Joseph Zarr

Wiemer just stole a three-run HR back from Jacksonville saving Rodriguez's bottom line in the process. Conine is credited with a sac fly instead. It was a hanger. Rodriguez then gets out of the man on first two out scenario with a swinging K on his patented change-up. A 74 mph breaker on the outer part of the zone.

We are whittled down to one affiliate and, well, I don't quite know how to approach this. Watch just one game? Yowza. You Brewers fans have it easy peazy pumpkin squeezy (as I would say to my 5-year-old daughter). None the less, Chourio was the headliner. Mitchell is rehabbing. AND, this game still ended up all about one of my favorite Brewers catching gems, Brian Navarreto. It was a heck of an entertaining series opener. Let's get into this late-season shortened report! Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic Transactions: INF/OF Keston Hiura was placed on the Nashville Sounds 7-day injured list OF Greg Allen was released by the Nashville Sounds LHP Luis Amaya was released by the Biloxi Shuckers C Jason Lopez was released by the Biloxi Shuckers RHP Robbie Baker was released by the Biloxi Shuckers CF Jackson Chourio was assigned to the Nashville Sounds RHP James Meeker was assigned to the Nashville Sounds RHP Tobias Myers was assigned to the Nashville Sounds RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez was assigned to the Nashville Sounds RHP Zach Vennarro was released by the Biloxi Shuckers AND, to stay very very current back to Sunday (9/17) please visit our ongoing Transactions Mega-Thread HERE The releases never hit easy for me. I watch these men play on a routine basis and I respect their commitment and hard-work immeasurably. I wish each and every one of these players the absolute best as they hit the uncertainty of the upcoming Minor League Free Agency period. Nashville 5, Jacksonville (Marlins) 4 Box Score/Game Log Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Sounds Walk Off Jumbo Shrimp in Series Opener With the Durham Bulls winning again tonight, the Sounds have officially been told to cease any and all thoughts of an improbable second half playoff birth. So it goes. The Sounds gave it a great run but, really, Durham was the better team in the end and the 5-1 head-to-head series victory for the Bulls against the Sounds in the past month attests to this. Without further ado, it's all fun and games from here on out. And, after a snooze-worthy clunker through the first 5 frames, the Sounds sure as heck made it a fun one in the later innings. RHP Janson Junk was being attacked early in counts for many a cheap hit - really, not a lot was hit hard for knocks. And, what was hit hard was hit right at someone. He sprinkled around nine hits and a free pass in his six innings of work - his 31 pitch, two run, second frame was the by-product of many a seeing eye squeaker. He never caved to the big inning even though he had men on base quite a bit. Kudos to him. It was a worthy Triple-A effort. Many a Shuckers call-up are getting their first tastes. Oh, and one of those just happens to be our crowned prospect jewel in CF Jackson Chourio (DH in his debut). After a ground out to third base and a deep fly out to left center field, the young superstar managed to rip an opposite field double standing up on an outside heater: But, really, this game was about C Brian Navarreto. We've been having some peripheral discourse in our Minor League Forum HERE (feel free to visit and chime in). I wrote about Brian wayyyyyy back in March of 2023 HERE. Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth frame and with the only real thing to show for it being several very hard hit outs (including a 111 mph EV line out by still offensively struggling OF Joey Wiemer), Navarreto broke it open: It's like that. My faith in Navarreto knows no bounds. I will continue to pound the pavement for his opportunity. After a 2B Abraham Toro (he extended his on base streak to 34 games with a final AB walk - how many on base streaks does Toro have this season in Nashville? My goodness he is having a year) sac fly brought 3B Tyler Black home (triple to the left field wall) in the bottom of the seventh, it was up to LHP's Ethan Small and Clayton Andrews to protect that tight margin. Small did his work - touching 95 mph routinely in the process which turned my head - and Andrews had a lead-off walk on the bags with two down looking to find that final out. Well, the Shrimp's Austin Allen had other plans. Having scorched the hardest hit Shrimp balls all night but for outs, he finally got his revenge on a mistake slider from Andrews: After this bomb, Andrews hit 97 mph on consecutive heaters - that was a thing. Can he keep this into 2024, please?!? He ended the inning shortly thereafter without further damage. And, it was on to the bottom of the ninth where the Sounds got their 13th walk-off their 2023 season. And, it was the second in a row for, you guessed it, C Brian Navarreto: A truly fantastic game one of the Sounds last series of their 2023 season. Let's hope we get five more of these - well, maybe not the walk-offs. Tomorrow evening will officially be my final Minor League report of the 2023 season. It's been a fantastic season and a fun ride. Thank you to the players, the coaching staffs, and the organization for all they do for us Brewer Fanatics. I remain grateful to watch this team - organization wide. As always, thanks for reading and thanks for supporting Brewers Minor League baseball. Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View full article

