Joseph Zarr

CHALLENGE SYSTEM. NOW.

Interesting. I would generally say, Miller swings at a majority of good pitches. He also takes good pitches. He's a player, actually, where the BA matches what I see. My 'contention' (I say this very loosely here as I am merely rooting for development across the board) with his hitting approach is I don't like his swing path. He has a swing path that says it want's loft; power; and gappers. BUT, he isn't really that type of hitter - and the results absolutely bare this out on a nightly basis. As a result, he hits a lot of weak pop outs. When he isn't doing that, he is also hitting a lot of weak grounders which tells me the path isn't consistent. I desperately want to see him level his swing path. Period. He already has selectivity and the ability to stand in the box. Let's get a better swing profile. I stand firmly in this opinion. I think it would do wonders for his overall prospects.

With the (19-8) DSL Crew's 8-4 victory today, they have opened up a 1.5 G lead over the second place DSL Orioles Orange. They are now winners of nine straight games. Whewwww. What an impressive group and what an impressive run.

I've been very complimentary of C Darrien Miller this season. He's made improvements. He's handled the lion share of the catching duties. And, as I've said on numerous occasions, I watch roughly 2/3 the affiliate games each week. So, I have a pretty good handle on who is doing what and how they look. You could have made an argument for Wes Clarke garnering consideration last season - he had the momentum and was trending - and, coming into this season you could have had some expectations he would put himself in serious contention for a call-up. But, the reality is, he just hasn't hit that well in Triple-A. The strikeout issues have re-surfaced. So, the logical thing to do there is give him more time. He's demonstrated he can improve at a level or excel, in the least, when given a season or so to adjust. However, up until this point, what we can factually say we have here is a streaky power hitter - certainly not a consistent hitter, however. There is absolutely zero need to rush a 40-Man spot considering the ongoing pitching carousel and wealth of options at 1B and DH. Simply consider, for example, Owen Miller returning to the Sounds line-up after being DFA'd and being thrown right to 1B and going 8-for-14 with 1 2B, 5 RBI, and only 1 K. I continue to be absolutely befuddled by this pipe dream that suddenly Wes Clarke is an MLB 40-Man catcher consideration for the Brewers. Miller is nowhere near the level of play needed to be an MLB catcher - and, this isn't a criticism it's simply being honest. If you've watched him play the position. He is a nice Minor League player at this juncture - he has improved facets of his game - but is simply too flawed a defensive catchers at present. This doesn't even get into the thought exercise of extrapolating what he might experience facing MLB pitchers. He already has shown a continued propensity for pop up outs because his swing plane so often leaves a level plane. He is improving but he simply needs more time and experience (and off-seasons of continued committed work). The Brewers catching scene right now is absolutely fine. You have Haase and Sanchez who have both proven more than adequate fill-in capacity at the MLB level. As mentioned above you have a well-perfoming Mejía AND, you now have a healthy Brian Navarreto. This is where, again, if you haven't seen these players play regularly and you're basing your opinions on something like wRC+ numbers solely you're missing the boat. Nava is 10x the MLB-caliber catcher than anyone in this discussion beyond the aforementioned Haase and Sanchez, obviously. IF the Brewers suddenly found themselves down both a Haase and a Sanchez they would simply accept Nava and Mejía with flawed MLB bats but (in Nava's case) a bat that has shown big hit capacity but both known for solid to plus defensive presence. At that juncture, they aren't going to be thinking: "Well, we could call up Damien and he could lean into some pitches and pray for some walks and hope the opposing team doesn't take advantage of his sub-average arm." We can simply enjoy he's improving at Double-A and go from there. Just consider the path of Nick Kahle in comparison to both Miller and Clarke behind the backstop. He is also nowhere near an MLB-level catcher but simply consider how he has been used in comparison.

Very fair assessment. Hey, if it needs to happen they could quite easily flip Areinamo into his stead. Not the worst thing to experiment with. It's quite apparent: he needs to get stronger. It's very real that he is generally getting overpowered.

RHP Sam Gardner's rehab debut with the ACL Crew went 1.0 IP of 1 H, 1 K, 0 R ball.

