Seth Stohs

There are essentially two purposes of an organization's minor-league system. The first is to develop players that will help at the big-league level. The second would be to trade prospects to gain players to help the big-league club during a winning cycle. Where are the Milwaukee Brewers in that circle of baseball life now? Opinions may vary. They didn't sign many free agents. They didn't make a lot of trades. They also weren't able to sign Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, or Willy Adames to long-term deals. Where will they be in June, and what will they do at the deadline? Well, that's for another day. The minor-leaguers deserve our attention. They earned the right to be called professional ballplayers. They put in a tremendous amount of work, and while improvements are being made to minor-league pay, there is still a long way to go. So, it is important to recognize those efforts and the successes in the minor leagues. Each week, we will take a look at how the Brewers' affiliates are performing as a team and their upcoming schedule. But our focus will be on the players. For each of the four full-season affiliates whose seasons are just getting started, we will name a Hitter and Pitcher of the Week. At the end, we will let you decide who the Brewers Minor League Hitter and Pitcher of the Month are, so please take some time to read about the prospects and discuss them in the Comments. Let's get started in Nashville. Triple-A Nashville Sounds Last Week: Home vs Norfolk, 3-3 Overall: 8-7 Standings: Tied for 7th place in the International League What’s Next: Six games at Jacksonville (7-7) Top Hitter: Keston Hiura In five games last week, Hiura went 5-for-20 with four home runs and seven RBI. He had a slash line of .250/.318/.850 (1.168) and walked twice. The 26-year-old former ninth-overall pick could have sulked when the Brewers DFAd him at the end of spring training, and he cleared waivers. Instead, he’s provided power in the middle of the Sounds offense. Through the season’s first 12 games, Hiura has hit .279/.367/.698 (1.065) with six home runs and 12 RBI. He’s still looking for his first double. Hiura will play in the big leagues again. Will it be with the Brewers? Honorable Mention IF Eddy Alvarez (33): 4 G, 3-for-11, .273/.500/.545 (1.045), HR, 4 BB, 2 SB 3B Abraham Toro (26): 5 G, 8-for-20, .400/.455/.550 (1.005), 3-2B, 2 BB C Brian Navarreto (28) had a game-winning grand slam this week. Top 20 Prospects OF Sal Frelick (23)(#2 prospect): 6 G, 3-for-20, .150/.261/.150 (.411), 3 BB Top Pitcher: LHP Clayton Andrews 26-year-old Clayton Andrews had a really nice week. The lefty reliever pitched in three games. He earned a win and a save. He pitched a total of three innings and gave up no runs and no hits. He walked one and struck out five batters. Andrews is a little lefty that the Brewers drafted in the 17th round of the 2018 draft. He was working his way up the organizational ladder, reaching Double-A in the 2nd half of 2019. He went to the Arizona Fall League. Unfortunately, he didn’t pitch in 2020. Then after seven appearances for Nashville in 2021, he underwent Tommy John surgery. He spent most of 2022 rehabbing and got into some games at Double-A at the end of the season. He returned to Nashville to start this season where he has nine strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. He’s given up just one run on two hits and one walk. He was a two-way player really until he starting having arm issues in 2021. Honorable Mention LHP Alex Claudio (31): 3 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 3.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K. RHP Lucas Erceg (28): 3 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 4.2 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K. RHP Tyson Miller (27): 2 G, 0-0, 1.50 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 6.0 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 0 BB, 4 K. Other Top 20 Prospects LHP Robert Gasser (24)(#7 prospect): 1 G, 0-0, 3.38 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 5.1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 7 K. LHP Ethan Small (26)(#18 prospect): 2 G, 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, 2.2 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K. Double-A Biloxi Shuckers Last Week: Home vs. Pensacola, 3-3 Overall: 5-4 Standings: 4th place in the Southern League (1 GB) What’s