Very good question. I absolutely think it's fair to ponder whether they'll take similar paths. Maldonado was on the golden path as a defensive stalwart - if I recall correctly he got his first action at age 25. Navs has also dipped his toes at the MLB level but just hasn't had the staying power. But, with age comes experience and with that (in his case) comes refinement. With the Sounds, we're talking about a clutch bat with a 99.5 ish FP% who throws out 33% of base runners. He's not going to hurt you. And the fact he can hit clutch is so key because he certainly doesn't hit consistently. That's his only flaw as I've seen it for the past two years.

I mean, can I get a witness: It's almost like I watch a full season of Minor League Brewers baseball. I guess this past month answered my own curiosities above. (Quote above from Part 4 HERE)

I think the greatest thing about having Navarreto and Henry is it is just a great depth 'problem' to have. Both young men are fantastic Triple-A players. Both young men deserve an opportunity to back-up at the MLB level. AND, if the Brewers re-sign Caritini? Well, good for the Brewers and we will see what happens with Henry this off-season. The Brewers continue to value catching quality and depth and it matters. C Brian Navarreto now owns the last two Sounds walk-offs. He hit the game-tying 2-run HR tonight. He hit the game-winning walk-off two-run double down the 3B line (which, well, they'll score a single cuz walk-offs and all). As much as I love Henry's bat and disciplined approach at the dish and he is more than a competent back-stop, I remain incapable of shaking my passion for Navarreto's game. He just does so much on a consistent basis despite his short-comings at the dish in terms of consistently finding production. He is clutch. That means something to me. He is also, arguably, the best defensive catcher (in terms of MLB-readiness) in the system. I go back to the fact the Sounds started Navarreto just last year in their championship game in Vegas. It caught most fans by surprise. Absolutely not me. He is vastly underrated (still) and I wrote just so back in March before the season began in my quick series on Overlooked and Underappreciated prospects. He also threw out another base runner tonight and consistently sits 32-35% in that arena. He has, at various points during the past two seasons, led the International League in CS%. As to Black, his positional mystery remains, well, a mystery. He just isn't a plus defensively anywhere. You can try him in places and he won't kill you but he'll rarely win you any innings there let alone games. The good plays come as a surprise (though they are made and he has 'improved' in 2023). BUT, the thing with Black is he is just so good on the basepaths and in the batters box that this almost just doesn't matter. This is a player who can easily, and I do mean easily, carve out a starting role in a number of ways. DH, first and foremost is the obvious in any game. He can steal a base any time he is on base. He can steal a base any time the ball hits the outfield grass. Then, he can simply rotate around as a fill-in in other areas. As @Smichaelis9says above: It's really just this. He's going to be up at some point (if not the beginning) of 2024 due to his offensive arsenal. I don't really think this is debatable. As he is now getting his feet under him in Nashville he is impacting the game in various ways. We'll see how he improves in the off-season. Not the perfect prospect by any means given the stiffness and inability to thrive defensively but it won't matter over the breadth of how he impacts baseball games. This isn't a situation where it's a qb handling every ball that leaves the batters box. We can live and die with the inevitable shortcomings. Devanney has quietly had a very solid season. Admittedly, before the season began and he was shelved for a month with injury, I was expecting more. BUT, the improvements Devanney made at the dish this season were discernible. He's more patient. He is hitting in a way that will help him play at the MLB level. He had a ridiculous poke single for an RBI in the past few weeks that was a style of hit we wouldn't have seen from Devanney before 2023. Like others have opined here, I think his best position is 3B but he is still a very good SS he just lacks the true range of an elite SS. His arm remains an absolute rifle shot. His glove is good. The confidence is absolutely there. He deserves an opportunity at some point down the road in the next couple of seasons. I firmly believe this. Like Monasterio (who I also highlighted in March), Devanney could hit the ground running and surprise a whole heck of a lot of the fanbase because they don't watch these guys. AND, the final addendum to all of this rambling @reillymcshaneis: ALL of these Triple-A players deserve at least ONE opportunity. They've earned it. They've paid their dues. My prayer for these players is they grab that first chance they get and run with it. When that fails, my next prayer is they receive another opportunity because they've earned it again. And so on down the line. I will never stop believing in these players - their talents; their work ethics; and their abilities to defy the odds. Every one you list above is capable of meeting the moment. We'll just have to wait and see if we are blessed to see it happen in a Brewers uniform.

