Joseph Zarr

Anyone else notice INF Jesus Made literally front and center with Cooper Pratt at the Wilson store. That is a dynamic duo right der!

Recognizing this type of move and re-brand always ruffles feathers somewhere, frankly, at this point in time - as someone obviously not invested in that specific geographical region - I am just grateful they didn't become 'The Whirligigs'. That felt like a very challenging ask to pull off for a sports team. 'Warbirds' is very Wilson-appropriate and it certainly feels like the community's input was taken quite seriously. I do hope they have some form of an homage to the Mudcats Logo and the Mudcats brand and its diehards find some form of solace throughout this upcoming season. Hopefully, none of this impacts the players or the baseball 'product' on the field. And, hopefully, the proper respects and commemorating and remembering of the Mudcats storyline as a whole is done proper. That's about all I can say about any of this. I'm sure this was an emotional day for many.

I'm certainly not going to do this for each and every player (as they'll be discussed HERE when the officially become Brewers Alumni) in our ongoing Transaction Thread. But I simply wanted to share my overwhelmingly positive opinions of the raw tools RHP Harold Chirino possesses - and, the reality he simply needs to continue fine-tuning and honing his arsenal as control and zone accuracy is an ongoing body of work - were validated quite quickly. Mr. Chirino signed a new Minor League contract with the San Diego Padres org less than two week's from his official MiLB transaction wire FA announcement. The young man is just incredibly talented. I'll be rooting for him to earn a call-up as he matures and evolves. Go get it, Harold!

Every time I see a list like this I am reminded of the incredibly difficult decisions GM's and the greater circle of personnel decision-makers have to make. Those are all quality MLB players there who have all had their moments of brilliance. The small market game of roster juggling and composition from one season to the next is such a deep tangled mess!😅

How does an umpire not reward that glorious curveball at 3:36 with a strike call? 😅 They'd already used a challenge and failed in his first inning of work. Classic catcher pause "Ummmm. ..you sure about that Blue?!" You can see what I saw in several of Childers' outings in the AFL and why I consider and considered him the biggest takeaway storyline in the Brewers AFL: His vastly improved heater has completely revolutionized his chances for success. His off-speed is playing off it so well after this AFL stint. His surprising ascendancy into 2025 is one of the unheralded storylines in the entire system. He has put his first steps onto the path toward a high leverage MLB reliever. If you juxtapose this realization with what we saw when he first came aboard as an undrafted FA in 2023 (being fair, I should add he was drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 30th Rd back in 2019)? It is nothing short of remarkable. All the credit to him and the stable of coaches and PD people in the Brewers' ranks.

RHP Harold Chirino, unsurprisingly, has signed a Minor League FA contract with the San Diego Padres. He does indeed become an alumni in his first month outside the Brewers organization in official capacity. Spencer and I just touched on Chirino's game, and his likely re-upping with an MLB organization in rapid fashion, in our recent episode One Minor League season recap. All the best to Mr. Chirino as he looks to continue honing his immense pitching tools in hopes of a call-up down the line.

RHP Hobie Harris, who pitched in the Minnesota Twins org last season after a cup of coffee (or two) with the Nationals in 2023, has signed with the New York Metropolitans. For those who don't quite remember, Harris pitched for the Brewers and that immensely deep and successful 2022 Nashville Sounds squad.

Brewers cult classic, and Wisconsin's very own, RHP Caleb Boushley has signed a Minor League contract with the Texas Rangers. Best of luck, Caleb! He will be assigned to the Rangers' Triple-A Round Rock affiliate.

FUN! Seigler, if any of you recall, is one of those rare rare baseball players who not only is ambidextrous but he'll showcase it in the same game! Back in 2023, when he was still primarily catching, he caught with his left and threw with his right. Then, later in the game, when he was switched to LF, he caught with his right and threw with his left - and the ball definitely found him. When he first came out scouts loved he threw equally impactfully in the 80's from each side. Last season, his first as solely a 2B (after starting 13 contests there in 2023 in a split role between catching dutes), he fielded to a 97 FP% and his offensive numbers were bolstered by a very very good K:BB ratio (77:64) 12 long balls and 24 two-baggers. He has played a small bit of corner OF. I'll be curious to see what the Brewers have in store - I'm pretty sure the original move away from the backstop was ongoing injury-related.