0-for-4, 1 K for O'Rae. The Double-A testing grounds are really showing him the work he has ahead of him. Been a very challenging transition.

"Dad, what do you mean 'hanger'?" "Click play, darling. Click play." What Scott and Hall have been doing since signing is pretty remarkable. Hitting with absolutely zero fear at present. Nice to see Martin also join that party with a big knock.

In one of the recent T-Rats social media bits they were going around asking the players what their ideal perfect coffee would be from a local establishment. Luke quickly replied: "I don't drink coffee." And then laughed. I quietly whispered to myself "Thank the heavens." Can you imagine that man beast on a triple espresso? Might break through the dugout walls like the Hulk.😂

Well, this is apropos: Here's the thing with Hunt: He was used almost solely as a reliever in college. YET, he legitimately has a five-pitch mix. He was mis-used. And, though he was committed to the program they didn't really develop his pitching toolkit or raw set (to the Brewers credit, they saw the tools). Here he is on record: The Brewers had a plan. They had a vision. They saw the tools. They jumped on signing him quite early. They got him comfortable with his mix and then shifted him to a starting pitching role. I am pretty sure it's going quite well. I don't know. Will have to go back and check my notes😉.

'El Juan' and (not) only, you might say.

The fact he was originally drafted and has a drafted pedigree, and was then rumored to be caught up in some strange contextual program Hoopla at Mississippi State (talk to their fans for more info) where he was likely misused...is precisely why I question why he went undrafted. He entered the League undrafted. That is what I am referring to. And, very clearly, the results are showcasing: every team missed on Hunt. He is really good. I've seen all but two of his outings.

Not pertaining to this directly, but I think you and I both know of the players traded over the past year, Avina, Sanchez, and Severino have done very very well for themselves. Severino's vastly improved K:BB numbers in 2024 has me all sorts of excited for him and a bit 😩 for the loss of such a pool of intriguing prospects.

All three young men are legitimate DSL studs. What's fascinating with Ortuno is despite having essentially 30 fewer official AB, he has only played in 3 and 2 games fewers, respectively, than Made and Pena. What's also fascinating about all three players is they have insanely good K:BB ratios and Ortuno has the best out of all three - generally speaking - at 18 BB-to-12 K. The DSL Uno are just having an incredible season. The difference between the two ball clubs (Uno y Dos) is the pitching, when you really parse it out. For example, both squads have scored in the mid 150's in Runs. Both squads are hitting a similar team BA - 0.260 DSL Crew #1 / 0.253 DSL Crew #2. Similar OPS - 0.782 Crew #1 / 0.777 Crew #2. The Dos have actually hit 21 more doubles whereas the Uno have hit 9 more triples. You get the point. Hence, why in a game like today the Crew Uno get a hitless 4 IP w 1 BB and 7 K from second year hurler Joshua Quezada. You have two more nice days from Anderson, Lafond, and Quintana (who has come on this past week). They also score five runs. But, their pitching staff gives up seven. I digress. Yes. Ortuno is a stud.😅

Three Odd Obersvations On the 'Fringes': 1) The ACL Crew has really struggled with cresting the mountaintop that is improving from 5-or-6 games under 0.500. They have routinely fallen back to 7 or more games under 0.500 as a habitual practice. They are currently 6 games under...again. Can they keep grinding to get closer to that 0.500 mark? 2) I spoke to in Wednesday morning's report, but INF/OF Jheremy Vargas has been having a really nice bounce back season overall. However, his kyrptonite is the 0.220 BA. It seems in 2024 every time he gets into the 0.220's or higher with a run of solid production at the dish, he hits an '0-for'. Back on June 8th, he had finally climbed the mountain and got that BA back to 0.224. He had to work over a month to Tuesday's contest (2-for-4, 1 HR) to get back to 0.221. What happened next? 0-for-4, 1 K. Back to 0.216. Sigh. Can he re-settle and change the benchmark? I believe he can. A 0.236 season-long BABIP isn't going to help all that much, however. Can we get just a little bit of help oh mighty baseball Gods?! 3) I have absolutely not been kidding when reporting (on more than one occasion) of RHP Daniel Corniel's strange third inning woes. In his rougher outings, Corniel has really struggled in the third frame. On the season, get this, Corniel has allowed one or more runs in the 3rd frame in 8-of-14 Starts. This includes a 6-run inning vs Delmarva on May 29th; a 3-run inning by Charleston on June 5th; and a 5-run Down East outburst back on July 2nd. I don't know what it is about the odd-numbered innings and Corniel but it's a thing - especially in the third frame (and, secondarily, the first frame). Unlike young RHP Manuel Rodriguez, Corniel hasn't been able to find that sweet spot of consistency in his debut season. He's had flashes of excellence, to be sure, but he lacks Rodriguez's otherworldly consistency and control.

