Joseph Zarr

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

Hard to believe we are down to ONE team this week. Let's hope we go out in style. Jacksonville is a worthy opponent.

A couple days post-Mudcats. A day post-Shuckers. Still licking those fandom wounds. Not going to lie: those close losses stung. AND, we were with you, gentlemen, every step of the way. Hold those heads high, take those much needed breaks, and then get back to it as thirsty as ever. I am grateful for the joy you've all brought to the greater fanbase this season and for future seasons. It has been an absolute pleasure to watch on a near nightly basis. Let's go out strong, Shuckers and Sounds. We will be rooting you on.

Extremely happy for RHP Tobias Myers. He has finished stronger than he started his season and threw aside a rough early summer. Like those first early starts of his season, he is sitting 96mph now and touching 98. That's just a huge deal for him and the Shuckers. He's gone 4-2 since early August and is dealing to a 2.95 ERA in three September starts spanning 18 1/3 innings. 24 K over that span for the Double-A strikeout king. I imagine we are going to see the talented RHP TJ Shook take the hill today. TJ os doing that thing he does and is back to a very hot month on the hill. I expect great things in the biggest game of his career.

That was the Sounds' Triple-A leading 9th shutout of the 2023 regular season. Heck of an achievement.

With Carolina on the road headed to Down East for game two of their divisional round, it was the Sounds and Shuckers adorning my screens. What a luxury it is to zero in on a mere two Minor League games. It was a Gasser and Rodriguez double-billing and I'm here to tell you about it. Let's get into the report! Image courtesy of Biloxi Shuckers & Mike Krebs - Carlos F Rodriguez Pictured Game Balls: 3B Brock Wilken homered again? Yes. He has two long balls in his first two Double-A games and 6 RBI. Joyous. Oh, and it was another 100 mph line drive. "This young man only drives 100, officer. So, no, he will not slow down." RHP Max Lazar gets the nod for rescuing RHP Ryan Middendorf from his extremely rough 0 IP (three singles to load the bases) outing. Lazar got the strikeout and a savvy Wilken initiated DP to end the threat: LHP Fernando Abad gets some love for shutting down any thoughts the Charlotte Knights had of a big 10th inning of their own. He cooly stepped to the hill and struck out the first batter on three consecutive off-speed pitches. It was a much needed effort for Abad. It was wonderful to witness. The 37-year-old Dominican also picked up his second save for the Sounds in the process in only his second opportunity. Hopefully, this is the version we get moving forward! LHP Robert Gasser was poked around (albeit fairly pedestrian contact) some in his final inning but other than the early long ball (only the 12th he's surrendered all season) I liked what I saw overall. His sweeper curve was straight butter throughout. He gets the nod from me as he continues to fine tune his arsenal and mature as a pitcher. It's important to note, we really shouldn't take Gasser's historic season for granted. I don't know how he flies so far below the radar (from the affiliated post-game article linked below) I mean, that's a lot of swing and miss folks. He leads the International League strikeout leaderboard by 22 punch outs. AND, he has done it in 15 fewer innings. Do not sleep on this talented young man. 2B Abraham Toro gets the nod from me if simply for his home run in the 2nd inning. With RHP Nick Castrini pounding the Sounds hitters with change-up after change-up, it was Toro who finally broke through with a smash to RF and it opened up the gates for the Sounds hitters. It was a classic case of making an adjustment in the same AB. It was lovely to witness from one of my personal favorite watches in 2023. Transactions: NONE Final: Nashville 9, Charlotte (White Sox) 6Box Score / Game Log Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Sounds Overcome Charlotte Rally, Win in Extras It was my first time seeing recently promoted (Lance Lynn trade) RHP Nick Nastrini in his third International League start for the Charlotte Knights. By my eyes, early at least, he was pitching with two primary pitches - a heater and a change-up. Meanwhile, LHP Robert Gasser got the start for the Sounds and early he was masterful with his sweeping curveball. It was really really sweeping up air. Gasser was sitting 92-93 mph but it was the off-speed and the cutter that was doing the heavy lifting. The Sounds managed to pull the game out in extras after they gave up two tying runs in the eighth inning, but with Durham having played a century of baseball with not a single loss it certainly seems as though the Sounds are playing for second place and personal pride. We will root them on, regardless. Three Quick Strikes: 1) INF Tyler Black has been putting together better and better AB's at Triple-A Nashville. He lined out very sharply to center field early and was put out by a ridiculously good full sprint shoelaces grab. It was a good sign. He drew two walks. He also singled to right field in the middle innings. Black will likely always live and die by the bat, his pitch recognition, and his speed and savvy on the base paths so it is quite refreshing to see him piece these very advanced qualities back together in Triple-A. 2) INF Patrick Dorrian managed to draw two walks and he also hit a