a double, while Michele Vassalotti pitched 3 scoreless innings (1 hit, no walks, no Ks).

This looks like a good place to post that the Brewers have 3-4 players participating in the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup: P Michele Vassalotti, 1B Jesus Chirinos and SS Antonio Pinero for Venezuela, plus C Alex Hall for Australia. Actually, Pinero was announced, but is not presently listed on the website roster. Chirinos had a nice first game (2-for-3, double, 2 RBIs) as Venezuela romped 9-0 over South Africa. Hall batted clean-up in Australia's opening game, but went hitless in a 3-2 loss to Mexico.

Renfroe 2023 RF. Wiemer 2024 RF. We’re not really grooming anyone else to play RF from the innings logs, though Mitchell could kick over to RF if necessary. Gotta keep Renfroe in 2023 or else our only power hitters are Tellez and Adames. We can’t expect a power surge from Taylor, Yelich or any of the young guys coming up in 2023. I guess we’ll run the bullpen back with Williams, Suter, Bush, Milner and Gott, move on from Perdomo and Gustave, decline Boxberger’s option, add a high-leverage LHP, then see what Strzelecki, Cousins and Topa are able to produce. We have to move on from Hiura one way or another. You don’t burn a guy’s third and final option when he’s in the midst of a reasonably productive stretch, as we did. It’s an unhealthy situation, from my admittedly ignorant perspective.

They’ll make up for it next year with Frelick, Turang, Ruiz, etc. It’s something of a mystery to me why the Brewers gave Alexander four starts down the stretch (losing all 4 games). I understood giving Alexander a try in June when he was cruising in AAA, essentially in a coin flip with Lindblom at that time. But the lead-up to the August 30th - September 18th starts was in Lindblom’s favor, who’d discarded some attempted pitching tweaks and was solid from August 11th onward. Refusing to shake anything up on the MLB side felt like part of the front office and coaching staff’s lazy approach to a disappointing season…

They’ll make up for it next year with Frelick, Turang, Ruiz, etc. It’s something of a mystery to me why the Brewers gave Alexander four starts down the stretch (losing all 4 games). I understood giving Alexander a try in June when he was cruising in AAA, essentially in a coin flip with Lindblom at that time. But the lead-up to the August 30th - September 18th starts was in Lindblom’s favor, who’d discarded some attempted pitching tweaks and was solid from August 11th onward. Refusing to shake anything up on the MLB side felt like part of the front office and coaching staff’s lazy approach to a disappointing season…

I'm seeing a 2.85 ERA and .605 OPS against in 41 IP through August 4th, then a 5.32 ERA and .817 OPS against in 23 2/3 IP the rest of the way. But his average number of pitches to hitters was the same in each period (4.00), his strike % was actually higher in the latter part (62% rising to 64%), his strikeouts/batter was also higher in that latter period (21.9% rising to 26.2%), though walks ticked up slightly (5.3% rising to 5.8%) and homers allowed rose materially (0.6% rising to 3.9%). To me, the data suggests that more balls landed safely (.296 BABIP rising to .349) and more balls left the yard (1 in the first 41 IP; 4 in the last 23 2/3 IP). Honestly, the .349 BABIP seems unfairly high in the dismal part of the year, while the 0.6% HR ratio in the successful part of the season seems too low. I'd expect Milner to still be a solid contributor next season, although we need to sign a top lefty reliever to replace Hader/Rogers. Overall, our RHP numbers were better than our LHP numbers in 2022, which I place at the feet of Mr. Stearns for only signing Rex Brothers in the off-season then whiffing on Taylor Rogers.

I'm seeing a 2.85 ERA and .605 OPS against in 41 IP through August 4th, then a 5.32 ERA and .817 OPS against in 23 2/3 IP the rest of the way. But his average number of pitches to hitters was the same in each period (4.00), his strike % was actually higher in the latter part (62% rising to 64%), his strikeouts/batter was also higher in that latter period (21.9% rising to 26.2%), though walks ticked up slightly (5.3% rising to 5.8%) and homers allowed rose materially (0.6% rising to 3.9%). To me, the data suggests that more balls landed safely (.296 BABIP rising to .349) and more balls left the yard (1 in the first 41 IP; 4 in the last 23 2/3 IP). Honestly, the .349 BABIP seems unfairly high in the dismal part of the year, while the 0.6% HR ratio in the successful part of the season seems too low. I'd expect Milner to still be a solid contributor next season, although we need to sign a top lefty reliever to replace Hader/Rogers. Overall, our RHP numbers were better than our LHP numbers in 2022, which I place at the feet of Mr. Stearns for only signing Rex Brothers in the off-season then whiffing on Taylor Rogers.

He’s gunned down both attempts tonight as well. Jeferson Quero statement game: 4-for-5, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, thrown out 2 base stealers.

