Joseph Zarr

On Birchard from BA (subscription required): Ryan Birchard May be the Brewers Next Junior College Gem

It's the off-season and I've been surfing Juco arms. And, today, 2023 Reds 18th Rdr RHP Drew Pestka came back on my radar. He bet on himself going back to Logan to improve his draft stock and it's safe to say he is currently winning that bet: I could absolutely see the Brewers prioritizing an arm like this in the top 10 rounds of 2024. Who are some names or players that intrigue you at this juncture?

Seminaris 30 Second Vid Clip for Those that don't Read Above Article

The Hulkster that is Wes Clarke is 2-for-2 with his 2nd AFL long ball. He has all 4 Saguaros RBI's. Surprise leads 4-0 in the bottom of the 5th. The man has been on a sizzle for quite some time and I will not tone down my excitement for his game. Hendry Mendez's ongoing futility at the dish has continued through two AB's (0-for-2).l as a woeful 2023 stays gloomy. LHP Adam Seminaris has put on a masterclass through his 4 IP (second pitcher on the hill for the Saguaros). so far: 1 H, 0 BB, 0 R and 7 K. Wow.

Careful. We might get a @Smichaelis9drool emoji in 3...2...1

EBJ is the lone Brewer in the Saguaros line up to start their knock versus the 3-0 Scottsdale Scorpions. He will be once again playing 2B - an interesting development early in the AFL. He led off with a single and scored Surprise's first run as they began their tilt with 4 consecutive singles. Let's hope these young men can get a much needed 'W'.

Oh sweet sweet swooping lefty Garabitos!

A friendly reminder: Surprise @ Salt River is Live tonight. Link to Game Feed Here Clarke and Mendez are in the starting line up.

Oh I know this to be true. I was one of the 'voters'. What's even better is I probably left the Shookster in the dugout. This is why I loathe having to vote on things - I'm terrible at it and always overlook players. When I say 'We'. I mean 'We'.

Man, I love these write-ups. I opined in the Brewer Fanatic prospect thread: there is just no way we should be leaving Cornielle out of the prospects lists. As you note above: he had a very likable disappointing season 😅. He has talent for days. And, he closed his season on a high note. What you point out here backs up what I see on a consistent basis. The Matt Wood stuff really surprises me and would explain why the organization remains so high on him. I personally probably over-invested in the massive production drop-off I witnessed from Low to High-A. And, I was likely blinded by my over-exuberant fandom of C Jose Sibrian. I will be tracking where he ends up moving forward.

Good on you. I'm the same these days. I am disappointed for a little bit - I want the team to experience the ultimate success and this clubhouse was obviously very close and played for each other. AND, I certainly felt like there were many decisions made heading into the series and during the series that should rightfully be questioned and deserve scrutiny and accountability (to the process and results) in future seasons. Hopefully, the organization can learn and grow from it. I also invest so much time in the lower levels and experience so many highs and lows in that department that I realize it is about so much more than the World Series title(s) for me. That's the ultimate goal for the team and us as fans but there are so many journeys and so many stories beyond that playing out in real time. There are so many lives involved in the game itself. When you dive as deep as I dive into the nuances of the many many layers of the organization you start caring less about the trophies. I am grateful for that component of my own experience as a fan and as someone who just loves the game.

