Jim Goulart

Friday 12/30: Reviewing the Brew's" Cold Brew Podcast: "2022 Year in Review"

Article analyzes catchers in the Pirates' system: Samuel Escudero also had a great season at the DSL. Like Plaz, he received less than 100 plate appearances, amounting to just 94, but he made the most of it. He collected a total of 21 hits while drawing more walks (16) than strikeouts (14). The only downside is that he didn’t hit for much power, with just five doubles and zero home runs. Escudero will be 19 next season and could be a nice steal from the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates acquired Escudero from the Brewers in exchange for Troy Stokes Jr.

July 7, 2016 Milwaukee Brewers traded 3B Aaron Hill and cash to Boston Red Sox for 2B Wendell Rijo and RHP Aaron Wilkerson. June 16, 2018: Rijo, still just 27, reached free agency this fall, but has re-signed with his 2022 organization, Philadelphia. He spent 2021 in Braves system and has been a Dominican Winter Ball staple. 838 minor league games, only 43 at the AAA level (all in 2019 with NYY).

Great to see for Weston: Let's not forget this 2017 pre-game Mudcats moment (video within - look for Corbin Burnes among those congratulating Wilson): Wilson proposes to girlfriend at Mudcats game Brewers prospect gets engaged following ceremonial first pitch Weston didn't know at the time he was asking Wonder Woman (face of the video game) to marry him!

There will be no Winter League (or Australia) games to report on Saturday/Sunday for New Year's break in the schedule.

Game One: Brisbane 11, Perth 1 For Perth, catcher Alex Hall did his part, 2-for-2 (double, walk). Keep in mind the Bob Moore video above was from Game Two. All he did in Game One was reach base all four times up (double, two BB's, 2 R, RBI). None of the five Brewers pitchers on the squad pitched in this game. *** Game Two: Perth 6, Brisbane 3 Hello again, Alex Hall. "Resting" as the designated hitter, Hall boosted his video game numbers from his native land. The switch-hitter and big-leaguer for a day was 3-for-5 (HR, two doubles, R, three RBI). Through 93 AB's, his line is a standout .344/.430/.516 (.946 OPS). For Brisbane and its seven Brewers prospects: Bob Moore's HR was the highlight of his 1-for-4 day, adding a walk (one K). Of Moore's 230 innings in the field thus far, all but 17 (shortstop) have come at second base. Catcher Darrien Miller was 1-for-3 (BB, 2 K's). LHP Justin King and RHP's Brannon Jordan and James Meeker combined to pitch the final four innings. Jordan and Meeker each tossed 1-2-3 frames, fanning two and one, respectively. King kicked off the bullpen work with two innings (2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K). Meeker's ERA remains 0.00 through 15.1 IP (13 appearances).

Early Saturday AM - (New Year's Eve action Down Under): More on the doubleheader below, but it includes:

Winter League Action from Friday, December 30 In Puerto Rico, RHP Matt Hardy faced only one batter, striking out 35-year-old veteran of 228 big-league games Ivan De Jesus, Jr. with two runners aboard to end the 3rd inning. That was enough for the official scorer to award Hardy (now 4-1) the victory as his team rolled 8-2. Hardy has had an exemplary winter, 0.68 ERA in 24 appearances, WHIP 0.835, and a K-to-BB of 29-to-3. For Ponce, the team Hardy defeated, Victor Caratini was 0-for-3 (BB, K) as the DH. He has a .650 OPS in 38 AB's. Finally, also in Puerto Rico, C Brian Navarreto was 0-for-3 (BB, K), but guided his pitchers to a 1-0 win - they scattered six hits with no walks. Navarreto already has 188 plate appearances this winter between his initial stint in the Dominican and his current team. In his full 2022 season with AAA Nashville, Navarreto had only 142 plate appearances.

Wednesday 12/28: Via Locked on Brewers: "It is time to say goodbye to 2022 and look ahead to 2023" *** Thursday 12/29: Via Locked on Brewers: "Three things the Brewers should do away from baseball" Via WTMJ: Dom Cotroneo hosts "Brewers Weekly" *** Friday 12/30: Via Locked on Brewers: "What to watch for in 2023 for the Brewers"

Back from December 16th in the Transaction Thread: "The Brewers have signed one of the younger minor league free agents available, 23-year-old RHP Christian Mejias, who wrapped up a seven-year association with the Astros organization last fall. Mejias, a native of Venezuela, topped out at High-A, as you can review on the linked Baseball Reference page above." *** Mejias is getting starting opportunities in his native country in winter ball, and was featured in this article this week: Some web translations here: Christian Mejías, wild card of coastal pitching If a balance is made of the good 2022-2023 season that Tiburones de La Guaira has had, after two turbulent years, there are several players with prominence, most of them on the offensive side of the ball. However, statistically it has been the pitchers who guided the team to a positive campaign and among these there are several names to highlight, one of them Christian Mejías. The 23-year-old shotgunner was always considered one of those jewels of the team, which in previous years had not been able to demonstrate its potential, for various reasons; among them, the restrictions of his organization in the United States, that of the Houston Astros. Before this season, his performance in Venezuela had been limited to only four innings of work in 2021-2022. In this fleeting internship, the youngster did not do well after allowing six scores, with up to five walks and only two strikeouts for 13.50 ERA and 2.00 WHIP. Despite these numbers, aware that they were proportionally inverse to the talent of the streamer, general manager César Collins included him in his plans to reinvent the club and Mejías has paid him more than enough. Mejías is the only pitcher on the roster with a game won as a starter and also with a save. Everything, after he became a kind of "wild card" for manager Henry Blanco, who has given him various roles and in all of them has generated good dividends. There is still work to be done In total, Mejias has acted in ten contests. His record is 1-1, with 15 earned runs allowed in 25 innings of work for a 5.40 ERA. Perhaps, his least outstanding figure is the number of men per hit or ticket he bases for each inning pitched (WHIP) which is 2.12, after having allowed 36 hits and gave away 17 bases per ball. Although he has also guillotined (K'd) 15 adversaries. It has been this "weakness" in which he has emphasized improving during his current experience as a shark, with the help not only of the coaching staff, but also support of several of his teammates who have had a greater tour of the Creole fights. Mejias, with all his recent pact with the Brewers, does not yet have a definite date to stop his participation with Sharks and while that freedom is maintained, he aspires to continue playing with the club as far as they can survive.

