Joseph Zarr

I just hope and pray there is room for a second coming of the Greg Maddux prototype in the modern game. I don't say this casually or lightly, whatsoever. And I am in no way making a direct correlation. BUT, watching Rodriguez all of last year as he typically fell on my Tuesday night reporting duties, that was (and remains) my dream. His poise, zone control and accuracy, repeatability of motion (which was fluid and not over-torqued) and then the ability to manipulate batters just screamed this was a young pitcher who already knew how to pitch more adroitly than the vast majority of arms in the system. Miles to go here. Time will tell.

That's funny. He bats left but throws right. From my POV, and I could obviously be wrong, the pant fit and that stance give me full on 3B Travis Shaw vibes.

😅

What a start and High-A debut for Mr. Rodriguez! My gods. My dreams came true tonight. That man has earned my praise for over a season and even I did not expect this type of debut! 11 K in 4 1/3 IP?!? Also of note is the shut down effort from RHP Aidan Maldonado. Glorious stuff from a young arm I've loved for over a year. The Sounds bullpen hasn't allowed an earned run in 23 1/3 IP. Considering McKendry is a glorified "Hey we need you to do this" multi-tool for the Sounds staff you may as well consider his 4.0 IP bullpen innings too.

From afar, not watching, that appears to be quite an impressive 5 IP org debut for Hostetler.

Alright, gents. Bring me some victories tonight. I have to get my farm chores completed before I hand my daughter to my Mom (visiting the farm) and head to an Air BnB excursion with my wife. I'll be checking in on this thread later this evening to see all the goings ons. Here's hoping for that coveted and often elusive 5-0 organizational evening!

Gimme gimme that Hostetler---->Wande Torres pitch buffet.

Enjoy. Hope it creates a lasting and memorable experience. You are privileged, in the early going of the season at least, to be watching the meat of the up-and-coming Brewers youth movement down in Zebulon. A very very fitting send off roster. The potency of Payne, Pena, Made, Adamczewski, Bitonti and Dinges can not be overstated. Throw in the return of one hungry Kay-lan Nicasia...you 'should' get some fireworks throughout this first month.

Man, that is a sexy and diverse trio right there. T-Rats fans should be quite excited. I am very curious to see how Manuel's off-season went. How will his zonal accuracy and ability to manipulate his mix batter-to-batter work with a new catching battery?

Darrien Miller! That is impressive. He must've understood the great benefit of being bi-lingual as a catcher (and as a man). Love it. Love it. LOVE it. That skill transcends the game.

They have many paths to attempt to reshuffle their chances. BUT, my main 'concern' (I don't take anything too seriously about the Bucks any longer) is: do you trust anyone in their Basketball Ops or Ownership to make the right decisions or carve the right path back to real prominence? I sure as heck don't. I personally experience and read into a highly convoluted collective decision-making process.

@Spencer Michaelis: Hostetler is indeed starting and he is getting the game 1 nod tonight. Tells us all what we already knew: the Brewers do indeed think highly of Hostetler. Peripherally, one of last year's favorite surprises RHP Manuel Rodriguez is starting game 1 in Wisconsin. Very exciting. Please remind readers they can get even more detailed analysis of game-by-game results and trends by visiting our daily Minor League Link Reports. 😄 As always, quite enjoyable to hear you talk so passionately about the Minor Leagues.

Congrats, Spencer! You finally get your own official segment. Big time. Well deserved.

I have to say that week of just one affiliate is such a wonderful pre-amble. This month of four affiliates is also sublime. Once the DSL and ACL knocks commence it is utter madness.😅

That's 2024 International League Champion, Cam Devanney, Sir:

The bats woke up - well, in a kind of sort of kind of way. They also tried desperately (it appeared) to get back to their early season coveted double digit strikeouts as an offense, but, alas, they held their whiffs to single digits (9) when they ultimately ran out of innings. Phew! Caleb Durbin and Raynel Delgado doubled, and Jorge Alfaro went yard. More importantly, the men improved to 2-4 on their young season and ended their four-game skid. Let's get into the report! Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic Transactions: LHP Santiago Martinez and RHP Luis Velasquez (2025 International FA Class) have been assigned to the DSL Brewers #2 Final: Nashville 5, Gwinnett (Braves) 1 Via the Sounds' website, please be sure to click and read each of the affiliate write-ups as part of your season-long Link Report routine (believe me, it's worth it): Henderson Fans Eight as Sounds Get Back in Win Column - Jorge Alfaro Homers as Part of Multi-Hit Night Box Score / Game Log After throwing the peripheral third and fourth offering slider and cutter 15% apiece in his previous outing (24 of 80 total pitches between the two in game one), RHP Logan Henderson dialed them down a bit in his second outing to the tune of 19% of his 85 pitches. Henderson led with his four-seamer at a clip of 58% of his 85 total pitches (49 total heaters). Let's take a look at some pitch report data: Further mapping showcases he has held a consistent release point amongst the four offerings, but his zone map does indeed tell the story of his 5 free passes: of his 34 balls many were of the variety well off the map. Actually, 47 total pitches were outside the strike zone. This can work when your arsenal is close enough to the zone to induce swings and misses or, in the least, swings in general. However, tonight's outing's pitch maps at large speak to an up and down affair: It's quite clear, in the early going of the 2025 season, Henderson is still finding his way. We'll obviously take the end result as the Sounds were in bad need of a victory but it's important to point out Henderson's development arc is under more scrutiny given his 40-man status and his overall standing within the organization. In total, Henderson flirted with 8 base runners over 5 IP - 3 H and 5 BB. He added a pitch clock violation to the charity of his choice but also broke Stripers hearts with eight punch outs. He moved to 1-1 on his young season. The Sounds improved to 2-4 overall. Three Quick Strikes: 1) INF/OF Adam Hall certainly didn't do himself any favors tonight in terms of staying power on the Sounds roster. I hate to lead with this type of sentiment, but not only did he look extremely uncomfortable at the dish (including a final AB three-pitch K looking), but he also looked extremely uncomfortable in left field. Even when Hall made the catch it didn't come across confident and clean. Of the two fielding errors, the last error led to the Stripers only run when he absolutely biffed a routine shallow pop fly to shallow left center field. He rightfully called off several other charging defenders - it was his ball, after all - but he simply was incapable of bringing the ball into the webbing. He'll have to shore up his overall play if he hopes to keep playing in the International League. 2) The Sounds bullpen keeps churning and has now only allowed a single run over their past 17 1/3 IP. That's just shut down solid stuff across the board. Tonight's bullpen heroes where RHP Sam McWilliams (1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K), LHP Tyler Jay (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB), and RHP Vinny Nittoli (2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K). Of the three hurlers, I'd have to say McWilliams continues to surprise in the most pleasant of ways. With his reputation as a hurler who can bring it but has historically lacked control given his long levers, in the early part of 2025 he has been extremely accurate and effective in his first two outings. Let's hope we keep seeing this type of production. As we all know, he could work himself into the greater depth of the MLB bullpen as the season progresses. At 34 years of age, RHP Vinny Nittoli absolutely still brings a highly competitive fire to the mound every time he steps on the bump. He's had very little problem pitching in the eighth and ninth frames in the early going. 3) It's obviously quite early, but through six games played I'd have to give nods to INF's Caleb Durbin and Raynel Delgado as the most poised and consistent players on the Sounds roster. Both young men have proven invaluable in terms of the professionalism and game savvy they bring on a night in and night out basis. Both have looked extremely comfortable within themselves - they know who they are, and they know what they bring, and they know how to play. Whereas INF Andruw Monasterio is in the midst of an ongoing uncomfortable early struggle (tossing his bat in frustration tonight after his last swinging K on a slider down and in), these two are as cool and steady as it gets on the current Sounds roster. I will be entirely unsurprised if both manage to work their way to Milwaukee at some point in the 2025 season. The two went a combined 3-for-8 with 2 R, 2 2B, and 2 K on the evening. Special shoutout to CF and newly minted lead-off Garrett Spain who put forth a 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 SB outing atop the batting order. All four full-season affiliates will take to the diamond tomorrow for the first time in 2025. I don't know about you, but I cannot wait to see some of these young studs playing on the regular. Sounds Game Four at Gwinnett will begin at 7:05 EST - Carlos F. Rodriguez is scheduled to start (though that is obviously under question given he was in Milwaukee tonight) and the Sounds bats get the unenviable task of facing a rehabbing RHP Spencer Strider. Ruh-Roh! The Mudcats and UDFA signee RHP Jack Hostetler will square off in Five County Stadium against their last post-season opponent of 2024 in the Fredericksburg Nats. The T-Rats will also experience some Home Cooking against their old nemesis in the Cedar Rapids Kernels - RHP Manuel Rodriguez gets the opening nod! And, lastly, Biloxi will open once again on the road at Pensacola where LHP Tate Kuehner will get the nod. Until Sunday, I'm signing off and handing the report duties back to Daniel. Thanks for reading and thanks for supporting Brewers Minor League baseball! Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores MiLB Audio Links Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View full article

Looking at Henderson's pitch map tonight...he certainly was struggling with control. 47 of 85 pitches outside the zone and many of those were welllll outside the zone. It's a credit he was able to induce the 8 punch outs. Leaned heavy on the four-seamer (49 total heaters). Threw less cutters and sliders than he did in outing one. He's very clearly still trying to find his way early in the regular season. Miles to go.

Nittoli goes three up and three down to close the ninth. Two fly outs to Herron in RF. Weak ground out to Durbin at 2B. Sounds win 5-1. Yay. They pull one out! Sounds improve to 2-4 overall.

Hall follows the error with a K looking - three pitches. 0-for-4, 2 fielding errors, and 3 K. Yeah, ummmm.

Nittoli grabs a K looking on Cooper. He grabs another out on a sky high pop fly toward the middle foul line LF. He then gets the 2-0 pop fly to shallow LF. Hall makes the call and drops the ball of the end of his webbing. Ugly play. The error scores a run and gets a man to 2B. Can't have that Mr. Hall. That's as routine a play as there is. Hall is 0-for-3, 2 K, with 2 fielding errors. What did I say about the notoriously uber thin OF depth at the highest levels? Please start playing Tyler Black in the OF. PLEASE, Brewers. 😅 Ummmm. Yeah. Anywho, Nittoli strands the runner with another K. On to the top of the ninth.

1-1 dead center belt high sweeper hanger is launched just short of the LF wall for a welcome double off Nittoli. Nobody down. Man on 2nd. That's the Stripers first XBH and their fifth poke in total. 5-0 Sounds.

It will be RHP Vinny Nittoli atop the bump first here in the 8th.

Alfaro works an 0-2 count full but K's swinging on a nice sinker up and in. Top corner of the zone. On to the bottom of the 8th. I have to imagine RHP Ryan Middendorf is due for some work.