Jim Goulart

2/25/22: Happy 20th Birthday, RHP Henry Garrido! MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting) Garrido is one of the Brewers farmhands who has made his debut that we know the least about. The Venezuelan native was part of the January 15th, 2021 international signing class - this previously would have been the July 2nd, 2020 class. Unlike the January 2022 class, we have not seen detailed signing bonus information on Garrido or his "classmates". We do know that upon his July 16th debut at the start of the season (game logs here), Garrido was placed in the starting rotation, usually an indication that a pitcher is seen in high regard by the organization. Garrido only made five starts, particularly struggled in his final effort on August 14th, and that was his last outing in a DSL campaign that didn't end until September 30th. Garrido had a nice 3rd start but struggled otherwise. Facebook Photo #1 Facebook Photo #2 Hopefully healthy, look for Garrido to shoot for a full DSL season in 2022. *** On Monday the 28th, we'll profile two Brewer prospects even though technically only one has a birthday that day. (Yes, there's a February 29th Leap Year Baby in the organization - we gave that away in the initial post in this thread).

Wednesday 2/23: Via Wisconsin Public Radio: Tom Haudricourt Via WSSP's "The Ramie Show": Vinny Rottino *** Thursday 2/24: Via Locked on Brewers: Corey Hart

Adam McCalvy is in Maryvale -- Ethan Small video/article

2/24/22: Happy 19th Birthday, OF Luis Medina! MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting) Officially signed out of Venezuela at age 16 years, four months old in July 2019, the Brewers went big, committing $1.3 million to Medina, who would have been in their sights long before that July 2nd date. From Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com -- Medina, who is 6-foot-2, has an easy, majestic swing with well-above-average power and the ability to hit to all fields. Defensively, he has a chance to play center field, but he could outgrow that position and move to a corner-outfield spot. If that’s the case, he still projects to be an average defender with an above-average arm. Medina could lose a bit of his speed as he grows and fills out, but his instincts will help compensate in the field. Medina, like most others, was idle in the 2020 Covid year, and his 2021 debut was definitely underwhelming at .228/.255/.315 (.570 OPS). The LH hitter struck out 45 times, so in 30.2% of his 149 at-bats, while drawing only five walks. Luis also struggled on the basepaths, successful in only one of five attempts. Defensively, he started 16 games in LF, 13 in RF, and six in CF - only one error. In mid-August, Medina had a six-game hit streak in which he hit .360: 9-for-25 (no walks, seven K's). He also ended his season on a four-game streak: 5-for-13 (two walks, five K's). Via Prospects Worldwide, here's nearly seven minutes of plate appearances. We try to focus on the positive, but there was very little encouraging here -- The young man will certainly be back in Maryvale for his age 19 season. The Brewers will be looking for improvements in their big investment - certainly can't be written off yet. *** Visit on Friday the 25th as the thread takes us once again to the warm breezes of the Dominican Summer League of 2021.

2/24/22: Happy 19th Birthday, OF Luis Medina! MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting) Officially signed out of Venezuela at age 16 years, four months old in July 2019, the Brewers went big, committing $1.3 million to Medina, who would have been in their sights long before that July 2nd date. From Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com -- Medina, who is 6-foot-2, has an easy, majestic swing with well-above-average power and the ability to hit to all fields. Defensively, he has a chance to play center field, but he could outgrow that position and move to a corner-outfield spot. If that’s the case, he still projects to be an average defender with an above-average arm. Medina could lose a bit of his speed as he grows and fills out, but his instincts will help compensate in the field. Medina, like most others, was idle in the 2020 Covid year, and his 2021 debut was definitely underwhelming at .228/.255/.315 (.570 OPS). The LH hitter struck out 45 times, so in 30.2% of his 149 at-bats, while drawing only five walks. Luis also struggled on the basepaths, successful in only one of five attempts. Defensively, he started 16 games in LF, 13 in RF, and six in CF - only one error. In mid-August, Medina had a six-game hit streak in which he hit .360: 9-for-25 (no walks, seven K's). He also ended his season on a four-game streak: 5-for-13 (two walks, five K's). Via Prospects Worldwide, here's nearly seven minutes of plate appearances. We try to focus on the positive, but there was very little encouraging here -- The young man will certainly be back in Maryvale for his age 19 season. The Brewers will be looking for improvements in their big investment - certainly can't be written off yet. *** Visit on Friday the 25th as the thread takes us once again to the warm breezes of the Dominican Summer League of 2021.