Oh hey! Another RHP KC Hunt masterpiece? How in the hyeck did Hunt go undrafted? What an absolute steal to have him at this stage of his development. What a beautiful marriage. It seems like just yesterday I was sending Spencer private messages to "...check out this Hunt down in Carolina. Ridiculous off-speed stuff...". And here we are he's going 6 innings and striking out 9 and 10 guys at High-A. Like Yoho, there going to need to fast track him to Biloxi. Which randomly brings me to: I miss RHP Tanner Shears' splitter🥺

It seems as though I picked the right night to go on a date with my wife. Whew.🤭

The T-Rats got things off to a roaring start with a 7-0 one-hit shutout victory during a mid-day tilt - their second consecutive shutout. The Mudcats, well they never hit the grass due to thunderstorms in the Fredericksburg area. The Shuckers grabbed a lead early and never looked back in an 11-2 shellacking of Chattanooga. The Sounds, not to be outdone, also knocked around double digit hits and blew out Iowa 11-2. In the desert, the ACL Crew lost a 1-0 lead in the sixth frame and couldn't knock the tying or winning runs across with the bases juiced in their final frame. Let's get into the report! Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic Transactions: INF Juan Baez was sent to the ACL Brewers from the Carolina Mudcats to begin his rehab assignment - Baez had been on the 7-Day IL with an undisclosed shoulder/upper arm injury since falling covering 3B (due to opponent's slide) since May 31st. RHP Joe Ross was assigned to the Nashville Sounds from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to continue his rehab assignment(s) Final: Nashville 11, Iowa (Cubs) 2 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): Sounds Stay Hot, Rout I-Cubs - In First Game Back from 'DFA', Owen Miller Tallies Four Hits Box Score / Game Log RHP Joe Ross looked like he did in his first rehab outing for Wisconsin: comfortable. He came to the hill and immediately threw a 96 mph dart for a strike. His day was called at 46 pitches after recording the first and second outs of the fourth inning. The Brewers brass have to be ecstatic to see him pitching so effortlessly and accurately. He will likely record at least one more rehab outing, but, assuming he comes away clean from this second outing, he is clearly back to health and in fine form. All told, he grabbed five swings and misses amongst 18 total swings. He gave us his classic sinker and slider heavy usage as the leads in a 3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 K start. Fantastic stuff and good news for the Brewers. Three Quick Strikes: 1) Manning the CF grass for the first time since the 2022 AFL season, Tyler Black was called on twice and made it look easy. We just may have something here, folks. Take a look at this run down sprinting grab at the deepest part of straightaway right center field: I haven't seen Black make a tough out look this easy, well, ever? 🤭 More of this please, young man. Fantastic stuff. 2) DH Joey Wiemer continued doing damage with his bat in what has fast become a July renaissance. He did have two K's on his evening. He did seem to be showing some of those busy pre-swing hands and bat theatrics again, but, I'm not going to rain on this parade: 3-for-5 with 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B and some savvy bat control in a 1-2 reach poke single on an outside off-speed offering? I'll absolutely take it. He opened his evening with a 99.6 mph oppo double on an off-speed pitch belt high on the outer black. Wiemer is now hitting 0.364 with a 1.244 OPS in 22 July AB's. A far cry from the June slump of woe. 3) LHP Aaron Ashby gave up six hits and three free passes in five innings pitched. This isn't going to do his season-long 2.05 WHIP that many favors. However, we are building up from the bottom here. After struggling to find his form in his first two innings of work, his third-through-fifth frames were about as good as I've seen him since his injury. His sinker sat 94-96 mph his entire length of work. He earned 14 swings and misses over 38 swings total. He punched out seven. His slider was dialed throughout. When his curveball caught up, he was cooking with gas. If we can continue getting outings like this as a baseline moving forward? We're actually building a foundation for future success. * Special Shout-Out: Welcome back to the Nashville clubhouse, Owen Miller. He played a steady 1B. He went 4-for-5 with two runs and three RBI's? Toss a double in there. That is not an easy feat. Undaunted, you might say up North 😉. Final: Biloxi 11, Chattanooga (Reds) 2 Brown Jr. Records Three-Hit Night, Shuckers Use Big Eighth to Down Lookouts - Shuckers Draw Nine Walks, Tally Eight Hits Box Score / Game Log Pre-Game Media Notes RHP Brett Wichrowski is impacting games in more positive ways his past two trips to the hill - this continues to be a very good sign for the second half Shuckers. And, it's funny, with a young hurler (21 years old until 8/15) with as many tools at his disposal like Wichrowski