Joseph Zarr

when he injured his right shoulder diving back to the bag on a pickoff attempt. Awesome to see Baez get much-deserved shine. I continue to be mildly amazed at how Dykstra has doubled down on misrepresenting this play. Baez was playing defense when he was injured at 3B. He wasn't diving or sliding back to the base. He was covering the bag when the opponent was attempting to take the base. He was injured in their head first slide. I know it's 2024...but this is storytelling and indicative he almost certainly never saw the event being described. Anywho. 🤷‍♂️

I can honestly say I don't recall a single game last season the Bucks were as organized as they were vs Philly on both ends. Vet Minimum signings appear massive. Words can not describe the upgrade of Gary Trent Jr. over Beasley.

Circling back to Saleh for a moment: Everything I have read is he is there through Thursday. There doesn't appear to be much else there beyond that? He is adding input on the offensive side of the ball and beyond that there doesn't appear to be anything more. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Javelinas hung on 11-10. Always an adventure with their pitching staff. They move to 4-9 on their season. Speaking of pitching, RHP Nick Merkel saw action early hurling 2 1/3 IP of 3 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 ER, 1 HR ball. 38 pitches thrown with 24 strikes. Merkel has now given up three long balls in his past two outings. It goes without saying this is a trend he is going to want to reverse very soon.

Baez just took his 2nd free pass of his day while tallying his fourth RBI in the process. What a phenomenal game and what a phenomenal early season performance for the young man! 10-5 Javelinas

Wilken is out of the line-up but El Juan Baez and Luis Lara are showcasing just fine for the Crew. Baez hit a 2-run jack to get the Javelinas on the board in the 4th - his second long ball in the AFL - and he then git the go-ahead single poke in a five-run 8th. A 3-RBI afternoon so far. Lara, playing RF again, is 1-for-3 with 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K and 2 SB. The Javelinas cling to a 9-5 lead in the bottom of the 8th as their roller coaster pitching staff tries to escape a two out bases loaded jam.

Not so shocking news: Glendale beat Peoria last night, yet again, 8-1. I do believe, off the top of my noggin that's four straight losses to Glendale? The Javelinas fall to 3-9. 3B Brock Wilken was the sole field player in the lineup. He batted clean-up going 1-for-4 with 1 RBI and 3 K. RHP Coleman Crow got roughed up some in just his third outing going 2 1/3 IP allowing 6 H, 4 ER while striking out three. He did manage to throw 33 of 43 total pitches for strikes.

Robert Saleh is indeed at Packers practice today with what certainly appears to be some type of practice script or coaches itinerary. Probably nothing but let's gossip and speculate - that's more fun:

I agree on the 'we're old!' sentiment. We are. But, who knows? It all comes down to health. But that's the same every season for every team. If the Big Three are healthy? They can still beat any team in any series - including the Celtics. That's a massive 'If' tho. I think we are going to see a much more dialed Dame. Much more. Last season was rough by his standards given all that was going on.

If 'purgatory' is Prime Giannis, I am ready and willing to enter the Darkness.

He can play every position left of 1B. IMHO, he is best used platooning 2B and 3B and filling in at SS. However, he certainly can play SS. At 2B, he is in the class of Turang defensively. Just upper-echelon.

On the flip side of all of this is the ongoing upward trajectory of the ongoing Made Hype. Man, it legit feels like 'pinch me' zone:

Man, I wish we had Adames at High-A. That'd be amazing. 🤭 Anywho, to your point: The 'concerns' or general apprehensions about the pre-swing movement absolutely have merit for Double-A and beyond. Can he continue to improve his numbers as he has done with each successive jump? Hard to tell. But, it's important to note, to date, he has improved every important component of his offensive output with each successive promotion. I personally would place him above Yophery today. That's just me. Even with the swing hitch, Jadher is simply a much better and more mature hitter than Yophery who often doesn't know what to swing at or what he is doing in his approach bat-to-bat. Projection-wise? Obviously, Yophery is fun to dream on given his fantastic defense and overall effort. If I'm picking a team to win a game can I legitimately validate why I would choose Yophery, say, over Lara? No. I can not. If I'm picking a team to win today can I validate throwing Wilken's incredibly poor current bat over Areinamo? No I can not. If I'm picking a team today, can I validate choosing Tyler Black over a 1B selection of Ernesto Martinez Jr. and Areinamo at 2B and Adams at 3B? No I can not. I personally think Areinamo is still extremely competitive as a player within that group you list - again, going back to my personal opinion that rankings, in general are frivolous. He's just an incredible baseball player. And, man, I enjoy the heck out of watching him on a day-in and day-out basis. But, back to your general remark above: I very much can support your general stance of not choosing to rank him above the listed players. Fair remarks in general.

I mean, that's all fine and dandy no matter how it shakes off the proverbial tree. I'm on the record, on more than one occasion, that these rankings (across the vast interwebs) are relatively meaningless. They are fun in terms of involvement, player recognition and discourse and I am certainly not a fist waving codger yelling at the clouds here. BUT, Areinamo not firmly in the Top 20 just tells me the persons voting aren't actually watching him play. Jadher is quite easily - and I mean quite easily - one of the best pure baseball players wearing a Brewers uniform. He is just a natural born ball player. He is as consistent as a Triple-A vet and already is a gold glove worthy defender. The quickest release in the system out of the infield glove - turns at 2B to make a grown man weep. And, I see improvement at the dish every season with suddenly developing power. Anywho, if I am starting a winning Brewers-based squad to open 2025 - at any level for this hypothetical exercise - I am absolutely picking Hunt and Areinamo in my first five picks. I know these are about projections etc. I watch games for the big picture and I lean toward clutch performers and winners.