key two-run flare single to plate two crucial runs in the tenth and final inning. It's always refreshing to see the extremely talented Dorrian rediscover success at the dish - he has vastly underrated power and line drive punch when he is dialed in. However, as much as I like the player Dorrian is, it's absolutely fair to say: he just hasn't played a very good shortstop in 2023. His error in the sixth inning absolutely can not happen given the setting and situation and I think he would admit so himself. I won't belabor the point any further but, suffice to say, it is my personal opinion he is a second baseman and third baseman first and foremost. He's also demonstrated, when needed, he can play a very solid first base in a pinch. I just haven't seen any semblance of meaningful consistency in his 22 starts at short to think he would be anything other than a 'break glass in case of emergency' shortstop at the MLB level. And, I could certainly be wrong. 3) WIth the loss of C Alex Jackson in the trade that brought the Brewers RHP Evan McKendry, we've had to look for those mammoth blasts from the catching position mostly off the bat of C Payton Henry. He has definitely laid some wood to the eight long balls he's launched in 2023. Tonight was no different. He crushed a ball over the LF wall and onto high deck. It was a key two-run blast to open an early 3-0 lead. Henry is a more than capable bat at the catching position and he's been a pleasure to watch throughout 2023. He's a solid veteran chipping his way to a MLB opportunity and I hope he gets it. Final: Montgomery (Rays) 4, Biloxi 2 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please visit and review: Shuckers Fall to Biscuits, 4-2, in Second Game of Series Shuckers Ace, RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez, gave his team all he had and for the majority of his start it was well more than enough. Ultimately, with the Shuckers bats sleeping, Rodriguez began hitting bumps in the road in the sixth and seventh innings. He did manage to toss 6 1/3 IP of 7 H, 1 BB, 6 K, 3 ER ball but he can thank RHP Shane Smith for stranding two runners at second and third base when he induced a double play liner to Ethan Murray. All three runs came in the fateful sixth frame via a two-run line drive blast over the right field wall (from old friend, OF Tristan Peters) and a run-scoring single after a wild pitch. One can't but wonder how his outing would have fared has his teammates' bats woken up. When all was said and done, the Shuckers were left knowing they now must win three of their last four games. It's a tough ask. But, it's absolutely in the cards. Three Quick Strikes: 1) Where for art thou, Mr. Chourio? In a must win series, in a series of must win series of late, the Shuckers need more from their superstar in CF Jackson Chourio. I'm going to call a spade a spade: we need the young superstar to show up and take over a game with his bat. We didn't see it in Birmingham. We haven't seen it in Biloxi. This isn't a tantrum in any way shape or form, mind you, and Chourio continues to offer plus defense throughout that center field grass. It's simply an honest observation. It is time he makes his mark at the pivotal moment of the Shuckers season. 2) One can't help but wonder what would have happened to Rodriguez's sixth inning and the remainder of his outing had RF Lamar Sparks not dropped a very catchable fly ball down the right field line. In classic scorer fashion, the drop was ruled a double. Sparks had a good get off but he took a slightly circuitous route thinking it may have traveled deeper off the sound of the bat. He quickly course corrected. He got to the ball in plenty of time. It bounced off the heel of his glove and rolled out his mitt and into foul territory. Sparks gets the mulligan - he has been phenomenal defensively in 2023. However, this led to more pitches. It led to a wild pitch. It led to the third run. 3) SS Eric Brown Jr. scored as a pinch runner in the 9th inning. Given Freddy Zamora went 0-for-4 at the dish, one has to wonder if Eric Brown Jr. isn't in store for a start come game three. It may be a stretch but I personally believe he is ready for a full game's worth of this tense atmosphere. Going one step forward, given Ernesto Martinez's 1-for-8 start to the series and quite rough September at the dish I can't help but think we'll see Zavier Warren or Wes Clarke get the chance to cover 1B tomorrow - despite all that Martinez offers as a target. Food for thought and we'll simply have to wait for the line up cards. The Mudcats will be back at it at Down East for a must win game two of their divisional round. At the time of publish, the starters have not been announced. But, if I were a betting man I would have to throw money down on RHP Patricio Aquino. He is more than deserving of the opportunity. From there, I'd fully expect RHP Jesus Rivero to be ready for meaningful innings to ensure there is a chance at game three. The chess match continues. Elsewhere, I hope to see a revitalized RHP Janson Junk in Charlotte and we are unsure of who we're seeing in Biloxi at this juncture. Given we likely won't see RHP Tobias Myers until game four (his standard six days rest). This means we are likely seeing RHP Christian Mejias. The good thing here is we know he has been much better in his two September starts. We'll leave it at that. Hopefully, we see his best! 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

