Joseph Zarr

Re: Josh Adamczewski, SS Lake Central HS From the NWI Times (Indiana) (PS: Highly recommend reading this article. Very in-depth look at the player) 35 BB in 2023 - 0.632 OBP 😁

This is hilarious:

- RHP Samuel Dario was activated by the ACL Brewers off their 7-Day IL

When I see four victories in a row to start this week for our DSL Cerveceros, I am brought back to my sojourns in the Dominican. In certain Domincan locales, there is a commonly used colloquialism: "Al que madruga Dios lo ayuda.". In English, we all know this in a different phrasing: "The early bird gets the worm." It appears the baseball gods have indeed shifted their early helping hands to aid our DSL brethren as they've broken free from the losing woes of the past couple weeks. Four straight DSL victories is how we keep our spirits high during a prolonged All-Star break. Let's get into the report! Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic Spotlight: We've seen many box score highlights throughout the ACL season from the breakout season of INF Juan Baez. And, now, we are afforded the chance to see his form in the batters box via our good friends at the Brewers Player Development twitter team: I agree @Jake McKibbin: that swing looks very smooth - easy, relaxed, and repeatable. Quite the leg lift to boot. Transactions: NONE Final: DSL Brewers Uno 3, DSL Guardians Blue 0 Box Score / Game Log Outhit 4-to-2, the DSL Uno still managed a 3-0 shutout. Glorious. The big hit for the Crew came in the bottom of the second inning: a bases loaded two out three-run double off the bat of OF Pedro Tovar. Actually, both hits came in that frame. Four walks came the young Crew's way in the remaining seven frames but nothing came of it. This game was about the combined shutout between 17-year-old Nicaraguan RHP Enniel Cortez and 19-year-old Dominican RHP Jesael Cabrera. Cortez continues to excel in his first year as a member of the Brewers and, it is quite clear to me, he is currently pitching beyond his age. In his fifth start of the summer, Cortez managed to hurl 5 IP of 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 0 R ball. His K:BB ratio has now elevated to 30:4 in 25 2/3 IP. Man, that's eye-opening for a 17-year-old. Hitters are managing a 0.213 BAA and he is sporting a 0.94 WHIP. He moved to 3-0 on his season. RHP Jesael Cabrera was not to be outdone: 4 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K. He picked up his first save of 2023 in the process. In his second season with the Brewers, Cabrera has definitely made improvements despite a similar ERA as 2022 (4.19-to-4.15). However, he is seeing batters hit a mere 0.200 BAA and he has lowered his WHIP in 2023 to a very workably 0.98. These are good signs for the young hurler as he looks to keep making strides toward a potential stateside ACL promotion in 2024. With the victory, the DSL Brewers #1 moved to 15-11 - 7 1/2 games back the first place DSL Dodgers Bautista (23-4). Final: DSL Brewers Dos 5, DSL Phillies Red 2 Box Score / Game Log The DSL Brewers Dos lost a precarious 1-0 lead in the bottom of the eighth frame when the Phillies Rojo tied it up 1-1 on the backs of three consecutive singles. Kudos to 17-year-old Venezuelan RHP Luis Guevara for escaping the jam (3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 K, BS, W - 2-0 / 9.82 ERA / 2.00 WHIP). After conceding the tying single up the middle, and a scored error on CF Ramon Moreno advancing runners to second and third, Guevara managed to work around a HBP (loading the bases) by striking out the final two Phillies. Close call! In the top of the ninth inning, the Brewers Dos pounced early with an INF Filippo Di Turri single (2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R - 0.354 BA / 0.864 OPS) and a Phillies throwing error allowing C Eric Martinez to advance to 2B and Di Turri to 3B. DH Pedro Ibarguen flew out but CF Ramon Moreno then walked to load the bags and 3B Luis Lameda cleared them all with a triple. It was just Lameda's second XBH of 2023 and definitely his biggest - hopefully this kick starts a run as he is clearly disciplined at the dish sporting a very healthy 11:11 K:BB ratio. Mr. OPS, OF Christopher Vazquez (1.210 OPS in 34 PA's), followed Lameda with a run-scoring double himself. Leading 5-1 at that point, the Crew #2 held on to win 5-2. INF Demetrio Nadal didn't repeat yesterday's heroics but he still grabbed a free pass in an 0-for-3 outing and managed to successfully swipe his 12th stolen base (12-for-12 in 2023). Finally, let's acknowledge the ongoing fine work of 18-year-old Venezuelan Jesus Flores. Starting his fifth contest for the DSL Brewers Dos today, he was unable to improve his 0-4 record despite his stellar 6 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 2 K work. Clearly that record absolutely does not tell the tale of his season: 20 1/3 IP, 13 H, 8 BB, 15 K, 1 HB, 1 HR, 0.183 BAA, 1.03 WHIP. Is there more strikeout stuff in his young toolkit? We'll have to stay tuned as he works his way through the lower levels. The Brewers #2 moved to 11-15 - four games back their compadres on the Brewers Uno and 11 1/2 game back the juggernaut that is the first place DSL Dodgers Bautista. As Jim alluded to Monday, the Brewers are entirely off tomorrow. Click the link and check Thursday's schedule - both DSL teams will be back at it and our ACL squad will be taking on the formidable 19-8 ACL Rockies. Thanks for checking in during the All-Star break and, as always, thanks for supporting Brewers Minor League baseball. Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scoresCurrent Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and DepthCurrent Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View full article

This is the way. Be ready to shine in those Minor League reports, Craig!