OF Jahmai Jones has signed on with the Detroit Tigers organization for the 2025 season. Brewers fans may remember his shining moment as a call-up: In other news, LHP Darrell Thompson came aboard for Team USA vs Japan in game one of Super Group play.

Our Epidose One OPUS is up. 2 hr and 30 minutes to put you all to sleep before we dive into the full-season clubs. 😅 Please submit any and all questions pertaining to the Carolina Mudcats - their 2024 season and what might be in store for the 2025 season. The Mudcats (or is it the Wilson Whirligigs?) will be the focus of Episode 2.

Fair point. I thought of it ex post facto. I was trying to keep it minimally involved at the time because it was a scared teenager in one regard and my whining crying low blood sugar 6 yo daughter. My insurance agent, who we have had in our nuclear family for two decades, conveyed in this type of incident even if culpability is say 10/90 the fact a claim is filed is what drives a Premium alteration. He also mentioned if the hike becomes prohibitive we'll move around some numbers and make it look the same. -Principally, however, I am still miffed. 😅

Ranked 31 by Baseball 'Merica this past spring they had this to say: "Restituyo signed for $200,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2017. The Rockies converted him from the infield to the outfield and he’s steadily progressed over the past five seasons. In 2023, Restituyo spent the entire season with Double-A Hartford and hit .258/.277/.414 with a career-high 15 home runs. Restituyo is an undersized outfielder with standout abilities defensively, a high motor and a big swing. He shows above-average bat-to-ball skills but rarely sees a pitch he doesn’t want to swing at." In ye ol FWIW. A 16.5% strikeout percentage is fine by me for a rangy plus defensive OF'er. Hope he takes off!

Here's what's bugging me... I was in a parking spot in downtown Sandpoint, ID taking my 6-year-old daughter to her favorite restaurant. Lo and behold, the restaurant was closed. I got back into my truck after fastening my little gal into her car seat. I checked my mirrors. Nobody there. Meanwhile, a teenage boy (couldn't be more than 17) was driving down a blind alley with his extremely small (in size and stature) brother in the front seat of their 2000 Mercury Sabel. They pulled down the alley to turn onto the street I was parked on. They pulled forward. I backed up. I poked the front passenger's side of their vehicle causing a dent in the body panel behind the headlight. I was likely backing up 1 mph but my 2013 Ford F150 is lifted 6" and is an all metal body with Rhino coating on the bumpers. Zero damage on my vehicle whatsoever. SO, we opt to go through our insurance en lieu of any police involvement. Nobody is hurt whatsoever. This was a boom-boom mini moment poke of a much bigger and beefier vehicle on a teenager's donated vehicle. Goes through agents. Today, I get a note: "We are paying for damage to their vehicle because we backed into another vehicle." I find this utterly amazing. Nevermind I have a flawless driving record for over 20 years. Nevermind this teenager just got their driver's license. I am at fault here? You can just pull down a blind alley into the way of a truck backing up and you take zero responsibility? What a world. Anywho, the end impact on my Premium is the same regardless because I went through the Claim filing process. My agent is a family friend and we will work around any increase. BUT, in principle, I am literally incapable of grasping how this decision was made without actually circling back to consult me on my version of the events. I would just love to be a fly on the wall as the parents and the young man discussed their version of events. Is what it is. Doesn't mean I have to swallow it with pride. 😅

Great ?'s. I have yet to come up with a sensible answer. It was a complete and utter cluster of poor execution. That's all there is. Glad they stole the 'W'. BUT, I felt that botched play in general was a perfect metaphor for their season to date.

INF Pablo Reyes (an all-time favorite utility player of mine in the Brewers system for a variety of reason) has signed on with the Yankees in hopes of earning the trust of the MLB clubhouse as a key utility piece. AND, RHP Jason Alexander has signed on with the Oakland Athletics in hopes of reclaiming the magic he experienced with the Brewers just two years ago. Best of luck to both!

