Seth Stohs

The balance needed on this is so tough to navigate. If we say that they work a 10-year, $90 million deal: - For the team, the risk is him just being a guy, or getting hurt and never becoming more than a decent regular. In that case, he would get nearly league-minimum for 3 years, then maybe $10-20 million total in three arbitration years. And there would be four free agent years (and probably 85% of the dollars) remaining. - For Chourio, who signed for a $1.8 million bonus with the Brewers just a couple of years ago. At 19, with all the risks involved, it would sure be hard to turn down $90 million guaranteed. The risk is that he becomes Ronald Acuna and could get $400-600 million (as a 26-year-old free agent). That's a lot of money left on the table. That said, at 10 years, he'd be a 29-30 year old free agent (still young for free agency) and could still get another monster contract. Good stuff from Eduardo Perez here:

Isaac Collins came to the Brewers a year ago in the Rule 5 draft. A strong season with Biloxi has put his name back on the prospect map. In a new Brewers Spotlight, we caught up with the 26-year-old from Maple Grove, Minnesota, and talked about his season, career, goals, and so much more. Image courtesy of Mike Krebs, Biloxi Shuckers Isaac Collins grew up just miles from the Metrodome and from Target Field. He lists the likes of Justin Morneau, Denard Span, Jason Kubel, Nick Punto, and Joe Mauer among his favorite players to watch as he was growing up. If you’re looking for a fun piece of trivia to impress your friends about your knowledge of Minnesota High School sports trivia, here’s a good one. In 2015-16, Isaac Collins joined Joe Mauer as the only two players named a finalist for Mr. Football and Mr. Baseball in Minnesota. Collins had five letters in baseball, three in football, and one in basketball. At Maple Grove High School, Collins was a tremendous running back and defensive back. J.D. Spielman (who spent his first few college seasons at Nebraska) won the award. Several current and already former NFL players were among the other finalists. That includes Amani Hooker, Carter Coughlin, Dillon Radunz, and Tyler Johnson. Collins' father played college football at West Virginia, which remains the younger Collins’ favorite college team to watch. That said, he is most likely to be found in front of his television watching college football on Saturdays throughout the fall, from Gameday in the early morning until those late-night West Coast games are complete. However, as you might expect, since he spent most of the 2023 season with the Biloxi Shuckers, he was also an outstanding high school baseball player for the Crimson. As an eighth grader, Collins joined his brother Roman Collins on the Maple Grove High School team. He had spent previous years being the batboy on his big brother’s teams. “With our relationship, it was more of a lead-by-example thing. I just saw what he did, all the good things he did, and some of the mistakes along the way. He’s paving the way for me. This is how I have to do it. His biggest advice was to be yourself, stick to it, and work hard, and it will all work itself out in the end.” Roman Collins was the fifth-round pick of the Royals in 2015 out of Florida Atlantic. He spent the 2017 season at High-A, but that was his final year in affiliated ball. As a senior, he hit .480. Other 2016 Minnesota Mr. Baseball finalists included infielder Michael Busch, pitcher Nick Hanson, and the eventual winner, outfielder and pitcher Matt Wallner. Upon graduation, Collins had several options for playing football at some smaller schools. He had several mid-major Division I offers. He acknowledged that his final two schools were Notre Dame and Creighton, but ultimately, Collins found his home after a visit to Omaha. Creighton has had a solid baseball history over the years. They are now in the Big East conference, where they have been quite dominant most years. They have had many players drafted, and Collins believed and set his goal of being drafted after three years at the school. He played in 46 of the team’s 49 games as a freshman. When he played for Duluth in the Northwoods League, he hit .287 against some strong college competition, which improved his confidence heading into his second season at Creighton. He played in all 50 games. That summer, he had the opportunity to play in the Cape Cod League. In 38 games that summer, he hit .308 and left feeling good about proving himself against that caliber of player. “That was definitely the best summer of my life.” Collins added, “Looking back, I had fun with it, and that’s why I did so well. I didn’t let it get too big and overwhelming. I have teammates from that summer that are in the major leagues right now.” Future big leaguers like Cade Cavalli, Ryan Kreidler, Drew Millas, Andrew Vaughn, Bryson Stott, Easton Lucas, McKinley Moore, Ken Waldichuk, and Brendan White were on his Wareham team. In addition, one of the newest Brewers, Oliver Dunn, was