does, one can easily start looking for even finer results. It's a silly game we long-time prospect followers find ourselves playing. The good from tonight's outing? Only three hits and one free pass in 4 2/3 IP with five punch outs for good measure. The 'bad' (I use this word very loosely here)? A WP, a HB, and a general lack of flow and polish despite quite a bit more than adequate results. The rough outline of what this young man might become is starting to come into focus - and, let's be clear, there is plenty of time ahead for this young man's professional career. I would love to start seeing the corner turning to even greener pastures over the next season plus. Can he begin avoiding outings with multiple pitches sailing to the back stop? Can he corral the manner in which his heater will sail high and wide via excessive arm-side run? Some of these things are likely mechanical. Some of these recurring issues are likely pressing in a more competitive League. Some of these things <gasp> remind me of a poor man's RHP Jacob Misiorowski. You see what I'm getting at here. We have a diamond in his rough, so to speak. Three Quick Strikes: 1) Hey, a 2B Dylan O'Rae fly ball went to the deep part of a park and it wasn't caught?!? Indeed. He just needed to pull out his left field oppo slice from his hitting grab bag to finally get a fly ball to drop near the Warning Track: In all earnestness: that had to have felt fantastic for the young man as he continues to try and carve a path in the Double-A ranks. 1-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 2B, 1 HBP, 1 K in a disruptive evening on the basepaths and in the batters box despite some frustrating ground outs. 2) The collective bullpen work from RHP Sam Carlson, LHP Russ Smith, and RHP Will Childers was very good. Special mention goes to RHP Sam Carlson, however. He came aboard in the fifth frame inheriting WIchrowski's runner at second base. He very calmly, and with vigor and poise, struck out his batter on five pitches. He wasted no motion. He pitched with fire and power. He came back to the bump in the sixth frame and pitched a clean inning with another punch out. It set the tone and held serve. The Shuckers bullpen as a whole continues to hit their stride and then some to start this second half. 3) As the headline of the Shuckers post-game article indicates, SS Eric Brown Jr. led the Shuckers offense with three hits on the evening. None of these knocks were particularly eye-opening - they were essentially all shallow liners onto the outfield grass. However, a 3-for-5 night with 2 RBI and, more importantly, zero strikeouts in a winning effort is cause for celebration as this young man looks to keep turning the corner in hopes of salvaging his season from a woeful first half. The steps are being taken. After hitting 0.136 in 88 May AB and after hitting 0.197 in 76 June AB, EBJ is now hitting 0.367 with a much more palatable 0.877 OPS in July. The deep line drive gappers are still mostly absent, but, we are working our way up from the bottom. The 4:2 BB:K ratio in these same 30 July AB gives us a runway to see a possible take-off. Let's keep our fingers crossed this talented young man is starting to find the first steps of his second half stride. Final: Wisconsin 7, West Michigan (Tigers) 0 Wisconsin Blanks West Michigan, 7-0 - Kuehner & Fitzpatrick Combine on One-Hitter Box Score / Game Log Pre-Game Media Notes Two consecutive shutouts. An 11-0 cumulative scorecard. Only four pitchers used. Manager Victory Estevez is strolling down 'Easy Street' through two games of the ongoing series versus the Tigers' West Michigan Whitecaps. Before I get into the game itself, let me briefly step atop my Brewers Minor League podium and head to the lectern <clears throat>: Did I not share with you Estevez is a rising star in the managerial ranks? Did I not also opine, with Estevez at the helm, the Timber Rattlers were in for a vastly different season in 2024? On more than one occasion I've called Estevez the prized jewel of the Brewers Minor League managerial staff. My opinion of him has only strengthened in 2024. Thank you for listening to my Timber Rattlers TED Talk. On to the game at hand. LHP's Tate Kuehner and Brian Fitzpatrick did what they've done for quite some time in the Midwest League: dominate. Kuehner didn't get the swing and miss he typically earns, but he certainly got the results he was after. Part of the reason for this discrepancy today was he wasn't getting the chases he typically does. This resulted in a 43 strike performance in 74 pitches. Certainly not an excessive pitch count whatsoever for six innings pitched - I am merely giving you the context of what I saw upon review. All told, Kuehner gave us a Quality Start with 6 IP and only 1 H, 3 BB, 2 K, 0 R. He lowered his season ERA to 3.02 in the process. His season WHIP of 1.29 is largely due to his first month of High-A action. If we take a bird's eye view, we see that over the past three months of work opponents are hitting Kuehner to a woeful 0.190, 0.133, and 0.161 (so far in July) BAA. Like