Confirmed tonight in the Nashville broadcast. Rodriguez will be up with the Sounds tomorrow. FWIW.

With Durham winning tonight, Durham has eliminated the Sounds from playoff contention. Lehigh Valley won, however, and remain 2.0 GB. It's a 5 G race between Lehigh Valley and Durham who remain in the Driver's Seat. Those two losses closing out the Charlotte series obviously sting. BUT, it was the last 5-1 series loss to the same Bulls that cost the Sounds any realistic chance.

Beautiful clutch rip down the 3B line drives in 2. That's a 4 RBI game for the underrated, underappreciated, undereverything catcher. That's two walk-offs off his bat of late. Who, cough, also caught a base stealer on the evening. Muh MAN!

HE DOES IT AGAIN!~!!!!!!! MY MAN!!!!! Goodness I love that man.

Roller has taken the count full. Roller K's swinging. Dorrian takes 2nd. Winning run is now in scoring position. Navarreto is up to try and win this. Whewwwwwwww. The Sounds have a dozen walk-offs in 2023 and Navs has the most recent one. Let's go, big fella!

Toro walks and extends to 34 games. Dorrian rips a 105 mph liner to RF. We have Sounds on the corners and one down.

Black flies out to the LF warning track. Toro is up to try and extend his 33 game on base streak.

Letting out some frustration off that mistake pitch, Andrews touched 97 mph on his heater. You don't see that all that often. He gets the final out on a fly out to Wiemer in RF. Man. Tough one there. AND, that ball was absolutely crushed.

Andrews follows the K with a gorgeous piece of fielding from the pitcher's mound. Weak dribbler to the 3B side. He read it instantly. Pounced off the mound. Scooted and turned and ripped to 1B. With two down he hung a slider to Austin Allen who had ripped several balls for outs tonight and it is ripped 428 feet over the wall in RF. It's now 4-3 Shrimp. Ugh.

Andrews missed a 3-2 inside heater by an inch on the ABS screen. He does not miss on the next 3-2 pitch - a gorgeous change-up that tailed to the low part of the zone. One down. Man on first. 3-2 Sounds. Top of the 9th.

Wiemer did hit a hard 111 mph rope to LF for an out earlier. He is now 0-for-4 carrying over his AB work from Milwaukee gloriously into his stint with the Sounds after hitting a chopper to the 1B side. He strands two in the 8th. And we're into the big money inning. I believe we'll see LHP Clayton Andrews who was warming up in the 8th.

Chourio oppo line drive double. Into 2nd standing up. That was his first Triple-A hit.

Small pitches a clean 8th working around another weak dribbler Black couldn't barehand (don't know if there was a play regardless) getting a K swinging on a change-up in the dirt. On to the bottom half and the Sounds lead 3-2.

AND, just like that AGAIN this time with Black at 3B and Toro to the dish the Sounds feed goes zero dark and Dorrian is now to the plate leading 3-2. What the hyeck is going on with their live feed tonight. Yuck-a-roo!

Lead-off triple for Tyler Black. Well hit liner to the LF wall.

Thompson is now full not getting the chase on a high heater. BUT he pitched his absolute best pitch of his 31 pitch inning with a gorgeous sweeping slider that touches the bottom of the zone. Noice, Darrell! Real noice. Bottom of the 7th we go and it is still 2-2.

Thompson has walked two after that unfortunate flare single to open the inning. Bases juiced. Two down.

Trivia Time: CF Jackson Chourio is the youngest Sound since 3B Aramis Ramirez played for the Sounds back in 1998 as a 19 yo.