Playoffs were happening in Zebulon. Playoffs were hunted in Biloxi and Nashville. Meaningful Minor League baseball in early fall is a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, the Mudcats faded in the second half of their game as they found trouble in the sixth and were never able to reclaim the lead they held through the first five innings. Meanwhile, Biloxi and Nashville both managed to pull out meaningful victories. Let's get into the report! Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic Game Balls: RHP Evan McKendry continues to shine late in his regular season (more below). In an interview with Jeff Hem recently, McKendry mentions seeing himself as an almost right-handed replica of LHP Robert Gasser. If this indeed is true, we are indeed luckier than we originally imagined. OF Jace Avina made things exciting early when he absolutely crushed a RHP Brock Porter offering off the scoreboard at Five County stadium. Have a look: RHP Logan Henderson gave his young Mudcats everything he had through 5 2/3 IP. He fell just short of an unblemished outing but ultimately succumbed with a game-tying triple before he could record a final out of the fateful sixth frame. His final line read 5 2/3 IP, 4 H (two in his final inning of work), 2 BB, 5 K, 3 ER. 3B Brock Wilken's first Double-A knock was a grand one. My oh my, what a moment in what was a fantastic debut (more below): RHP Ryan Middendorf gets the nod for saving the Shuckers victory by inducing a game-ending groundout to INF Freddy Zamora at shortstop off the bat of Minor League superstar, 3B Junior Caminero. It was an absolutely huge moment. The bases were dripping for the third consecutive inning. There were two down. He picked up his second save of the year. No out of his 2023 season was more important. Transactions: RHP Michele Vassalotti was released by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (9/11) 3B Josh Donaldson's contract was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Nashville Sounds (9/11) INF/OF Owen Miller was optioned to the Nashville Sounds from the Milwaukee Brewers (9/11) 3B Brock Wilken was assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers SS Eric Brown Jr. was assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers RHP Shane Smith was assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers from the Milwaukee Brewers OF Blake Perkins was sent on a rehab assignment to the Nashville Sounds by the Milwaukee Brewers 1B Darin Ruf was sent on a rehab assignment to the Nashville Sounds by the Milwaukee Brewers OF/1B Jesse Winker was sent on a rehab assignment to the Nashville Sounds by the Milwaukee Brewers RHP Kaleb Bowman was transferred to the Development List by the Biloxi Shuckers 2B/LF Felix Valerio was transferred to the Development List by the Biloxi Shuckers C Jason Lopez was transferred to the Development List by the Biloxi Shuckers RHP Robbie Baker was transferred to the Development List by the Biloxi Shuckers C Nick Kahle was activated from the 7-Day IL by the Biloxi Shuckers LHP Aaron Ashby was sent to Biloxi to continue his Minor League rehab work with the Biloxi Shuckers (it is reported he will be sent to Nashville next week) Final: Nashville 5, Charlotte (White Sox) 3Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Four Run Seventh Powers Sounds to Victory in Charlotte What is it like to chase a Rays affiliate in a playoff hunt? In the Sounds case, you only really find out in a head-to-head series as they win every other game. The Sounds won again and gained nothing on the first place Durham Bulls who shellacked Louisville 17-11. There are still 11 games to go so it's mathematically 'possible'. At this point, however, the realist just wants to see the Sounds finish strong. And, finish strong they are continuing to do. RHP Evan McKendry was once again quite masterful with his bevy of