Joseph Zarr

Getting out ahead of this here. Considering we don't have an International Free Agent Signings thread yet let's pique our fancies: (Notes to Self: We do have an International Free Agency Thread, silly. HERE)

The two highlights of this interview from my vantage point: INF Ethan Murray as the surprise candidate (alá 2023 Andruw Monasterio) to make it and make an impact at the MLB level. 1B/C Wes Clarke, straight from the horse's mouth here of the Brewers Hitting Coordinator, is simply put an MLB player. Love it.

#24 INF Juan Baez: @Smichaelis9 I personally watched every one of his innings at 3B in Carolina. Played there strictly in Low-A and ate the majority of Luke Adams' 3B innings in doing so - take that for what it's worth as Adams gets away with 3B because of his ridiculous athleticism but struggles playing it smoothly I'll just say. That at least tells us something, first off. Baez actually has very good and soft hands. Natural feel for the ball in his fielding and scooping. Where he struggled was he can see the ball sail on him when making charging or barehanded scoops and throws on the move to 1B. BUT, he improved significantly in this department in his limited time in Carolina. I think he could easily slot to 2B - with more limited range (think Boeve but with a much better cannon). I think he'd be very troubled at SS and 'should' be a "...in case of emergency break glass and slot Baez to SS" due to his limited range and likely finding himself being rushed. BUT, very much could be seen as, today, a player who could become serviceable at the hot corner. In other words, I certainly don't see him as strictly a DH prospect. Given his age. Given his arm. Given the improvements I saw in limited Low-A innings. He was Estevez's chosen primary 3B upon call-up. He did little to give me concern and I certainly had concerns when he was called up from the ACL given the errors you also allude to - it was something I was repeatedly going back to during the torrid ACL work. 2024 will be very interesting to see how it develops as players move within the system.

The signing bonus and pre-DSL hype agree with you. Rough year for sure, unfortunately. Hopefully, he bounces back - the pedigree is definitely there.

I didn't even get into pitchers. I figgered I'd keep it a short long. 😆

Fun to dream indeed. Lotta lotto picks in the system right now. I'm just curious, Jack, given this isn't an article solely focused on 'this year's draft' - tho, it does mention that in the opening paragraphs - why is INF Tyler Black not listed here? Literally just curioous. If we're talking about a player who fits the very mold of "...drafting high-ceiling players instead of their usual hit-over-power, solid-defense picks...", this is the very definition of Black. Who, by nearly every measure, is likely the second most exciting offensive prospect in the entire system. Bat discipline? Check. Surging power stroke? Check. Hit to all fields? Check. Threat on the basepaths? Double check. Defensive 'Superunknown'? Check.😅 Anywho, curious to hear your rationale/opinion/thoughts. As an aside, I'd throw some more 'lotto ticket' type names into that last paragraph beyond Baez and Lara if we're really digging for the nuggets: Tier 1: - Luiyin Alastre - Filippo Di Turi - Pedro Ibarguen - Demetrio Nadal - Edgardo Ordonez Tier 2: - Luis Lameda really impressive first DSL season given he just turned 17 this past late January - Eric Martinez my gut tells me this is the Brewers Jose Sibrian like up-and-comer. He 'should' be stateside with an opportunity to reach Low-A Carolina this year. Signed young. 3 successful seasons in the DSL. Clearly appears to have some pop and plus defense. Really want to see him play. - Yannic Walther do the Brewers have something with this young German backstop? Hard to tell but he flashed for sure in his first DSL season - Christopher Vasquez showcased a great power/OPS profile...can he show more plate discipline? - Ramon Moreno - Danny Puerta like Lameda, extremely young, and flashed enough intrigue in roughly 90 AB's I want to see more. The young Colombian turned 17 yo just this past mid-April! - Yeison Perez Anywho, FUN TIMES to be a Brewers Fanatic babayyyyyy😅

Merkel came on as his season progressed. He became a key 7th inning guy for manager Joe Ayrault and really filled some key innings in their second half surge. At this stage, he relies heavily on his breaking ball arsenal and, at High-A it proved to be a strikeout pitch. It would be nice - with that mammoth frame - to see him add a couple ticks to the velo department. Is that possible at this stage? I don't know. Like Cameron Wagoner, he became one of my favorite watches in the second half of Wisconsin's season. Double-A is going to be a huge test for him, however, and I wouldn't be surprised if he struggles at first to find how his stuff plays in a more challenging environment. Brady also relies on off-speed but whereas Merkel has more a 12-6 hammer array (especially given his height) Brady is coming from a lower release point on the hill. He works that slider with aplomb and has a worthy curveball. The heater also touches 95-96 (very occasionally at 96) but sits 93-94 with decent ride. I would imagine an off-season strength and pitching specific program could do him wonders. Year 2 in Biloxi will be big. In 2023, everything went up a notch in the Southern League exposure - BAA, WHIP specifically. But, even with more runners on base he still didn't allow all that many runners to cross home plate. Tho, here again, there was an increased BABIP; Inherited Runners scoring (7-of-12 IR scored); and a slight decrease in K with an uptick in walks. All fine for a first exposure in an oft very challenging shift from High-A. BUT, he'll need to address those in year 2.