The Brewers continue to look outside the box and add young technically knowledgeable staff as 28-year-old JJ Reimer, who played baseball and majored in Kinesiology at Western Illinois and was entering his third season as an assistant coach for the University of Northern Iowa softball team, has been named a hitting development coach, assigned to Biloxi (Reimer's tweet). In this February 2020 podcast -- "The new age hitting coach doesn’t just apply in baseball, softball is doing the same thing. In this episode JJ Reimer stops by to talk about how he uses technology for his team, his journey as a college softball coach, how he develops hitters, and some ways to make practice more competitive."

Via NBC26: A few minutes more with LHP Nick Bennett

2/22/22: Happy 28th Birthday, C Brett Sullivan! MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting) Both the folks at BrewCrewBall and Reviewing the Brew provided nice introductory profiles for Sullivan upon his surprise direct addition to the 40-man roster as a minor league free agent signing (officially November 30th). Impressive to note that in seven minor league seasons, Sullivan has never seen a disabled list. Now although this feature from DRays Bay is now four years old, there are a whole bunch of "get to know" tidbits on Sullivan within, worth your time. Good stuff below if you find the 25 minutes to invest: *** Back on Thursday the 24th as we hold our breath to see if the Brewers spent $1.3 million in 2019 wisely.

You're correct that outside of SB Nation and Fansided, there aren't independent bloggers doing their thing, as if it were earlier this century (2000-2010). You might want to check out Wisconsin Sports Heroics, not sure what umbrella that falls under. But a lot of stuff there (and on the SB Nation and Fansided) is not fully original content or can only be considered as such on the periphery. Much is rehashed from that day's actual news, which is clearly lacking in the days of lockout regardless. Young Jack Stern is excellent, every so often he diverts from BrewCrewBall to post on his own site. Not sure what Jack's current relationship is with BrewCrewBall's (SB Nation) new and yet-to-be-clearly-defined management team, but he's excellent.

Monday 2/21: "Reviewing the Brew's" Cold Brew Podcast Fansided's Robert Murray is the guest

Monday 2/21 AUDIO ONLY: Locked on Brewers: Brent Suter is the interview guest *** Tuesday 2/22: Locked on Brewers: Mailbag episode

Sunday 2/20: Via Matt Pauley's Brewers Extra Innings Podcast: This week's show features a conversation with ESPN Milwaukee's Ashton Rotman Latest Milwaukee Tailgate Podcast

2/21/22: Happy 17th Birthday, SS Jose Pena! Just signed on January 15th out of the Dominican Republic for $230,000, the switch-hitter is listed at 6'0", 155. PHOTO: Looking sharp on signing day If the very common name "Jose Pena" sounds familiar from a Brewers' recent minor league perspective, it's because: This Jose Pena was a corner outfielder in the Crew's system from 2010 to 2015, reaching as far as High-A Brevard County. He slugged .502 (19 doubles, 10 home runs) in 57 games with Helena in 2013. This Jose Pena also was a corner outfielder, playing in the Dominican Summer League in his age 17 and 18 seasons in 2016 and 2017 (.615 OPS in 70 games total). *** See you again tomorrow (Tuesday the 22nd) with one of the two currently locked-out Brewers who has yet to make his big league debut.

2/21/22: Happy 25th Birthday, RHP Brady Schanuel! MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting) Drafted and signed for $50,000 in the 27th round out of the University of Iowa in 2018, Schanuel had been drafted twice previously as his draft day scouting reports (always informative as to that pro career starting point) indicate. Schanuel has had a busy run thus far in pro ball. In 75 appearances, all in relief, Schanuel has an 11-2 record, and say what you will about W-L%, but part of that record is driven by his career strand mark, as only 12 of 42 inherited runners have scored. That will net you some relief victories, as the Timber Rattlers' Chris Mehring noted last August. While Schanuel was assigned directly to advanced rookie ball (Rocky Mountain) post-draft, he wasn't able to avoid Maryvale altogether, as he was transferred down after a very rough eight-game beginning. Schanuel was back in Colorado Springs for his age 22 season in 2019 and stuck, though a career-long issue with walks (6.8 per 9/IP) continued. In 39.2 IP that summer, Schanuel struck out 70 and walked 30. I love this August 9th, 2019 quote: Phrake Photography 2019 Photos Instead of just sitting idle in 2020, Schanuel pitched in the CarShield Collegiate League in his native Missouri, found control, and dominated in the small but "wow" sample. The Brewers saw the opportunity to have Schanuel bypass low-A Carolina and he spent all of 2021 with Wisconsin, where given his continued K and BB rates (12.0 and 6.3), one would surmise and confirm -- yes, Brady throws hard. Schanuel was a sidenote in Milwaukee's sour deadline deal that sent RHP Reese Olson to the Tigers for LHP Daniel Norris. Olson, was very much taken by surprise by the news, in fact, he has a funny story about how he was made aware of the trade. "I saw on twitter that the Brewers were about to acquire Daniel Norris," Olson said. "So I got up and I went to my friends room, my roommate, and told him that he was getting traded as a joke. Then I went back in the living room, refreshed my feed and saw it was actually me, so that is how I found out." His roommate with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers was relief pitcher Brady Schanuel. Clearly the Brewers have faith in Schanuel's arm and eventual ability to harness his command. So he remains a Brewer, and will have the opportunity to make a case for a AA Biloxi placement this spring training.