This appears to be shaping up as a very intriguing draft. That's fun!

One of the things that currently makes O'Rae even more appealing is he's actually 17-for-17 in SB. He stole his 17th base last night and he is yet to be caught. This definitely plays when you see how quickly he exits the batters box - he obviously has that get-off speed: He also appears to have added some off-season muscle mass. I can't help but dream on him adding some gap power in the next few years.

INFAbraham Toro is getting reps at 1B because in the cornucopia of non-1B options at Nashville (which now extends to Milwaukee as well as we know - I can't help but think Big Jon could've gotten another opportunity with the Big Club), he is actually quite smooth and competent. He's made several tricky plays look smooth and natural. Despite his size, he's been quite good for Sweetie and his staff.

Really nice to see the DSL pitching staffs have a stalwart performance after some double digit affairs in the past couple of weeks.

More below concerning the Sounds tilt, but, suffice it to say: I don't know if I've ever seen a stranger ending in all my baseball watching days. It had it all and then some in the strangest of ways. Elsewhere, the Shuckers lost a close one. The T-Rats pulled away for a laugher with some epic offensive performances. The Mudcats rallied to tie it in the middle innings but fell late. It was an all evening affair across the board and the ACL Crew even faced the DSL/ACL arch nemesis Dodgers. Let's get into the report! Image courtesy of Biloxi Shuckers Game Balls: OF Tyrone Taylor gets much-deserved recognition for his torrid start in his Nashville rehab assignment. He hit a long ball last night. He got things going tonight with a two-run shot in the first frame. A 2-for-4, 1 BB, 1 R, 4 RBI, 1 HR final line has him with 6 RBI in his two games so far. INF Keston Hiura gets a nod for his 0-2 count game-tying super bloop into shallow right field. He fought off several challenging pitches to keep the AB alive. But, it didn't stop there. Hiura showcased his continued hot bat throughout: 3-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, and 1 HR. C/LF/1B Alex Hall is now the frontrunner for offensive performance of the year: 4-for-5, 2 HR, 2 2B, 3 R, 9 RBI, 1 K. Just yowza. Give me some of that hot sauce! 1B Ernesto Martinez Jr. grabs back-to-back nods here. He extended his hit streak to 11 games with his third multi-hit outing in a row. His July batting average before tonight's 3-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 2B, 1 BB outing was sitting at 0.400 with an 1.038 OPS. This is an unreal development and I am absolutely here as a willing witness. Purportedly, Martinez consistently demonstrates the best exit velo on the squad - Mehring is on record stating he has been clocked at 117 mph on more than one occasion. With swings and hits like these you can see why: INF Dylan O'Rae continues his steady hand atop the batting order for the ACL Crew. A 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB evening saw him swipe his 16th base total with not a single caught stealing to spoil his mark. I continue to be very intrigued by what he may bring to the Carolina line-up and I sincerely I hope I am afforded that opportunity at some point in this second half of Low-A baseball Honorable Mention: INF Jonatan Guzman (ACL Crew) 3-for-3, 1 HR, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R Transactions: LHP Clayton Andrews was optioned to the Nashville Sounds by the Milwaukee Brewers RHP J.B. Bukauskas was optioned to the Nashville Sounds by the Milwaukee Brewers RHP Tyson Miller was recalled by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Nashville Sounds RHP J.C. Mejía had his contract selected by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Nashville Sounds LHP Thomas Pannone, who was DFA'd this past weekend, was released INF Jose Caballero was placed on the ACL Brewers 7-Day IL C Payton Henry was activated by the Nashville Sounds (related to the recent suspension) RHP Pedro Fernandez was activated (officially) from the 7-Day IL LHP Nick Bennett was assigned to the Nashville Sounds from the Biloxi Shuckers Final: Nashville 15, Columbus (Guardians) 14 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Sounds Walk-Off, Take Unbelievable 15-14 Win Over Columbus Just remember: you will never see it all in any baseball game. Ever. But, man oh man, does every baseball game have the propensity to show you something new. How about this for a walk-off? I'm not going to lie, we saw very similar baseball happenings at the Timber Rattlers' Fox Cities Stadium on this very same night! Take a look: Anywho... 1) It was a 9-3 game headed into the top of the eighth inning. And, boy oh boy, that all changed one hit after the next after the next after the next...after the next. Several of these knocks were of the 'seeing eye' variety. It was 10-9 Columbus after another liner made it into the center field grass. This rally all started with LHP Alex Claudio and his many low-speed hangers. All too many pitches swooped dead center into the zone - it was that kind of night. His final line will read 0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER and I have to say these were definitely earned. RHP Trevor Megill seemed the recipient of some fairly bad luck when it was all said and done though he certainly also gave up his share of decent contact. With a pitching staff stretched to its limits with recent call-ups and overworked arms, it was sink-or-swim no matter what. The Clippers showed they are a team you can't take lightly at any moment of any game. They came into tonight's tilt tied with the Sounds at 5-2 in the second half and this rally absolutely showed they can score in bunches. 2) RHP Abner Uribe was first on in relief of RHP Jason Alexander after Alexander walked his second man aboard in the top of the sixth inning. It was a high-leverage spot for Uribe so it was a good test for the young fireballer - a 6-2 lead with two men on and nobody down. He rose to the challenge: pop up to shallow right field; full count K looking on the lower outer corner; and an 0-2 groundout to Toro at third base. These are the types of situations we need to see Uribe thrown into. Consider it a success. 3) INF Cam Devanney thankfully lined a single to RF in the sixth inning. He had a HR robbed by a fantastic play in the fourth frame and he was then robbed of an infield single on a wonderful running stab and two hop throw to 1B. I've been saying it all season long, but the box score so often does not tell the full story. Devanney continues to swing a hot bat even if the results didn't fully demonstrate this truth. Final: Pensacola (Marlins) 3, Biloxi 1 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes (* NOTE: As of publish, the Shuckers Game Notes were not updated to reflect Game 2 information)Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please visit and review: Shuckers Fall in Pitcher's Duel to Pensacola No INF Tyler Black. OF Jackson Chourio given the day off. It was up to their Shuckers stablemates. And, they unfortunately weren't up to the task. RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez started very hot retiring the first six batters faced over two innings with two K's tossed in for good measure. Ultimately, he was highly effective going 5 IP of 3 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 1 HR, 4 K - a very friendly outing for your ball club. Rodriguez continues to do more than enough on the mound but the now 4-3 record feels quite unfair. And, such is the game of baseball. We know the deeper layers here. Stay the course, young man. Three Quick Strikes: 1) I hate to say it, but the failed execution with the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the second gave me thoughts of "Well, if that isn't about as Brewers as it gets!" ? It was a classic case of failed situational execution. We all know baseball is a very hard game. However, someone has to knock a single run in given the situation. That is not what happened, however. OF Carlos D. Rodriguez flew out to the left field foul territory (not deep enough to tag), OF Lamar Sparks struck out swinging, and INF Isaac Collins flew out to deep center field. It was a bevy of wrong ingredients and the platter was served ice cold. That was the best opportunity the Shuckers had all game. 2) RHP Ryan Brady came on for his inaugural action in Double-A. He was greeted by two errors (one apiece) from 1B Zavier Warren and C Jeferson Quero allowing his lead-off batter to reach second base. It goes without saying, but that's an extremely tough pill to swallow for a young man in his first Southern League action. Brady then threw a wild pitch advancing the runner to 3B and an ensuing single scored that runner. Thankfully, his defense came back to help him get out of the inning with a fly out double play to second base from the hand and arm of none other than CF Lamar Sparks. It was an up-and-down debut for the UDFA out of BYU: 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 ER. 3) Four hits total. Seven walks taken, however. 