Joseph Zarr

Transactions: LHP Daniel Garcia was officially assigned to the DSL Brewers #2 - the 16-year-old Nicaraguan (turns 17 April 20th) was a part of the 2025 International Free Agent Class announced back on January 15th LHP Grant Wolfram was recalled by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Nashville Sounds - the corresponding move to cover (initially, at least) for LHP Nestor Cortes 15-Day IL placement due to an apparent flexor strain Final: Pensacola (Marlins) 8, Biloxi 4 Via the Shuckers' 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): Lara, Adams Record First Double-A Hits, Shuckers Fall in Finale to Blue Wahoos - Cruz Strikes out 4 in 2 1/3 Perfect Debut Innings Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Remember that mid-afternoon Sunday back in early April when the Shuckers got their first elusive lead of their young season? I sure do. It evaporated in 1/2 inning. Those were the days - errr, umm, should I say minutes?! In the end, the bats left 10 men on base in a 3-for-15 effort with RISP. Yesterday, Jim lauded Javik Blake's perpetual enthusiasm as the Shuckers play-by-play guy. Javik truly does a fantastic job and has more than filled the bill since we all lost one-time beloved Shuckers broadcaster (and now Houston's Sugar Land guy), Garrett Greene. However, though we obviously lean on the positive side of things here in our daily Minor League reports, when it comes to the Shuckers I'm just frankly at a point where I'm not going to mince words: they consistently remain the most challenging and heartbreaking affiliate I watch on a day-in and day-out; year-in and year-out basis. This is just the baseball gods' honest truth. For whatever reasons, the Southern League gives me week-in and week-out baseball indigestion and the Shuckers viewing grind wears on me like the oceans on its shells. There, I said it even if I said it with a wee bit of dramatic tragedian flare ?. Heck, after writing this pre-amble I find I need to step away and clean up my act! <Walks off. Stretches. Jump-ropes. Hits the cages. Regroups> Ok, I'm back ye unlucky readers! When is the last time we spoke of a mulligan outing from Ace RHP KC Hunt?! I sure as heck can't remember. In his 2025 debut this fine Sunday, Hunt lasted a mere 2/3 IP and 34 pitches before he was mercifully pulled. I haven't seen such an ineffective outing in his entire time as a Brewer. More than anything, this speaks to how danged good Hunt has been. 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 WP, 1 Balk, 3 ER. 34 pitches and just 17 strikes. If that's as bad as it gets for Hunt, I think we're going to be just fine. Let's simply toss this outing into the analysis trash bin. Hunt is way too talented a hurler to read too far into this type of debut performance. Three Quick Strikes: 1) Back under the bright lights of positivity, it's hard to showcase a better Double-A debut for RHP Stiven Cruz. Cruz bounced back in a major way for the T-Rats and manager Victor Estevez in 2024 after quite a struggle on the bump in 2023. As last season progressed, he played a sort of utility knife for that Wisconsin staff and really settled into a meaningful and productive relief role that lasted into the post-season. Cruz's heater had quite a bit of life in Pensacola today as he played a pivotal settling role enabling his squad to recapture the lead. 2 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 K after 30 pitches (19 strikes). Here he is mowing down his third consecutive batter in his first full inning of work: 2) Not only did 3B Luke Adams collect his first Double-A poke and his first RBI but he tied HBP arch-nemesis and teammate, C Darrien Miller, in his outing today as well. This is a vigorous neck-and-neck battle we'll have to monitor throughout the season. Miller and Adams are currently tied 1 HBP apiece. Perhaps, we should have a HBP scoreboard here at Brewer Fanatic in 2025? It's not the Shuckers scoreboard watch we want but it is probably the Shuckers scoreboard watch we deserve. Voice your opinions below! Adams also flashed the leather with a sublime diving stop. Warren had a cool and calm grab off the hop - this is how you do it, Mr. Walling (this comment is reserved for any of you who watched the Mudcats game): 3) It's early but I like the renewed approach from one Eric Brown Jr. He has carried over the simplified approach in the batters box - no elaborate leg lift and he has quieted the multiple moving parts above and below. It's a very simplified conventional stance. He ended his day 1-for-5 with 1 2B and 1 RBI, but, he worked a lengthy AB earlier in the contest with runners aboard. Unfortunately, that AB resulted in a weak pop out to very shallow RF when he just got under the last pitch offering. BUT, at this stage with this player in