Joseph Zarr

This is where I struggle with the HBP storyline. Those were the three consecutive months (ending in July, his very best month) immediately after returning from the HBP. Is there some sort of strange delayed PTSD? I personally see a player in a very prolonged slump who is swinging at pitches out of the zone and not barreling enough hittable balls. Unlike EBJ, I can't point to a glaringly discombobulated pre-swing set up - who, btw, by season's end had ended up in a traditional stance for the very very brief period to end his season. A fairly stunning and welcome development. In current form Wilken, I see a player fighting himself and possibly forcing the issue. He had the HBP to the face and he had his firstborn child this year. Those are monumental events. The thing is, in professional sports the majority of the athletes are dealing with injury and challenges. I don't see Wilken's context inside and outside of the diamond all that remarkable. Is it unique? Yes, unique to Brock Wilken's life and I certainly have compassion for him. I certainly want to see him succeed. But, it's also OK to say he hasn't been playing at a top 10 level for quite awhile.

^^ This

This write-up is absolutely spot-on. The home runs really seemed to take off in Nashville - stiffer veteran competition and tougher AB's and game-in game-out by season's end (regardless of what Statcast would tell us) it felt like Henderson had become a pigeon-holed two pitch guy for the Sounds. BUT, he lacked enough control of his best tools (let alone peripherals) to make a dominant mark to close his season. His heater was sitting 91-93 mph and his change-up just lost some of its luster by the season's end. Location struggles. Hanging pitches. With his velocity at that level and at that point in time, he really needed to find finer-tuned control. This is a massive off-season for Henderson who, like Carlos F. Rodriguez, really hit a speed bump at Triple-A. I watched his outings. He hit a development speed bump due to the level of competition and it is firmly his next test. All the attention was on Henderson and his draft and system pedigree to fill a 2025 spot on the Brewers pitching staff. The Sounds pitcher who was trending in that direction, however, is and was Chad Patrick. We can only hope Henderson, at just over three years younger than Patrick, can trend in that direction. That would be a fantastic off-season development.

I like the way young Mr. Wilken has come across in his interviews since he first became a Brewer. Seems like a young man with his head and heart in the right place. I'll just say that off the bat. I'm rooting for this young man as I would any young man chasing their dreams. We were all riding high off the 2024 season and spring training where we saw legitimate signs of a hot corner stud. Anyone who watched the games throughout this period likely felt the same. And, well, at the current juncture that's where the feel good ends for me - that version of Brock Wilken is very very much in the past. Brock went 2-for-5 last night and hit a double. Any XBH at this time is a brief moral victory - it is a glimmer of hope. I mean it was in yet another loss for Peoria (5-14 on the season - yeesh). He also struck out again. He is 4th in the AFL with 20 K's amongst his 55 official AB. He is 2nd in lowest BA amongst regulars with a whopping 0.145 BA. He has the 4th lowest OPS. This for a young man in an epic continued ongoing struggle getting every opportunity in the 3, 4, and 5 spots of the line-up. Oh, to be a highly touted 1st round draft choice. And, this isn't an anomaly of the AFL - Wilken hit just like this in his opening weeks pre-injury and just like this over his final two months of the regular season and into the playoffs. In other words, this is now officially a trend. Let's put it this way: If Brock Wilken wasn't a first round draft pick with a first round pedigree is he even considered for a spot in the AFL? Maybe (?) but likely not. I can't help but believe Wilken is suffering from an ongoing fall out of the mental injury suffered when that HBP broke his face (I mean, this isn't a stretch: he's said so himself). Yet, there's also a part of me who can't compute how exactly that works out given his three best OPS months of his 2024 season came in successive months immediately after being HBP. Regardless, well, he continues to get the late-2023 all of 2024 Aaron Ashby treatment - ie thrown to the wolves nearly every game of the week. The Fast Track to the MLB (as Baseball America proposed in 2023) has certainly hit a prolonged pit stop. How long will it last? Hard to tell. It certainly has continued. This 2024 Wilken season, as a general whole, is pretty much a train wreck from our POV's. We absolutely have no idea what we have here in terms of a prospect. Everything is now muddied. The only thing we can hope for is it is an extreme anomaly due to the fall-out from the HBP. But, if we're being honest, that line of thinking also kind of feels like a stretch if we look at the greater context of his season. That's really what we're left with here. A lot of uncertainty. I leave this article thinking one last thing: INF Jadher Areinamo not in the Top 20. 3B Brock Wilken snug in the Top 10 at #7. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. Hard times for players who produce at All-League levels amongst the Brewers voting fanbase.😅