sinking, tailing, and moving pitches. He pitched to the tune of 6 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, and 5 ER. The two earned runs came via a soft single to RF and a sac fly to LF. Once again, not all that much was hit hard off his offerings. He picked up his twelfth win of his season and moved to 12-5. It's a shame we likely won't see McKendry or Gasser pitch in a playoff series. It is really a shame. Three Quick Strikes: 1) INF Cam Devanney played solid defense at shortstop, as per usual, and he also found success at the dish: 3-for-4, 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 RBI. That was his 25th two bagger of his season. He continues to demonstrate he will one day be worthy of an MLB call-up. He bumped his season-long BA up to 0.274 and his OPS gained a couple of points to 0.829. There are a lot of very good baseball players chipping away at their first Big League opportunity and Devanney is absolutely one of them. His RBI, to boot, was about as savvy as a reach poke bloop with a man on third base as you could ask for. It was a disgustingly beautiful piece of situational hitting on a ball he had absolutely no business making money off of. He showed he has more tricks in his evolving bat than we knew of. Thank you Mr. Devanney for continuing to reward my faith in your talents. From the affiliated post-game article above but definitely worthy of highlighting here: 2) One thing has been absolutely certain in 2022 and 2023: the Brewers personnel department and the Nashville Sounds staff know how to roll with the ongoing movement amongst Triple-A veterans (seeking contract releases and opportunities elsewhere), the implementation of talented prospects from with the system at large, and the ongoing taxiing of worthy players up and down from the MLB level. It's a true art form. And, it's a testament to everyone involved - players; coaches; and personnel professionals. Our latest batch of recently acquired talent continues to make their marks - OF's Chris Roller and Jahmai Jones, for example, each contributed mightily in a tightly played low-scoring contest in Charlotte. I don't envy the job of makeshift managing on the fly - it seems awfully challenging. But, I also don't take for granted how awfully good the Brewers organization has been at successfully doing so for two seasons now. I tip my cap. 3) Speaking of the above point, RHP J.B. Bukauskas definitely deserves an 'Honorable Mention' game ball above. His two innings of four strikeout, one hit, shutdown bullpen work secured victory. Sure he allowed an inherited runner to score but he limited any further damage in a 5-3 game. It's innings like this that make any manager proud. Fantastic stuff tonight as he picked up his sixth save of his Triple-A season. Final: Biloxi 11, Montgomery (Rays) 7Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please visit and review: Wilken's Dream Debut Leads Shuckers to 11-7 Win over Biscuits There are a bevy of highlights at the Shuckers Twitter page. Please visit their page and check them out HERE. And, as a friendly reminder, be sure to stay current with Shuckers broadcaster Javik Blake's ongoing pre-game interview series HERE. The Shuckers magic number is '3'. Three more victories versus these tough out Biscuits and the Shuckers move into the post-season to face Pensacola. No big deal. It's a best of five series from here on out. Quite the series. LHP Adam Seminaris had about as good an outing as I've seen from the young lefty in 2023. Facing a brutally tough Biscuits lineup, he nearly finished five complete innings. Pre-game, I had mentioned I was worried about the big inning he had seemed to encounter in nearly every start of 2023. Tonight, however, in the Shuckers biggest regular season game to date, he brought his best stuff. I commend him for his effort. He worked around an early 3B Junior Caminero