Joseph Zarr

Spring is a time for excitement about the best and brightest prospects in the game. It's also a time to put eyes and (gentle) expectations on some less-heralded young players, though--the ones who populate March's back fields and the late innings of overlong Cactus League games. This is a celebration of those guys. Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic We've seen a bevy of updated 'Top 20 Prospects' lists across the baseball universe--including our very own ongoing Minor League thread HERE, as well as the expertly-written series from our very own @Smichaelis9. (Seriously, go read Spencer's write-ups; it's fantastic stuff for any fan or aficionado.) That said, the following list is much less sexy, but 'hoo dang!' it is stacked with opposite-field, hit-it-where-they-pitch-it, move-that-runner-over, bloop-singles hitters with a dash of smash. As I've increased my in-season minor league viewing (don't ask my wife--bless her amazing heart), I've grown less interested in partaking in the widespread touting and hyping of the players atop prospect lists. I watch a ridiculous number of Brewers affiliate games. I tend to think I know and appreciate all these players, and I tend to think my opinions carry a modicum of credibility. It's not that I don't see value in the top prospect lists. I understand that those players have the high ceilings and will have greater impact on the present and future of MLB. However, my vantage point is a bit different than the average fan or pundit. When I watch two-to-four affiliate games per night, I am quite simply interested in competitive minor-league baseball--the wins and losses accrued by those actual teams, and the stories and dreams of the players who author them. I want players on these minor-league teams who not only have talent, but who are 'gamers' in the classic sense, as cliché as that may sound. The following collection of names are just some of the players I watch or follow on a consistent basis, but who often (let's be honest: almost always) fall outside the range of those high-minded lists. In most cases, these players fall outside even Top 30 lists. Nonetheless, these young men give me great joy when I watch them compete. And who really knows? Perhaps, we'll see one (or several) of these players at the highest level someday. Without further ado, I bring you my personalized 1-to-10: 1) INF Cam Devanney - This shouldn't be a shocker to anyone who visits our site on a semi-regular basis. I might be the biggest Devanney 'Stan' outside his immediate family and closest friends. If we simply ignored the 2021 COVID season, I believe Devanney should and would be considered the second-best infielder in the system, playing a premium position (3B) with an innate ability to more than competently fill in at another (SS). What he has demonstrated approaching his age-26 season is a skill set still on the rise, but a profile too often consigned to the "Yeah, but" bin. This will not stand...man. Last season, Devanney tapped into consistent gap power at both Biloxi and Nashville. We can pair his consistent .850 OPS outputs with his vastly under-discussed defense and cannon of an arm. If he could start hitting for just a bit more average with a bit more overall plate discipline, we are talking about an everyday MLB player. I am entirely serious. If last year wasn't an aberration - and, I have no reason to think it was - we are talking about a very, very MLB-worthy player on the front end of his prime. This is an absolutely huge season for Devanney, and I am here warming up the popcorn. Please, take a seat. 2) RHP Logan Henderson - Give me a staff of pitchers with Henderson's competitive fire, and I'll tell you that team is going places. Few players in the entire Brewers system exhibit as much attack, controlled fire, and competitiveness as this young hurler. And, yet, I consistently see him ranked closer to 30 than I do the top 20. I simply don't agree. Henderson's current best pitch pairing is generally viewed as the high-spin heater and change-up; he touched 95 on the gun in his brief work last season. His slider can dip all the way into the upper 70's. If he can get more consistent location with the breaking ball (often crossing the plate more as a slurve than, say, a classic 12-6 pitch), this third pitch could become quite impactful, for obvious reasons. I personally anticipate more control and more natural development as he gets further away from his elbow surgery (non-TJ, for the record) and back into regular competition. This is his age-21 season. Henderson remains a young and very exciting player. I anticipate an aggressive strategy as he accrues more innings and builds that arm back up. 3) RHP Ryan Middendorf - If any other player experienced as meteoric a rise as Middendorf in the entire organization we'd be talking about it quite a bit more. For whatever reason--his unorthodox leg kick, his Frontier League roots, his lack of a scorching high 90's heater?--Middendorf has continued to fly under the radar. This even after he capped 2022 with a dominant AFL season, the culmination of an ascension from Independent ball, to the ACL, to Low A, to High A, to Double A. He was one of the starting hurlers in the AFL's Championship game. That was all crammed into one season of baseball. It's stunning, but when you watch him pitch on a regular basis, it really isn't all that surprising. It felt as though there wasn't a single batter who could touch that four-seamer in the 2 1/3 innings he pitched in that title game in Arizona. At 6'6", and now packing 220 pounds onto that frame with a deceptive 3/4 arm slot release, he has absolutely mowed batters down at every level at which he has pitched to date. 4) RHP James Meeker - We might be thinking about James Meeker a little too conventionally. Why? This is a pitcher who just doesn't allow many runners to cross home plate. I feel like when we talk about Meeker, we tend to talk about what he doesn't have in his arsenal, as opposed to how incredibly successful and impactful he is in securing victories with what he does have: impactful and accurate high-leverage stuff. Since joining the Brewers out of the Frontier League in 2021, Meeker has been refreshingly dependable. He hasn't seen the rise of the aforementioned Middendorf, but, he has shown his merit and his poise throughout his brief tenure. As he enters his prime here in his age-28 season, I'd like to see the Brewers get a bit more aggressive in his placement. Personally, I'd like to see him elevated into key innings for Biloxi right off the bat, to see if his rapid, deceptive delivery can play in the Southern League. He just went an entire season in Australia for the Brisbane Bandits without conceding a single run, and that was after he put forth this display in Wisconsin just prior to and post-Cam Robinson promotion: 5) 3B/LF Luke Adams - Yes, it was an extremely small sample size in 2022, but I am unshaken. The output in a mere 32 ABs has me jonesing for more. Put succinctly: Luke Adams is a player you need to know about before the 2023 season kicks off. In an organization lacking high-end depth at the hot corner, Adams is an extremely interesting player. In his first action as a professional, entering the ranks as an 18-year-old out of high school, he showcased as much upside as any of the Brewers youngest players. He hit .375 with an 1.075 OPS. Now, let's put on the brakes. As I stated, this sample is extremely small, but within these same at-bats we also saw 9 strikeouts against 8 walks. Still, we also saw 8 stolen bases. In 32 at-bats! I can see why they started throwing him out into left field. That is extremely tantalizing in any run of play. With his 6'4" frame and obvious speed, there is just too much early intrigue to overlook. I am hoping I can watch him regularly in Low A to start the 2023 season. We're just getting started. Come back tomorrow for players 6-10 on my personal list. And in the meantime, what are your thoughts on these five? Who else deserves more love? View full article