on the same team. As a junior, he hit .293/.366/.479 (.846) with 13 doubles, seven triples, and six home runs in 54 games. Creighton’s season ended against Michigan in the regional. The next day was Day 2 of the draft. The team's flight back to Omaha took off as the draft began that day. When they landed, his teammate and roommate, Will Robertson, found out that the Blue Jays had selected him in the fourth round. When the team got back to their facilities, Collins and many of his teammates stayed around, watching the draft online. A couple of picks before it was announced, his advisor sent him a message to congratulate him. He knew he was about to be drafted but didn’t tell his teammates in the room. They were all thrilled for him when his name popped up, drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the ninth round. He accomplished a huge goal that he set when he went to Creighton. That summer, he signed quickly and played in 37 games for Boise. Like others, Collins did not play during the 2020 season. After 17 games in Low-A in 2021, he was promoted to High-A Spokane. In 78 games, he hit .312/.399/.495 (.895) with 22 doubles, four triples, and nine home runs. He also stole 20 bases. In 2022, he spent the summer with the Rockies Double-A affiliate, the Hartford Yard Goats. He loved playing in Hartford and the team’s name. “We loved it. The stadium in Hartford is arguably the nicest minor-league stadium. Being able to play our home games there every night, you felt like a big leaguer, really. The clubhouse was awesome. The staff there was great. The on-field promotions they did were amazing. Those Friday, Saturday, and Sunday games were always packed. It was about as close to a major-league atmosphere as you get in the minor leagues. That was fun.” However, he added, “It was a tough summer for me. I didn’t put up the numbers I wanted to, but it’s all a learning process. I was able to learn from it, and I kinda bounced back and put up better numbers this year. That jump from A-ball to Double-A is real. There is a very big difference.” Unfortunately, last year at this time, the Rockies had left him off the Triple-A roster. One door closes, another door opens. The Milwaukee Brewers selected him with a minor-league Rule 5 pick. Unlike the major-league Rule 5 draft, players selected as minor-league Rule 5 picks go to the new organization. There is no worry about potentially needing to send them back. Isaac Collins was instantly a Brewer. “Once I got over there, they made it clear that they were very excited to select me in that draft and happy to have me within their organization. It all ended up working out.” He returned to Double-A, this time in a new league. The numbers showed up again. In 93 games, he hit .269/.424/.431 (.855) with 13 doubles, two triples, and 10 homers. He also had 29 stolen bases. The most impressive part of his game was that he had 75 walks to go with 55 strikeouts. “Having gone through (the 2022 struggles), the results are just a byproduct of your dedication to the process. Going into this year, I knew that I wasn’t going to fight the game. I was going to let the game come to me. I’m going to take it one pitch at a time. If you can really hone that in and take it one pitch at a time, and understand that each pitch and each at bat is totally separate from the previous at bat or previous pitch or future at-bats. Then, you can really fulfill your potential. That’s obviously the main difference between the minor league and major league players.” In early May, he received a brief call-up to Triple-A Nashville. Instead of heading to Tennessee, he went home. Well, close to home. Nashville had a six-game series in St. Paul, Minnesota, very close to home. Friends and family would be able to see him play. He played in three games and had a couple of walks, but the experience was meaningful. “That was awesome. It was a full-circle moment for me. My last high school game was at CHS Field. We lost in the state championship game to Lakeville North. Fast-forward, seven years later, I’m playing against the St. Paul Saints. My high school coaches came. Friends came. My family came. I ended up proposing to my fiancé. That was a crazy week. It was kind of a dream come true for me. Obviously, now the next step would be to play at Target Field. That would be the ultimate dream. That was a really fun week!” Collins has played all over the field as a pro. However, primarily, he has played either second base (his college position) or left field. Collins feels most comfortable at second base but would be ready to play anywhere if given a chance to move up. He would like to play a little bit more at third base as that’s where he has played the least, but he wants to put himself in a good position to be an option when needed. Collins was left available after a difficult 2022 season at Double-A, and the Brewers took advantage. He responded with a terrific year. Now, he wants to be able to stay on the field more in 2024. View full article