It's essentially a day later and I still can't make sense of the breakdowns in the Bucks defensive rotations on the final inbounds play in the 'W' versus Houston. How does this happen in an NBA game in the final seconds? It shows to go you mental lapses and brain farts happen at even the absolutely highest of levels of sports: (Embedded under the game-saving Giannis defensive masterclass that led to Dame's winning lay-up. Giannis steps on the out of bounds line. No call. Refs owed us one. Heck, they owe us 10 more. LOL)

Man the Brewers just have an incredible ability to co-create attractive baseball people. Congrats to McKinven. You hate to lose good baseball people. But, I celebrate the fact the Brewers are genuinely a culture of people. I look forward to seeing who gets the next opportunity.

With all due respect...My main 'contention' (I say this lightly here but with some conviction - ie I don't begrudge opinions) is really the lack of evolution in the entire conversation around Patrick's game and his season. He is constantly an afterthought. There simply appears to consistently be reasons he is not taken seriously. He didn't get discussed in the 'Minor League Pitcher of the Year' announcements. Fine. There are many strong pitchers and a handful of worthy arms in the Brewers system. He wasn't even brought into the conversation, however - I definitely took note. There always appears to be a classic modern day baseball referral to his 'stuff' - movement profiles etc. - that don't match up to what the group think of statistical profiles and graphic reads have people saying. I'm not saying these aren't important - they are crucial and rightfully so and many on our board and across baseball can discuss them with infinitely more adept acumen than myself. BUT, there has to be an ability to accept and embrace outliers and there has to be an ability to embrace and celebrate results. Nobody was seriously advocating for or discussing his game when he literally accomplished a feat only three pitchers in the entire history of the International League have accomplished. There were 'Yeah, but(s)...". Like Gasser, he won International League Pitcher of the Year. AND, Matt, with all due respect, instead of celebrating and lifting up his accomplishment by being selected to the 40-Man you literally headline your article by pretty much diminishing it. This is what I mean when I purport to put some respect on his name. I personally don't care if there was inner-organizational doubts. The head man and the likely Manager of the Year in the NL and his staff wanted him on their team and available in their staff. The 'surprise' or the 'doubts', in my humble opinion, 'should' or would ideally come in the body of the article. It most definitely shouldn't be the lead in my baseball world view. I love your stuff and I love your baseball mind. I don't agree with how this article was delivered. And, hey, that's OK. It gets us all talking passionately about Brewers baseball and at the end of the day that's a good thing. Your reasons for going the route you did are your reasons and I accept that. I simply don't agree with the approach. The only thing I personally find surprising in today's announcements so far is what this possibly says about RHP Shane Smith - in all the various ways this can be interpreted. A pitcher I really like and many of us here do. And, well, a pitcher I certainly hope the Brewers don't lose. Maybe the Brewers and others feel he just isn't far enough along in his attempts to be a starter? Those are conversations I would love to hear.

Patrick's best pitch, btw, is his cutter. He can throw that pitch in a variety of ways with a variety of movements. By season's end it was a legitimate weapon. It's a filthy filthy pitch. And, well, you know how the Brewers love a cutter. I think Stern wrote about this recently (?). Regardless, by season's end the pitch had evolved into a plus MLB pitch. I am not exaggerating here. It gets and got a lot of swing and miss.

<Joseph in his Man Cave pondering how he will calmly and with a level head celebrate and tout his guy RHP Chad Patrick getting Rule 5 protected on the 40-Man...😜>

No surprise here. Patrick is a fantastic pitcher. You don't do what he did on the mound and not get protected. It's really as simple as that. He really sealed his fate over his last month plus. He was electric. Go back and watch his start vs those dangerous Norfolk bats @ Norfolk to close his season. One start after punching out 12 Redbirds. He had just reached an entirely new level by season's end. He was the first International League Triple Crown pitcher since 1976. Like Gasser won the League Pitcher of the Year. That means something.

Put some respect on Mr. Patrick's name, please. My goodness. There is capital zero surprising about him getting selected. The first Triple Crown feat from the mound in the International League since 1976. International League pitcher of the year. Very clearly pitched his best baseball over his last month plus - ie got better and was his best in the deepest part of the season. Legitimate five-pitch mix. 26 years old. He follows suit after Gasser and Myers. If his pitches move and evolve like they did that past month more will be wondering how they didn't see it. His late season surge was very very much an equivalent to what we saw with Tobias Myers out of the Sounds bullpen late in 2023. Unlike Myers, however, Patrick pitched to fantastic end results nearly the entire season. This was a no brainer add.

(Profanity...but well well worth it)