Joseph Zarr

Welcome back, yet again, as I delve into the 11-to-20 spots in my Overlooked Brewers Minor Leaguers. Today, I present you players 11 through 15 who aren't getting the praise they deserve. Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic If you missed my first two installments in this series, here's a quick link to both Part 1 and Part 2. This is a celebration of the bigger picture within the bevy of prospects who make watching the games throughout each Brewers minor-league season fruitful and enjoyable. I wish I could tell you about all the qualities I see in every one of the young men I watch. Unfortunately, that just isn't possible. I can provide a glimpse, though. Without further ado, here is my 11-to-15. 11) 1B/DH Jon Singleton - It was fairly surprising when the Brewers protected Singleton from the Rule 5 draft. After all, he's in his early 30s, and he has been relegated to afterthought status by most baseball fans. However, having watched the vast majority of Sounds games in 2022, I can say quite confidently: this man still has plenty of game and is still an improving player. It's easy to talk about the power, the walks (in 2022, he broke the Sounds' walk record, previously held by Otis Nixon since the 1980s), and the strikeouts, but the things I want to highlight regarding Singleton are his athleticism, defense, and hands. I feel as though he has been inappropriately pigeonholed as a big, brawny slugger, with massive swing-and-miss habits. When you see him play on a regular basis, it is clear Singleton brings quite a bit more to the table. He has really soft, dependable hands at first base, extremely underrated reflexes and overall coordination, and a dependable glove. Singleton came to play last season in incredible physical condition--owning a gym in California has paid clear dividends--and I see a player who could see time in the Brewers clubhouse in 2023. It's important to remember: he chose to come back to the Brewers and the Sounds after the Rule 5 draft when he lost protection and became a minor-league free agent. He has stated in interviews that he appreciates the city of Nashville as a professional athlete, and it would certainly appear that he's comfortable in the Brewers organization. I think he would surprise quite a few fans with his performance, if he should get the call up to the parent club. I'd share a walk-off home run highlight, or Jon breaking the walks record in 2022, but there's so much more to this well-traveled man that makes him one of my favorite Brewers players. Check out this extremely insightful two minute interview in the Spring Training clubhouse: 12) RHP Lucas Erceg - It's the 2024 season. And, Lucas Erceg is playing third base...for the Dodgers?!? The creators of Playstation's 'MLB The Show 22' must have really missed the memo. Since he switched to the mound in the 2021 season, where he started 13 of his 22 games (often in a modified, shortened version of the role), Erceg has moved to a strictly late-inning bullpen job. It's important to remember that Erceg has truly only pitched 1 2/3 seasons in the upper minors, and last year was his first opportunity to engage a full offseason of preparation for a defined pitching role. The young hurler is still learning situational pitching and how to best mix his arsenal--one that includes a scorching combination of two-seam and four-seam heaters occasionally touching 100 mph while routinely sitting in the 97-to-99 mph range. As the 2022 season progressed, and even as Erceg experienced the inconsistencies all young pitchers face when trying to find their identity and properly use their tools, he made discernible improvements. As an example, after the promotion to the Triple-A Nashville bullpen, his fading changeup really became a reliable strikeout pitch versus lefties. There was definitively a plan in place, and it was working: he pitched his best and most consistent stretch of baseball at the highest affiliated level in a tight playoff race. If you scratch his rough July with the Sounds (and, let's be honest, 'rough' is almost a euphemism; batters hit .400 against him that month), Erceg was the definition of a shutdown reliever for Rick Sweet's staff: 30 2/3 IP, 18 H, 13 BB, 30 K, 5 ER, sub-.200 opponent batting average. If he can continue to add an improving but developing slider to an already-improved changeup, we are legitimately looking at a late-blooming MLB bullpen arm with a four-pitch mix. There are many miles to go, but given what this young athlete has already overcome personally it's hard to fathom a Lucas Erceg baseball future without hard-earned, if somewhat improbable, MLB success. I'm really rooting for another big step forward in 2023. 13) RHP Alexander Cornielle - I will start with the following: Cornielle struck out 145 batters in 2022...in 119 IP between Low-A Carolina and High-A Wisconsin. That is 1.22 batters mowed down per inning. I simply ask you, Brewers fans: Where is the love? I've watched this young hurler sling it on more than one occasion, and there is quite a bit to like here. Now that he is finding consistent control, it's time to start including him with names like Stiven Cruz and Carlos F. Rodríguez. This young pitcher (turns 22 in late August) is just too good and has too much upside to ignore. Cornielle features a high-spin heater (a pitch he routinely uses high in the zone to get bats chasing) with an effective blend of off-speed stuff to keep batters guessing. He has struggled, from time to time, with control problems, but as 2022 progressed, he really reined that in and became a weapon when he took the mound. I'll look for more consistency from the get-go to start the 2023 season in Wisconsin. But, make no mistake about it, this is a young pitcher who could very easily become an ace in Joe Ayrault's starting pitching staff. 14) OF/DH Tristen Lutz - Lutz's calling cards are three plus tools: his bat, his power, and his arm. Unfortunately, as he's gotten older and gotten stronger, his agility and routes to the ball have really never improved (by my eye) from where they were when he was first drafted by the Brewers. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; all players are different and bring different qualities to a roster. What I want to celebrate about Lutz's game is his bat-to-ball skills. This is a young player who can absolutely crush a baseball. There is always a role, on any baseball team, for players who can mash. I don't know if I saw balls hit as hard, as routinely (when healthy), as Lutz hit baseballs in 2022. It was a rope festival when he took the plate. The sound of his contact and the sight of his graceful line drives finding the outfield grass were enough to raise the hair on the back of a fan's neck. Nothing is cheap off Lutz's bat, and it is worth the price of admission to see if he can continue to fine-tune his immense gifts at the plate. 15) INF Andruw Monasterio - Monasterio was another successful minor-league free agent picked up by the Brewers after the 2021 season and, thankfully, he's back in the fold in 2023. He consistently hit all year in Triple-A and Double-A, carried that over for Caribes de Anzoategui this Winter, and is really coming into his own in the batters box. With the departure of Pablo Reyes (one of my absolute favorite former Brewers minor leaguers) this offseason, I see a player in Monasterio who has a chance to fill those super-utility shoes, as long as he continues to improve his defensive tools. Whereas Reyes might edge Monasterio in a foot race, overall I see a younger, more agile and athletic player, with a bigger build, who might be even more well-served by further diversifying his positional flexibility. Listed as a third baseman, Monasterio also plays both middle-infield spots, but I'd like to see what he can do with an occasional opportunity in the left- or right-field grass. Granted, this might be a stretch, as his entire minor-league career has been spent on the infield dirt, but it could be beneficial to his chances of someday getting a call-up. Regardless, Monasterio didn't skip a beat when he was shuttled down to Biloxi mid-season, and he showed enough intrigue in 2022 that I'll be paying close attention to see how he starts 2023. Do you recognize any of these new names? Do you see any surprises? Are there other Brewers minor leaguers you feel I've overlooked? Who are your favorite prospects further down the rankings? Please comment and share - all the players in the lower levels are deserving of celebration. And, please stay tuned as I follow this up with my final five shortly. View full article