solo shot when he discovered hanging a dead center 80 mph change up against the Rays' number one prospect isn't the best of plans: After that mistake pitch, however, he buckled down quite nicely. His only real trouble came in his final fifth inning and even then, I would argue, his final run tally should have been held to two runs. No need to delve further here - there are plenty of in game observations and shares in our Game Thread. Suffice to say, Seminaris did more than his part tonight and it was a breath of fresh air: 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 3 ER, 1 HR. Personally, I'll take that output any day of the week from the lefty. Three Quick Strikes: 1) Let's just sit back and enjoy how absolutely fast C Jeferson Quero home runs can leave his piece of lumber. His rockets to the pull side are a thing of beauty and I have grown quite accustomed to their launches in 2023. Hopefully we see more of this in the ongoing series with the Biscuits and into the playoffs, should we be so lucky. What's more? This smash greeted old Brewers farmhand (now with the Rays - RHP Javy Guerra PTBNL) RHP Victor Castaneda: 2) The Shuckers bullpen is going to have its work cut out for their collective unit versus this very playoff-ready Montgomery team. Through the sixth inning they had allowed every inherited runner to score. An early 7-1 lead (all scored in the second inning) had suddenly turned into a 9-6 lead - at the time it felt precarious. Any lead thereafter suffered the same precarious fate. The culprits tonight were RHP's Zach Vennaro (2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 3 ER), Ryan Brady (1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 K, 0 R), James Meeker (2/3 IP, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 1 HP, 0 R), and Cam Robinson (1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 2 K, 1 HR, 1 ER. To a man, not a single one of these Shuckers hurlers were sharp. Their control was off and it put them in unfavorable counts and situations. In a series like this, with the playoffs on the line, the Shuckers are really going to need to fine tune and re-discover their bullpen efforts (and their dominant defense) of their recent road series. In Tennessee and Birmingham, the Shuckers were nearly flawless all across the diamond. Tonight, they discovered how talented this Biscuits team is. Thankfully, they managed to pull out the 'W'. They'll definitely look to sharpen their tools for future outings. 3) 3B Brock Wilken, highlighted above and in a couple places, was pivotal at the dish. He was also challenged at 3B with very hard hit balls extending his range - he ultimately was incapable of corralling any of these diving attempts but the efforts were sound. It was at the plate where he really earned his keep. 3-of-4 balls he hit off the bat were launched at 102 mph or higher - including a 105 mph grand salami and a 109 mph groundout. The young man just continues to absolutely crush baseballs on a nightly basis. 1-for-4, 1 BB, 5 RBI, 1 HR. We have another stud on our hands and it is mighty mighty fun. He wasn't even credited for the 102 mph dart he ripped off the shortstop standing on the inner infield grass that ripped into and out of the webbing sending two pivotal insurance runs late. It felt an unfair tally for a very challenging play to make at that distance. Final: Down East (Rangers) 4, Carolina 3 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please visit and review: Avina Homers but Mudcats Fall 4-3 in Game 1 (Note: This Hyperlink was broken at the Mudcats website at time of publish) It was a showdown of two Low-A Aces. The Down East Wood Ducks sent uber-talented 20-year-old RHP Brock Porter to the hill while the Mudcats countered with their Ace in RHP Logan Henderson. The two teams met just nine days ago where the Mudcats managed a single run on three hits in