Recently, Seth caught up with Brewers minor leaguer Isaac Collins. The former Blue Jay from Creighton was the Rockies' ninth-round pick in 2019. He progressed through their system, reaching Double-A and even getting to spend one spring training at big-league camp. Last year, the Brewers selected him in the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 draft. He played 93 games with Biloxi in 2023 and hit .269/.424/.431 (.855) with 13 doubles and 10 homers. He also stole 29 bases. Get to know all about an interesting prospect in the Brewers organization. Find out about his passion for football and how he can be connected to Joe Mauer. View full video

If nothing else, the Brewers have found a way to keep their name in the news throughout the offseason. On Friday, just a couple of hours before teams need to tender 2024 contracts to their pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players, the Brewers and Yankees made a trade. The Brewers receive 1B/OF Jake Bauers for outfielders Brian Sanchez and Jace Avina. Image courtesy of Wendell Cruz, USA Today The Brewers have been looking for help at first base, depth around the diamond, and left-handed power, and those are things that Jake Bauers can do, at least to some degree. The 28-year-old debuted with the Rays back in 2018. He played for Cleveland in 2019 and 2021. He spent a little time with the Mariners in 2021. After spending 2022 in the minor leagues, Bauers played in 84 games for the Yankees. He hit .202/.279/.413 (.693) with 16 doubles and 12 home runs. He made at least 20 starts in both corner outfield positions and at first base. In his career, Bauers has approximately three-and-a-half years of service time, making him arbitration-eligible. MLB Trade Rumors projects him to make about $1.7 million. To acquire the journeyman, the Brewers traded outfielders Jace Avina and Brian Sanchez. Avina is 20 years old and was the team's 14th round pick in 2021 out of high school in Nevada. In 2022, he was Brewer Fanatics' short-season minor league hitter of the year. In 36 Arizona Complex League games, he hit .294.436/.630 (1.067) with eight doubles and 10 homers. He finished that season hitting .245/.336/.471 (.807) with four doubles, two triples and five homers. He spent the full 2023 season with the Mudcats. In 99 games, he hit .233/.373/.442 (.815) with 22 doubles, two triples, and 14 homers. he also had 10 stolen bases. Brian Sanchez is 19 years old and signed a year ago out of as a free agent from Venezuela. In 33 games in the Dominican Summer League this year, he hit .297/.414/.446 (.860) with seven doubles and four triples. The Brewers gave up two very young but very intriguing prospects for the opportunity to offer Bauers' arbitration in an hour. The Yankees weren't willing to keep him at $1.7 million or so, but can Bauers fill a role with the Brewers? Or, could he be non-tendered if they can't reach an agreement before 6:00? We are just over two hours from the deadline. What will the Brewers do with Brandon Woodruff? Is anyone buying that he could pitch in 2024 or that the Brewers are taking calls on him? Could their be more trades? Discuss below. View full article

Yeah, wayyyyy below Livvy!!

Hours before Game 1, the Brewers announced their playoff roster. See who is on the 26-man roster for Round 1. Image courtesy of Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports The Milwaukee Brewers had to submit their Wild Card Round roster by 10:00 this morning, hours before Game 1. There were certainly a lot of questions, but now we have answers. Pitchers (11) Starters: Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta, Wade Miley. Bullpen: Trevor Megill, Hoby Milner, Joel Payamps, Elvis Peguero, Colin Rea, Abner Uribe, Devin Williams, Bryse Wilson. Position Players (15) Infielders: Willy Adames, Josh Donaldson, Owen Miller, Andruw Monasterio, Carlos Santana, Brice Turang Outfielders: Mark Canha, Sal Frelick, Blake Perkins, Tyrone Taylor, Joey Wiemer, Jesse Winker, Christian Yelich. Catchers: Victor Caratini, William Contreras. Obviously the news that came out on Monday, that Brandon Woodruff would not be available for the Wild Card round is disappointing, but the Brewers do have some pitching depth. Owen Miller is back after spending much of the second half in Nashville. Joey Wiemer is also on the roster for this round. Garrett Mitchell was not added this round, but should the team continue beyond the Wild Card, he certainly could be in play. Maybe a surprise to some, but Jesse Winker made the roster while Rowdy Tellez did not for this round. Is that the right call? What are your thoughts on the Brewers roster? Here is the Arizona Diamondbacks Wild Card roster: View full article

While this is very true, its' also important to note that it is possible that the Brewers minor leagues won't rank real high against the other 29 MLB orgs. Consider that in the last year, Frelick, Turang, Wiemer, Uribe, and a couple of others have (or will soon) looks "prospect" status. Garrett Mitchell may be close. Perkins, etc. But, between Chourio, Black and Misiorowski, they should remain in the upper half, for sure.