As we wait, I thought I'd share this tweet. Fairly interesting:

How exciting you have another 10! This is great. I always love hearing how your numbers crunching and stat assemblages bring forth names to consider - they've alerted me to several names I started paying closer attention to in the past. For me, I always love including the more veteran Minor League guys - some might call journeymen - who truly make my viewings so much better given their overall savvy and well tested approaches. A guy like Tyler Herb comes to mind here - great interview and personality, super grounded and knows who he is, humble, and yet can easily give you a shutdown outing.

Welcome back! Let's talk some more about the players in the Brewers' farm system who aren't getting the attention or the praise they deserve. Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic If you missed yesterday's post with the first five of my list of underrated Brewers prospects, go back now and catch up. These might not be the stars of tomorrow's Brewers, but they make the daily experience of following the minor leagues more enjoyable and more compelling. 6) 1B/DH/RHP Quinton Low - It would be easy to covet the Brewers' only current two-way player because, well, it's just a fun and unorthodox thing to follow at any level. However, with Low, it's much more than a novelty. He has the size and the frame at age 20 to attract your attention: 6'6", 215 pounds. He was certainly playing first base far more often than he was pitching (30 games to 10), but there's no reason to think this was anything other than the difficulty of juggling relief innings with a steady diet in the batters box and at first base. In his 11 innings, Low gave up virtually nothing, with an opponent batting average of .081 and a 0.73 WHIP. He also sported a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 16 punchouts to 5 free passes. He did all this while putting up decent (if unspectacular) numbers at the plate as a lefty batter. I am very curious to watch his output at Carolina, presumably. It's not often we can watch athletes of this caliber in any sport and at any level. His speed out of the box may not be track-and-field worthy, but that lefty stroke is quite pure. I see a bit more power waiting to be unleashed in those already fluid hips. 7) LHP Pablo Garabitos - Let's tip one out to the skilled and savvy lefties with low velo! Garabitos was an impactful arm out of the bullpen in 2022. He can give a manager emergency relief: five clean innings to salvage a starter, or high-leverage outs in dangerous situations. One word applies: gamer. Hilariously, I only really started to take notice of this young southpaw in 2022 after an extremely brief outing with the Nashville Sounds in early June. It's hard not to notice when an arm is promoted from Low-A to Triple-A for a single outing. The organization obviously knew what it was doing: Garabitos was as good a reliever as there was in the entire system from that outing until the season's end. After that brief showing with the Sounds, Garabitos ended his season with the following: 41 IP, 5 ER, 43 K, 8 BB, 28 H. That is stellar output. If there's another Brent Suter in the current Brewers system, it is Garabitos. Last year was a really big leap for the young lefty and, let's remember, even though this is Garabitos's fifth season with the Brewers, he was a high-school draft pick. He will turn just 23 in July. Like many other players in this list, he showed quite a bit to be excited about in 2022, and if the cards fall in the right way, we could see even more dominance in 2023. I'm hoping he gets a chance to shine out of the Timber Rattlers bullpen and really starts getting his rightful recognition. 8) 1B/RF Yeison Perez - If you visited our DSL game threads or read the DSL write-ups in our minor-league reports throughout the summer of 2022, you noticed Yeison Perez quickly become the darling of our DSL summer. The DSL is a tricky cover. You aren't going off live game viewings, but are perusing and analyzing box scores and game logs every day. It's simply a tough task to interpret much of anything, but you start to notice when someone is consistently mashing and standing out among the crowd. Perez was a key player for the DSL Brewers 2. That couldn't have been more obvious than when he was shelved with injury in the DSL second half, and the Brewers Dos began losing with regularity. The extra-base hits are obviously very intriguing (albeit, with the caveat this is still the DSL), but I would also offer he just turned 19; he has the prototypical slugger's build; and he's a lefty in every sense--batting and throwing. I keep hearing chatter about the potential breakout of Luis Lara, and, that's fine and dandy: he is an exciting young player who had a very hot start playing a premium position. However, Perez is the bat and the field player in the lowest levels I am personally most curious about in the summer of 2023. 