Porter's 4 IP. And, in the first frame Henderson worked around a few base runners by getting two swing-and-miss punch outs. Meanwhile, Porter worked around a two out hit by grabbing three swing-and-miss strikeouts himself. It was a dazzling display. Henderson maintained a shutout into the sixth inning. He began the frame getting two outs via a swinging strikeout and a line out to O'Rae in CF. His luck ended there, and his outing shortly thereafter. He gave up a single and then a free pass. Those runners were scored one batter later on a triple. RHP Chase Costello then followed by giving up a go-ahead single of his own to CF. It was a tough pill to swallow in what was ultimately a very evenly matched and hard-fought game. What's an even harder pill to swallow is the upcoming MiLB.TV blackout provided to us by the Low-A set-up at the Rangers' Down East stadium. Three Quick Strikes: 1) RHP Chase Costello began scuffling over the past month and it has cost his team on numerous occasions. Tonight was no different. He allowed his inherited runner to score from third base putting his team in a 3-2 hole. He pitched a solid and scoreless seventh frame - kudos deserved. But, he is known as a multiple inning reliever. He came back out for the top of the eighth frame and just like that he gave up two doubles and his team trailed 4-3. He has now conceded runs in 6-of-10 outings since August 4th. I'm sure manager Victor Estevez may be questioning his eighth inning strategy in the Mudcats first playoff game in 15 years - hindsight is 20/20 here so I am certainly not casting an ounce of blame. It was a truly unfortunate sequence of innings in a very important game. 2) Since INF Juan Baez's promotion to Carolina, we have been seeing less and less of Luke Adams. It's understandable, honestly - Adams has been in a struggle at the dish in the latter part of his season and there is plenty of talent deserving of opportunities across the Mudcats roster. Thankfully, Baez really showed out tonight - in the field and at the dish - and it gave me even greater hope about his future outlook as a Brewers prospect. He made a couple very nice charging scoops and accurate darts to 1B Jesus Chirinos (who had a fantastic defensive game himself). I've been waiting to see this from Baez and he absolutely delivered tonight. It was quite refreshing in such a high stakes game. He also showed off some of his refined opposite field power: Even in an unfortunate loss, there are always things to look forward to regardless of how this series shakes out. Baez and his 2024 season in affiliated ball is indeed one of these things. 3) INF Jadher Areinamo and 2B/CF Dylan O'Rae are crucial cogs in the Mudcats offensive wheel. When these two talented young men go a combined 0-for-8, 2 K, 0 BB (a rare occurrence) in the one and two spot in the batting order it challenges the entire lineup. INF Gregory Barrios found success (2-for-4) batting eighth in the order but he was followed by Nicasia's 0-for-3, 2K before the lineup flipped to Areinamo and O'Rae. If the Mudcats look to anything in their challenged offensive output, outside their woeful 0-for-7 with RISP, they will likely look at the lack of production from the very bottom and top of their orders. Does this merit adjustments? Maybe. Or, maybe they simply need another game and more opportunities - likely the latter here. Big games throughout for our final three affiliates left standing. The Mudcats will be taking a travel day as they travel to Down East for their Divisional Game Two on Thursday. So, tomorrow evening we'll be watching the Sounds and Shuckers as they play game two of their six-game series. I am feeling quite lucky myself as LHP Robert Gasser and RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez are the scheduled starters. I am hoping for big things. 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