It's pretty dang hard to argue with any facet of this list - not that I want to argue. I'll leave for other parts of the Forums😄. Although, I would personally leave out RHP Justin Jarvis entirely. If we're going off a similar timeframe - including his unsightly work at Triple-A Nashville which carried over to his Triple-A time in Syracuse - I think we would have to consider RHP Tyler Woessner while likely leaning to RHP TJ Shook. If you take out Shook's outlier months (ie his rough stretches), we are looking at some extremely high-end Double-A performances. May: 15 IP, 1.80 ERA, 0.196 BAA, 0.93 WHIP, 20 K, 3 BB July: 22 IP, 3.68 ERA, 0.163 BAA (!!), 0.82 WHIP (!!), 26 K, 5 BB August: 22 1/3 IP, 5.64 ERA, 0.224 BAA, 1.34 WHIP, 23 K, 11 BB - done in by a stretch of 5 HR and early in the month and more free passes than normal but also bad luck and he closed the month in solid fashion and extended that into the home stretch. September: 16 1/3 IP, 2.76 ERA, 0.214 BAA, 0.92 WHIP, 12 K, 3 BB For some reason, I feel like we may be overlooking what is a young man really figuring out his mix. I saw immense growth this season. He filled numerous roles for the Shuckers staff and was a stalwart - always available and improving; playing some of his best ball in crunch time. Heck, he even plunked 3 Biscuits in that final outing. On behalf of all of us nut jobs who watched the vast majority of Shuckers games: thanks for hitting the Rays where it hurts😜. In all seriousness, though, TJ really advanced in two key areas by my eyes: his change-up and his curve. Late in the season, he was dealing these two pitches. Which, as I preach so often, gave new ride and new life to his heat. It was all about fine-tuning for the Shookster. AND, I saw many a sign that his best days are ahead. Keep grinding, young man! The Brewers are going to need you in future pastures. I guess, I personally have a much harder time considering half a season from a young man with another organization (we wish you all the best, Justin!). These would likely by my two candidates as Honorable Mentions.

EBJ's health is a very real question - they seem like freak injuries to me and nothing LT there, however. He just needs to stay healthy. Boeve they have strictly been playing at 2B whereas Moore has, to date, been the High-A SS fill-in with obvious doses of Eduardo Garcia (and Jose Acosta when he gets opportunities at 2B). The thinking on Baez at 3B (and not SS), as I understand it, is range. He just doesn't have anywhere near the twitch or horizontal quickness and range as any of the guys currently placed above him. I could list at least 6-8 guys the organization prefers there defensively at present. Don't forget, with Black, the organization began playing him about 50/50 at 1B in the late season. He improved at 3B but it certainly wasn't smooth or plus defense at the hot corner - the ongoing conundrum for the uber-talented young man. I've said for months now: it doesn't matter where you play him. Move him around. He can be a back-up at several positions where he isn't going to win you games with his glove but he likely won't kill your team in the end either. The offense is just so elite it is relatively meaningless by my eyes. To me, given his elite skillset, it's kind of like in football thinking of "Jimmies and Joes. Not X's and O's." If you have a guy that elite in the batters box and on the base paths, you find ways to keep him in the line-up. You run plays for him, in this way, by having him back-up several positions - 3B, 2B, 1B - while also keeping him as a utility knife DH. This way he is almost always playing even if he doesn't have a true position. And, of course lost in this current conversation is the very worthy caliber of play of several guys I haven't even been touching on that can fill in all throughout the left side of the infield to varying degrees of impact and, I would politely opine, are all light years closer to the Bigs: Patrick Dorrian, Abraham Toro (who I personally believe was inexplicably given the short end of the stick given how fabulous his bat was throughout 2023 - oddly, his best position by my eyes in 2023 was 1B.), Cam Devanney, Freddy Zamora (who showed very real signs the defensive reputation was ready to live out in real time - he made several clutch and crucial plays late in 2023 during the playoff push and showed a possibly ascending bat), and Ethan Murray. All of these guys, in my humble opinion, are deserving of opportunities with the Brewers on a shorter timeframe than a lottery ticket like Baez. As to SS at the lower levels, I just don't think the organization considers Baez a better SS option than players like Moore, Garcia, EBJ, Guilarte, Barrios or Areinamo. That's a lot of very good defensive players at a premium defensive position. And, as a result, every inning Baez played in 2023( once he entered the affiliated levels - ie Low-A Carolina) was at 3B. The thing with Adams, in my opinion, is he plays a good 3B because he's such a fantastic and underrated athlete. But, I don't think the organization really knows where his raw tools will best fit down the line (my own personal opinion given what I saw nothing direct sourced). Even after a fairly successful full Low-A season, he's pretty much still a raw ball of clay. He played an incredible first base in limited opportunities, for example, showing deft glove work and ridiculous athleticism snagging throws and what not. But, he's a bit of a unicorn in terms of his athletic profile; build; and unrefined raw everything. Exciting, most definitely, but also with that comes the inevitable ups-and-downs. Anyhow, I am rambling. Baez is very intriguing, yes. I would be highly surprised (given what I've heard - maybe @ARobsBrewCrew can speak to this even further) if they moved him off the hot corner. The last I heard the plan moving forward was: Baez plays 3B.