9) RHP Kevin Briceno - It's not often we see a DSL player, at any position, promoted stateside in the same season. When Briceno was promoted mid-summer, it gave me pause: this was a young arm I really needed to track and follow. Briceno will pitch this entire season at 20 years old. He has already demonstrated, at a very young age, that he can effectively mix in his heater and changeup, while also sprinkling in a deceptive breaking ball. Is there even more diversity and development in this tank? I hope so, because the early returns are extremely promising. I imagine he'll begin the year in the ACL, with an eye toward a rapid promotion up to Victor Estevez and the Mudcats' staff--after pitching 48 total innings in 2022 between the DSL and ACL. 10) LHP Brandon Knarr - I honestly feel as though fans and pundits don't take Knarr's excellent 2022 season seriously. I don't know why this is, given that he dominated at High A and acquitted himself admirably after a promotion to Biloxi. The jump from Wisconsin to the Southern League is a tough one. This has been demonstrated time and again, as it just isn't an easy League to pitch in. But, Knarr more than held his own and, in my humble opinion, gave me reason to think 2023 could be better. Our own @Seth Stohsput together a really nice Spotlight piece early in the off-season - Part 1 , Part 2, and Part 3 - and it is definitely worth a read to remind us all what a fine season it was for the young lefty. This is a young man who studies the game, religiously works on his craft, and has the mentality to pave a path for himself into the highest levels of professional baseball. I'm hoping for bigger and better showings in 2023 and, hopefully, more recognition. Do you recognize any of these names? Do you see any surprises? Who are your top 10 most undervalued Brewers Minor Leaguers? Please comment and share - all the players in the lower levels are deserving of celebration. And, please stay tuned as I follow this up with my 11-to-20 in the days ahead. View full article

Hopefully, Mark Mathias can stick with the Big Club in Pittsburgh. He was traded today after being designated for assignment:

This is my overarching sentiment: We already have a problem there and this is before the new rule changes that absolutely do not help him in this department. He can improve his jump, of course, but (and I don't like saying this) the arm is just not very good. I think he's a wonderful baseball player and I truly enjoy watching him play but given his age I think it's a mistake to not give him more reps in other places.

I also have a continually evolving take on Darrien Miller: I love everything about his game except playing catcher. I had grown sour on his game in 2022 (you'll hear about it in my 11-15 underrateds), until I saw him perform so well in lead-off. He brings so much to the table as a player and as a teammate but, gents, the defense...the arm. I really (and I mean REALLY) want to see them start working him at 1B and DH. He has the frame to add more power if he can cut down his tendency to lose a level plane in his swing. He can already take walks and fill-in at lead-off. I know he's young but I'd personally like to see them give him the 1B treatment like they did with Black in CF and Turang all over the Infield.

I will not let the Brent Diaz and Brian Navarretto omissions slide (reads article again. Calm yourself, Joseph, Navarretto is mentioned as a likely back-up. I'm going to stay with it!😂). OH NO, fine Sirs, I will not. Both ballers are two of my favorite catchers to watch in the entire system. Navarretto, in particular, was the starting mitt in the Championship semi-final - over the maligned (by that time) Mario Feliciano. He's as solid as they come and I love watching him play. His positive attitude and smile in the clubhouse is more contagious than the common cold.

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.