1-for-10 with RISP and 10 men left on base. That's your ball game right there. There's really not much else to say. The Shuckers lacked the ability to take advantage of situations throughout - the bases loaded flop was the sign of things to come. Final: Wisconsin 14, Beloit (Marlins) 5 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the T-Rats' site, game details, please visit and review: Hall Drives in Nine for Wisconsin in 14-5 Win It was a little shaky early for RHP Stiven Cruz as he surrendered two long balls and three runs to open tonight's tilt. Kudos to Cruz, however: outings like this ran away from him in the first half. He buckled down from there and gave manager Joe Ayrault five more strong innings. You love to see it. Adversity faced and tossed to the wayside. His final line reads 6 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 ER, 3 K, 2 HR. If you toss out that first frame you really have something there. Despite his elevated season-long ERA, Cruz is definitely trending up. Spoil yourselves with some Timber Rattlers home cooking: Postgame Podcast: Full Game Highlights: 1) I said it on more than one occasion in the first half: with injuries and unlikely promotions coming down the pipeline, the T-Rats needed to rise up from within. And, boy, have they ever. C/DH Darrien Miller is bouncing back from a rough Quad Cities series. OF Joe Gray Jr. continues to lead the team - in the dugout and with on-field production. Now, we have a record-setting night from Australian Winter League masher Alex Hall? 1B Ernesto Martinez is in the midst of a double digit hitting streak? If we continue to pair this sudden offensive production with a resurgence in the starting pitching staff, we absolutely have a team who could surprise in the second half. 2) That's switch-hitting, Milwaukee Brewers legend, Alex Hall. And, regardless of his first half struggles, the swing always looks pure. As our beloved Chris Mehring exclaims: "Welcome to Slam Town, Mate!"?: 3) The Box Score is filled with intrigue so I won't belabor any further statistical prowess. However, I do want to add a little observational morsel: OF Hendry Mendez looks as though he has returned to High-A in peak physical condition. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he certainly didn't miss any leg lift days while on the mend. He looks thicker in his lower half. It may take some time to round into form, but, I will be entirely unsurprised if he goes on an XBH tear at some point in the second half. Remember, you heard it here first. Final: Fayetteville (Astros) 7, Carolina 5 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please visit and review: Avina Homers in 7-5 Loss to Fayetteville A season is a long haul and it's fair to say the early-season shutdown performances of RHP Will Rudy have given way to an ongoing rough patch. Coming into tonight's matchup with the Woodpeckers, Rudy had surrendered at least three runs in each of his past five outings - pitching to a 6.17 ERA in the process. He saw three base runners in the first inning - two singles to right field and a deep double off the right field wall. He did manage to escape with only one run scored by striking out his final batter on a tasty slider (the third consecutive offering of the pitch) that dipped below the zone. Overall, I would say Rudy is presently leaving too many hittable pitches over the plate - in favorable or unfavorable accounts. No pitch was more emblematic of this than his 0-2 single he surrendered (his fourth hit allowed) with one down in the second inning - it was a mistake pitch. The body language matches what I'm seeing as well. He's in a grind and he'll simply need to keep working on his craft. All told, Rudy finished tonight with 5 IP of 10 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 5 ER, 1 HR ball. Keep grinding young man. Three Quick Strikes: 1) INF Luke Adams has been struggling to put it all together lately. The addendum here is: all the tools are there now as they've been all year. His BABIP was improving in the latter portion of the first half, but he found himself in a 2-for-19 slump with a mere single and RBI in an ongoing mini-rut coming into tonight's tilt. The walks, so bountiful in the early season, were also down. When Adams started getting the batting average headed north, he had reduced the early season pop-up tendency. He didn't build off this trend - or, in the very least, he hasn't taken off like we were hoping to see. If we add a recent bout of uncharacteristic throwing errors from 3B, it's fair to say, the hype train had slowed down for the time being. Tonight, however, was a step back in the right direction. He made good contact, he scored a run, and he stole a base. He took a key walk in the failed ninth inning rally. We 2) It's always nice to remember that despite the first half woes and strikeout numbers, OF Jace Avina can still hit for power with anyone on the Mudcats roster. His three-run blast was key in making a ballgame after a lackluster early going: It was anyone's ballgame at this point. Unfortunately, for the Mudcats it went the wrong way. 3) Let's continue with the theme of situational baseball as seen above with the Shuckers troubles this fine evening. Trailing by only one run at 6-5, the Mudcats failed to grab the lead runner on a routine grounder to 2B Jheremy Vargas in the top of the ninth inning. It would have been a close play, but it is definitely a play that had to be made (or in the least attempted) given the batter was a slow-footed runner down the 1B line and Areinamo was definitely covering the bag at 2B. Split second decisions often come back to haunt you in the game of baseball. That lead runner then advanced to 3B on a RHP Tyler Wehrle wild pitch. The Mudcats infield shifted in , as a result, then suffered the fate of a high chopper. It somehow made it over the leaping Vargas - leaping on the infield grass - bouncing off the infield dirt and into extremely shallow right center field. And, I simply offer: this all came after the failure to make the play at second base. ACL Dodgers 11, ACL Brewers 8 - Suspended Box Score / Game Log The sun rises, The sun sets. The ACL Brewers lose to the ACL Dodgers. Or DO they? In another odd twist of fate for my Minor League report duties, I was party to another suspended game. This time, oddly, a power outage in the 7th inning One of the only questions I have for the remainder of both the ACL and DSL season is: If the weather holds and the lights stay on, can any of the Brewers rookie ball clubs actually beat the Dodgers? This remains entirely uncertain given they have collectively lost double digit consecutive games to these West Coast foes. The ACL Crew lost an 8-7 lead in the sixth frame and they fell into an 11-8 deficit in the seventh after allowing another run to cross on a sacrifice fly. All four runs came against apparent two-way player RHP Miguel Briceno (who also went 2-for-3, 3 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B while playing third base). This is a mildly interesting development at this point though it is apparent that the bat is what plays best at present. We'll stay tuned. INF Juan Baez was uncharacteristically quiet at the dish and he greeted Briceno's work on the hill with a throwing error from 3B. INF Dylan O'Rae continues to carve his path to Low-A Carolina. Remember, you heard it here first: he's been coming on for well over 2-3 weeks as a legitimate lead-off man replacement or or companion to OF Luis Lara. His offensive output was noted above in the Game Balls. Not to be lost in the shuffle were 1B/LF/DH Yeison Perez's 2-for-3 evening and INF Jonatan Guzman's 3-for-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 HR evening. There will be Brewers baseball tomorrow. And, honestly folks, after enduring that Sounds game I'm going to likely take the evening off. Highlights for me tomorrow will include RHP Justin Jarvis' Triple-A debut as he looks to take on an extremely formidable Clippers offense. Hopefully, his fast-paced work will give them fits. Additionally, RHP Tyler Woessner will start for the Timber Rattlers as he looks to get back to his dominant stuff. 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 scoresCurrent Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and DepthCurrent Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View full article