With all due respect, and in good faith, in the very least when you write these articles please ensure you are including players who are still in the organization. I am writing this because this certainly isn't the first time I've seen this. Having Jordan and Morales showcased (visually) high in this list seems to demonstrate you aren't actually monitoring the Brewers Minor League system, and, yet, you are writing with authority on these players. It's just not a good look. And, this is not a lot to ask. My two cents. And, agreed with @wiguy94guys like Gardner (who hit the ground blazing in Australia this winter after a dominant High-A showing) and Rodriguez 'should' be on here. If we're tossing in a Kaleb Bowman - who really struggled mightily at Double-A - one would think usurping that name for a Darrell Thompson and/or Ryan Brady would make quite a bit more sense. That, however, is in the eye of the beholders and can be debated. Who is an who isn't in the system can not. I'm also adding the wild card that is 'What are they going to do with RHP Tobias Myers come the start of the 2024 season'? The addendum here: should he make it through the Rule 5 Draft. His heater, by season's end, was electric - touching 97-98 mph. He was utterly dominant out of the bullpen for Rick Sweet in Nashville that last week. I want to see if they keep him in the stables. His profile plays at an elite level out of the Pen if he can maintain that type of trajectory. I'd like to see him get another opportunity as a reliever despite his high punchout abilities as a starter.

If we go back to that run in High-A Wisco (pre-injury) 2022, Cargo has quite simply made the case: he's a prospect to be reckoned with. Many intriguing qualities at the dish. Obviously would be nice to see the power rate improve (aren't we all so greedy!) but has very very good discipline (50K:40BB Double-A 2023). Nice to see him continue running with it. Defensively, I have question marks. But, I certainly don't doubt his abilities. 2024 should be fun!

I still can't believe this jump and get off in RF. Saw it live this past September. Game saving play. (Oh hey @wiguy94: that's Mr. Andrews getting another heater absolutely scorched 😪. Boooooo!)

Chourio Contract: Forest Trees:

Happy for him but sad to see him go. Contreras was a guy who showcased, imho, he was just tapping into his best stuff. I stated numerous times last year: he has MLB stuff he just needs to fine tune it. Fantastic ride on his heater. Wishing him well at Sugarland and hopefully he gets an opportunity with the Astros.

It surely is not nor has it ever been. The change-up has always been seen as his money pitch. I would personally opine, his slider has the potential to be just as lethal. However, it has so much spin and horizontal cut, he struggles to locate or weaponize it consistently - so it is still just a sprinkle or keep them honest pitch. IF he could harness and fine tune that pitch...well, a man like me can dream.

The Brewers have agreed to Minor League deals with RHP Easton McGee and OF Brewer Hicklen (destiny fulfilled!).

Makes sense. I figured that was in your thought process. Hopefully, ARob chimes in.

The last we heard, after his promotion to Carolina, is the organization wants to focus his efforts at 3B. He then played every inning at the hot corner for Carolina (if I recall correctly) - cutting deeply into Adams defensive innings there. Perhaps @ARobsBrewCrew can chime in here to confirm or add body to this recall.

- RHP Enoli Paredes and LHP Jared Koenig have signed Minor League FA deals with the Milwaukee Brewers with invites to Spring Training

As someone who watched Adams play quite a bit in 2023, everything he said made sense and is completely understandable. Where I diverged was his comments on Henderson. Henderson has very clearly put work in on his breaking balls since 2022 and tho he may not throw them a ton the progress is night-and-day. He doesn't just sprinkle in a slider anymore so I didn't quite understand that entire commentary. Also, Baez had already moved strictly to 3B since the ACL. So their scouting report there was a bit behind (understandably so). AND, Baseball 'Merica very clearly still sleeping in EBJ. He can very much handle SS duties. Coming off an AFL championship and All-AFL Honors, I'm going to continue to believe if he stays healthy he has a very bright future.

- INF Yonny Hernández has agreed to a Minor League FA contract with the Milwaukee Brewers with an invite to Spring Training:

I've never seen Patrick pitch. However, I do know he pitched in two of the highest run-producing Double-A environments. Given he closed his season with a 5-game Triple-A sample, we also have a modicum of data to peruse:

That's right. Mr. Clarke finally getting recognition. 'Bout time. Hard to not absolutely love a guy who just shows up every day ready to play; clearly works on his body and his game; and is pretty much always available.

- RHP Chad Patrick was assigned to the Nashville Sounds (via the INF Abraham Toro to the Athletics trade)

It's hard to craft a 'knocking on the door' list after Gasser, Rodriguez, and Misiorowski. But, if we're going that route I can certainly add a bit of meaningful depth to the list above. Firstly, I do want to say I really liked the growth I saw from both Wagoner and Cornielle in 2023. . They showed quite a bit of endurance and growth and the ability to stay the course and power through struggles. I like where they are at season's end. I can't say the same for Hermandez, Seminaris, Knarr, Cruz, or Junk. To a man, their seasons were either highly erratic throughout, filled with injury or both. Double-A is going to be a huge test for Woessner who has lots to prove in 2024. As to adding to the list: - RHP TJ Shook - Top 2 in Shuckers rotation by season's end. Full package. Just needs to keep stacking success amd growing into his arsenal. - RHP Tobias Myers - led entire system in K's. Showed immense growth and dominance late in the season as a reliever in Nashville - RHP Logan Henderson - don't be fooled by his Low-A placement. His stuff is elite. Sky is the limit. - RHP Edwin Jimenez - better work at High-A Wisconsin than both Cruz and Hernandez by a good margin. Stuff is more dialed. Knows who he is. We have several wild cards in the Low-A level and below but we'll have to see how that washes out to start 2024.