That's right! I had completely forgotten he pitched in Game 1. Good one, Daniel. Thanks for that enlightening add.

At the present time, I don't mean to steal your thunder here, Baez is pretty much strictly a 3B in the Brewers organization as he hits the lower levels. His defense actually improved there in the short Low-A stint. He has the arm. And, there's still a lot of growth that needs to happen there. The organization loves him - heck, he was taking meaningful innings over Luke Adams (the 3B stalwart for the majority of the Mudcats season) in the late season and post-season. I'm assuming, here, you're talking about INF Juan Baez? I personally think he's a lottery ticket - we don't really know what we have as he's really only completed a full season of ACL and we have nominal Low-A looks. If we're talking about fast-rising SS's - and strictly SS's - I would imagine you have to first lean on EBJ - hope he has an accomplished AFL season, stays healthy, starts off ripping in Double-A and is in Triple-A some time in the 2024 summer. Even that, for me, is a bit of wishful thinking.

Jackson ChourioJacob MisiorowskiTyler BlackJeferson QueroRobert GasserBrock WilkenEric Brown JrCarlos F RodriguezLuis LaraCooper PrattJosh KnothLuke AdamsEric BitontiYophery RodriguezLogan HendersonMike BoeveDaniel GuilarteDylan O'RaeJadher AreinamoEdwin Jimenez Making this list, I leaned heavier than I typically do on youth and upside. Saying this, I love the depth we have 20-30 in the system. Heck, I could give meaningful depth through 50 if I felt so inclined (I don't, I'm lazy and it's early in the morning). Needless to say, this season was immensely enjoyable to watch and the system is back to top 5 prominence nationally - as it likely should be. As per usual, my addendum is: my list doesn't mean all that much and I can give several reasons for many more players beyond my selections here that can make their mark and get a chance at the MLB level.

Jackson ChourioJacob MisiorowskiTyler BlackJeferson QueroRobert GasserBrock WilkenEric Brown JrCarlos F RodriguezLuis LaraCooper PrattJosh KnothLuke AdamsEric BitontiYophery RodriguezLogan HendersonMike BoeveDaniel GuilarteDylan O'RaeJadher AreinamoEdwin Jimenez Making this list, I leaned heavier than I typically do on youth and upside. Saying this, I love the depth we have 20-30 in the system. Heck, I could give meaningful depth through 50 if I felt so inclined (I don't, I'm lazy and it's early in the morning). Needless to say, this season was immensely enjoyable to watch and the system is back to top 5 prominence nationally - as it likely should be. As per usual, my addendum is: my list doesn't mean all that much and I can give several reasons for many more players beyond my selections here that can make their mark and get a chance at the MLB level.

RHP Justin Yeager's first inning of work since May 11th was a rough one: 1 IP, 4 H, 1 HR, 4 ER - 0 BB and 0 K. Shake that rust off and get them next time, Justin. This is only the beginning of your road back to where you want to be.

IF Counsell is in fact leaving, the one guy organizationally I'd want to lead the shift to the young Brewers takeover would be the Mudcats' Victor Estevez. I absolutely love the way he handles games. It has a less than 1% chance of happening. BUT, this is the kind of thinking I want to see. Outside the box. Youth driven. Miles to go and we shall see. Lucky for me, I can track Estevez's results this winter when he manages the 'Escogido Leones' in the Dominican Winter League. He's a rising star.

My only hope for the Brewers organization is they embrace change. I hope they actually honestly assess what is practical for the organization and they attack it with fearlessness and the vigor it demands. I do not think I can handle another decision like the Winker one(s). No more being afraid to fail. Choosing Winker was a scared decision. It had no intrepid vision. No courage. It was stale and indefensible. The karma of this series is what it is. The ball just does not lie. You have to seize these moments by meeting them and making your mark. The Brewers were owned by the moments in this series being too big for the group. I want to see fearlessness this off-season. I want to see cutting edge moves showing they have learned they need to keep evolving and honestly assess what has repeatedly failed. I want to see reasons why I should solidify my faith going into 2024. They have a fantastic foundation in the lower levels. NOW is the time to use that as the springboard for what comes next