So what I wrote down (and it's hilarious as I was mistaken - we only got one speed reported on a change-up!😅): First wild pitch was a beauty - off speed classic down and in to a lefty. I put it on Cabrera or just his massive movement (he was credited with 3 WP, mind you). More a testament to his stuff than being 'wild'. Cabrera mistakenly tried to backhand catch a sinking inner off-speed headed to the dirt. He needs to move and block it. Would have loved to see the first pitch of his fourth batter on an accurate Gamecast - dropped a dime of a curve/slurve right on the outer stripe called a ball. Gorgeous pitch. 1-0 felt unfair. 2nd WP was indeed wild. High and outside went off-speed low and in. Runners advanced. 3rd WP - all 3 came in his first frame - and this one was also an off-speed pitch that ran away. Appears to have a sinker as well as possibly two types of heat? Would love to hear it from Rivero himself or the pitching coaches. Also has a slider. A curve/slurve. And, maybe even a change-up. Lots of tools. He can go straight four-seam riser OR he can go sink OR he can go tailing two-seam by my eyes. Robbed of another K second batter of 7th - beautiful outer half heater. It was a K. Eye test matters. He's been wild, yes, but in these lower levels the stats often lie. Change-up drops to 81 mph - so, yes, definitely a change-up I am seeing in addition... Slider appears to be a notch higher - I'd bargain 85-86. He opened up the 8th with a slider K. Back-to-back K's via the slider. Clearly a strikeout pitch. Final out on another pop-up. Lotta pop-ups induced. Hardest hit ball was an oppo liner run-scoring line drive single. So given that change-up and what appeared to be a low to mid 80's slider I'm going 93-95 mph on the heat when he dials back. But, not verified.