He's not wrong. His 2024 season, as a general whole (outside of a single month), has been a general disaster at the dish. It truly is hard to put into words how much of a struggle Wilken and EBJ had in Biloxi in 2024. EBJ's swing changed three times from what I saw - finishing his season still struggling mightily but reducing his pre-swing set up and motion to a very traditional stance (thank the baseball gods). With Wilken, I continue to go back to the hit to the face. Recent interview comments very clearly indicated it is still very much a mental block for him in the batter's box. Regardless, a consistent Wilken theme I experienced watching the vast majority of the Shuckers tilts: over aggressive and poor swing choices, not seeing the ball well and not doing enough damage on the hittable pitches.

The stateside roster trimming continues 😔: - RHP Gerson Calzadilla was released by the ACL Brewers

OR, another take: How uninformed the voters are 🤭 There is zero Brewers Minor League baseball world in which Areinamo isn't a Top 20 prospect.

Not to be a stickler, BUT, Lara hasn't played an inning of Double-A ball. You likely mean the Midwest League?

I have already booked a condo in Door County the week of the Draft. My first time back in the state of 'Sconny since 2009. I could not pass on the opportunity to experience the NF of L Draft in Titletown. Gotta go for the full experience.

You love to see LeBoeuf get the promotion. He has been an incredible soldier for the organization. Quite the career trajectory for Theisen! Incredible. He has only been with the Brewers for three years. The quintessential 'fast riser'. For those of you who don't know his background - or the fact he was an assistant hitting coach at Nashville last season - here's a nice write-up from back in 2021. What a story.

Well, some Major (and Minor) League development for the Brewers: A more detailed write up by Adam McCalvy HERE. These are both LeBeouf's and Theisen's first MLB opportunities.

Birchard now has 28 walks in just 26 2/3 IP as a Brewer. Coming into the AFL he had a WHIP of 2.20 in just 21 1/3 IP across three levels of affiliated ball. SO, he was averaging essentially a walk per inning while also allowing a 0.325 BAA. The BAA has certainly come down in the AFL - a nice development. BUT, in this ongoing small sample in the AFL, he is now walking more than a batter per inning. He leads the entire AFL in free passes. He has the seventh highest WHIP despite only allowing a 0.176 BAA. There is a lonnnnng way to go here. The peripherals and the inner workings are intriguing, yes. But, that's pretty much all we can say at this juncture.

RHP Ryan Birchard. Walk Artist. He gets the starting nod for Peoria - who actually managed to end their losing streak (woot! woot!) - and he walks 5 men in 2 1/3 IP. His perplexing 2024 carries onward. It wasn't all bad. 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 5 BB, 5 K, 1 WP, and 2 ER. 63 pitches in 2 1/3 IP is...ummm...yeah. 34 strikes. The struggle is real in his first full professional season. He managed to minimize damage. That's what we'll take away. As mentioned, the Javelinas won! 5-4 over Mesa. They improve to 3-8 on their young AFL season. Many a Brewer played a part in this one: 3B Brock Wilken: After a two game absence he returned to the third spot in the batting order. He went hitless yet again in an 0-for-3, 1 BB, and 1 K evening. What's more? He was picked off first base after the walk. We can highlight the 'Brockets' all we want. The truth is: Wilken has not played quality baseball of any kind since the anomalous month of July. The struggle is very very real. Sure, it's a small sample size currently in the AFL but Wilken is batting 0.121 with a 0.519 OPS, regardless. This after batting 0.123 with a 0.441 OPS in 81 August AB and then following up with a 0.100 BA and 0.550 OPS in 40 September Shuckers AB's in a post-season push. Have I mentioned: the struggle is extremely palpably real? 2B Juan Baez was back in the line-up after a single game's rest and he went 1-for-3 with 1 R and 1 K batting sixth. The young man continues to make an early name for himself by showing up in nearly every box score and every bit of game action. RF Luis Lara brought his power stroke hitting his first long ball of the AFL season in the bottom of the fourth frame. A 98 mph poke that went 388 feet over the left CF wall. Noice! 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 HR. RHP Will Childers came aboard after Birchard's final walk in the third frame. He inherited a runner. He walked one of his own. K'd the next batter. Then ended the inning via a force out. Solid work overall in his 1 2/3 IP of hitless, scoreless, 2 BB, and 3 K work. Kudos to LHP Mark Manfredi who inherited RHP Travis Kuhn's bases loaded mess. Kuhn came aboard protecting a 4-2 lead in the seventh and final inning and proceeded to struggle through all sorts of control issues - 2 HBP and 3 BB scored two tying runs around his 2 K performance. Manfredi came in after the game had tied with the bases still dripping. He K'd his only batter on five pitches. He picked up the 'W' - his first of the AFL - while lowering his ERA to a ripe 19.29. Hey, he had a blow out in his most recent outing. Take it easy. Peoria will not play again until Tuesday October 22nd. They will face the (7-4) Glendale Desert Dogs who have already taken three early contests versus the Javelinas. Can Peoria turn the tide?