Next: Six games at Rocket City (6-3) Top Hitter: IF Tyler Black (#8 prospect) Tyler Black was the 33rd overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Wright State. He played five games last week and went 6-for-16. He hit .375/.500/.813 (1.313) with a double, two home runs, and four RBI. He walked twice, and he stole three bases. The 22-year-old Canadian hit .281 with an .831 OPS a season ago in Wisconsin. However, because of injury, he played just 64 games. He finished the year by playing in 17 games in the Arizona Fall League. Drafted as a shortstop, he spent quite a bit of time in center field last year. So far this year, he has played third base in all seven games that he has played. Honorable Mention 1B Zavier Warren (24): 6 G, 5-for-17, .294/.455/.471 (.926), with a home run. He also walked five times and stole three bases. Top 20 Prospects OF Jackson Chourio (19)(#1 prospect): 6 G, 4-for-24, .167/.200/.583 (.783) with a double, three homers, and seven RBI. One walk, nine strikeouts in 25 plate appearances. C Jeferson Quero (20)(#5 prospect): 4 G, 3-for-12, .250/.308/.250 (.558) with one stolen base. Top Pitcher: RHP Christian Mejias Mejias made one start for the Shuckers last week. He tossed five shutout innings. He gave up just one hit, walked one, and struck out eight batters. It was his first start of the season, but he had a two-inning relief appearance the previous week. Mejias signed with the Houston Astros back in June of 2016. He pitched parts of three seasons in the DSL. He came to the States midway through the 2018 season and didn’t make his full-season debut until He reached A-Ball with the Astros organization in 2021, but at season’s end of 2022, he became a free agent. The Brewers signed him quickly and assigned him to Double-A to start this season. Honorable Mention RHP Justin Jarvis (23): 2 G, 0-1, 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 11.0 IP 3 R, 7 H, 5 BB, 13 K. RHP Harold Chirino (25): 2 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K. LHP Darrell Thompson (29): 2 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.30 WHIP, 3.1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 4 K. Top 20 Prospects RHP Carlos Rodriguez (21)(#11 prospect): 1 G, 0-1, 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 5.0 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 K. RHP Abner Uribe (23)(#13 prospect): 2 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 3 BB, 3 K. High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Last Week: Home vs Peoria, 4-2 Overall: 6-3 Standings: Tied for 5th place in the Midwest League What’s Next: Six games at Quad Cities (3-5) Top Hitter: 3B Ben Metzinger Metzinger had just three hits over 11 at-bats last week. However, he had a double, a homer, and an incredible nine walks. He hit .273/.600/.636 (1.236). The Brewers selected Metzinger in the seventh round of the 2022 draft after four years at Louisville. The 23-year-old played four games in Arizona after signing before finishing the year with 25 games in Wisconsin. Honorable Mention C Alex Hall (24): 3 G, 3-for-10, .300/.417/.900 (1.317) with two home runs and two walks. OF Joe Gray (23): 5 G, 7-for-20, .350/.435/.550 (.985) with a double, a homer, and three walks. 1B Jesus Chirinos (21): 3 G, 3-for-11, .273/.333/.636 (.969) with a double, a homer and a walk. IF Eduardo Garcia (20): 5 G, 6-for-20, .300/.364/.550 (.914) with a triple and a home run. Top 20 Prospects SS Eric Brown Jr (22)(#9 prospect): 6 G, 3-for-26, .115/.179/.115 (.294) with one walk, one steal. OF Hendry Mendez (19)(#12 prospect): 1 G, 1-for-1, 1.000/1.000/1.000 (2.000). Injured on an awkward slide on a caught stealing at second base. Listed as day-to-day. OF Robert Moore (21)(#14 prospect): 5 G, 6-for-20, .300/.364/.600 (.964) with three doubles and a home run. Top Pitcher: RHP Tyler Woessner It was a two-start week for the 23-year-old Woessner, the first two starts of his season. He went 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He worked a combined 10 innings and gave up four runs (2 earned) on seven hits. He walked three and struck out 13 batters. A native of Phoenix, Woessner spent his college years at Central Arizona College where he helped the team to a national championship. The Brewers selected him in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. He pitched six innings in Arizona before ending the season with a game for Carolina. Honorable Mention RHP Kaleb Bowman (26): 2 G, 0-0, 2 Saves, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K. LHP Russell Smith (24): 1 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 2.2 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 5 K. RHP Max Lazar (24): 1 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 3.