Joseph Zarr

#TeamTrenches

Prepare for a long complicated answer 😅 The obvious low-hanging fruit is LHP Robert Gasser. He will be called up as he establishes himself. First rehab outing today was highly successful. He looked like he didn't miss a beat. Beyond that, the best pure talent has big question marks and would be major gambles given lack of experience and polish. The real unfortunate part of early 2024 is alluded to above: the lack of a step from RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez. He is getting hit nearly every outing for an inning or two because he is inconsistent. It is just an unfortunate fact. In terms of starting depth beyond Myers (who, as you know, is already up and who I've been saying is MLB-caliber since last September) it just really is not there. SO, we desperately need Junis back and we need Myers to stick and we need Gasser to stay healthy and pray Miley isn't seriously injured. You can try to force some innings out of Ashby or Junk but neither guy is appropriate for that role and it would be a big risk. We can fool ourselves into thinking they are but that isn't using good judgment. Ashby is likely a year out and I implore the Brewers to let him figure his mix out and work his way back into health and effectiveness instead of insisting he get thrown to the wolves at the MLB level. He needs time. I just haven't seen enough from Junk to merit consideration beyond eating innings in lopsided affairs. He can give you meaningful innings but, again, he's inconsistent. NOW, if that health ship rights itself, there are certainly a number of Sounds relievers who likely deserve opportunities to eat some innings up North (outside, of course, of my guy J.B Bukauskas coming back healthy and Koenig continuing to stick): Paredes, Blackwood, Middendorf, Herget, Zastryzny likely all deserve a shot and come to mind. Possibly even Chirino if he's right. Beyond that, there's a big bunch of talent that needs more experience and more innings. I'd opine to you, today, RHP Craig Yoho could pitch MLB innings. BUT, he's in High-A Wisconsin making hitters look ridiculous. He's not getting that call. I'd also opine to you: RHP Yerlin Rodriguez is in the Uribe pantheon of impact and 'stuff' but he's in High-A, also making hitters look overmatched, and also prone to Uribe control issues. Not ready. AND, obviously RHP Jacob Misiorowski is the elite arm higher up in the pecking order but he desperately needs innings; exposure; and polish. SO, either they get healthy by my estimates. Myers and Gasser stick and impart impact. They call up a mix of Sounds relievers. They stay afloat and relevant gluing the greater staff together. AND then acquire arms at the Deadline. OR they start experimenting with high end inexperienced talent. That's how I see it. I personally don't see the current fringe 40-Man arms in Junk, Blalock, Ashby or Martin as the best options. I am disagreement with the Brewers there. And, that's just the way it is.

If you haven't seen a backside view of Merkel's gorgeous knuckle curve, here's a look for you: Just another unique relief arm in the Brewers system. They have a treasure chest in 2024.

The 2024 Brewers Minor League Theme just absolutely undeniably continues to be: PITCHING While the bats, unfortunately, outside a few name remain relatively unimpressive throughout, the pitching just continues to stand out widely. Very widely.

Did you see that first AB? The ump missed two strikeout calls. No matter...he just fights through it and rips a dart upper middle for the K looking. Man child.

Honestly, he needs to be in Triple-A. I don't think many Minor League hitters have anything for his arsenal. He is just flat out filthy. I'm dead serious when I say he and Yerlin Rodriguez are flat out MLB pitchers. I could make a case today they could play mop-up innings to eat innings for the Brewers today.

Yoho - infield ground out, pop out, K. STUD. T-Rats WIN !!! 3-2. Goodness me oh my I needed that 'W'. What a gift it is to have a 'Yoho' in the system. Y'all, this young man is an absolute STUD. (Have I mentioned RHP Craig Yoho? Check him out)

HUGE reach poke for INF Jadher Areinamo who reaches for a poke bloop RBI single into RF after Adams just suffered at the hands and glove of an absolutely splendid diving stop and throw at 3B on a rocket grounder. Two down and the T-Rats are back in front in the 10th frame 3-2. Arienamo, one of our favorites here, has three pokes on the day. You love it!

Yoho is just absolutely filthy. Between Yoho, Rodriguez, Shears, Smith and a cornucopia of others the Brewers are absolutely set in the years ahead. He just absolutely dominated that inning getting two more K's to end it on just gorgeous change-up/screw balls that absolutely plummeted over the plate. I am absolutely in love with his pitching tool kit.

The throw was very ugly. AND, Metzinger (totally my opinion) has to do anything but fall over backward there. Get down on your knees or get down forward. That also allowed the run to score. It also put him in harm's way as he was run over.

GOOD GRIEF the ump squeezes him again on a flamethrown heater on the outer stripe. He is absolutely squeezing Yoho here. Those pitches were absolute K's. No matter, he gets the K anyway.

Goodness me oh my I HEART RHP Craig Yoho. Such a phenomenal arm to watch in key spots. Robbed of a first batter K on a gorgeous front door slider. Home plate ump absolutely blew that call. It was an absolute beauty.