Last week, the Arizona Fall League rosters were named. The Brewers are sending eight players, five pitchers and three hitters, to be a part of the Surprise Saguaros. Learn a little more about each. Image courtesy of Steve Buhr, Twins Daily (photo of Eric Brown, Jr.) On Monday, the Arizona Fall League will begin their 2023 season. Prospects from around Major League Baseball will play games about six days a week over the next six weeks with the league’s championship game on November 11th. The Brewers prospects will be playing for the Surprise Saguaros this season. Eight Brewers players will team with minor leaguers from the Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas City Royals. While the Arizona Fall League is often touted as a high-level of competition, teams don’t always send their top prospects. In fact, this year, just 10 players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospect rankings will participate. Of the eight players that the Brewers are sending, only shortstop Eric Brown, Jr. ranks in their Top 20 Twins prospects (#10 by MLB Pipeline, #13 by Brewer Fanatic). Often, the players who participate in the Fall League are players who missed time during the regular season due to injury. Teams don’t often want to send their starting pitchers because they have already thrown a lot of innings. So you’ll see relievers sent. Those players typically don’t rank high on prospect lists, but several of them will make it to the big leagues. Let’s take a look at the eight players that will be representing the Brewers organization in Arizona starting this week. In addition to discussing the player’s background, I had the opportunity to chat with a couple of the players on what they are looking forward to during their time in Arizona and what they hope to work on and improve while they are there. We will start with the pitchers. 25-year-old southpaw Justin King grew up in Okotoks, Alberta, in Canada. He played baseball, hockey and basketball. After high school, he spent two years at Indian Hills CC in Iowa. At the time, he was a hitter, one of the best community college hitters in the country. He went to Alabama and played in 24 games in 2019 before the lost 2020 season. In 2021, he went to Louisiana-Monroe where he played in eight games as a hitter and nine games out of the bullpen. Undrafted, King went to Florence in the independent Frontier League. After just a handful of games, he was signed by the Brewers. He pitched in five Arizona Complex League games before ending his 2022 season in Wisconsin. Last offseason, he pitched in the Australian Baseball League. King spent the 2023 season at High-A Wisconsin. He worked in 30 2/3 innings over 28 games. He posted a 2.93 ERA despite a 1.57 WHIP. He had an incredible 54 strikeouts (15.8 K/9), but he also walked 25 batters (7.3 BB/9). So no surprise that King told Brewer Fanatic recently that he will “be working on my offspeed execution and command.” King also said, “I’m looking forward to seeing some guys that I used to play with back in high school and playing against some talented players.” King played for the Okotoks Dawgs, a renowned baseball academy in his hometown. “I played with some guys all over Canada, and a good friend I played against a lot was Erik Sabrowski with the Guardians who is also in the Fall League.” Shane Smith was one of the best relief pitchers in the Brewers organization in 2023. He began the 2023 season at Low-A Carolina where he had 50 strikeouts and 10 walks in 31 1/3 innings. He moved up to High-A Wisconsin where he had 34 strikeouts and 10 walks in 26 1/3 innings. He ended his season with two games and two scoreless innings at Double-A Biloxi. All told, he went 7-4 with 10 saves. He had a 2.26 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. In 59 2/3 innings, he had 86 strikeouts (13.0 K/9) and 21 walks (3.2 BB/9). Smith is a very intriguing prospect. After high school, he went to Wake Forest. However, he got a medical redshirt in 2019. In 2020, he was the team’s closer and was 2-0 with a save in five appearances before the season ended. Then in 2021, he became a weekend starter, but after two starts, his season ended prematurely and needed Tommy John surgery. However, just days after the draft, the Brewers offered him a deal and Smith gave up three remaining years of college eligibility. For Smith, the AFL represents an opportunity to learn. He said, “I think the biggest thing is throwing against such good players who have proven themselves over the course of the year. The talent is second-to-none and playing with them will help me learn more about myself as a pitcher and player.” He has also been working on a pitch and looking forward to using it in the Fall League. “I’ve been trying to develop a slider over the course of the year which is a brand new pitch to me. I think bullpens only help so much and throwing in game with in-game speed will only benefit me in finding ways to use it and the feel needed to throw it.” Right-hander Joseph Hernandez came to the Brewers from the Mariners organization last offseason in return for reliever Justin Topa. He threw 116 2/3 innings in 2022. This season, he missed nearly 10 weeks on the Injured List before returning in mid-August. In Low A in 2022, he struck out 143 batters (11.0 K/9). This season, he had just 34 strikeouts in his 47 High-A innings (6.5%). Adam Seminaris had a similar 2023 story. The lefty came to the Brewers in the trade that sent Hunter Renfroe to the Angels. After throwing 101 2/3 innings last season, he threw just 62 innings this year. He spent nearly three months on the Injured List. He ended the 2022 season with nine Triple-A starts, but because of the injuries, he made just one start with Nashville this season. This will be a good opportunity for Seminaris to make up for some of those lost innings. He was the Angels fifth-round pick in 2020 out of Long Beach State, so the Brewers will have to decide whether to add him to their 40-man roster or not. Justin Yeager is a 25-year-old right-hander. He was the 33rd round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2019 out of Southern Illinois. He came to the Brewers organization with William Contreras in the big three-team deal between the Braves, Brewers and A’s that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta. Yeager pitched in three games for Double-A Biloxi before being put on the Injured List in early May. He didn’t pitch again in the regular season. However, he must be good-to-go or else he couldn't be on the AFL roster. As you can see with the pitchers, in most cases, they are guys who missed significant innings with injury who are getting an opportunity to grab extra innings. The same can be said for a couple of the hitters heading to Arizona. Eric Brown was the Brewers top pick in the 2022 draft, 27th overall out of Coastal Carolina. After signing, he ended up playing 23 games in Carolina. So the 22-year-old began the 2023 season in Wisconsin where he hit .265/.362/.347 (.709) with eight doubles and four home runs in just 63 games. Unfortunately, he missed time twice throughout the season with injuries. One thing that Brown does at an elite level is run. On the season, he had a total of 39 stolen bases and was caught just five times. Hendry Mendez will remain a teenager until the final week of the AFL. However, in 62 games for High-A Wisconsin, he hit .236/.307/.326 (.634) with eight doubles, two triples, and three home runs. However, he missed three weeks in late April and then returned for four games before going on the Injured List for nearly two months. That is some pretty inconsistent playing time from April through June. Again, this is a great opportunity for Mendez to make up for some lost time. The Brewers liked Wes Clarke so much, they drafted him twice. Alright, the first time was in the 40th round out of high school in 2018. Instead of signing, he went to South Carolina and three years later, they selected him again, this time in the 10th round. Clarke was able to stay healthy and in the Biloxi lineup most every day and earned that time. He hit .241/.392/.498 (.889) with 24 doubles and 26 home runs. The AFL may provide Clarke with time to work on the defensive side of his game. This season, he made 43 starts at first base and 33 starts behind the plate. It may be a chance for him to work on some things behind the plate. So there you have it, a quick look at the Brewers contingent which will start play in the Arizona Fall League this week. Who are you most looking forward to watching? View full article