While the Arizona Fall League (8 players assigned) and Australian Winter League (7 players assigned) already have separate threads, I thought we could note other leagues here: Mexican League - from October 11th Dominican League - from October 15th Venezuelan League - from October 22nd Puerto Rican League - from November 4th Nicaraguan League - from November 15th

Garrett Mitchell takes home the Brewer Fanatic Rookie of the Year prize, producing an .832 OPS down the stretch while playing terrific center field defense. In also swiping eight bases without being caught, Mitchell heralds an exciting new brand of baseball in Milwaukee. Garrett Mitchell takes home the Brewer Fanatic Rookie of the Year prize, producing an .832 OPS down the stretch while playing terrific center field defense. In also swiping eight bases without being caught, Mitchell heralds an exciting new brand of baseball in Milwaukee. Making his major league debut on August 27th, Garrett Mitchell exceeded all expectations at the plate and didn’t disappoint in center field either, blazing by other candidates to capture Brewer Fanatic's first Rookie of the Year award. Major League Stats: .311 AVG / .373 OBP / .459 SLG in 68 PAs, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 9 Runs, 8 SB (vs. 0 CS). As the team tried to secure the last National League playoff spot, the only teammates to exceed Mitchell’s .832 OPS over the season’s final 40 days were INF Kolten Wong (.939), INF Luis Urias (.922) and OF Tyrone Taylor (.881). Garrett’s first dinger in the majors was a game-tying 2-run shot in an August 29th victory against the Pirates and he delivered his first walk-off hit on September 16th against the Yankees. In all, Mr. Mitchell saw action in 28 games, including 19 starts, with all 176 1/3 of his innings logged in center field. He committed just one error, had one assist and sprinkled in some highlight reel catches. Although he wasn’t necessarily the young outfielder many fans expected the Brewers to promote for the stretch run, the 24-year-old Mitchell clearly rates as the top defensive center fielder in the system, giving him the edge to secure an early promotion which he took full advantage of. The exciting finale to Mitchell's season was even more remarkable considering a relatively slow start at AA Biloxi (.676 over his first 30 games), followed by missing 54 days due to injury. However, Mitchell was a man on a mission after his return: .934 OPS in 34 games at Biloxi and AAA Nashville, with 10 stolen bases (vs. 0 caught stealing). Of course, there’s still some work to be done at the plate (e.g. 28 Ks in 68 MLB PAs), but fans should expect the hard-working, always hard-charging 20th overall pick out of UCLA in the 2020 draft to be a fixture in center field at American Family Field for many years to come. Runner-Up: Peter Strzelecki, RHP Major League Stats (30 G): 2-1 record, 2.83 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 40 K, 15 BB, 35 IP, 1 Save Called up to the majors on June 2nd, Peter Strzelecki debuted the same day, ultimately becoming one of the most reliable arms in an otherwise-struggling bullpen. In fact, he appeared in 28 games over the season’s final 52 days, delivering a 2.63 ERA and .200 batting average against in 24 innings over that final stretch. After the June debut, the Brewers optioned Peter back to the minors on three separate occasions, but they recalled him to MLB for good on August 13. Given his stellar contributions, several voters selected Strzelecki as their winner, but perhaps two blown saves and a purely relief role left him second to Mitchell overall at the ballot box. The 27-year-old Strzelecki joined the Brewers’ organization as an undrafted free agent out of the University of South Florida in 2018, producing solid results at Low-A Wisconsin in 2019 (3.22 ERA) and AA Biloxi in 2021 (3.45 ERA), then was even better in AAA Nashville this year (4-0 record, 2.84 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 14.2 K/9). The question for 2023 will be whether Mr. Strzelecki can maintain this level of excellence. Certainly, the .295 BABIP (vs. .281 team average) indicates that he wasn’t living off undue luck, although the 1.4% HR rate (vs. 3.1% team average) may be difficult to duplicate. Second Runner-Up: Jason Alexander, RHP Major League Stats (18 G): 2-3 record, 5.40 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 46 K, 28 BB, 71 2/3 IP After losing Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff to injury in late May, Jason Alexander debuted on June 1st and provided just what the doctor ordered over his first five starts: 2-0 record, 3.21 ERA in 28 innings. However, with Woodruff re-activated on June 28th, Alexander was shifted to long relief with various spot starts, which didn’t go quite as well for the 29-year-old: 0-3 record, 6.80 ERA in 43 2/3 innings. Alexander had originally gone undrafted out of Cal State University Long Beach in 2017, spending three seasons with the Angels before being a Covid roster cut in June 2020, then spending an injury-filled 2021 in the Marlins’ organization before latching on with the Brewers as a free agent in November 2021. In 2022, Mr. Alexander immediately impressed at AAA Nashville by going 6-2 with a 2.64 ERA over his first nine starts, thus earning the early season call-up. He’s a ground ball pitcher, producing a 1.67 ground-out to air-out ratio with the Brewers and similar 1.71 ratio with Nashville. Other Major League debuts in 2022: LHP Ethan Small – May 30 – 6 1/3 IP* RHP Luke Barker (now a free agent) – June 3 – 4 IP* Other 2022 Brewers who qualified as Rookies: OF Esteury Ruiz - 9 PAs* C Mario Feliciano - 5 PAs* INF/OF Mark Mathias (now with Texas) - 17 PAs RHP Trevor Kelley - 23 2/3 IP RHP Justin Topa - 7 1/3 IP* * Players marked with an asterisk will still qualify as Rookies in 2023, including OF Garrett Mitchell (award winner), which is based on 130 at-bats, 50 innings pitched or 45 days' major league service time being surpassed What did you think of the contributions of Mitchell, Strzelecki, Alexander, and other rookies? Do you agree with the voters’ selection? Your comments are welcome! View full article

This single game is going to make Manfred and the owners insist on retaining the extra inning Manfred Man in 2023, isn’t it?

Based on my 5-second analysis of our projected 2023 lineup, we'll go big for Contreras. FanGraphs doesn't like his defense, but nobody liked Narvaez's defense before he came to Milwaukee either: LHH Yelich - DH LHH Frelick - LF (after spending first month or two hitting 7th or so) RHH Adames - SS LHH Tellez - 1B RHH Renfroe - RF RHH Contreras - C LHH Mitchell - CF RHH Urias - 3B LHH Turang - 2B Bench: Taylor, Ruiz, Caratini, Brosseau Trade: Hiura Option: Feliciano