Agreed on the Orioles on all fronts. They have an incredibly exciting season and have some blue chip talent - their first exciting season in many years. And, it would appear their owner has no real interest in taking it seriously? Granted, Baltimore may not be an easy sell for FA's...but...as you point out: much larger revenue streams. I am thankful I am not an Orioles fan. They deserve better.

Fellas, let's not forget...Frelick also does versions of this 'Vogey' in the OF grass and dirt as well: 😁

The best all around player I was privileged to watch in the Southern League last year, prior to his call up, was the Braves' Michael Harris II. In my mind, his play style and success is 'a recency bias bar' (for lack of a better phrase) I will use to gauge where Chourio is at in 2023. Harris II hit the MLB outfield and, frankly, didn't miss one beat. He hit the ground running and was pivotal in helping turn the Braves' season around. Granted, Harris II is 2 plus years older (he will turn 22 March 7th), so this should be noted. However, both he and Chourio man CF. Harris also was called up directly from Double- A and, at the time, was widely regarded as the Braves best prospect (for good reason, he's a phenomenal talent). If Chourio is to experience a similar or comparable trajectory, he must get routinely more disciplined and consistent at identifying breaking and off-speed pitches away; continue to identify and capitalize on 'his pitches' - trusting that incredible bat speed and god-given power will support higher success if he trusts his zone; and continue to play with the inherent aggression but controlled and focused violence his physical gifts afford. There's a fine line between letting these accolades get to his head - potentially becoming over-aggressive and undisciplined - and using them to fuel further development with the aim of tapping into greatness. He is on the precipice but there are still many many miles to go. Chourio will most likely never come close to Harris II's arm and overall range (though, Chourio can cover quite a bit of ground) but he could become just as dangerous in the batters box with even more power while being a reliable if not solid to above average center fielder.