2/22/22: Happy 28th Birthday, C Brett Sullivan! MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting) Both the folks at BrewCrewBall and Reviewing the Brew provided nice introductory profiles for Sullivan upon his surprise direct addition to the 40-man roster as a minor league free agent signing (officially November 30th). Impressive to note that in seven minor league seasons, Sullivan has never seen a disabled list. Now although this feature from DRays Bay is now four years old, there are a whole bunch of "get to know" tidbits on Sullivan within, worth your time. Good stuff below if you find the 25 minutes to invest: *** Back on Thursday the 24th as we hold our breath to see if the Brewers spent $1.3 million in 2019 wisely.

2/21/22: Happy 17th Birthday, SS Jose Pena! Just signed on January 15th out of the Dominican Republic for $230,000, the switch-hitter is listed at 6'0", 155. PHOTO: Looking sharp on signing day If the very common name "Jose Pena" sounds familiar from a Brewers' recent minor league perspective, it's because: This Jose Pena was a corner outfielder in the Crew's system from 2010 to 2015, reaching as far as High-A Brevard County. He slugged .502 (19 doubles, 10 home runs) in 57 games with Helena in 2013. This Jose Pena also was a corner outfielder, playing in the Dominican Summer League in his age 17 and 18 seasons in 2016 and 2017 (.615 OPS in 70 games total). *** See you again tomorrow (Tuesday the 22nd) with one of the two currently locked-out Brewers who has yet to make his big league debut.

2/20/22: Happy 18th Birthday, RHP Dikember Sanchez! MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting) Yes, it's happened yet again in this thread. Sanchez is the only "Dikember" in the history of professional baseball. Signed out of Venezuela in January of 2021 a month shy of his 17th birthday (in what normally would have been the July 2nd, 2020 international signing class), Sanchez is not believed to have been signed to a significant bonus. As this particular Facebook photo shows, Sanchez was sporting Brewers gear as early as March 2020 - and likely even earlier. As long as we're glancing at Sanchez' social media, let's congratulate the young man on his environmental efforts picking up trash along the Dominican shoreline this past December with Brent Suter, Keston Hiura, Luis Urias, Willy Adames, the Rays' Wander Franco and others (various photos). On the mound, Sanchez' debut age 17 season was a moderate roller-coaster ride that finished with the line you saw linked above: 3-3, (15 games, four of those starts), 4.54 ERA, 39.2 IP, 34 H, 29 BB, 35 K, 1.58 WHIP. Clearly the 6.6 BB/9 is not going to fly, but Sanchez should merit another DSL season to build on that first effort. Speaking of first efforts, his pro game debut was one of a few that soured his overall line -- one-third of an inning of relief, 2 H, 4 BB, 5 ER. That 135.00 ERA might have kept him up that night. But if Sanchez showed anything, it was that he could rebound from the occasional clunker. Six combined scoreless innings over his next two appearances. In fact, Sanchez' ten appearances after Opening Day went rather well before, like other very young hurlers we've already profiled in this thread, it appears a bit of a wall was hit - 11 ER over 10 IP in a four-game stretch. But Sanchez capped his season with a three-inning scoreless effort, only one walk. Oh, did we mention Sanchez was part of a bit of Brewers pseudo-history? The below was our Daily Link Report entry for games of August 7th (check out the box score at the link): Box: DSL Brewers #1 Squad 5, DSL Brewers #2 Squad 1, seven innings No-Hitter! Does the organization celebrate or not? "Ugh, we got no-hit today." "No, wait, we pitched a no-hitter today." Uh, doesn't count in MLB/MiLB's eyes anyway, seven innings. The victors walked six and hit two batters in the seven frames, so hardly your traditional effort, especially by 19-year-old Dominican RHP Anthony Perez, who couldn't escape the first inning. But kudos to 17-year-old Venezuelan RHP Dikember Sanchez and 19-year-old 2nd-year Colombian RHP Fray Morelo for combining on the final 6.1 innings. Morelo did not walk a batter and fanned five in his three frames. The winning Cerveceros scored their five runs on only three hits. *** How cool is it we get video of Sanchez on the mound from that 2021 DSL season? More photos via his Instagram here, also. *** We're back tomorrow (Monday the 21st) for this year's President Day birthdays.

