Joseph Zarr

@wiguy94: YES, Sir! LHP Clayton Andrews' Nashville Sounds contract was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers

WHOA. Well, that's fun! Thanks for the update!

Now you've seen it. He is such a fun personality. Intriguing player. With a BIG caveat - akin to his personality, I guess: I personally think part of what makes him such a fun person bleeds into his playing style. So, you get what you get there. IF, and it's a big IF (lot's of big when talking about Martinez Jr.), he could just harness and discipline parts of his approach he could be a really intriguing prospect. As it currently is, however, even with the stretching splits at 1B to nab runners down the line and the power when he actually makes contact, he is just so unpolished. It's a long work in progress. He swings very inconsistently and very wildly - so often his head and eyes are looking beyond the 1B stand and possibly at a flock of birds in the distance. Given the ongoing lack of high-end 1B prospects, he is obviously in an organizational fit. But, I can't help but wonder if that light will every truly turn on. Thanks for the report @CheeseheadInQC. Sounds like you had a fun family outing!

That is a very fair comment. He's been fantastic of late as we both know. You could very easily place him atop that tier. OR, even better, and maybe this will repair the rift I have irresponsibly placed between us: In a tier. By. Himself.

The Sounds have so many better bullpen options than Matt Bush...on the Sounds. For Sounds games. You just can't tell me he's a needed option for the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen - which is a very good bullpen. Heck, I take Megill and Strzelecki before Matt Bush any day of the week. Then, you can give me Andrews and Uribe. Then, I'm getting creative with Gasser in any type of inning-eating role. SO, that leaves me with Bush in the Sounds bullpen on a tier with: RHP J.C. Mejía RHP Tyson Miller LHP Alex Claudio LHP Ethan Small LHP Darrell Thompson That's where I see Matt Bush living.

Debating Matt Bush at any point in a Brewers season, at this point...man, what a mind warp. I mentioned it in a recent Minor League report: all the previous warts from his previous 2023 MLB outings prior to this most recent call-up were absolutely still there in Nashville. He didn't look the part. Velo down in the low to mid 90's. Gave up hard contact. He wasn't a guy that screamed anything remotely 'Get him back up there!'. What I asked myself recently was: Why would you insist on keeping Bush when you were so eager to sell Lucas Erceg for peanuts? Obviously, this thought is made more appropriate in hindsight but it still rings true - especially from the converted field player vantage point. I surmise it appears to be one of those failures to accept what it is staring them in the face personnel snafus. This happens to every front office/personnel department. From afar, it seems to be a classic case of overvaluing a guy and hoping he'll change when we have enough data that states that really isn't a reasonable expectation. So, it begs to ask the question: why was he still rostered to begin with?

I see the DSL Uno gave up 10 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning? Man, there have been some massive breakdown innings amongst the DSL/ACL triumvirate the past couple of weeks. As @wiguy94 alluded to above: it has been a very very rough stretch. Also, the Dodgers literally just keep beating every DSL/ACL Brewers club. I think they are on a 10-game winning streak vs. the Crew?

I can honestly say, I was not anticipating this in my Minor League/MLB transactions scanning: Full MLB Trade Rumors write-up HERE

Well, Urias was quite bad in his initial rehab stints before he was called back up. I agree with @LouisEly about his defense - he's made some fantastic plays. I also agree with what @wiguy94and @Brewcrew82are saying concerning 2021 and 2022. I mean, isn't that obvious if we're paying attention to MLB trends? Maybe it isn't for some - and, that's OK. My up front addendum here with 2023 Urias is: 55 AB's is a ridiculously small sample size so I tend to think as others allude to above: this is a targeted Option usage. Work on these things. Get more AB's. Regardless, what I think is also clear is the Brewers suddenly find themselves with a wealth of options to temporarily try to replace the ongoing lack of production at the dish by Urias. Not the defender Urias is by any measure, but INF Abraham Toro showed his bat is real in 2023 and he continues to do very good things in Nashville - including some ridiculously good 1B glove work in their opening win @ Memphis to open the second half. Don't get me started - the 1B scene in Nashville is a testament to where the 1B scene is organizationally. But, INF Andruw Monasterio (like others have mentioned above) has really made a name for himself and has shown defensive prowess and heady play that really only came together this season. You have to love that story after he was re-assigned to Double-A Biloxi just last season when the Sounds infield featured more vets. He's carved his path as a Minor League Free Agent in 2022. INF Eddy Alvarez has been stupid good all year playing 2B for Nashville. He has flexibility limitations and that is holding back his call-up, imho. Really though, ridiculously consistent solid season. Let's not forget about INF Cam Devanney. It's absolutely no secret I've likely been his biggest advocate on this site for over a year. He continues to excel in limited opportunities at Nashville due to the ongoing glut of all these capable players. 2 HR, 4 RBI tonight. Further removed from his early season prolonged injury. OPS approaching 0.900 on the year. Stellar work. Fantastic defender with a cannon of an arm anywhere left of 1B (don't try him there - it's a disaster as his recent effort showed 😂). And, this doesn't even get into another player who has consistently been a solid solid piece for the Sounds. Another FA pick-up in 2022 INF Patrick Dorrian (trade with the Orioles via their Triple-A Norfolk Tides). Plays solid everywhere on the diamond. Bat is consistent - makes solid contact. Has a little bit of pop. Lefty. Just a really solid baseball player. And, Urias is entering a picture where INF's Mike Brosseau and Josh Van Meter are getting reps as well. There's a lot of quality AAAA depth on the roster. One or two of these guys could certainly get hot at the right time and I think the Brewers know that and will exploit it as if it were a bullpen of infield players.