particular, I am looking at process. The likelihood of a possible rebound season looks possible with his rebuilt approach. As I've said on numerous occasions: the defense is gold glove caliber wherever you throw him around the infield. If we can reconstitute offensive value we can start to dream again. Final: Wisconsin 7, Cedar Rapids (Twins) 6 Burke Blasts Wisconsin Past Cedar Rapids - Last Year's First Round Pick Hits First Pro Long Ball and Drives in Three Box Score / Game Log Game Notes As per usual, we are absolutely gifted every Home series with the impeccable work of the T-Rats Media and Production crew. Here is your 7:07 minutes of Highlight bliss: AND, lastly, the ever enjoyable post-game pods with Chris and Kyle: Enjoy these recap morsels. We truly are blessed as T-Rats fans. RHP Chandler Welch showcased the slider he is known for - a truly zesty pitch if you haven't seen him hurl it. He earned several swings and misses and looks on said slider early but he also gave up some hard meaningful contact on pitches that hung over much too much of the meat of the plate. It was a bit of a proverbial Jekyll and Hyde outing - the good and the bad. Ultimately, his line reads worse than it was in that regard - 3 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HB, 4 ER. Welch was also let down early by his outfield (though also rescued by Blake Burke at 1B) - the swirling winds were moving balls in challenging ways - and this led to more traffic; runs; and more pitches on his arm. And, he was also let down by his inability to execute in pitcher's counts with runners on. All in all, he gave his team 71 total pitches with 44 strikes. He'll look for sharper outings in the weeks ahead. Three Quick Strikes: 1) 2B Jadher Areinamo showcased the entire package today. He ripped a high heater for a two-run homer over the left field wall. He hit a meaningful game-tying ground out to 2B. He also made two web gem plays look routine once again. I'm now at the point where I've run out of words of praise to describe his defensive prowess. His situational awareness, his hands, and his ability to speed up when the play demands it are all unique traits unsurpassed in the organization. I spoke to it at length in the day's Game Thread - feel free to check it out for timestamps and the like. 2) Last season, RHP Yerlin Rodriguez showcased his MLB upside with an unbelievably dominant outing on the road at Beloit early in the season. Multiple 100 mph plus smoking heaters wowed opposing batters and the opposing broadcaster. However, and quite unfortunately, his season mostly cascaded into a downward spiral from there. His lack of control has been a nagging and recurring issue throughout his stateside tenure. Today, Rodriguez started fresh and in a major way for his 2025 season. He executed a two inning Save in extremely impressive fashion. He was sitting 95-96 mph but he was really leaning into his off-speed pitches. It never felt as though his command was in question, more importantly. Check out this off-speed offering to finish the game with his fourth strikeout. If he can command this type of sinking off-speed pitch to lefties, look out: 3) 1B Blake Burke will be lauded for his 3-for-4 outing - a triple shy of the cycle, no less - and rightfully so. He also absolutely destroyed a baseball to the deepest part of the ball park for his first professional homer. All these outcomes are wonderful! BUT, I want to also bring up his glove and his defense - the true unexpected takeaways for this ol' farmhand. Burke made a truly special diving stop down the 1B/RF line in a dangerous RISP situation early and his glove and grab was pure throughout. I wasn't expecting that type of nimble movement from such a big man. Burke loudly came onto my radar today, in other words, and it really wasn't solely because of his clear ability to swing the bat. Final: Carolina 7, Fredericksburg (Nationals) 6 Mudcats Rally to Sweep Nationals - Adamczewski and Payne Shine as the Rally Cats Pull Out Series Sweep Box Score / Game Log Let's start with much deserved shine and celebration of a young man I've been hyping consistently hard and heavy since literally his first Low-A AB: INF Josh Adamczewski. I'm skipping my pitching pre-amble and going right in for a clip of his confident, calm, and collected sure fire game-winning walk-off single to RF. The celebration from his teammates. The confidence knowing the work he's continued to put in is just dripping. And, the play on the field has spoken volumes early in 2025: We are embarrassingly lucky to have such an immensely talented sleeper prospect in our system, folks. Don't let the lack of any type of pronounced national hype and notoriety fool you: this young man has that 'IT' factor you and I just don't see all that often. The swing and