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K. RHP Ryan Brady (24): 2 G, 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 5.0 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 3 K. Top 20 Prospects RHP Stiven Cruz (21)(#15 prospect): 1 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 5.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K. RHP Alexander Cornielle (21)(#20 prospect): 1 G, 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 4.0 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K. Low-A Carolina Mudcats Last Week: 2-4 hosting Salem Overall: 3-5 Standings: 11th place in the Carolina League What’s Next: Six games at Down East (5-3) Top Hitter: 3B Luke Adams Over five games last week, Luke Adams went 4-for-14 and hit .286/.524/.643 (1.167) with two doubles and a home run. He also walked seven times and then stole three bases. His 1.167 OPS was just over .500 points higher than the next high on the Mudcats team The 19-year-old Adams was the Brewers 12th round pick in 200 out of Hinsdale Central High School in Illinois. He had been committed to play at Michigan State. He was ranked the seventh-best prospect last year in Illinois, and the eighth-best third base prospect in the country a year ago. The Brewers gave him sixth-round money, more than double the $125,000 value for players taken after the tenth round. He’s a big kid, 6-4, but he’s a very good athlete. He also has a huge arm. Because it was such a big decision, Adams didn’t sign right away, but he hit .375 in 11 games in Arizona. Honorable Mention None. Top 20 Prospects OF Jace Avina (20)(#17 prospect): 4 G, 1-for-11, .091/.375/.091 (.466). He had three walks and eight strikeouts. Top Pitcher: RHP Aidan Maldonado Maldonado pitched twice last week, one start and once out of the bullpen. Over a combined seven shutout innings, he gave up just one hit, two walks, and struck out eight batters. He had a 0.00 ERA, a 0.43 WHIP, and opponents hit just .045 against him. The Brewers liked Maldonado enough that they drafted him twice. In 2018, they selected him, one pick before the Rockies selected Kumar Rocker, out of Rosemount (MN) High School. He went to the University of Illinois for three years before coming home to the University of Minnesota for his senior season. He posted a 3.91 ERA over 73 2/3 innings and struck out 90 batters. He did not pitch after the Brewers selected him in the 14th round of last year’s draft. Honorable Mention RHP Tyler Wehrle (23): 1 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 4.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 3 BB, 3 K. RHP Alexander Vallecillo (20): 2 G, 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 5.0 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 K. Top 20 Prospects RHP Jacob Misiorowski (21)(#10 prospect): 1 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K. YOUR TURN… Now is your opportunity to vote on the weekly Brewers minor league awards: Hitter of the Week Keston Hiura (Nashville): 5 G, 5-for-20, .250/.318/.850 (1.168), 4-HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K Tyler Black (Biloxi): 5 G, 6-for-16, .375/.500/.813 (1.313), 1-2B, 2-HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K, 3 SB Ben Metzinger (Wisconsin): 5 G, 3-for-11, .273/.600/.636 (1.236), 1-2B, 1-HR, 4 RBI, 9 BB, 6 K Luke Adams (Carolina): 5 G, 4-for-14, .286/.524/.643 (1.167), 2-2B, 1-HR, 2 RBI, 7 BB, 5 K, 3 SB Pitcher of the Week Clayton Andrews (Nashville): 3 G, 1-0, 1 Save, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K Christian Mejias (Biloxi): 1 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.40 WHIP, 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K Tyler Woessner (Wisconsin): 2 G, 2-0, 1.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 10.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 13 K Aidan Maldonado (Carolina): 2 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.43 WHIP, 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K Feel free to ask questions and discuss the Brewers’ minor league affiliates and prospects in the COMMENTS below.