Tenacious at the plate. Rick Sweet and Nashville hitting coach Al LeBoeuf described it best in 2022, when they likened his bat-to-ball skills as those of a premier hockey player. He can bat balls to extend bats and he rarely swings out of the zone. As @Brewcrew82alludes to above, given his innate gift to flip and powerfully drive those hips to RF, AmFam's short porch 'should' help augment this. However, and I alluded to this in 2022, with his incredible contact skills and plate discipline...his athletic profile and competitiveness, who really cares if he never becomes anything more than a 10-15 HR guy? I sure don't. He is the best pure lead-off prospect I've seen for the Crew in my lifetime.

This Bucks team is incredibly talented, incredibly deep, and incredibly good. They can just coast through games and flip on a 15-20 point run switch seemingly at will. Clearly the most talented team assembled around Giannis but this may be the best Bucks team I have witnessed in my lifetime. I really hope they can ramp up Midds for back-to-backs come playoffs but I don't know if that is in the cards this season. And, now, it seems they even found a player in AJ Green - incredible shot already but he is also always making the right basketball decision. It's hard to fathom how good a fit Jae Crowder is and they essentially acquired him for nothing considering teams can always buy into the 2nd round. I simply hope they stay healthy. They have all the pieces to win another One and I certainly didn't feel that way early in the season.

Spot on analysis. I would add, aside from 'proving' the swing and plate improvements in Nashville have true staying power (baseball gods, may it be so...he was phenomenal for Nashville late last year), I do think there is a very real set of questions for the organization and Wiems: Is the thumb/right hand injury chronic or something he is now healed from? Was last year's injury a re-injury to the 2021 AFL injury? OR was it freakishly different injury? Is there anything to worry about there? Last year, he injured himself on a tailing inside heater foul ball. That injury was problematic for over a month - IL stint and the offensive struggles when he returned where I would argue it was clear he wasn't comfortable holding and swinging a bat. It was also quite obvious he was becoming a wee dejected in the field and wasn't his normal hyperactive (for lack of a more friendly term 😝) self. That all changed instantly in Nashville. I'll be cautiously optimistic he's moved on but I'd be lying if it isn't something I consider.

Two reported transactions were officially submitted to close February: LHP Darrell Thompson was officially assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers (If you recall, Thompson was signed as a Minor League FA in late October of 2022) And the Brewers signed 19-year-old Venezuelan RHP Yeferson Tales to a Minor League contract. He will pitch for the DSL Brewers 1.

Got to submit a few questions in an MLB Trade Rumors Live chat today with one of my beloved Minor Leaguers in ol stalwart RHP Josh Lindblom. In true Lindblom fashion, he was humble; honest; and affable. I'm going to miss him on the mound:

I'd 'like' to see Quero begin at Wisconsin as the principle man handling that staff - especially with newcomer (Topa trade) Joseph Hernandez coming aboard. This would also fill my own personal desire to see Darrien Miller as the back-up catcher while spending more time as a lead-off DH and 1B. If Quero's 2023 begins like 2022 ended, we 'should' anticipate an aggressive promotion. I anticipate Brent Diaz will be given every chance to claim that top catcher in Biloxi - he definitely deserves this given what we saw in spurts throughout 2022. Kahle will most likely take top back-up duties with Lopez filling in as well.

Let's keep the Strzelecki train chuggin'. Here's a fantastic deeper dive by Adam McCalvy into Strzelecki's season last year just one year removed from his dad's sudden death. This passage really got me: This is a very human piece. Highly recommend if you have the bandwidth.

The Brewers have signed 17-year-old Venezuelan RHP Argenis Aparicio (listed 6'0" 180 lbs) to a Minor League contract. They have assigned him to the DSL Brewers 1.

