Joseph Zarr

You almost got it smack dab @wiguy94: Wilken gets an immediate start (and, let's be honest, this is an immediate defensive upgrade at 3B) at the hot corner. Collins bumps to LF while Murray brings his stalwart glove to 2B. Zamora is rewarded for his fantastic defense at Birmingham while Clarke moves to the DH slot with his League-leading 24 HR on the season. Rodriguez stays in RF where his League-leading BA and speed will look to be utilized in the sixth spot of the batting order. Looking at this line up my sole concern is the ongoing output of LHP Adam Seminaris. All season long, pre and post rehab, he has been prone to a big inning. The Shuckers can't have that in this series. Hopefully, he can buckle down.

For as good as Wilken has been since his assignment, it is worth mentioning: Warren Named Southern league Player of the Week Lotttttttta worthwhile infield and offensive candidates, suddenly, on the left side of the diamond and DH spot. Great problem to have for manager Mike Guerrero.

Former 2022 T-Rats and Shuckers INF Yeison Coca has latched on to the Atlantic League's North Division first place Lancaster Barnstormers (signed April 26th, 2023) and it certainly appears he's had a high-quality season. Coca has played in 96 G with 351 AB's with a 0.308 BA and 0.783 OPS. He's also swiped 33 bags while only being caught once. He's also fielded to a 0.971 FP% with only six errors in 490 IP. Here's hoping he can continue excelling and finds his way back to affiliated ball.

HUGE: Adding all three of these players (and, don't sleep on Kahle's unassuming manner and stature - he has been huge in moments for the Shuckers in 2023) is very very large for this closeout series. EBJ and Wilken could both see a start or two here - it would be completely validated. EBJ is always a dangerous pinch-running threat. You swap in an up-trending Smith replacing two of the more struggling members of the Shuckers bullpen (a bullpen that has been pitching much better over the past 12 games)...these are pivotal adds for the playoff push. So far, though I'm sure we'll possibly learn more as the series progresses, I haven't been able to uncover any late promotions/re-assignments to the Biscuits from within the Rays organization. Interestingly, however, RHP Victor Castaneda was re-assigned to Montgomery earlier in September. He hasn't really pitched all that much whatsoever in 2023 and when he has the results haven't been all that good. Regardless, I'm sure it will be nice for his ex-teammates and ex-manager/coaches to meet up with the former Brewer.

I had a "Hey, what's OF Corey Ray up to in 2023?!?" It turns out, he's a bench coach for the Cubs' High-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. I had no idea. Congrats to Corey as he looks to get his feet wet on the coaching side of the dugout:

HUGE congrats to Stearns. What an absolute honor for him to be the POBO of the team he grew up listening to in his bedroom late at night while tossing a baseball. Just an incredible story and career trajectory for him - he has earned this opportunity in every sense of the word. He also did right by the Brewers all these years and he did us right by setting up Arnold for success and passing that proverbial baton - at face value it appears to be one of those rare 'win wins' as we certainly seem to be in very good hands. It is going to be really fascinating to see what he can do with the Mets' salary purse. Really fascinating. As always, in the small Market economy of MLB, the Brewers are going to have to continue to re-invent themselves in certain areas and fine-tune themselves in others. For now, however, I'm just thankful to be in the thick of another bevy of actual and potential playoff runs throughout the organization in mid-September. It's time to really sink in and enjoy the ongoing September pushes within the organization: Brewers lead the Division by 3.0 G with 19 G remaining The ACL Brewers won the Complex League Championship The Low-A Mudcats Game 1 of the Carolina Divisional League Playoffs is tonight - breaking a 15-year post-season drought! The Double-A Biloxi Shuckers are a mere 1.5 GB the First Place Montgomery Biscuits with a head-to-head 6-game series beginning @ Biloxi tonight. HUGE series, to say the least, and the Shuckers are 11-1 over their last 12 games - including a massive 6-0 sweep @ the Cubs' Tennessee Smokies. The High-A Timber Rattlers used a very worthy second half (including a closing 4-2 series win over the juggernaut that is the Twins' Cedar Rapids Kernels) to tie for the second-half playoff birth but lose out, ultimately, in the head-to-head series record with the Cardinals' Peoria Chiefs. They finished their second half 36-30 overall. It was a remarkable turnaround to their season and an unfortunate ending. The Nashville Sounds remain 5.5 GB of the International League second-half leading Durham Bulls (Rays - I know, shocker) with 12 games to play. They continue to remain competitive despite the loss of many key veterans throughout the off-season and in-season. They close out their season @ Charlotte (this week) and then @ Nashville vs the Marlins' Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. INF Tyler Black was just named their 'Player of the Week' with a 0.630 OBP (!!) vs the Memphis Redbirds. There is so much to be grateful for as baseball fans. There is so much to look forward to. And, we can thank David Stearns for his role in helping the organization get here.

All I want to know about that Bills/Jets debacles is one thing: WHY, oh WHY, did the Bills move so far away from RB James Cook? He was absolutely dealing. The Jets had no answer for Cook in the flats. None. He was routinely picking up 5-10 yards. It was eerily reminiscent to A-Rod meltdowns when the Packers somehow mysteriously left Aaron Jones in the dust. Eerily similar. Similar result too - albeit, A-Rod would have most likely just forced a litany of incompletions whereas Allen simply threw deep incompletions in the form of INT's.