How about RHP Robbie Baker giving up another June long ball? Yeesh. How about LHP Luis Amaya K'ng the side for the Hold in the 8th in his debut?!? 1 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K. Fantastic stuff!

Goodness gracious: 2 3-baggers for Black? The bat is so so choice. To answer your question @Brewcrew82: Yes. He 'could' make the jump to MLB as a bat. It is that advanced. He is already an MLB caliber bat. The power to boot. The threat on the paths. I don't see the Brewers doing it - as you note, historically it just isn't something they do. And, I personally see them like the Packers treated the ILB position until Campbell and Walker: they really don't appear to invest capital or draft-ability into 1B or the DH (or, heck 3B). But, he could absolutely make the jump. I personally think he'd hit the ground running. He's at a point right now where every AB has mojo. Every out is hit very hard. He's on another level than his teammates.

Interesting note: RHP Alexander Cornielle pitched 2 1/3 frames as a bullpen arm 🧐

Let's GO, Cam! That's the way! Devanney is absolutely maximizing his opportunities amongst a dense infield picture at Nashville. He continues to showcase 2022 was no fluke as he furthers from the early season injury. Let's GO! 2-for-3, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR batting from the 9-Hole. Sounds win 5-1 @Brewcrew82: Uribe is getting better and better every time out. While Vieira has pitched his way out of contention with a horrendous June, Uribe and Andrews continue to make their respective cases for 'at the ready' status:

DSL Crew Dos trailing the Dosgers Mega 2-0 in the 5th. Are we really going to lose to the Dodgers for the 8th consecutive game? If there is a baseball gahhhhd, hear my prayer of a comeback walk-off breaking the hearts of the young Dodgers. We've had enough.

I was predictably much higher on Sibrian and Diaz when the Mudcats were humming along and they were raking - oh the intrigue of the small sample sizes! Regardless, Sibrian is likely ready for a boost in competition given his age, his defensive prowess, a little but of pop etc. If we are talking about ACL to Low-A bumps, however, regardless of age, I would think we have to first discuss and consider C Edgardo Ordonez. Given he has only played half of Norman's games (7-to-14) there is a possible age (19-to-21, respectively), inexperience, and draft status discrepancy bias happening organizationally (strictly my opinion). Ordonez is hitting even better after excelling in the DSL for two summers. AND, he has 2 CS to 5 SB whereas Norman is looking at a woeful 2 CS to 17 SB. I guess a 9-spot will do that to you! Regardless, the Brewers have a litany of catchers organizationally. It's a shame we can't say that about 1B where they are paper thin. Hopefully, Tayden Hall can stay healthy for the second half to gain some much-needed experience amd exposure there. The bat is obviously fairly capable in the lower levels.

I'm still wondering why C Matt Wood was pulled after one AB (sac fly, mentioned above) in the first inning. I can't imagine a C Alex Hall substitution was planned to start the top of the 2nd. Tracking.