Indeed. Flores, especially, played literally everywhere. He had a fantastic month of August. Neither he nor Polanco flashed any long ball power but they certainly demonstrated uncanny plate discipline and recognition. Both absurdly good K:BB ratios. Certainly have the make-up (from afar, as we know) for potential utility guys all over the infield (Flores played all over the OF too in spots).

Recall: Unfortunately, we don't know the actual ongoing severity of Demetrio Nadal's June 60-Day IL stint placement and, well, he last played in 2023. Obviously, we all want to see him play given the taste he gave us in 2023. But, we just don't know what the situation is here. I doubt the Crew keep Kevin Ereu in the Dominican for a third consecutive season. He'll be turning 19 next May so they'll likely give him what I'll refer to as the 'Barrios Benefit of the Doubt' (Industry term😁) and bring him stateside for a new environment given the general improvements show in 2024 and his original signing status. The same could be said for 2024 Int's Class marquis headliner Jorge Quintana who really came on in the second half of the summer and may have done enough to merit coming over for the 2025 ACL season - it wouldn't surprise me in the least. He didn't have Pena or Made type season (or Ortuno for that matter) but he was a headliner and he improved quite a bit and was seemingly playing his best ball by summer's end. Given Juan Martinez's age and slight fade as last summer progressed, I imagine they give him another season at the Dominican Academy.

0-for-4, 2 K for Wilken tonight. BA now down to 0.120. OPS 0.460. Yikes.

According to the Brewers Farm Instagram page, Ramirez is a 6'1" 160 lb RHP

With this recent announcement and development: I am leaning 80/20 the Brewers are not sending players to Australia this winter. It certainly seems the proverbial writing is on the wall. I wonder if we'll hear anything from the parent club if this is indeed the case.

I wouldn't read it either way you present. He was the position coach with the Escogido in 2021. In 2021-2022 he was the manager of the Colombian squad Vaqueros de Montería (Cowboys) . He was a Quality Control coach for Las Aguilas in 2022-2023. He managed Escogido last year. He mentioned on more than one occasions in interviews this past season he was completely undecided as to if he was going to return to Winter Ball down South this winter. It sounded to me like he was going to punt. And, here we are. In other words, these Winter Leagues - especially for a manager moving with such success with an MLB club and establishing tenure - it's mostly up to the manager. I think it's clear he chose to focus stateside.

You have to look back at the A-Rod trade. And look very quickly back to the Willis trade. And, well, just absolutely laugh your literal ass off in complete joy. What an absolute sequence of QB moves by 'The Gute'. Unreal stuff. Talk about being on a heater as a GM.

For your reference, here is the 'Australian Baseball League Player Tracker'. No Brewers signed as of Sunday 10/27.

He is certainly not getting the benefit of the doubt coming in with an extensive 2024 record of not hitting the zone. He has been squeezed a bit today. None the less, his current development is still a vastly improved array of offerings and results. In the full-season affiliated work, he was also getting smacked around the ballpark in addition to the walks. Flat delivery. Sprayed results. In addition to the walks. In Arizona, to date, he really isn't giving up much contact at all. It's a pretty big deal in terms of his overall trajectory. He is nibbling in better parts of the zone and his misses are just nowhere near as consistently poor. He just finished out his third frame of work with consecutive K's, for example. The stuff is there. He is starting to take a step before our eyes.

I just do not understand what the Badgers offensive identity is. That was my main takeaway from the sole Badgers game I will watch this year. It felt like Longo relied much too heavily on slow developing shotgun hand offs versus a much more athletic front. And then repeatedly went away from a pass game plan of attack that clearly was working. And then played conservative at the wrong times while also playing over-aggressive at the wrong times. In other words, he certainly came across - again, only first and last time I will watch them - like a coordinator/coach who lacks feel and/or a clear methodology.