YES! Greg Young is fantastic in that way. When I get back to the farm I'll share from my notes - we have such great announcers I'm always logging player comments in a designated folder. I'll be back by 4 PM PST to get watching so will share here then.

Absolutely agreed there. I mean, I write these obssessive Daily reports 2 and sometimes 3 times per week and I'm still discovering new players surfing through the DSL/ACL game logs and box scores. There's no way a small staff can keep up with 30 teams in that manner. I won't hear it! NO SIR!

I must say: seeing the litany of 'Unranked by All Publications' coming into this June monthly award cycle simply reinforces my general sentiment that the MLB Pipeline lists et al (Those coveted Top 20 and Top 100 lists) just don't actually mean all that much. They're essentially a very broad and faint brushstroke in a massively more detailed organizational picture. They don't account for Independent League FA's, Minor League Free Agents etc. They are very myopic and hype driven but they inherently lack in-season adaptability and the ability to implement the minutiae of what these Minor League players are actually doing. Anywho... The thing you have to love about RHP Shane Smith is he is cut from the Old School cloth of: "Here it is. Try and hit this!" He is absolutely unafraid to try and blow it by hitters. He mostly succeeds here. Like last night when he lost the shutout, however, he is prone to the long ball from time-to-time. But, those solo shots in a 3-0 game don't mean all that much. Fun pitcher to watch.

LHP Clayton Andrews was optioned to the Nashville Sounds by the Milwaukee Brewers RHP J.B. Bukauskas was optioned to the Nashville Sounds by the Milwaukee Brewers RHP Tyson Miller was recalled by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Nashville Sounds RHP J.C. Mejía had his contract selected by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Nashville Sounds LHP Thomas Pannone, who was DFA'd this past weekend, was released

RHP Lucas Erceg's MLB success story hit an unforgiving hiccup in his recent outing versus the Yankees. In the past, at both Biloxi and Nashville these types of outings led to extended bouts of futility (and bad luck). For his sake, I hope he gets right back to wheeling and dealing like he has. I continue to question where those 'Traded for Cash' earnings went. It was reported at the time this was a favor to the player but, man, sometimes our favorite organization fails to see the forest for the trees. (Article HERE - 6/10) Full article of quotes below (6/29): Erceg's Run of Dominance Hits a Snag Against Yankees

Ugh. Just ugh.

As you know by now: I love his game. He has added wrinkles in 2023 to boot contrary to most fans typecasting those upper-20's 'prospect'. His off-speed game is dialed right now - noticeable advancements with his curveball in particular. His heater is now a pitch you can't sit on as he's enhanced his mix and adjusted his approach in the very challenging Southern League. A pitcher like RHP Tobias Myers, who certainly has tools and talent, could learn many things by simply watching Meeker toss the white rat - how to mix his pitches. I agree, he's likely a Sound sooner than later given what he's showing. It probably coincides with a RHP Logan Henderson promotion to Wisconsin (also coming soon me thinks) and then a contemporaneous promotion from the T-Rats staff. They probably want to see if Woessner rebounds from his 4 IP, 10 ER effort his past time out? OR, perhaps reward RHP Brannon Jordan for a fantastic first half? Hard to tell. Given both Jordan and Woessner scuffled in their past outings, they may just keep working Meeker as a Starter for the time being. And, given LHP Russ Smith's ongoing woes they could promote Meeker and send Smith back down to a place he never really proved himself at to begin with. Lotta words right there!😂