We were back at it to begin second halves across our upper level affiliates. We had several high scoring affairs in victories for the T-Rats, Shuckers, and Sounds. We had a low-scoring loss at Down East for the Mudcats. And the ACL Crew lost one in the final inning in a heartbreaker. Let's get into the report! Image courtesy of Biloxi Shuckers Game Balls: RHP Nick Merkel grabs one for his ability to end the ridiculous third inning with one pitch and continue dealing for 3 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K work. C Alex Jackson continues to demonstrate uncanny power from the catcher spot as he smashed two long balls - his 11th and 12th of his season. The second long ball was a two-run blast in the seventh inning that traveled 109 mph off the bat and left the yard via a 33 degree launch orbit. The man has some beef. OF Terence Doston gets the nod here for his extremely efficient 2-for-2, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 0 K, 3 SB evening. He continues to find ways to impact games in most of his limited opportunities. 13 steals in 130 PA's is an eye-popping output. INF Abraham Toro gets the nod for another great night at the dish and stellar glove work at first base. Who knew? 1B/C Tayden Hall gets some recognition for continued excellent rehab outings in the ACL. This is exactly what the Mudcats want to see given their ongoing offensive struggles Transactions: If you are a frequent visitor to our 'Minor League Transactions' thread, you would have noticed Jim was ahead of a couple of these official transactions. In our articles, we lean conservative as we typically wait for the official announcements should some strange snafu slow or delay the process. Regardless, congratulations are in order: LHP Luis Amaya was assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers RHP Shane Smith was assigned to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers from the Carolina Mudcats C Nick Kahle was transferred to the Biloxi Shuckers Development List (Kahle last played 6/23) RHP Peter Strzelecki was optioned to the Nashville Sounds from the Milwaukee Brewers LHP Thomas Pannone's contracts was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Nashville Sound The Brewers signed RHP Pablo Marcelus and assigned him to the DSL Brewers 2 - he is presently listed on the Restricted List, however Final: Nasvhville 12, Memphis (Cardinals) 4 Box Score / Game LogGame Notes Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Sounds Drop a Dozen on Memphis The Sounds returned to Memphis' AutoZone Park to begin their second half right where they started their game number one of the 2023 season. And, let's just say it: it always feels great to beat a Cardinals anything. Yes indeed. RHP Caleb Boushley again demonstrated he is hitting his stride after a sluggish start to his season: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 4 K, 1 HR. The collective Sounds pitching staff gave up only two free passes on the evening. LHP Clayton Andrews, as he does, provided the steady hand in those crucial middle innings and remains one my favorite pitchers anywhere at any level that, inexplicably, nobody talks about. Three Quick Strikes: 1) We'll ignore the weak throw earlier in the inning to 3B that allowed the hitter to also reach scoring position after a line drive single to shallow left center field. What OF Sal Frelick did in this play, as far as I'm concerned, sealed the game and shut down any notions of a comeback. The Sounds grabbed back both runs in the following frame. LHP Alex Claudio then shut it down. It's not every day you see a 405 foot double play of this quality: Just epic top-tier stuff right there. 2) INF Abraham Toro demonstrated his value in 2023 in his recent call-up to the Brewers. Well, toss in emergency work at 1B into his bag of tricks. Obviously, Toro is not a serious 1B candidate but the Sounds are currently showcasing the organizational lack of depth at the position as they rotate infielders and catchers to that first base on a daily basis right now since INF Jon Singleton's unfortunate free agency departure. And, say what you want, Toro made some fantastic stabs on challenging scoops tonight. He also ripped a double to deep right center and smashed a line drive grand slam down the right field line. Maybe he's a 1B afterall?!?? 3) RHP Thyago Vieira's first month of work was as shutdown as it gets. He was phenomenal. However, he continues to get rocked throughout the month of June. I've seen him get hit hard and often in nearly every outing he's taken the hill. Tonight, sadly, it was no different. If it wasn't for OF Sal Frelick's unbelievable catch at the CF fence, he was likely looking at least a four run inning. It's tricky to say where his season goes from here but it is currently not pretty and he's suddenly a likely candidate for the 'Development List'. Final: Biloxi 9, Mississippi (Braves) 3 Box Score / Game Log(There were No Game Notes officially posted by the game's ending) Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please visit and review: Shuckers Blast Three Home Runs in 9-3 Win Over M-Braves It was 100 F on the field in Biloxi. This is a different type of heat than the ACL - believe you me, I've lived it. RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez has just started heavily implementing his plus change-up over his past two starts with these tacked Southern League balls - for very good impact, to boot - and MLB is going to remove them by July 13th. I can only imagine how impactful this all has been for every pitcher in the Southern League. Both Rodriguez's early K's came on solid off-speed work. The home plate umpire was heavily restricting the outer half of the plate and, as such, you'll see three free passes through the first two frames. But every pitch tells a story - I don't begrudge Rodriguez one bit with the tight zone and the disciplined Braves approach. All in all Rodriguez was pulled before he finished the 5th inning after giving up a lead-off single and then a double after his seventh punch out. He became just the second pitcher in the Southern League to reach 90 K's after going 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 7 K. Please visit the Shuckers Twitter page for various highlights of long balls HERE - you'll find INF Tyler Black's rocket, Quero's first opposite field blast, and Zamora's two-run jack. Alright, I'll throw you a bone. Here's a tailing bases-clearing double off the bat of super-utility man extraordinaire, Noah Campbell. Key insurance runs here: Three Quick Strikes: 1) Is INF Freddy Zamora now a candidate to play the Shucker's everyday 2B? It's a worthwhile question, though it's obviously much too early to tell. After pointing out his continued baffling throws and nonchalant mistakes at shortstop lately, he has now played the last three games at the 2B position and he's looked quite comfortable in doing so. If nothing else, it's an unexpected wrinkle to his season. He continues to show an improved approach at the dish, to boot - 1-for-2, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 HR. 2) LHP Russ Smith continues to experience very erratic outings. It's a baffling and frustrating ongoing ordeal - I can only imagine how he is feeling as he finds his way. The one thing that really sticks out to me when I watch the present version of Smith pitch is I don't really see a strikeout or go to pitch. That could prove problematic as his career progresses. For now, however, it's an adventure in nearly every at bat as he looks to understand his mix and how to best attack hitters. I still see very similar release point inconsistencies - not as pronounced as they were in 2022 but they are still there. His final line of 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K while picking up the win does not speak to what I saw: a pitcher struggling to find any semblance of consistency. The grind continues. And with that, hopefully improvements and progress. 