Good grief I am about sick and tired of the poor poor defense today. Adams absolutely throws a warm burner wounded duck to 1B on an absolutely routine grounder and Metzinger (suddenly in as a defensive sub?) makes it look like it was a rocket launch. He falls backward and onto the bag attempting to scoop the throw? Just absolutely ugly ugly ugly any way you look at it. Adams is prone to these gaffes because he's not a natural 3B but Metzinger also absolutely has to do better there. Keep the ball in front of you how about as the primary need there instead of falling over like a wounded duck backward so the ball can carom off you and into foul territory and a tie 2-2 ball game. This has just been ugly ugly mid day baseball. The pitchers to a man deserve 10X better.

AND, just like that the Sparks error finally costs the Shuckers as a seeing eye 1-2 liner through the gap between 1B and 2B gave Carlos Rodriguez an opportunity to showcase his weak arm in RF. He bypasses the relay man in the process and allows the runner to advance to 2B. THIS is just the ugly type of OF play we are seeing early in this series. Given your weakness, know yourself and throw that ball into 2B. It wasn't even remotely close at the plate and the throw was poor regardless. Shuckers now trail 5-0. These are all on Sparks as far as I'm concerned.

Men on the corners now for Smith - two down. A full count wild pitch after a weak pop out to Murray in the shallow LF grass (thankfully, Sparks didn't have to try and grab that ball). He'll try and work his way out of this one as his LF'er has put two runners on 2B in two innings pitched.

T-Rats strand the bases juiced with two down in the 8th when their SS fires a rocket to 1B on a deep grounder into the shallow LF grass. IF that throw beat him, it was by an eyelash. Tough break for Fernandez!

Sparks is just having a horrific time in LF at present. He just biffed another. This one just a classic case of taking his eye of the ball as the winds brought it into the warning track. Ugly stuff. He had ample room. The ball was definitely in the webbing. He just casually dropped it. The Shuckers are just a tough watch so far in Pensacola. Man on 2nd base now. Two down.

Honestly, kind of sounds like a Boeve special. LOL. He is truly an expert at just making contact. Any kind. We'll take it!

Adams can add a HBP to his tally. Unfortunately, he can also add a CS - immediately after his 8th inning plunk. It was really a fantastic throw and tag that nabbed him. Naturally, Areinamo then proceeded to line drive a smacked single to RF. Tough pill to swallow there! Meanwhile, with the Pensacola wind blazing in toward RF, Dirden unfairly suffers its wrath as his very well hit deep fly to RF just absolutely dies on the warning track. I thought that was a surefire two-run dinger. Not to be as the Shuckers remain scoreless as we head to the 8th. Frustrating poke out that was!

Boeve has come to Double-A and picked up right where he left off in High-A. A triple and a single today - the only Shuckers doing anything of note at the dish (I know, shocker) - and has his BAA up to 0.308. AND, he is already up 3-0 in the next AB. Yup. He walks. Maybe, just maybe, his teammates can learn a thing or two about his approach to wake something up in their hibernating lumber?

Smith escapes unscathed after Sparks misread and misplay. He gets the full count ground out over the 1B bag in what proved to be a slightly tricky play for Warren who scoops it cleanly but trips a bit but makes it back for the easy put out. That's another scoreless for Smith. AND, I spoke to it during Kuehner's last start: there was more to his arsenal than what the results show (tis why watching the games always tells us 10x more than the box score or stat lines). He has proved me quite right through his first 2 IP in relief so far today - 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 0 ER. He is sublimely mixing his heater up in the zone with a bevy of off-speed breaking pitches to keep hitters guessing. Several swinging misses on that high heat.

@wiguy94and I have been discussing his resurgence since late last summer. He's been fantastic and we can only hope he nails down this role moving forward. That slider is filthy since he's been fine-tuning his 'in zone' mechanics. BUT, make no mistake: this impact dates back to late last summer when he really started dialing things in. AND, speaking of the young up-and-coming hurler, he's on in the 7th for the Shuckers and has proceeded to K his first two batters swinging and then saw Lamar Sparks completely misread a fly ball to the warning track as it bounced over the wall for a double. Total misplay due to the wind blowing to LF. Should have been a 1-2-3 inning. Dating back to just last night that is two colossal misreads off the bat by both Rodriguez (costing the game) and now Sparks. The Shuckers need to pick it up.

A sharply hit 3-0 fly out to the LF warning track off O'Rae's bat and a weakly hit grounder to 2B by Lara strand Fernandez at 2B after his lead off double down the RF line. It is still 2-1 T-Rats as we move to the bottom of the 7th.

Back in the line-up today for the T-Rats and essentially is doing everything. Looks very spry. 2-for-2 (1 2B and both RBI) and a BB so far late in this one. Thanks for that early nibble at the health of one of our favorites!

RHP Nick Merkel with 3 fantastic innings of relief work (yet another completely unheralded but highly effective reliever - one of the better breaking balls in the system when it is dialed in) so far has allowed his Shuckers a chance to claw back into the game. So far? Not really in the cards as the offense continues taking prolonged naps. 3-0 Wahoos still lead in the 7th. Two down with Rodriguez on 1B. Come on bats wake up!