Just the read I needed after my daughter got me up at 5:30 am in 0 degrees F weather. Yowza. Excuse me (looks at exterior thermomerer) -8F. 🥲 The only thing these write-ups are missing is more cowbell.

If I had to guess, I'd day the Brewers wanted him to ramp back up in Nashville's Playoff push given the length of his injury (despite his solid numbers, I would casually 'argue' he was still searching for consistency in delivering his best stuff) and, additionally, they were fairly deep in their commitment to a relief corps path initiated at the Deadline. This being said, it goes without saying: this is a big ST for Cousins and we know he has the stuff and history with the club to reclaim a meaningful bullpen role.

Yeah baby. LOVE this! I was touting Strzelecki in Triple-A last season quite a bit. I talked about the tailing movement he has that causes major problems. When he got the call-up I shared there wasn't really a single reliever in Nashville with stuff comparable to his in terms of MLB-caliber stickiness. This little insightful write-up though?

Given my remarks on Mendez re: 'true lead-off', one of my obscure asks of the 2023 Minor League season is, oddly, more lead-off opportunities for Darrien Miller. He filled in there for a spell when Ayrault and his staff were dealing with another bout of injuries throughout the roster and he really showed his worth. I personally don't know if he ever sticks behind the dish as he continues to mature - I definitely have my own doubts - but he can add value on a roster in other ways if that falls off. It's not often you see a catcher more than fill the role of a competent lead-off. Can he tap into more power? These next 2-3 years are going to be huge for his career and I am eager to watch from afar.

And authors 😊 I've been hitting the gym and running trails and taking BP.

Even tho it's still the off-season, @Smichaelis9is on the hill slinging heat. I would definitely add with Mendez: even though his swing is considered 'choppy' (as you adeptly point out), his approach is anything but (let's also not forget this 6'3" height is still relatively new and shows some in his swing plane - he was 5'11" when first signed). He is extremely poised in the box and more often than not works the count and is very capable of extending his AB's with savvy foul balls. His BB:K ratio speaks to this (62:70, respectively). AND, just as Cargo was red hot before his untimely ACL shelved him for the remainder of 2022, let's not forget Mendez was playing his best ball of his 2022 season before he literally ran full bore into the right field wall in late July. I was watching that game. I sincerely hope to never see something like that again. He was batting 0.215 entering July and left the month (albeit injured) batting 0.260. Batting 0,356 in 90 AB's is nothing to sniff at - especially from another bat that flashes as a true lead-off. Let's also not forget: the same Baseball America people who were lauding Jackson Chourio early in 2022, are the same who were bringing up Mendez unprovoked.

OF Tyler Naquin was signed to a Minor League contract with an invite to spring training. He has been assigned to the Sounds. Matt Arnold continues to add competition across the depth of this roster.

It seemed like just yesterday the Brewers protected Big Jon Singleton from the Rule 5 draft. My how time flies when you're on the fringe. I'm going to have some really fun 1B play down in Nashville, regardless.

1B/DH Luke Voit was signed to a Minor League FA contract with an invite to spring training. He has been assigned to the Sounds.

Great post, Jim. This is all quite interesting to those of us who tune into Mudcats games on the regular. And, it is quite clear this entire stadium ordeal down yonder isn't all that simple (is it ever, anywhere?!). Thanks for sharing.

I completely agree with you. And, I would add, this process sounds so inherently passive aggressive I fear the Midwestern teams may never ever want to do away with it even if they address its blatant flaws in future CBA's.🥶

I'm still quite curious what the Buckaroos decide to do for their last two roster spots post-Trade Deadline. Do they pick up a vet PG alá Patrick Beverly? Do they pick up a wing or a fringe Big (now that Ibaka was jettisoned to Indy)? OR do they leave a spot open, elevate Mamu to the roster, and pick-up a new two-way player?

The Atlantic League is definitely considered the 'cream of the crop' when it comes to Indy Leagues - often showcasing MLB caliber players (present and former) trying to get back to the Big League or rehabbing their bodies or image for whatever reasons. It's exciting to see another possible under-the-radar arm with a chance to show his talents!