Also, this has me all sorts of 'Ohhhh, yes please':

AND, to riff off this point: I can almost guarantee we don't see this litany of goodness with Old Man Rodgers (bless him and his legacy) at the helm. It was just, well, time.

- RHP Michele Vassalotti has been released by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers After an intriguing appearance and performance for Team Italy in the recent WBC, Vassalotti just wasn't able to sustain that momentum in the 2023 season. Said intrigue carring into the early portion of his 2023 Minor League regular season - in a brief April and then throughout May. Perplexingly, if I'm being honest, was pretty much downhill from there. He ends his time with the Brewers after 25 appearances with the T-Rats in 2023 pitching to the tune of a 6.75 ERA over 34 2/4 IP. He struck out 42 but walked 32 while conceding 35 hits - contributing to his unsightly and unsustainable 1.93 WHIP. He sadly never was able to put it all together in his 2023 season. This early release allows Vassalotti the clarity he may have needed before Minor League free agency officially begins - he was on schedule to become a free agent and now we know it will be elsewhere in 2024. The now 23-year-old Venezuelan RHP, Vassalotti first signed on with the Brewers in June of 2017 as an International Minor League Free Agent. He dutifully spent time honing his craft with the DSL Brewers, ACL Brewers, Helena Brewers, Rocky Mountain Vibes, in the Arizona Instructional League, with the Brisbane Bandits, with the Mudcats (where he transformed himself into a worthy relief pitcher with a dangerous strikeout slider), and finally with the Timber Rattlers. Though he likely won't be further fine-tuning his craft within the Brewers organization, we certainly wish him the best of luck moving forward - in his baseball and life pursuits.

Man, what a terrible blow to Rodgers and the Jets. They put all the chips into the center. And, they got what, 6 snaps? Woof. Just awful awful luck. $75 Milly guaranteed. The Lazard contract. Cobby. That defense is very very good. But, what are they going to do now? They have to try and entice a Vet no? Brutal.

That would definitely be ideal. BUT, I would be remiss if I didn't simply share: a lot of Shuckers have stepped up in the second half. The team is more than capable of winning as a group. They simply need to stick to the fundamentals. That may sound absolutely cheezy as all get out but what has won them 11 of 12 is lots of sticks stepping up at opportune moments and really good pitching and really good defense for the most part.

The first Montgomery series of 2023 began as the calendar flipped to May. It was a 3-3 series split @ Montgomery. A sign of thing to come between the two teams, the Shuckers lost their three combined games by a grand total of 3 runs. The two first place foes matched up just three weeks later and split another series, at Biloxi this time, 3-3. Just around the bend, the Shuckers traveled to Montgomery again in mid-June. After a 10-8 game 1 victory, the Shuckers saw a game 2 rain-out (part of a double-header in the same series) and the loss of any momentum, apparently. They did manage to take game 2 in a 6-0 shutout but they ultimately lost the series 4-2. In a call back to their earlier head-to-head road series, the Shuckers lost their final two games by a grand total of two runs. The Shuckers headed back to Montgomery on July 18th, a road series that set up this final homestand. The Shuckers took the series 4-2,. And, well, they lost the two games by a whopping two runs. Do you sense a theme at this point? I would casually opine: The new look Shuckers bullpen may indeed be the key to squeaking out some of these one-run losses that have haunted the Shuckers in all their previous series with the Biscuits in 2023. If they can hold serve as they've repeatedly done over the past two series (aside from one blow-up in Birmingham), the Shuckers should give themselves the opportunities they may need to squeak a couple tight ones out themselves.

We couldn't ask for a better set of circumstances to watch the final six games of the Shuckers regular season. This is a true gift to us as fans. Hopefully, the players respond with some incredible baseball and hopefully we are gifted with another set of post-season circumstances. I am still pinching myself over the two plays SS Freddy Zamora made in the 8th inning of game 5 at Birmingham to ensure the tying runs didn't cross home plate. I've been looking for that defense in key spots for over a year...and to get it at the most crucial of moments was just awesome as a fan. Just awesome.

And, in a season filled with record breaking mark for the Shuckers team they just set the franchise record mark with 40 Road Wins in a season. Incredible stuff we've seen in 2023 as the team got more comfortable and played their best ball when the season mattered most.

What's crazier to me is they went 11-1 @ Tennessee and @ Birmingham and they literally made up zero games. Heck of a tightly contested finish here with the Biscuits.

I think it is fair to say I may be watching this game a couple more times this week. Glorious. Absolutely glorious!

As we head into the make-or-break Shuckers homestand, I am officially on CF Jackson Chourio slump watch. He continues to look rushed and inconsistent in his mechanics at the plate. We know this can all change in the blink of a single game or a single AB, but it is worth mentioning: 0-for-2, 1 K so far today. Now, 3-for-25 at Birmingham in their biggest series of the year to date. 0 BB, 5 K in the series. 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 R. With the Rays' Junior Caminero just ripping a solo shot in the 7th to extend the Biscuits lead over Chattanooga 2-0, it is fair to state: the Shuckers absolutely need a better version of Chourio in their final six games. I don't think this is all that debatable. He has to be better, more composed, and find better AB's.