Seriously. These stupid shotgun runs are embarrassing. Their D-Line is absolutely working the interior O-Line. Clearly quicker and beating them off the jump. Do the Badgers not have a fullback or an H-Back option in the backfield?! I mean this question sincerely. I don't watch the Badgers. LOL. I just tuned in to watch this game.

Indeed. Awful throw. AND, what a stupid play call. You know Locke has been rushing and nerve launching every ball when pressure is on the docket. Even when it doesn't get there. So, you back him into shotgun on 3rd and Long at your goal line? NO. Take the pill. Run it nowhere. And use your best weapon of the night: your punter. These shotgun runs are ridiculous too. Go in I formation. Pound it.

After losing last night dropping to 4-11, the Javelinas bounced back and took one 7-6 over the River Rafters moving to 5-11 in the process. 3B Brock Wilken plated two via sac flies and, yet, with an 0-for-2 final line he saw his AFL offensive numbers become even less impressive: 0.130 BA with a ripe 0.497 OPS. My goodness. Regardless, it is nice to see him impact the game in any positive way at this point. Those two sac flies surely helped. Luis Lara was back in right field again managing a 1-for-2 evening with 1 R, 2 BB, and 1 SB (his 4th on the season). This a night after Lara grabbed an OF assist at 2B. No pitching in the Brewers part of the ledger - RHP Will Childers did come aboard late in last night's 'L' allowing 2 ER in his work and seeing his ERA rise past 7. The pitching, as a general whole, continues to be a glaringly obvious Acchiles' heel for the Javelinas.

Locke has had his moments. He's missed a couple key ones but he's doing a great deal of what you'd love from your #2. D stepped up. Really nice close to the 2nd quarter.

Indeed an absolutely terrible call. Obviously no hold there. This being said, Wisconsin's offense is playing like a 5-2 team that has been blown out by its two ranked opponents. Four drops. QB rushing with time. Haven't found the run game. You can not drop these very catchable balls against a ranked opponent.

Man, really looking forward to that day for you. However, it's much cheaper to watch the games on a computer. I'd, personally speaking, buy land near a body of water and occasionally go to a ballpark. Also, watching these players play regularly does not make one "...become an expert and get them all correct..." as you say. It simply gives you a stronger opinion and, honestly, sadly, more heartbreak when players are traded; released; or see their careers end without achieving their fullest potential.

LHP Mark Manfredi's nightmarish start to his early AFL season continues. The Javelinas entered the bottom of the sixth frame leading 2-0. Manfredi entered with the Javelinas trailing 3-2. The bases were juiced with two down. This line is not made up: Walk, WP, walk, balk, walk, walk. 23 pitches total thrown. 7 strikes landing. 4 BB, 1 WP, 1 Balk and yet only 1 ER charged as he adds 4 ER to his previous stablemate in RHP Jimmy Joyce. Manfredi leaves the game not having recorded an out, his ERA blossoming to 23.14 and the Javelinas trailing 7-2. Mark, grab a beer. Hit the showers. Regroup.

- RHP Esmir Suarez has been activated from the 60-Day IL by the DSL Brewers #1 - C Estefano Lozano was activated from the 60-Day IL by the DSL Brewers #2

I continue to find it highlarious I haven't voted on a single one of these post-season Minor League awards. Had zero clue there was a Brewers Minor League All Star vote. 😅 I don't know. You might want to ask the writer who, you know, watched over 80% of their games. Maybe? And, yes @wiguy94, you and I both know Mejía wasn't the best catcher in the system in 2024. He had a nice year, however, all things considered. I mean they have INF/OF Isaac Collins positioned in RF in the graphic. For crying out loud he didn't play a single inning on the RF grass. I'm in pain.

Day 2 of The Saleh Era. Now wearing Packers gear. You love to see it:

We are more than a week removed from the first Royals player announcements on the Bandits. I am beginning to wonder if Dave Nilsson's amended role with the Bandits as of this past off-season hasn't also changed the Brewers involvement down yonder? We'll have to stay tuned but as of now no Brewers news in the Australia Baseball League as of yet.