3) OF Lamar Sparks continues to be one of my favorite watches in the system regardless of the up-and-down results. He plays extremely hard. He plays aggressively. He swings like a madman - and, unfortunately, that is likely what is holding him back as the bat has lagged after a torrid start. Regardless, he truly has an absolute accurate cannon from every outfield spot. We saw possibly the throw of the year earlier in the first half of the season from right field. Unfortunately, there isn't a highlight to exemplify his one-hop throw at home plate tonight. It should be apparent to the Southern League by now: run on Sparks at your own peril. He grabbed a crucial OF Assist from LF to end the ongoing Braves threat versus LHP Russ Smith. It was a key play in a key spot. The Shuckers bats took over from there. Final: Wisconsin 11, Quad Cities (Royals) 4 Box Score / Game LogGame Notes Via the T-Rats' site, game details, please visit and review: Doston, Rattlers Dump river Bandits As predicted last night, RHP Cameron Wagoner was very sharp to begin his outing in Quad Cities - I just share the intuitions, folks ?. The slider was really sharp finding the outer half with regularity. It's important to remember with Wagoner's ongoing improvements atop the hill, he had only received two runs of support over his past four outings. That's a tough pill to swallow for any hurler. Well, that all changed in the top of the third frame when it was clear the T-Rats had made an investment with the baseball gods: eight runs plated and I don't know if a single ball was hit harder than 85-90 mph. By the time Wagoner came onto the mound for his half of the third inning it was practically a different ball game. Unfortunately, the T-Rats defense left their collective memory in the dugout. You'll notice Wagoner only lasted 2 2/3 IP. This was due to an elevated pitch count in an inning where his defense left him out to dry thrice - three truly poor errors. He deserved better given he was pitching with purpose. We will not dive into the errors - trust me, they were very weak. Three Quick Strikes: 1) I don't know if I've seen a more confusing flurry of runs plated in a High-A contest to date than I saw in the 12-run third inning. So many weakly hit balls finding holes for both team. Four errors in the inning. Pitchers hung out to dry by the baseball gods and their defenses. The quality of play improved from there but it was really a rough inning. I hope the quality of play improves as the series progresses. It's lovely to come away with a victory after so many oddities and snafus. 2) I didn't see anything anomalous during C Matt Wood's Sacrifice Fly to center field during the eight-run third inning, but he was immediately replaced by C Alex Wood in the bottom half. We'll have to keep an eye on this situation moving forward. 3) Several of us have discussed this in recent game threads, but the T-Rats truly do seem poised for a second half break-out. They battled extremely hard in their recent road trip to Michigan and they seem to be coming into form just as the second half begins. Consider this: it is only a three-game win streak for the young Rattlers, but they've scored 33 runs on 31 hits. Their season record is now at 8-games below 0.500. They begin their second half playoff push at 1-0. Final: Down East (Rangers) 2, Carolina 0 Box Score / Game LogGame Notes Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please visit and review: Mudcats Held to Two Hits in 2-0 Loss to Wood Ducks There isn't really much to discuss in this one. As we now know, Down East has their home games on media lockdowns and this Box Score and Game Log reads like a tightly wrapped sleeper. The Mudcats lost again to their ongoing nemesis as the Wood Ducks continue to have their number for the most part. One of the bigger takeaways in this one is an improved outing from RHP Patricio Aquino - 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 R (unearned), and 5 K - who had scuffled a bit in recent starts. That's a very nice day of work. Additionally, RHP Yujanyer Herrera had his best outing in some time going 3 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K. No walks. No wild pitches. No hit batters. This was a much needed fantastic three innings of work for Herrera. The Wood Ducks threw just 107 pitches and only three Mudcats reached base. I will say, the one additional thing that sticks out to me is both runs appeared to have plated after another throwing error from Luke Adams at 3B. He's had several of those of late and it is currently a mild concern. Final: ACL Reds 11, ACL Brewers 9 Box Score / Game Log This is absolutely one of those classic tough ACL losses. The young ACL Crew showed fight in a back-and-forth battle between the upstart ACL Reds - their second consecutive knock versus this clearly talented young Reds squad. After trailing 6-0 by the third inning of a seven-inning affair, the Crew managed to plate seven runs over the next two innings to tie it all up. Several notable offensive performances are worth mentioning given the 11-to-9 lead in total hits. I'll highlight a few but do look through the entire box score: OF Hendry Mendez: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B 1B Tayden Hall: 3-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 2B OF Duncan Garcia: 2-for-4, 1R In a game where the young Crew battled back and maximized a 6-for-11 mark with RISP, we can look to the combined 11 walks amongst the trio of young arms. No walks were more damaging than young RHP Cristofher Carrasco's two walks with two outs in the seventh and final inning. We also see four wild pitches, a passed ball, and nine successful steals against the staff and the arm of C Satchell Norman. By the looks of it, when you dive deeper, it would have been an improbable victory if they had pulled it out. It's a new half to the Affiliated seasons - can RHP Stiven Cruz turn it around after a disastrous first half? Tune in tomorrow night for game two at Quad Cities. RHP Justin Jarvis will also get the nod in Biloxi. The young ACL Crew will get a much needed rest but the DSL Cerveceros are back at it in the early hours. Tune in early and tune in often! As always, thanks for reading and thank you 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

