Joseph Zarr

THAT is funny. Well said.

Mejias putting that highly erratic 2023 season in Biloxi on the backburner! You love to see it.

I love Fangraphs but I think they overstate their hand here. I agree entirely on the lack of versatility (which I think is clearly indicated) but I personally feel quite good about Dunn at 2B - knowing full well he isn't a Brice Turang level glove or fielding specialist (not many are) but he can more than adequately step in and keep the infield defensive unit ticking. He has fielded at nearly a 0.980 FP% and higher his entire career at 2B. The arm weakness is definitely a thing as they state and why I personally see his forecast as limited - the hot corner placements have been and are wild to me. In over 770 innings at 2B last season he had a mere 9 errors. He turns the double play as well as you'd hope for and expect. I'm not talking gold glove here by any means - and, perhaps, by my own admission when I say 'upper echelon' that is implied and I should have made that clearer. That is overstated on my hand most likely. On the other hand, I certainly see a very dependable to plus glove, better range than advertised, and enough combined positives to merit 2B positional considerations in the MLB. Put it this way: I feel much better about Dunn at 2B than I did Andruw Monasterio at any infield spot coming to the MLB level. AND, Monasterio more than exceeded all expectations and played quite well much and pleasantly to my surprise. Furthering my own lack of investment in Fangraph's opinion via this article is they don't actually discuss one iota of Mendez's glove at the corner OF positions. Quite frankly, it's just really really poor. Entirely too many lackadaisical and inexplicable drops on routine pop flies. With the increase in muscle mass, he's lost the range he once had. Maybe they only focus on Dunn due to his age and higher placement? Where Fangraphs and I do agree, however, is if Dunn isn't considered an everyday 2B for the Brewers at the MLB level he will struggle to find utility due to his overall lack of meaningful defensive diversity. However, I personally feel the Brewers likely made this trade as insurance for their middle infield - they now have more meaningful depth to cover 2B should they trade Adames. I love the Triple-A depth they now have with Dunn and Isaac Collins - who, you know, I absolutely loved watching in 2023. Another extremely underrated player. Toss Dorrian into that fold - who we know plays a very good 2B/3B but struggles with the responsibilities and wider exposure at SS.

- RHP Miguel Segura has been released by the ACL Brewers

No matter where you put him, this deal just makes a ton of sense. I personally feel the Brewers definitely got the best current player in this deal overall and it fits a serious need of more upside pop in the middle infield. I also personally see Dunn as a strict 2B/spot LF option - and, he is upper echelon in defense at the 2B position. At this stage of his career, I pretty much strictly see his 3B fill-in as a 'In Case of Emergency Break Glass and put Dunn at the Hot Corner'. Both the Yankees and Phillies gave him time there. It is by far his least sensible position.This is a player who was absolutely scorching hot in Arizona and was awarded a spot on the All AFL-Team announced this week (alongside EBJ, I might add - Wes Clarke Honorable Mention). He's not a base stealer, per se, but he can still swipe a bag from time to time amd he did manage a wild 12-for-12 SB in just 19G in the AFL. Perhaps, like his pop (21 HR in 2023 Double-A ball with essentially identical Home/Road splits), this is a late blooming skill? Oddly, Dunn is, in stature, essentially a slightly stronger, slightly taller, and meatier version of Bob Moore - who also bats left and throws right. For as much upside as there still might be for Mendez, I saw just as many concerns after his injuries the past two years. I just didn't see the same player who I was so excited about in early 2022. But, this is the Phillies lottery ticket in this deal and I certainly hope he takes the new scenery and change of clubs and runs with it. Bob Moore will be missed for his versatility and dependability. He had a down year in 2023 but he still absolutely had his moments and can hit gapper doubles with the best of them. I will always look back fondly at his work at shortstop in 2023 covering for the injured Eric Brown Jr. I sincerely hope he hits the ground running. I like a trade like this quite a bit. It's a 'Win-Win' for both clubs. Hopefully, it works out for both the Brewers and the Phillies. FWIW, MLB Pipeline slotted Dunn in at #23.

As per usual, the players I think they 'should' protect or will be are left mostly dangling in the breeze😅. I'll trust the Brewers process once again as they typically nail this under the current regime and oh so few players are plucked during Rule 5 as it is One thing seems almost certain every off-season: They will protect far fewer players than you'd think...apparently, even with an abundance of roster spots

I believe it's fair to say Murphy is likely better equipped to manage this team than the 2015 Padres as an interim. Hopefully, he brings back Dave Roberts as his bench coach.😎

- The contracts of C Jeferson Quero and RHP Bradley Blalock have been selected by the Milwaukee Brewers (Rule 5 Protection)

