Joseph Zarr

The first such honor of his career. And, rightfully so. Given he was so lights out at the dish I found his spot PT in the deciding Biscuits series fairly questionable. He was on a heater and I personally felt he needed AB's every day until he cooled off. Hindsight ye ol 20/20 and all.

Just came here to post this but my man alllllll the way overseas beat me to it - because, well, he's 'the man'. I found this part uber-relatable being a super dork and dad joke connoisseur myself: Love Boz. Storybook ending to an otherwise challenged Triple-A season. I'll be rooting for him wherever he lands in 2024.

Surprise loses (3-4) to the undefeated Javelinas (6-0 - what is this the Dodgers DSL?!?) to a 5-3 score. Clarke ended up 1-for-4 with the HR (his 3rd). EBJ went 0-for-3 with a BB and a K while being picked off 1B. RHP Shane Smith tossed yet another scoreless inning of work - 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K (this is almost to be expected at this point). It's only a 7 game sample size but the Saguaros can''t be all too thrilled with the production they are getting from the Rangers' Cameron Cauley and EBJ at SS and 2B.

I mean: (I really like his teammate Mannell too - nice deceptive two-seamer)

Yeah, I've been loosely tracking. Ridiculous Spin numbers here. When your evolving fastball is your third lowest spin pitch at 2734 RPM...that is a very very good sign. When hitters don't know what it is and can't touch it also mucho bueno 😂

And, remember, we have a running Arizona Fall League thread in our Minor League Forum. Stop in early and often as we give game-by-game results and recaps and other highlights and tidbits as they come along. If you couldn't write a story like this, maybe you'll feel more comfortable there.🤭

"Think you could write a story like this?" I always feel like I am getting smack talked after reading these. Let's go!

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.