Well, the above is not always so. Brewers released 17-year-old corner outfielder Deylin Gomez, who was a $10,000 signing this past July. Gomez posted a tough line over 84 DSL at-bats (striking out 43 times, five walks) as the linked Baseball Reference Page will show. So, Gomez would have been just 15 years old when this video posted in 2020:

Wild. Good find, Jack -

Early Friday AM, game still underway:

Winter League Action from Monday, December 26 RHP Arnaldo Hernandez - 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 K, charged with a blown save in the 8th inning of a game his team would go on to lose in 11 innings C Jose Sibrian – 0-for-1, K, but scored the winning run as the ghost runner in the 10th (scored via a bases-loaded HBP) C Brian Navarreto – 1-for-5, RBI, two K (.288 AVG) – in Carolina’s 10-4 win. Navarreto did throw out the sole attempting baserunner. Victor Caratini – batting 3rd and playing 1B, 2-for-4 (double), R, RBI; his club lost 10-6

The Athletic went around the world highlighting 2022's top efforts (subscription for full article): Puerto Rico C Brian Navarreto, Gigantes de Carolina, Puerto Rican Winter League Navarreto started the winter with Toros in the Dominican, but moved to his native Puerto Rico with Gigantes, and everything fell into place. The 27-year-old Navarreto attended the same Florida high school as Javy Báez. Now a Brewers farmhand, he debuted with the Marlins in 2020. This winter, though, he’s keeping Gigantes together, helping guide a pitching staff that includes starters ranging in age from 19 to 40. With an OPS that ranks second in the league, Navarreto this month became the first player in LBPRC history to win a unanimous player of the week award.

Even us allowing this thread is nonsense. 100% fraudulent.

I've been able to confirm there are two line items on the MiLB.com rosters that MiLB.com need to update: UT Weston Wilson is still listed as on Nashville's roster, but he indeed became a minor league free agent as scheduled, and was not among the few re-signed to an additional year of control. OF Garrett Whitley is still listed on Biloxi's roster. Like Wilson, Whitley also became a minor league free agent, and has since signed with the Phillies organization on a minor league deal.

I will say this when it comes to Brewers DSL releases, they invariably never release a young man after just one pro season, regardless of the numbers. We've seen this from prior years as well. They stuck with the released players listed above through a second season (RHP Jairo Castillo never did pitch in 2022 (assumed injury), and RHP Staney Encarnacion was actually a four-year pro (though don't count the lost 2020, statistics for three seasons). Not sure if that's an understood standard across baseball, but there is a seeming nobility about that "policy".

Reminder from September:

Winter League Action from Friday, December 23 The winter extra base hits still aren't coming for 1B Jesus Chirinos (one double, one HR), but the 21-year-old 2022 Carolina Mudcat is still cruising in Venezuela with a .325/.457/.374 line through 105 plate appearances. 1B Jesus Chirinos – 2-for-3, two BB, RBI – in Aguilas del Zulia’s 4-2 victory RHP Arnaldo Hernandez has had a solid Venezuelan winter, but Friday's outing hurt. The 7th inning for his club began tied 2-2. Hernandez inherited a bases-loaded, zero out situation. Not only did all three runners score, but Hernandez was charged with three runs of his own in the six-run frame. He would allow five hits and was able to net only two outs before being lifted himself, and one of those outs came on a caught stealing. C Jose Sibrian – While just having turned 24 in October, Sibrian is entering his 8th season in Brewers' system. His Venezuelan winter playing time has been limited, but despite his team's 16-7 loss, Sibrian took advantage of a rare start, going 3-for-4 and driving in three. Sibrian is the 2nd batter in this video clip, some guy named Hernan Perez is the first: RHP Luis Contreras – Sibrian's teammate pitched on a consecutive day and fared well in the 7th, striking out all three men he faced - 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks (5.79 ERA). RHP Matt Hardy continues to earn his keep for his Puerto Rico team in Caguas – 1.2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K (0.75 ERA) – though his team lost 5-1, Hardy recorded five outs while facing only four batters, as the runner he inherited was thrown out stealing upon Hardy's entrance. C Brian Navarreto – 0-for-4, one K (.290 AVG) – in Carolina’s 3-2 loss to Victor Caratini's Ponce team in Puerto Rico, Navarreto did throw out the sole attempting baserunner - did you know Navarreto is a .400 hitter in the big leagues? He was 2-for-5 while appearing in two games for the Marlins in 2020's fan-less stadium season. Victor Caratini – batting 3rd and playing 1B, 0-for-4, now 3-for-22, 2 BB, 4 K