the line drive power is pure poetry. The patience and discipline at the dish writing verses in the same poem. The defense has been extremely sure and steady in the early going as well - he's made every play and made some challenging plays look routine. We just need this young man to stay healthy. I mean this when I say it: the rest is going to take care of itself because I absolutely know for a fact this young man is going to keep putting the work in. Are you surprised regional scout Ginger Poulson signed such a talented young man? I sure as heck am not. A 2-for-5, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 K (highly questionable Statcast disproven second strikeout, btw in a full count) game-winning day. Three Quick Strikes: 1) 2024 15th Round pick RHP Travis Smith (Kentucky) got the starting nod in this one. A large 6'4" 220 lb specimen is Smith. His sinker came across as his best pitch in a 2.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 K debut. Control was his knock leaving the draft and though he wasn't erratic by any stretch he wasn't dialed in and around the zone either. The real talk of the pitching side of this game for me will be the work of two lefties - 2024 8th Round pick LHP Sam Garcia (Oklahoma State) and 2023 12th Round pick LHP Bjorn Johnson (Lincoln HS, Seattle WA). Garcia left the game early after a come backer plunked directly off his throwing elbow. Concerning moments were had when he writhed in pain rolling on the grass in front of second base but he ultimately left the field under his own power while also raising himself off the grass with full weight on the same elbow. We'll have to hope this was merely a bruise situation off the funny bone. Before that unfortunate occurrence, he was showing skill and savvy that he absolutely knows what he is doing on the bump. Given LHP Bjorn Johnson's struggles in the 2024 ACL, I think it's fair to say his debut showing was perhaps the most surprising I've experienced overall across all levels in 2025. His swopping heavy breaking curve/breaking ball came across as a truly dangerous pitch he can throw in any count. He pitched the cleanest line of any Mudcat hurler going 2 2/3 IP with solely a BB while doling out four punch outs. Awesome stuff. 2) We haven't seen INF Jesus Made in two consecutive games for unknown reason (tho, he was spied by several of us Fanatics in the dugout). We'll have to hope he returns in the upcoming road series - as of now, we are in the dark here. However, I say this to share: INF Luis Peña has more than fit the bill in impressing as a highly coveted DSL'er that has made the early jump look too easy. He continues to show a presence in the batters box well beyond his years. His 1-for-2, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB day at the dish was masterful for a young man of his age. I can not tell you how impressive it is to see a player as diminutive in stature as Peña at 18 years of age look so steady, unfazed and capable at the dish. Here's an example. Tie game, 4-4, with runners on the corners and no outs. Just a free and easy hit it where they pitch it sac fly deep down the RF line. As a Brewers fan, I think we can all agree: this is not an easy thing to accomplish at any level within the organization. Just a beautiful repeatable level swing. 3) Let's not forget about the day CF Braylon Payne gave us all on the center field grass and in the batters box. He looked much more fluid with better reads on the outfield grass - no fly balls or run downs to either field ever appeared in question. He swiped his first three bags of his season. He also went 2-for-4 with 1 R and 2 BB in the lead-off spot. This young man continues to be a menace for opponents from nearly every angle and approach on a game-by-game basis. His raw athleticism when paired with such an impactful and disciplined approach with the bat truly gives him a real chance to be special. Sheeesh, what a time to be a Mudcats fan. Soak it up in what is their last season, folks. Soak every bit of this collection of talent right up. That's a wrap for this week of Brewers Minor League baseball. As per usual, all affiliates (sans any DSL or ACL action, obviously) will be taking their off days tomorrow. Series will start back up again Tuesday. The Sounds will be back Home in Nashville looking to creep closer to a 0.500 mark when they play the (5-2) Memphis Redbirds. Biloxi will look to find what the win column feels like back Home against also winless (0-2) Columbus. Wisconsin will visit last season's first round playoff foe in the pesky (3-0) Quad Cities River Bandits. And, lastly, but certainly not least, the Mudcats will hit the road for the first time as they visit also undefeated (3-0) Myrtle Beach. As always, 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