Box Score SP: Brandon Woodruff: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K (97 pitches, 69ca strikes (58.9%) Home Runs: None. Top 3 WPA: Jesse Winker (0.290), William Contreras (0.187), Brandon Woodruff (0.149) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Ace #2 Fantastic in First Outing Brandon Woodruff would be making Opening Day starts for many organizations. With the Brewers, he gets to follow Corbin Burnes. However, both starters could be classified as “Aces.” On Saturday afternoon, Woodruff was absolutely fantastic. He gave up a couple of hits and a walk, but through five innings, he did not allow a run. In the sixth inning, he made his one mistake, and Ian Happ deposited into the right field basket for a home run. After a loss on Opening Day, Woodruff provided the Brewers with what they needed. He was very good for six innings. He worked fast. He mixed his pitches well. He missed a lot of bats. In summary, he was strong and gave his team a chance to stick in the game. Brewers Batters Assist Time of Game Issues Baseball has implemented several rule changes this season, most designed to improve the pace of play. In doing that, the time of game should be shortened, and we’ve certainly seen that early this season across the game. While it may not improve pace of play, the Brewers hitters have helped keep the Time of Game down. They were shutout in the season opener, and in this game, they were shut down for the first seven innings. Lefty Justin Steele looked great against the Brewers’ lineup. He tossed six scoreless innings and gave up just three hits and a walk. He struck out eight batters. Javier Assad, who pitched great in the WBC, pitched a scoreless seventh inning. However, in the 8th inning, the Brewers offense showed up and began their season. Brian Anderson led off the inning with a single to center. Garrett Mitchell came off the bench to pinch hit and worked a walk. Newcomer Jesse Winker then pinch hit and singled to center to score Anderson and tie the game. Brice Turang pinch ran for Winker and stole second base. After Mike Brosseau grounded out, Michael Fulmer replaced Assad. Fulmer walked Willy Adames to load the bases, but followed it with a strikeout of Christian Yelich for the second out. However, William Contreras came up, and it may not have been pretty, but he reached out and punched a soft liner to right field to score two runs and give the Brewers a 3-1 lead. Fortunately, that was enough for Woodruff and the bullpen to hang onto. And the game finished in two hours and 32 minutes! Wiemer Debut On Thursday, Brice Turang and Gus Varland both made their big-league debuts. Unfortunately toward the end of the game, infielder Luis Urias was hurt. Saturday morning, the team announced that he was going on the Injured List and outfield prospect Joey Wiemer made his MLB debut. He batted ninth and played in center field. In his first at bat, he swung at the first pitch and hit a soft liner down the right field line and got a hustle-double, showing off his tremendous speed. He didn’t waste any time in his second at bat either. He swung at the first pitch and flew out to medium-deep center. When his spot came up in the eighth inning, Jesse Winker pinch hit for him. A third successful debut for a Brewers prospect in the first two games. Airbender Bent but Did Not Break Peter Strzelecki and Matt Bush each worked a quick, scoreless inning to set up the first Save opportunity for Devin Williams, and it did get a little scary. Dansby Swanson led off with an infield single off of Williams. After a short delay, Ian Happ followed with a single to right field. Cody Bellinger came up, representing the winning run for the Cubs, but Williams got a ground ball double play. He followed with a strikeout to end the game. What’s Next? On Sunday at 1:10 pm central time, the Brewers and Cubs will complete their first series of the season. Eric Lauer will start for The Crew opposite the first Cubs start of Jameson Taillon. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Strzelecki 0 0 10 0 17 27 Varland 0 0 19 0 0 19 Williams 0 0 0 0 16 16 Bush 0 0 0 0 13 13 Guerra 0 0 8 0 0 8 Milner 0 0 0 0 0 0 Cousins 0 0 0 0 0 0 Payamps 0 0 0 0 0 0 B Wilson 0 0 0 0 0 0

Box Score SP: Corbin Burnes: 5 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (90 pitches, 53 strikes (58.9%) Home Runs: None. Bottom 3 WPA: Corbin Burnes (-0.207), Rowdy Tellez (-0.173), Jesse Winker (-0.116) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Burnes Start A simple look at the box score will tell us that Burnes wasn’t fully on his game. At least two of the four runs he gave up in the third inning should not have scored. A couple of misplays really cost the team that inning. But Burnes wasn’t quite there. He threw a lot of pitchers and struggled with command at times. Nothing to worry about. His “stuff” looked fine, and there wasn’t really a lot of hard contact off of him. Rough Third Inning. It started with a leadoff walk to Patrick Wisdom which was followed by a fielder's choice. A single put runners on first and