so many pitchers in the Brewers system in 2024: the arrow is pointing straight up. Full Game Highlights: Post-Game Podcast: Three Quick Strikes: 1) I brought this up in our daily Minor League 'game thread' (HERE) - and, hey, please do join us our little community is growing - INF/OF Jheremy Vargas is very quietly putting together a solid bounce back season. As we get caught up in the hoopla of the 'Top Whatever' lists, we so often let young players like Vargas fall through the cracks. As someone who watches the games regularly throughout each week of the season I can attest: Vargas is on the verge of re-entering the chat. After today's 2-for-4 performance with his fifth long ball of his season (2 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR), he is back at a familiar place: can he now maintain a BA above 0.220? Plenty of work to do, but Vargas no longer looks like a misplaced prospect in the Midwest League. He looks the part of a savvy veteran in 2024. This does not go unnoticed for these eyes. Keep on trucking, young man. You are raising your floor! 2) The T-Rats 'X' feed doesn't have a direct clip of 'The Jadher Areinamo' play at 3B. Chris and Kyle definitely discussed it at length in the post-game pod. But, you have to see it to believe it. Just an unreal play from the player I have repeatedly shared is a defensive savant - Fangraphs projections absolutely be damned (A 30/40 grade?!? Just sit down and quit that nonsense). I have timestamped the play for you here from the Full-Game highlights above. It is an absolute, "...maybe you see this once in a High-A season?", web gem. Speechless on the accuracy of this cross-body Hail Mary: 3) In a game where CF Luis Lara, SS Eduardo Garcia, and 2B Jheremy Vargas all tallied two hits, I'm going straight to the knock that broke it all open. What would a Brewers system highlight be in the year 2024 without a grand slam - tis the season, afterall. LF Felix Valerio took it yard and a 1-0 lead turned into 5-0 in a hurry. The Timber Rattlers never looked back: Final: ACL Padres 3, ACL Brewers 2Box Score / Game Log I had to blink twice when I revisited this scheduled seven-inning Game Log in the late innings - the Brewers were clinging to a 1-0 lead. This just isn't common place for this season's very young pitching staff. RHP Caden Vire has now pitched consecutive outings without surrendering a run for the first time in his professional career - congratulations, young man! He pitched a very effective 1 IP with 0 H, 1 BB, and 2 punch outs. Rehabbing RHP Easton McGee pitched an effective opening two frames with two knocks and two punch outs in a scoreless bit of work. The real troubles came along for young RHP Jesus Flores in his third and final inning of work when the Padres plated three. RHP Felipe De Los Santos gave his team a final opportunity with a very clean two strikeout inning of relief, but after DH Eric Bitonti walked in the Crew's second run SS Luiyin Alastre flew out to left field and the bases were left dripping. Oh, what could have been! Rehabbing 3B Juan Baez returned in the two-spot and managed an 0-for-2 debut. 1B Johan Barrios will want a reset after an 0-for-3 evening with 2 K and two fielding errors at first base (one throwing and one missed catch). Finally, 2B Josh Adamczewski led off with a 2-for-4, 2 2B, 1 R, 1 K effort. With all the talk of young and talented 3B Eric Bitonti in the 2024 ACL season, I offer you a poignant little reminder: don't sleep on Adamczewski. The 19-year-old (5/10 birthday) is now up to a 0.347 BA with a 0.975 OPS in 75 AB. That's a solid output in a decent sample size. I'm absolutely paying attention and have a distinct feeling we will be seeing him in Carolina later this summer. The Crew fall back to seven games under 0.500 at 21-28. That is once again a wrap for my reporting duties this second week of July. We've been enduring a high mountain 100 degree heatwave the past several days. Low 90's on the horizon are a welcome sight for this old farmer. As to the games ahead tomorrow, we're looking at an eight-pack due to the Mudcats make-up double-header. Both DSL squads will hit the early morning grass looking for victories. We know RHP Enniel Cortez will start one of the two Mudcats affairs. In Wisconsin, dominant RHP KC Hunt will look to keep the well-oiled Timber Rattlers machine humming. In Biloxi RHP Shane Smith will look for a more controlled outing than his past time on the bump. And, finally, in Nashville RHP Chad Patrick will look to continue making his case as the Sounds Ace. As always, thanks for reading and thanks for supporting Milwaukee Brewers Minor League baseball and the many players deserving of our time and recognition. 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Mentioned into tomorrow morning's report. The gap power is still lacking. But, hey, we are literally coming out of the cellar looking for daybreak. We will absolutely take what we're seeing in July. He's batting with much more selectivity and control. I keep hoping the power will come. I'm still waiting in 2024.