Jackson ChourioSal FrelickJacob MisiorowskiTyler BlackJeferson QueroRobert GasserBrock WilkenCarlos F RodriguezEric Brown JrAbner UribeYophery RodriguezLuis LaraCooper PrattEric BitontiRobert MooreJosh KnothMike BoeveMatthew WoodLuke AdamsDaniel Guilarte

And now Jarvis has been traded to the Mets in the Mark Canha trade.

Chatted with Jarvis this morning... He's fine, just a skipped start, as they normally do to help guys pitch through the full season. Nothito see here. At least not at this time.

What does it mean? Justin Jarvis has had a nice season between AA and AAA and is in the category of "nearly MLB ready" starting pitcher. So, is it possible that the Brewers are including him in a deal we will hear about soon, or in the coming days? Maybe he's sick, but at this time of the year (and with so many trades happening already), stuff like this gets noticed... H/T to @Smichaelis9: View full rumor

Mike Brosseau played in a couple of games for Nashville after he was DFAd and outrighted. However, apparently he got an offer from the Chiba Lotte to his liking and has signed with them.

It would have been fun to have taken the time to research all of these and try to understand them in the big picture. Several were "just" September call-ups. But I think Frelick's timing was great. Brewers are playing really well and he can be a key spark. The Saenz story is amazing. To get called up from AA for a spot start, to pitch that well. Sent down after the game and never got back to the bigs.

I remember sitting in a fantasy draft and someone took him and then there was a 3-4 minute discussion about how to properly pronounce his name!