Hard to qualify with only 3 ACL Starts before a rapid promotion to Carolina (where he continues to work through walk issues in the early going - 7 K : 6 BB in 6 IP) but this is an arm we should be aware of. RHP Jesus Rivero already shows an advanced array of two types of heat and off-speed stuff that plays across both sides of the plate. The thing that really stuck out for me in last night's victory in Zebulon, despite Rivero's 5 BB in 4 IP, is his off-speed is already nearly an identical delivery as his two heaters. This is a very exciting young arm:

Speaking of OF Yophery Rodriguez (albeit, extremely briefly):

It certainly felt fitting to have a six-pack (of games) on another 4th of July holiday. We had a head-to-head DSL morning tilt as well as an ACL affair. Midday, the Shuckers were in Pensacola to begin their road series. And, we had the Mudcats; Timber Rattlers; and Sounds to close out the evening hours before the fireworks were lit above the outfield grass. Let's get into the report! Image courtesy of Biloxi Shuckers Game Balls: INF Zavier Warren gets the nod for his three XBH's - nothing cheap about these - in helping the Shuckers take game one in Pensacola. 1B Ernesto Martinez Jr. gets the nod here for extending his hitting streak to 10 games (on base streak to 12 games) - his second consecutive multiple hit game at that. RHP James Meeker gets the nod for continuing to display his versatility in his third consecutive start - 5 IP of two-hit scoreless baseball is impressive on any night of the week. RHP Tanner Shears gets the nod for just continuing to be a bad mamma jamma out of any bullpen in the Brewers organization. 2 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 0 R. Key late inning work. C Jose Sibrian gets the nod for his 4-rbi night and generally turning the corner throughout early July (more below) * Honorable Mentions: 1B Jesus Parra went 2-for-5 with 1 R, 4 RBI, 1 2B, 1 K. INF Robert Moore smacked a triple extending his on base streak to 22 games. And, oh hey, let's use this as a shameless plug for Moore's recent T-Rats Talk with Kyle Lobner. (Telling answers in here. And, man, that hair is slick Mr. Moore. My receding mid-40's hairline weeps!) Transactions: RHP Ryne Moore was sent on a rehab assignment to the ACL Brewers (and, he pitched a scoreless inning in his debut) RHP Miguel Guerrero was assigned to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers from the Carolina Mudcats LHP Brian Fitzpatrick was sent on a rehab assignment to the ACL Brewers OF Luis Castillo was assigned to the Carolina Mudcats from the ACL Brewers Final: Columbus (Guardians) 19, Nashville 2 Box Score / Game Log(*There were no Game Notes posted for this series opener*)Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Sounds Throttled by Clippers on Independence Day No, that score is not a typo. RHP Janson Junk has been mostly solid as a Sounds starter. He definitely has his limitations as a MLB-caliber pitcher - he lacks swing and miss stuff at the highest levels and, when it comes to MLB outings, almost has to be perfect to compete. With his Sounds club red hot to start the second half, Junk brought his worst stuff of his entire season and was hit hard and quite often. The addendum here would be this was the fourth time Junk has been asked to pitch on four days rest in the 2023 season. I would kindly opine, maybe this isn't such a hot idea: 4/7 - solid - 0 runs, 2 hits in 5 IP 4/12 - pretty rough MLB debut - 5 runs, 7 hits in 4 2/3 IP 5/28 - not a good time - 5 runs, 6 hits in 6 IP 7/5 - disaster - 9 runs, 6 hits, 3 walks, 1 HR in a mere 1/3 IP (Special kudos to @damuelle for pointing this out in our game thread HERE) We'll kindly thank C Payton Henry for giving us the face we all endured throughout this laugher. 1) About the best thing that happened in this game in the early going was a lightning delay in the fourth inning after an INF Patrick Dorrian walk. Considering how things were going up until that point, I'd have called it right there if I had the power. I should also mention, for posterity's sake, INF Luis Urias doubled to lead off the inning. It was a very fitting ending, however, when the game resumed to see INF Cam Devanney strike out on three straight pitches. It was indeed that kind of night. There were no Sounds fireworks before the actual fireworks. 2) Game recognizes game. Sometimes, as a relief pitcher, you just encounter bad luck to start an inning. I'd say rising LHP Darrell Thompson experienced such misfortune to start the fifth frame. Three consecutive singles, including a run-scoring deflection off his glove into center field, got his evening going in the wrong direction. But, he buckled down from there with three consecutive punch outs. It was a bit of a flippant dismissal from that bad luck earned run. I continue to love the upside of Thompson and hope he can finish out his second half in fine form. 3) OF Tyrone Taylor did put some runs across the plate for the Sounds with his two-run HR jack in the fifth inning. All was not lost - just, well, mostly. How bad was it? C Payton Henry pitched two innings. INF Patrick Dorrian took the hill for two innings of his own. This was about as ugly as it gets for a Sounds team that had been absolutely cruising fresh off a 5-1 series victory in Memphis. I don't imagine seeing many more games like this in the second half. At least, I sure hope I don't. The Sounds fell to 5-2 to start their second half push - 1/2 game behind St. Paul and tied with these same Columbus Clippers. Fireworks anyone? Final: Biloxi 8, Pensacola (Marlins) 5 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please visit and review: Shuckers Celebrate America's Birthday with 8-5 Win over Pensacola Three Quick Strikes: 1) INF Tyler Black struck out with the bases