third base with one out. Dansby Swanson singled to right to score Wisdom. Willy Adames cut off the throw from right and threw wildly to first. That allowed the second run to score. Burnes walked another batter before getting Cody Bellinger to strikeout for the second out. Trey Mancini singled to left field to score Swansong and Ian Happ advanced to third base. Next, Yan Gomes hit a bounding ball up the middle. Adames fielded it fairly close to the bag and decided to step on it himself. However, Mancini ran hard and beat Adames to the bag. Fielder's Choice and a fourth run for the Brewers. Two walks, an error and another misplay isn't going to help a team win. Turang Talk We all saw the video of manager Craig Counsell informing Brice Turang that he had made the Brewers Opening Day roster. Following the initial response, Counsell asked if Turang wanted to start. Turang’s response? “Absolutely!” On Thursday, Turang batted ninth and played second base. His first at-bat came in the top of the third inning. Against Marcus Stroman, he hit a bounding ball toward second base and beat it out with his speed. Nico Hoerner had to get rid of the ball so quickly and threw the ball away, allowing Turang to reach second base. Turang went 1-for-3 in the game. Varland Debut Following a scoreless sixth inning from Peter Strzelecki, Craig Counsell turned to Gus Varland to make his major-league debut. Things couldn’t have started out better. On four pitches, Varland struck out Miles Mastrobuoni. He quickly got a ground out from Nico Hoerner. However, some good hitting saw Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ single. Cody Bellinger followed with a walk to load the bases. After a mound visit, Varland was able to get Trey Mancini to ground out to first base for the final out. What did he show? Fastball sat between 95.5 mph and 96.7 mph. His slider and changeup were both 88-89 mph. He looked good. Looked confident. And I’m sure it was nice to just get that outing out of the way. Unfortunately, his younger brother Louie is still in Ft. Myers. The plan was for him to fly to Chicago on Friday, so he wasn’t there for Gus’s big day. What’s Next? Brandon Woodruff will attempt to get the Brewers their first win of the year on Saturday when he takes on Cubs lefty Justin Steele. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:20 pm. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Varland 0 0 0 0 19 19 Strzelecki 0 0 0 0 10 10 Guerra 0 0 0 0 8 8 Milner 0 0 0 0 0 0 Williams 0 0 0 0 0 0 Cousins 0 0 0 0 0 0 Payamps 0 0 0 0 0 0 B Wilson 0 0 0 0 0 0 Bush 0 0 0 0 0 0

For the 2022 international signing period, the Brewers' pool stands at $6,366,900. On the first day, the Brewers signed 29 players. We don't know for certain what the total expenditure for the day was, but we know three of the values. The goal, of course, is to find the next Jackson Chourio or Abner Uribe? The Brewers signed three players that were among MLB Pipeline's Top 35 international period prospect rankings. Number 22 on their rankings was outfielder Yophery Rodriguez from the Dominican Republic. He signed with the Brewers for $1.5 million. He just turned 17 in early December and is a very toolsy player. He has a good feel for hitting and over time he could develop a lot of power. He's got a good approach to the strike zone and has been training with former big leaguers Carlos Guillen. How much will he grow, and how much strength will he gain? That may determine whether he remains a viable centerfield option. Filippo Di Turri ranked #33 by MLB Pipeline. He is a shortstop from Venezuela who turned 17 early in November. He's all about projection. He stands about 5-10 and weighs in at just 150 pounds, maybe. Di Turri is a very solid all-around player already at this stage. He has really good instincts at shortstop to go with soft hands, quick feet and range, and a strong arm. While he is not very big and will have to gain a lot of strength over the coming years, scouts have been impressed by his swing from both sides of the plate and believe that he could develop some power from both sides. The Brewers also signed MLB Pipeline's #35 international prospect, shortstop Kevin Ereu on Sunday. Another shortstop from Venezuela, Ereu won't turn 17 until the end of May. He is already 5-11 and 170 pounds. While he is very solid and makes the routine plays at shortstop, and they will want to keep him there as long as they can, he may be a guy who switches positions down the line. He is right-handed and hits the ball hard from gap-to-gap and has already exhibited the ability to hit the ball over the fence. Both Di Turri and Ereu signed for between $1.2 million and $1.3 million. With these three top prospects, the Brewers have accounted for approximately $4 million. That leaves an additional $2.2 million or so to spend. Here are 26 other players that the Brewers signed on Sunday: Pitchers Nestor Mena, RHP, Nicaragua Saul Sanchez, RHP, Nicaragua Melvin Hernandez, RHP, Nicaragua Enniel Cortez, RHP, Nicaragua Jesus Flores, RHP, Venezuela Eric Prado, RHP, Mexico Gabriel