Ahhhh yes. You are very right. To that end, they are first in their (meaningless) division standings. And third overall 3.0 GB the Nationals' Rochester Red Wings.

With their 'W's tonight, the T-Rats; Shuckers; and Sounds are all in first place in the second half. The Muddies, tho canceled, gained a game on the Fred Nats last night and remain 3.5 GB in second place. Wisco and Carolina obviously have no stake in the playoffs game this half having secured first half crowns. But, it is again another daily reminder from yours truly of how blessed we Brewers fans are in 2024. Count these blessings. We do not know how long they will last.

I can't, off the top of my head, say if I can award him some of those 100 points. What I can say is he is hitting more line drives and more balls with meaning in 2024 than he has his entire career. He looks comfortable. The K:BB ratio being as good as it is would lend credence to guesstimating he should likely have a higher BA, however. The person I really have seen get knocked down by a poor BABIP is OF Eduarqui Fernandez. At least, a month or so ago he was in the midst of a truly bad luck run where he was cracking balls left and right and they were always going into a glove.

It's a seven-inning affair in the desert. And, the Brewers are clinging to a 1-0 lead here in the top of the 6th. And, it looks like trouble is a brewing for 19-year-old Jesus Flores. The ACL Padres have plated 3. And, they are still doing damage with only one down. Flores appears to be getting poked around and, well, there is a bunch of confusing classic ACL game log somethings. LOL. He manages to escape without further harm. That's now 6 H registered in 3 IP. It's a 3-1 deficit. The Crew will have two more half innings to try and reclaim this one.

A swinging K. A sky high pop fly out. Childers isn't messing around with his food. You absolutely love this type of mop up work. Facing a lefty here he falls to 2-0 on the third batter faced. He gets the foul grounder down the 1B line on a heater. A gorgeous breaker hits the outer black. 2-2 count. Back in his favor. He misses wide and outside. 3-2 count. He throws a breaker to the lower outer corner and gets a fly out to Cargo in CF. Well done, Will. Keep grinding. 11-2 Shuckers Dub. What a fantastic week of baseball down yonder (despite the rain outs wayyyy down yonder).