Highly-anticipated, outfielder Sal Frelick made his big-league debut on Saturday night in Milwaukee. It went very well for the Bostonian and his Brewers teammates. Where might his debut rank among other Brewers debuts since the team came to Milwaukee in 1970? Image courtesy of Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports Brewers fans have been waiting all season (and maybe even last season) for Sal Frelick to get called up. On Saturday, he made his debut, and it went quite well. How does his debut compare to other Brewer debuts over the years? You could look for a home run, or at least an extra-base hit, if you want. However, it’s hard to imagine a better debut. Before the game, Frelick told reporters that we wanted to come up and be a spark plug for the team. I would say that, for at least one game, Frelick did about as much as possible to win the game for the Brewers. Today, let's take a look back at Frelick and his incredible debut on Saturday night in Milwaukee. Then let's consider where it might rank among MLB debuts in Brewers history. The Background Let’s start with the basics. Salvatore Michael Frelick was born in Boston. He went to high school in Boston. He went to Boston College. Three years later, the Milwaukee Brewers used their 2021 first-round draft pick, the 15th overall pick, to select Frelick. The Brewers were quite aggressive with the outfielder. After signing, he played four games in the Arizona Complex League just to get back into the proverbial swing of things. He then played 16 games at Low-A Carolina where he hit .437 before ending the season with 15 games with the High-A Timber Rattlers. That’s where he began the 2022 season, but after just 21 games, he was pushed to Double-A Biloxi. In 50 games there, he hit .317/.380/.464. Late in the season, he was promoted to Triple-A Nashville. He hit .365/.435/.508 (.943). He ended the season on a high note and came into the 2023 season with an opportunity to make the big-league club. Ultimately, he began the season with Nashville. He started the season slow, but on April 18th, he went 3-for-5 with two doubles against Jacksonville. That same night, Garrett Mitchell slid into third base and tore the labrum in his right shoulder. Would Frelick get The Call? More news soon came that Mitchell would likely miss the season, but at the same time, we learned that Frelick had torn a ligament in his thumb that required surgery. He missed nearly two months. He played three games in the ACL to get going, and then re-joined the Sounds on June 14th. There was another scare recently when Frelick appeared to hurt his knee. Fortunately, things checked out well, and he only missed one game. The Call He really wasn’t hitting great at Triple-A if you look at his overall numbers. However, over the past week, he went 9-for-24 (.375) with two doubles, a homer, four walks and just one strikeout. It was his time, and Frelick learned on Friday night that he was heading to the big leagues. The Debut Brewers fans have had some of their really exciting prospects make their debuts in 2023. Brice Turang was on the Opening Day roster and after a brief stint in Nashville returned recently. Joey Wiemer’s numbers may not look great, but he’s provided some big hits and terrific defense since his debut. Garrett Mitchell, their top pick in 2020 out of UCLA, debuted late last season and is certainly an exciting player too. However, none of them ranked as highly as Frelick. Clearly Brewers fans have been waiting for this day for quite some time. Frelick was in the starting lineup on Saturday night. He was batting sixth and playing in right field. In the second inning, with an almost inexcusable shift, Frelick took what he was given. He slapped a ball to the left side and used his elite speed to beat it out for his first it. In case you were wondering, his first hit came against Braves starter Allan Winans, a 27-year-old making his major-league debut too. His second at-bat ended with a single to right-field. He came around to score on a Brice Turang sacrifice fly. In his third at-bat, he singled to left to drive in a run and tie the game at 3-3. And two tremendous catches in the sixth inning to keep the Brewers within striking distance. Then in the bottom of the eighth, Frelick came up to the plate again and lined out to right field, just deep enough to score Willy Adames and give the Brewers a 4-3 lead. They held on and beat a very good Atlanta Braves team. So, to summarize, Frelick went 3-for-3 with a run scored. He drove in the game-tying run and later what proved to be the game-winning run. And he made two web gems in one inning. All to help his first-place team win a game against the best team in the National League (if not all of baseball). WPA: 0.334 For much more Brewer Fanatic content on Sal Frelick, the Brewers #4 Prospect, click here. Other Great Brewers Debuts So now turning to the question of where Sal Frelick’s MLB debut ranks compared to other Brewers throughout their team history dating back to 1970. Here are some for you to consider: OF Sixto Lezcano – September 10, 1974, vs Baltimore Orioles Like Frelick, Lezcano batted sixth and played in right field during his MLB debut. Just 20-years-old at the time, the Puerto Rican went 4-for-5 with an RBI in the game. He singled to center leading off the second inning for his first big-league hit. He also led off the fourth and sixth innings (fly out, ground out). He came to the plate with two outs and a tie game. Bobby Mitchell had singled in the tying run, but which Lezcano in the batter’s box, Mitchell was picked off to end the inning. He led off the eighth inning with an infield single. In the bottom of the 10th inning, John Briggs led off with a walk. Then Bob Coluccio bunted him to second base. That brought Lezcano to the plate. He ripped a single to right field, Briggs scored, and the Brewers won 6-5. Lezcano had a nice 12-year big-league career, the first seven of those seasons were with the Brewers. He was traded to the Cardinals after the 1980 season in a deal that brought Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons, and Pete Vuckovich to Milwaukee. WPA: 0.349. OF Steve Bowling – September 7, 1976, vs Cleveland “Guardians” Like Lezcano, Bowling was a September call up. However, he didn’t even start in his debut game. Von Joshua started the game in center field and went 2-for-3. However, the Brewers already had an 11-2 lead, so Bowling came into pinch hit for Joshua in the fifth inning. He responded with a first pitch double off Don Hood. Robin Yount – who borrowed Bowling some spikes before the game – followed with a single, but Bowling was thrown out at home. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Bowling came to the plate with the bases loaded. He singled to drive in Dan Thomas and Jim Gantner. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Bowling had a single off Dave LaRoche and later scored on a Don Money double. So like Frelick, Bowling went 3-for-3 in his debut, but the game wasn’t quite as competitive. The Brewers won 17-4. Bowling had four more hits over 13 more games with the Brewers that season. He hit .167/.205/.214 (.419) and after the season, he was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the expansion draft. He played in 89 games for the Blue Jays in 1977. He was dealt to the White Sox in 1978 and only played in the minors. The former college running back never returned to the big leagues. WPA: 0.001 OF Doug Loman – September 3, 1984, vs Boston Red Sox Loman was another September call up. He made his debut in left field and batting eighth for the Red Sox against starter Dennis Boyd . In the bottom of the third, Bill Schroeder led off with a home run. Loman followed by grounding out to first baseman Bill Buckner (who fielded it before it went between his legs and flipped to Oil Can Boyd for the out). Loman led off the bottom of the fifth inning with his first career hit, a double off Boyd. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Loman came to the plate with runners on first and third. His single scored Ben Oglivie to cut the Brewers deficit to 8-3. They cut it to 8-5 but Bob Stanley shut the door with a three-inning, scoreless save. Loman grounded back to the mound in the eighth inning. Loman ended the day 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. He played 23 games for the Brewers that September and another 24 games in 1985. He was released after that season and had a successful season in Japan. He called it a career and became a pastor. WPA: 0.062 OF Geoff Jenkins - April 24, 1998, vs San Francisco Giants Jenkins had a tremendous amateur career, and the Brewers made him the ninth overall pick in the 1995 draft out of USC. He was called up early in the 1998 season and debuted in left field, batting sixth for the Brewers. Jenkins came to the plate in the top of the second inning with one on and one out. He lined a single to center off Orel Hershiser for his first hit. He later scored on a Mike Matheny two-run single. In the fourth inning, Hershiser got Jenkins on a comebacker. However, in the top of the fifth, Jeromy Burnitz hit a three-run homer that turned a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead for Milwaukee. Two batters later, Jenkins launched his first big-league homer off Hershiser to make it 6-4. Jenkins popped out to end the seventh inning. With a three-run lead, the Brewers pitched to Barry Bonds, and he hit his fifth home run of a pretty impressive season. In the eighth inning, Darrin Jackson replaced Jenkins in left field. Burnitz had an 11-season career in the big leagues. He spent the first 10 seasons with the Brewers. WPA: 0.131 Other Notable Brewers Hitter Debuts: 1973 – Gorman Thomas, 1-for-3 with a triple. Error in center field. 1974 – Robin Yount, 0-for-1, BB, pinch hit for by Felipe Alou, still notable because he was the Opening Day starter for the Brewers as an 18-year-old, fresh out of high school. Hence, “The Kid.” 1976 - Jim Gantner, 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, K 1978 – Paul Molitor, 1-for-5, RBI 1983 – Bill Schroeder, 1-for-4, 3B, R, RBI 1987 – B.J. Surhoff , 1-for-4 1989 – Greg Vaughn, 0-for-0 (pinch ran for THE Joey Meyer) 1988 – Joey Meyer, 0-for-0 (defensive replacement for Greg Brock at first base) 1988 – Gary Sheffield, 0-for-0 (defensive replacement for Dale Sveum at shortstop, at 19 years old) 1992 – John Jaha, 0-for-3, K 1999 – Kevin Barker, 2-for-5, R, RBI, K 2003 – Rickie Weeks, 0-for-1 (pinch hit for Wes Helms) 2004 – Corey Hart, 0-for-1 (pinch hit for Victor Santos) 2005 – J.J. Hardy , 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI. 2005 – Prince Fielder, 0-for-4 2007 – Ryan Braun, 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI 2010 – Jonathan Lucroy, 1-for-2 (pinch hit for George Kottaras) 2019 – Keston Hiura, 2-for-3, BB 2019 – Tyrone Taylor, 0-for-0 (pinch hit for Freddy Peralta, hit by a Steve Cishek pitch) 2022 – Garrett Mitchell, 0-for-0 (defensive replacement) 2023 – Brice Turang, 1-for-3 2023 – Joey Wiemer, 1-for-2, 2B 2023 – Blake Perkins, 0-for-0 (pinch ran for Rowdy Tellez, defense in CF) 2023 – Andruw Monasterio, 0-for-1, K (defensive replacement) Top MLB Debuts by Brewers Pitchers There have been some really strong MLB debuts by Brewers pitchers over the years, though it probably comes down to your choice between two pitching performances. RHP Steve Woodard – July 28, 1997 vs Toronto Blue Jays A fourth-round pick in 1994 out of high school, the Alabama native was called up just before the trade deadline in 1997. He made the start against the Blue Jays, and frankly, he made it look pretty easy. Otis Nixon led off the game with a double down the left field line. Soon after, he stole