Colmenarez, RHP, Venezuela Aldrin Gonzalez, RHP, Venezuela Luis Guevara, RHP, Venezuela Linbel Jimenez, RHP, Dominican Republic Lenin Mendez, RHP, Dominican Republic Ismael Yanez, RHP, Venezuela Oliver Camilo, RHP, Dominican Republic Catchers Freider Rojas, C, Venezuela Infielders Luis Lameda, SS, Venezuela Luiyin Alastre, SS, Venezuela Pedro Ibarguen, SS/OF, Venezuela Joan Gutierrez, SS, Venezuela John Bencosme, SS, Dominican Republic Eduardo Charles, SS, Dominican Republic Roderick Flores, SS, Dominican Republic Tyler Rodriguez, SS, Dominican Republic Outfielders Pedro Tovar, OF, Venezuela Danny Puerta, OF, Colombia Smarlin Espinal, OF, Dominican Republic Antony Gomez, OF, Dominican Republic It is very hard to find shortstops. That is why you see teams sign dozens of shortstops knowing how difficult it is to develop big-league shortstops. Sign a bunch. Let them play a lot at shortstop and other places. Athletes can always move around. But finding guys who will hit enough while playing good shortstop defense is very difficult. As for pitchers, we are still talking about 16 to 18-year-old kids. You can't just look at velocity. Scouts look at a pitcher's frame, their height, their mechanics. It's really a lot like scouting high school players. You are trying to find players that you think can develop into big leaguers in the next six to eight years. While most of the Brewers' Day 1 signings come from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, they signed guys from other countries too. They also signed an outfielder from Colombia and a pitcher from Mexico. They also signed four pitchers from Nicaragua, a country that hasn't exactly been a hotbed for baseball talent. Seven players from Nicaragua signed with MLB organizations on Sunday. Enniel Cortez is fairly experienced. He has pitched professionally in Nicaragua. He tops out around 92 right now and is said to have a tremendous slider. Melvin Hernandez is also 5-11. He went on a tour of the Dominican in November and showed a fastball at 92 and the ability to spin a couple of really good breaking pitches. Nestor Mena stands 6-1. He is a little bit more raw than some other pitchers. However, he has worked very hard and now it touching 90 mph with his fastball and has developed a big curveball as well. Saul Sanchez is 5-11 and also hits 90 mph. The search will continue and teams can sign eligible players within their allotment throughout the year.

It has been widely known that the Mariners were looking to add to their bullpen. One would have to assume that they are still looking for relievers, but they did add 31-year-old Justin Topa from the Brewers on Saturday. Topa made his MLB debut with the Brewers in 2020 and over the past three seasons has worked in a combined 17 games for Milwaukee. Joseph Hernandez is a 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic originally signed back in 2017. In 2022, he went 9-5 with a 3.39 ERA at Low-A Modesto. He made 22 starts (and two relief appearances and tossed a total of 116 2/3 innings. He walked too many (54), but his strikeout total of 143 was quite impressive. While Hernandez was not listed among MLB Pipeline's Top 30 Mariners prospects, the strikeout rate make him an intriguing sleeper prospect. .

Owen Miller was born in Mequon and went to Ozaukee High School in Fredonia where he starred on the diamond, and on the court. He went to Illinois State and was the Padres third round pick in 2018. In August of 2020, he was traded to Cleveland in a huge trade that sent Mike Clevinger and Greg Allen to San Diego while the Guardians also received Austin Hedges, Josh Naylor and Cal Quantrill. He made his MLB debut in 2021 and played in 60 games. He hit .204/.243/.309 (.551) with eight doubles and four homers. He was much better in 2022. In 130 games, he hit .243/.301/.351 (.652) with 26 doubles and six home runs. As a rookie, he split his time between second base and first base, but he played all four infield spots. In 2022, he played 80 games at first base, 25 games at second base and four more games at third base. How will he fit with the Brewers? A right-handed hitter, he can team with Rowdy Tellez and Jon Singleton at first base. He can provide depth around the infield, but especially at second base where Brice Turang will likely play. On the other side of the transaction, the Brewers will need to send a Player to be Named Later to Cleveland or simply send some Cash. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Brewers Designated catcher Mario Feliciano for Assignment. With the acquisition of William Contreras this week, the Brewers 2016 second round pick became expendable. He played in one game for the Brewers in 2021, walking in his lone plate appearance. In 2022, he played in two games and went 1-for-4 with a walk. In 77 games at Nashville, he hit .274/.326/.386 (.712) with 14 doubles and six home runs. Presumably the Brewers will attempt to trade Feliciano. Join us in welcoming Owen Miller back home to Milwaukee, and then discuss the role you can see him playing in the COMMENTS below.