dripping to end the third frame. It was a failed check swing on a heater likely just high and just outside the zone. He was clearly disappointed but it was also clear throughout the entire AB he was working something out in his left plant leg during the entire AB. Upon further investigation, it appears that an injury (or, hopefully, a tweak) likely happened when Black was sprinting toward second base during a classic hit-and-run scenario off the bat of OF Jackson Chourio earlier in that same third inning. Yes, he went to the dish twice in the third frame. Black awkwardly landed on the corner of the second base bag and then stumbled into the base path beyond before collecting himself and sprinting to 3B. We'll have to monitor this moving forward. If you care to check it out yourself, venture to the 1:33:53 mark of the game feed HERE at MiLB.TV and you'll see what I am describing here. 2) RHP Kaleb Bowman was the first relief man out of the Shuckers bullpen when Meeker's fine day of work had ended. It's easy to be a fan of Bowman - his story is remarkable and, by all appearances, he appears to be a young man who goes about his business in the right way. And, given all of this, it's still worth pointing out: Bowman has now conceded runs in 6-of-12 relief outings out of the Shuckers bullpen. He absolutely deserved the promotion from Wisconsin but there is quite a bit of work to do to find his footing in the challenging Southern League. Bowman finished tonight's outing with a final line of 2 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 ER. 3) It's been a rough season so far for INF Zavier Warren as he tries to build some semblance of momentum and, hopefully, find more playing time. Well, a night like tonight will hopefully jump start his second half. Three XBH's total in a 3-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 0 K night - each hit ripped with meaning. A line drive double deep off the right field wall. A 1-2 off-speed delivery sent over the wall in RF for a home run. These were classic comfortable Zavier Warren swings - reminiscent of his scorching close to his 2022 season. Let's hope this is a sign of things to come. Final: Wisconsin 3, Beloit (Marlins) 1 Box Score / Game Log Game NotesVia the T-Rats' site, game details, please visit and review: Rattlers Bop Beloit 3-1 This is the best RHP Alexander Cornielle has looked all season long - and, I'd be lying if I didn't say it made me quite happy. After a breakout 2022 season, Cornielle predominantly scuffled throughout the first half of this season. Tonight, he pitched with purpose in and around the zone mixing his patented high rising heat in advantageous counts. He sprinkled his off-speed low in the zone. It was a sight for extremely sore eyes. Unfortunately, he was pulled after 3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K as manager Joe Ayrault and his staff try to build back his pitch count and arm strength. Cornielle left after walking his last batter. I would opine he was likely robbed of a strikeout pitch in a 2-2 count - a gorgeous pitch in the inside and lower part of the zone. But, so it goes in Minor League baseball where the tie almost always goes to the defense and the strike zone is dubious at best. And, now, you will be served your "We are blessed as Brewers Minor League baseball fans" post-game home stand T-Rats treats: Full Game Highlights: Post-Game Podcast: 1) C/DH Darrien Miller really scuffled at Quad Cities as he finished with a 1-for-16 mark overall. However, as we all know, that's an extremely small sample size and those types of series outputs happen to the best of them. It goes without saying, his solo shot squeaked inside the right field foul pole was a wonderful turn of fate. It was Miller's fifth long ball of his 2023 season and it gave the T-Rats an insurance run extending their middle innings lead to 2-0. 2) LHP Karlos Morales has definitely scuffled throughout parts of his last two months. He still is losing his control all too much within his outings. However, I'd like to point out: he is still managing to help the bottom line of his greater pitching staff. Coming into tonight's game he had stranded all 13 of his inherited runners in 2023. He stranded two more in the fourth frame helping a much improved Alexander Cornielle's bottom line. That's 15 inherited. That's 15 stranded. His second inning of work was perhaps his best inning I've seen since the early part of the first half - his sinking off-speed deliveries were fooling every left-handed batter he faced. It's unscathed outings like this you hope can help a young arm get back on track. 3) The Timber Rattlers have had issues by and large with the bases loaded in 2023. However, OF Je'Von Ward is the team leader in this department with a 3-for-8, 1 2B, 2 1B's, 1 Sac, 7 RBI line to date. He came to the dish with the bases juiced in the bottom of the sixth inning and the T-Rats leading 3-0. With a chance to extend the lead before the seventh inning stretch, Ward hit a grounder to 2B in a 1-1 count. The threat ended. It was up to the bullpen from there and, aside from a ninth inning solo shot off RHP Shane Smith, they were up to the challenge. Special mention, as noted in the 'Game Balls' to RHP Tanner Shears. Final: Carolina 13, Fayetteville (Astros) 4 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please visit and review: Sibrian and Parra Lead the Way in 13-4 July 4th Victory Jumping out to an early 13-0 lead would help most young arms. RHP Patrcio Aquino, fresh off his Brewer Fanatic Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month runner-up status, was dealing early and often. Ultimately, he worked around two harmless solo shots well after the gargantuan Mudcats lead was established. Aquino continues to shine as he finished his evening