third base. However, after getting an infield pop out, he struck out Joe Carter and Carlos Delgado to get out of the inning. He had two more strikeouts in the second inning, and two more strikeouts in the third inning. Oh, and two more strikeouts in the fourth inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Jeff Cirillo lined a double to lead off the inning. After a strikeout, Jeromy Burnitz singled to center to score Cirillo and give the Crew a 1-0 lead. Just one strikeout in a 1-2-3 fifth inning for Woodard. In the sixth inning, he got two ground outs and an infield pop out. In the seventh inning, there were two more strikeouts. In the eighth inning, he got a strikeout, a ground out to first and a pop out to second. The Blue Jays starter, a guy named Clemens (Roger Clemens, maybe you’ve heard of him) was dealing too. He gave up just the one run over eight innings. The intimidating Mike Fetters came in for the ninth inning and got two ground outs before a strikeout ended the game. Clemens gave up just one run on four hits and a walk while striking out 10 Brewers hitters. The loss dropped his record to 16-4 despite a 1.52 ERA. But Steve Woodard gave up just the one hit and one walk over eight scoreless innings. He needed 119 pitches but recorded 12 strikeouts. Woodard made six more starts for the Brewers in 1997. He made a total of 99 appearances for the Brewers over the next three years, including 73 starts. Overall, he went 25-30 with a 4.73 ERA over 481 innings. At the deadline in 2000, he was traded to Cleveland with Jason Bere and Bob Wickman (and later Marco Scutaro) in exchange for Kane Davis, Paul Rigdon, and a slugging first baseman named Richie Sexson. Woodard spent time with Cleveland in 2000 and 2001. After they released him, he signed several minor-league deals with teams (Texas, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Boston, Oakland, St. Louis again, and Florida) but only appeared in 14 games for the Rangers in 2002 and seven games for the Red Sox in 2003. After not pitching from 2015-17, he attempted a comeback with the Marlins. Like Clemens, Woodard’s name was mentioned in the infamous Mitchell Report. WPA: 0.607 If we are going to be honest, this must be #1 on the best debut list, right? RHP Freddy Peralta – May 13, 2018, vs Colorado Rockies Now Peralta didn’t go eight innings like Woodard did. However, in his 5 2/3 innings against the Rockies, notably in Colorado, Peralta had 13 strikeouts. He gave up just one hit and two walks. In the first inning, he struck out DJ LeMahieu and Charlie Blackmon. In the second frame, he struck out Nolan Arenado, Carlos Gonzalez, and Trevor Story. He fought it a bit in the third inning. With one out, Tony Wolters reached on an error before Peralta walked pitcher Jon Gray. He struck out LeMahieu but then walked David Dahl to load the bases. However, he got a groundout to end the inning. The fourth inning was an exact duplication of the second inning, striking out Arenado, Gonzalez, and Story. In the fifth inning, he to a groundout followed by strikeouts of Wolters and Gray. In the bottom of the sixth, he struck out LeMahieu for the third straight time. Dahl followed with a single. Peralta struck out Charlie Blackmon looking. That’s when Craig Counsell came out and replaced Peralta with Matt Albers. He gave up a single to Arenado but got Gonzalez on a comebacker to end it. Peralta left the game with a 7-0 lead, and they held on for a 7-3 win. We don’t even need to mention that Peralta went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the game. His pitching line, however, was impressive. Peralta tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked two and recorded 13 strikeouts. WPA: 0.241 Other Notable Brewers Pitchers Debuts: 1971 – Bill Parsons, 9 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 6 K 1971 – Jim Slaton, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K. 1972 – Gary Ryerson, 9 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K 1976 – Moose Haas, 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K 1980 - Rickey Keeton, 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 0 K 1985 – Teddy Higuera, 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K 1989 – Jaime Navarro, 6.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K 1991 – Cal Eldred, 5.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K 1996 – Jeff D'Amico , 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K 2001 – Ben Sheets, 6 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 5 K 2001 – Nick Neugebauer, 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K 2004 – Chris Saenz, 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K 2007 – Yovani Gallardo, 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K 2008 – Tim Dillard, 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K 2015 – Taylor Jungmann, 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 K 2015 – Tyler Cravy, 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K 2017 – Brandon Woodruff, 6.1 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K 2018 – Corbin Burnes, 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K 2021 – Jake Cousins, 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 K So where does Sal Frelick's MLB debut rank compared to other Brewers debuts? This author would rank them as below. How about you? #1 - RHP Steve Woodard #2 - OF Sal Frelick (the two defensive plays give him the very slight edge over...) #3 - OF Sixto Lezcano #4 - RHP Freddy Peralta #5 - OF Steve Bowling #6 - OF Geoff Jenkins View full article

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Jackson ChourioSal FrelickJacob MisiorowskiTyler BlackJeferson QueroEric Brown JrCooper PrattBrock WilkenRobert GasserRobert MooreJosh KnothLuis LaraEric BitontiAbner UribeMatthew WoodMike BoeveCarlos F RodriguezJustin JarvisLuke AdamsHendry Mendez