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.

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.

A lot of really good baseball players struggle to get those call-ups or consistent PT at the MLB level and spend years battling it out at the Triple-A level. It is such an arduous journey. C Jakson Reetz was a big part of my 2022 'Hype Train' with his incredible season for the Shuckers in 2022. He got the late call-up to Nashville but was deep down the catcher depth chart. He played in the Kansas City system since August of 2022, elected Free Agency at the end of that season and then signed back with Kansas City. He was released in mid-June of this summer (as we know, this is often contractually given as an option to the Minor Leaguers or an agreement with the team so a player can land in a better spot - ie OF David Dahl last season by every observable measure or INF Eddy Alvarez this year) when he latched on with San Francisco's Sacramento Triple-A affiliate. He's had another solid season at the dish with a 0.901 OPS and 17 HR knocks in just 248 combined AB's. I continue to wish him nothing but the best.

Seeing all these 2022 Sounds having fantastic seasons in the MLB and MiLB levels has me all kinds of nostalgic for that team and that season. Here's a clip of INF/OF Utility man extraordinaire, Weston Wilson, setting the Lehigh Valley season HR record at Buffalo. Wilson is indeed a big reason LV is tied with Durham atop the International League leaderboard pushing for a coveted three-game match-up with with the first half champion Norfolk Tides.

I really don't know. Given his age, I hope it's a classic concentration issue. If it's depth perception that's obviously a whole other topic. I can't speak to it as an expert as I'm not in the clubhouse or on the practice field. All I know is even prior to these past two drops, he's had drops issues since Carolina. I certainly don't think it's a case of the 'y***' but it happens enough for my viewing to be 'concerned'. He has a solid arm from out there but the glove just has not been clean stateside. That's really all I can say at this juncture - with the obvious addendum he is only 19 years of age and all of these players go through ups-and-downs in their trials and travails as professional players. But, defense is enough of a concern for me at present where in my eyes he is playing himself into a strict RF'er; he has really struggled in LF; and his bat hasn't evolved enough (when healthy, obviously) in 2023 to warrant just tossing it to the wayside. Loads of talent. Still young. Struggling to put it together. BUT, really, he hasn't played enough baseball. It will be very interesting if he spends time in the AFL. AND, how he performs defensively if he is sent down to the SW. As with all the young guys, I will keep rooting for their development success.

OK. It's now to the point where we need to acknowledge: OF Hendry Mendez has a basic catching the ball issue in the outfield grass. He can't be dropping these routine pop flies like he is doing and expect to keep getting regular playing time. He hung his team out to dry in Ashby's start with a two-base routine drop and error in the fateful first inning. He nearly cost his team the game on Saturday by allowing the run to score from 2nd base on another extremely routine pop fly to right CF. He has to catch these balls or he is going to ultimately find himself in the doghouse. You can have all the talent in the world (and, Mendez has loads of talent in that baseball frame) but consistent routine mistakes are going to see you plummet down the depth charts. 3 errors in LF in just 11 GS is an ugly line for an outfielder - 0.842 FP% (yikes) 5 errors in RF in 44 GS - 0.932 FP% Defense is, unfortunately, a very real issue here.

Two-Year runing double oddities in the Brewers Minor Leagues at present: RHP Alexander Cornielle will get shutdown hot at the tail end of the season. 1B Jesus Chirinos will get scorching hot right around his late July birthday and it will carry through the end of the season.

You win 10 straight and you only gain a game. And then you lose that game by losing your first game in 11?! Yes. That's the nature of the Southern League second half pennant chase. Montgomery is going to be a handful and then some for that final home stand. The Shuckers likely need to take these last two just to stay 1.5 GB and hope they can gain a game back. The Biscuits are rising up at the end of the season and, it's hard to believe, are playing even more winning baseball (at present) than the Shuckers. It's hard to fathom how good this homestretch has been between the two teams. The bullpen, unfortunately, was due for an unfortunate 'meltdown' given their torrid output over that same 10 game win streak. The question I have, over these final 8 games, is: When are we going to see CF Jackson Chourio assert himself? He has been awfullllllly quiet offensively in Birmingham. His team needs him to be the superstar he is if they are to grab this playoff birth. Let's hope he can rekindle some heat in that bat to help the Shuckers get to the podium.

- RHP Jeison Pena has been activated by the Carolina Mudcats - RHP Blake Whiting was placed on the 7-Day IL by the Carolina Mudcats