It's actually RHP Tobias Myers. He is currently a member of the Brewers org and is also up for Rule 5. In my opinion, he is 10x more likely to be protected than Seminaris given his late season output at Biloxi and Nashville. Seminaris was just as erratically inconsistent in Arizona as he was (when healthy) in Biloxi. If we are going off performance and MLB-readiness, I'd opine Myers is likely well ahead of Blalock who is still injured the last I heard. Blalock is a classic lottery ticket who has struggled to find any prolonged success (mostly due to ongoing injury woes) tho he has had bouts of success at the A-Levels. I like McKendry for protection as I think his best days are ahead of him and he's already demonstrated consistent success in the International League - that was a sneaky mid-season deal with Durham. McKendry sees himself as a pseudo right-handed version of Gasser - he's stated this in interviews on more than one occasion. A dark horse in this pitching convo, as I see it, is RHP TJ Shook who made immense strides at Biloxi in 2023 in a variety of key roles for manager Mike Guerrero. He pitched his best ball when it mattered most and he had several starts late in the year where he was utterly dominant as the Shuckers pushed for that elusive post-season bid. His best days are ahead of him. Traditionally, the Brewers (and most of MLB) don't prioritize field players beyond the blue chip guys. As mentioned above, Quero is a no brainer. Beyond that, I don't see a single player they'll likely add to the 40-Man. But, if they did, I'd have to think they'd prioritize someone like INF Cam Devanney over any you mention here. He plays a solid SS and 3B and has held up quite well at Triple-A Nashville now for over a season despite his delayed start due to injury in 2023. Zamora had a much improved (and healthy, yay!) 2023 and he improved measurably in terms of defensive consistency. Hard to tell what the Brewers at large are thinking here. I guess we'll know soon enough. Regardless, interesting calls to make and they have the open roster spots to possibly be more liberal this off-season. Given no list of eligibles is actually given in this article, I encourage readers to visit our ongoing forum thread on this topic HERE. All Rule 5 eligible Brewers are listed (the list is extensive). This discussion has been going on since July 31st.

Is this good? Asking for a friend...

You are surprised to see Myers included if you didn't see him pitch in 2023. The visual matters and the entire journey tells the tale. He worked through many things in the meat of the season. BUT, he is a workhorse. On more than one occasion, I lamented he was leading with a flat four-seamer that topped out at 95mph. By season's end, however, he had improved his entire arsenal and most notably he was dealing a high-ride high-rising four-seamer that was touching 98mph in a relief role. He was shutdown dominant in his brief late-season call-up to Triple-A Nashville out of their bullpen. Keep in mind he is still a young 25 years old. Biloxi speaking, now, by season's end it was clear Myers and Shook had evolved into the heart of the Shuckers pitching staff and the core by which they pushed for the playoffs. Anywho, we know these lists historically lean toward pitching. Seeing Myers added to the 40-Man would be entirely unsurprising to me.

ACL Championship? ✅ AFL Championship? ✅ It's a beautiful thing and a fantastic set of seasons in Arizona. Love that Yeager got an opportunity to make his mark! Here's hoping he stays healthy and can pitch a full season.

RHP Tyson Miller has signed with the Seattle Mariners. It's been quite the MLB circuit for Miller since he was traded to the Dodgers for cash considerations in early July of 2023 - Seattle will be his fourth MLB team in less than six months. Regardless, we wish him the best of luck in 2024. Here's hoping he discovers his best form.

Scottsdale led 9-0 after the first inning. Surprise will face Peoria in the Finals tomorrow.

MLB.com Callis piece on EBJ: Full article HERE

This pleases me greatly. My thoughts on Navs and how vastly underrated he is are known...I sure hope Harold can experience some prolonged availability and success. He's been dynamite, even dominant, when healthy!

- RHP Jason Woodward was activated by the ACL Brewers - RHP Kevin Briceno was activated from the 60-Day IL by the ACL Brewers - OF Duncan Garcia was activated from the 60-Day IL by the ACL Brewers - RHP Miguel Segura was activated from the 60-Day IL by the ACL Brewers - RHP Aldrin Gonzalez was activated by the ACL Brewers - LHP Wande Torres was activated by the ACL Brewers - LHP Caden Vire was activated by the ACL Brewers - RHP Daurys Mora was activated from the 60-Day IL by the DSL Brewers 1

Surprise wins again, 8-5 over Glendale, fresh off the mini AFL All-Star break. They've improved to 18-10 - unfortunately, no Clarke and no EBJ in this one. OF Hendry Mendez was back in the line-up batting ninth and scuffling to an 0-for-4 night with 2 K. RHP Justin Yeager saw ninth inning action and scuffled himself: 1 IP, 2 BB, 1 H, 1 K, 2 R. His ERA jumps back up to 6.23. Shake off the rust, gentlemen. But, hey, Surprise is now guaranteed a spot in the Championship game this weekend. Looking forward to some Brewers tasting some of that success!

Bump Gentlemen, you have not disappointed.

Indeed he has. See above. Quite the exodus! 😔

Now we begin to see the unfortunate FA turn... - RHP Tyler Herb has elected free agency - RHP Max Lazar has elected free agency - RHP Luis Contreras has elected free agency - RHP Jason Alexander has elected free agency - RHP Cam Robinson has elected free agency - LHP Karlos Morales has elected free agency - LHP Fernando Abad has elected free agency - RHP Caleb Boushley has (officially) elected free agency - C Payton Henry has elected free agency We wish these players ALL the best as they navigate the Minor League free agency waters. May they find their right fit. I hope to see some of these young men back in the fold though that is probably unlikely. - INF Jheremy Vargas has been activated by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - RHP Arielbi Gonzalez was activated from the 60-Day IL by the Carolina Mudcats - RHP Rosmel Reyes was activated from the 60-Day IL by the Carolina Mudcats - RHP Fray Morelo was activated by the Carolina Mudcats - RHP Rafael Garcia was activated by the Carolina Mudcats

Mark's fault. It's all Mark's fault! (Is this how I do it? New to this but want to get on that juicy bandwagon)

- RHP Tyler Herb has been activated by the Nashville Sounds - LHP Brandon Knarr has been activated from the 60-Day IL by the Biloxi Shuckers - RHP Harold Chirino has been activated from the 60-Day IL by the Biloxi Shuckers