with 5 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 5 K, 2 HR. He has very clearly become part of a dynamic duo between RHP Logan Henderson and himself. Three Quick Strikes: 1) 20-year-old RHP Jesus Rivero has flashed all the signs of what prompted the promotion from the ACL. He has a very lively arm that certainly sees the ball arrive with some solid rise. He delivers his off-speed stuff from the same delivery slot with nearly identical action. There's a lot to like. Yet, so far at least, he has struggled to command his pitches consistently. Another five free passes tonight over 4 IP with three wild pitches to boot is obviously not a sustainable pattern. We'll chalk it up to nerves and inexperience at this juncture. As I said, all the intriguing ingredients are there. He just has to put it together at a new and higher level of competitive baseball. He picked up his first save as a Mudcat going 4 IP, 1 H, 5 BB, 3 WP, 4 K, 2 ER 2) C Jose Sibrian is heating back up. After a fairly hot start to 2023, he had lulled back into a fairly pedestrian overall offensive output hitting 0.196 in the month of June. But, that has definitely changed in a hurry over the first four games of early July. After a 2-for-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R evening he has now hit safely in 3-of-4 July games. He is 5-for-15 with 5 R, 7 RBI, 3 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K overall. Fantastic stuff for a catcher who is all too often overlooked. 3) In a game (and box score) filled with solid performances (go ahead check that box score, folks), we'll give special mention to two things. Firstly, the improved overall play of INF Jadher Areinamo. He is having much better success at the dish and continues to play solid defense all across the infield dirt. We'd love to see some more XBH production, but I'll personally never complain when a young man simply plays solid baseball. Secondly, and riffing off this tune, Areinamo replaced INF Gregory Barrios in the very early going. Barrios was hit by a pitch in the first frame. The pitch seemed to nail his lead left leg just above his knee cap. Seriously? Yes, seriously. Barrios was down on the dirt immediately and in obvious pain. He ultimately rose to his feet and walked extremely sluggishly to first base. He scored a run later in that inning in what honestly looked like a full out sprint. However, he did not return. We'll have to keep tabs on this but I wouldn't expect to see him playing tomorrow even if it is just for precautionary measures. Let's hope that's the case. UPDATE: Embedded within the game summary above is the postgame interview with Manager Victor Estevez. Barrios will miss just a single game with a bruise. ACL Padres 7, ACL Brewers 3 Box Score / Game Log The highlights of this game lie in the continued advancements we are seeing from INF's Dylan O'Rae and Juan Baez. Baez has been the standout of the early Brewers ACL season. I don't think a single one of us could have predicted this torrid pace. He collected three more hits today in a 3-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 SB line. He is now hitting 0.440 over 75 AB's with 8 2B and 2 3B. Throw in 10 SB to 1 CS. Just a phenomenal ACL season. O'Rae grabbed his 15th SB (0 CS) and went 1-for-4 with 1 R, 1 RBI, and 1 K. He has a 16:7 BB:K ratio to boot. This young man is starting to very snakily make a statement as he continues to demonstrate he might be an innate lead-off hitter at every level. Keep monitoring his progress Brewers fans. 1B/DH Tayden Hall continues to take free passes with the best of them in the ACL - 2 BB today and 8 BB in 24 PA's with not a single strikeout. The Mudcats could really use him as a stabilizing force at first base. Let's hope he stays healthy and gets that opportunity sooner than later. Rehabbing RHP Ryne Moore was given the first inning of work and he went a scoreless 1 IP - 0 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 1 K. Wonderful to see such success in his first action on the mound in quite some time. Beyond that, RHP Darling Solano was incapable of holding the 3-1 lead the ACL Crew carried into the fifth frame. The Padres scored six runs over the 5th-through-9th frames and that was all she wrote as the Crew never scored after the third frame. The Crew fell to 11-11 overall and they'll look to bounce back tomorrow against (GASP! ?) the ACL Dodgers. The DSL Brewers #1 vs DSL Brewers #2 contest will be completed on July 14th. OF Yophery Rodriguez and up-and-coming INF Gery Holguin each smacked early doubles setting the tone for the DSL Brewers Uno. We'll see where the game goes from here: The DSL Cerveceros squads will be taking their mid-week rest tomorrow. However, the ACL Crew will be looking to get back on track. In the evening hours, we'll also see all four affiliated clubs back at it as they head to game two of each of their respective series. RHP Jason Alexander will look to get the Sounds back on track during his second outing since his rehab assignment in Nashville. RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez will take the hill for Biloxi as he looks to cut back on those free passes and string of recent questionable first innings. RHP Stiven Cruz will look to build off his most recent, and best of 2023, outing. And, finally, RHP Will Rudy will look to find that dominant form of his early tenure with the Mudcats. 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 scoresCurrent Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and DepthCurrent Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View full article

Great work as usual, @Smichaelis9. Off the top of my head, it certainly 'feels' like there were less meaningful candidates in June and it's hard to think of any other candidates. Holiday and all.