Oh drats. They lost it. 11-9. It's been a really rough go in the end results department for the DSL and ACL Crew of late. That's a tough one.

It is an absolute buzzsaw seesaw affair in the desert. The Brewers have recalimed the lead late. They lead 9-8 headed to the top of the 7th hoping to squeak out a victory here and reclaim 1st place in their back-to-back night tilts vs the ACL Reds. Oooooof, and just like that RHP Cristofher Carrasco gives up the pinch hit long ball with one down. We're tied 9-9. This game is bonkers.

Two absolutely incredible slides tonight from INF Josh Van Meter at home base (here in the 9th) and INF Ben Metzinger earlier at Quad Cities. And, frankly, kudos to the umpires for seeing their skill beating tags from throws that beat their attempts. Really incredible skillful stuff.

OH BABY. Sal Frelick just absolutely atoned for his poor throw to 3B with an absolute web gem of a jumping and diving grab at the deep CF wall for the 405' double play. An incredible jump from the get go. An incredible read. An incredible HR saving play or double-triple high off the wall. That was the sauce! AND, we have the highlight now: Folks, that was a seriously seriously incredible jumping grab at the wall. He put everything into that 8-3 putout dp. Just wow. Hopefully we'll see that somewhere in the bird app cuz it's a road game in Memphis. It's very very fair to say Vieira is in trouble. He is getting hit hard a lot in every outing right now.

RHP Thyago Vieira on in the 8th frame. He gives up a 103 mph liner to CF facing the lead-off batter. It's no secret, he's been getting rocked in June. He gives up a looping line drive single to shallow left center and Frelick tosses an extremely weak throw short of 3B and the runner advances to 2B. This is an all too familiar (of late) outing for Vieira. Vieira then fails to cover 1B on a weak chopper Toro had charged to field. RBI infield chopper. 10-3 Sounds. Nobody out. He is really in a rut. Let's hope he can reclaim some of his early-season glory.

Man, C Alex Jackson just continues to crush baseballs! 33 degree launch angle. 109 mph off the bat. HR numero dos. A two-run knock. It's 10-2 Sounds. Let's go!

RHP Cam Robinson is aboard and will try to protect a 6 run lead. His last time out, he was pulled after he loaded the bases in a four-run situation. Let's hope he has his best stuff! He works around a two-out single to CF. He ends his 1 IP with 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 R. Shuckers win 9-3.