2/20/22: Happy 22nd Birthday, RHP Justin Jarvis! MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting) Here's our collection of the July 2018 draft day scouting reports for the 5th round high school pick. Always fun to read about emotions/reactions upon being drafted. “A big part of my consideration was the scholarship plan through MLB,” Jarvis said. “Once I sign my contract [and] after I retire from baseball, I have a full scholarship to UNC Wilmington.” You'll see Justin mention this in a video interview a bit further down this post. Jarvis signed with the Brewers for $327,100 (full pick 155 value). Jarvis would appear in ten games (three starts) with Maryvale post-draft. Seven of those appearances were multi-inning, and he would only allow more than one run on two occasions - his pro debut (2 IP, 4 R) and his 9th mound effort (2 IP, 6 R). That's how the rookie small-sample skewed to a 6.63 ERA. Frosty Microbrew: Brewers Hope Young Pitchers Worth the Wait "Kyle Lobner’s latest Frosty Microbrew is on some young pitchers who might be heading to the Timber Rattlers in 2019. Meet Caden Lemons, Max Lazar, and Justin Jarvis. That December 2018 feature story highlights the tough path it takes for drafted high school pitchers to progress - Lemons and Lazar remain in the Brewers' system as well. Lemons would miss all of 2019 after hip surgery, and then had Tommy John surgery last summer, after making only four appearances with the 2021 Mudcats. Lazar also underwent Tommy John surgery; we believe it was late March/early April 2021. Jarvis has been placed on an injured list twice, for the minimum seven days in August 2019, and a near month-long stint last July/August. *** Here are some nice May 2019 photos of Jarvis from extended spring training, just days before Milwaukee would have Justin bypass advanced rookie ball and debut in full-season ball with the then Low-A Timber Rattlers as a 19-year-old starting pitcher. By late June, Jarvis was really establishing himself. Rattlers Toss A Shutout at Cedar Rapids Jarvis and two relievers beat Kernels 4-0 on four hits By Chris Mehring, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Former fifth-round draft pick Justin Jarvis making strides on the mound with Timber Rattlers Jordan Jacobson, Appleton Post-Crescent Quotes from Manager Matt Erickson, Pitching Coach Jim Henderson, and Jarvis... Jarvis would finish 2019 (again, three years younger than the competition) with a 3.50 ERA and only 52 hits allowed in 74.2 IP. The walk (4.3 per 9) and K (6.3 per 9) rates were not shiny, but that's all one could quibble with. *** How about this December 2020 comment: Back to Wisconsin, now in High-A for 2021 (once again, dang you, 2020), and: VIDEO Tweet: Apparently 96 MPH in June Jarvis' 2021 numbers in 17 starts were not ideal, you can check out the links that opened this post, but the Brewers clearly remain committed, and Jarvis was among those sent to the Arizona Fall League, where he made seven appearances (five starts). Walks remained an issue in the small 17.2 inning sample, but the experience and confidence shown must have been a positive. Very recently -- AUDIO: Via the Walkin' Off Podcast: RHP Justin Jarvis "Justin Jarvis was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 5th round of the 2018 draft. We talk about throwing a no-hitter in high school, getting drafted by Milwaukee at 18 years old, life in the minors, his time in the Arizona Fall League and more" Instagram photos *** At just 22 for 2022, Jarvis could be asked to start again at High-A, with the goal of reaching AA by mid-summer. As with any of the projections in this thread, pure conjecture until Opening Day rosters are released the first week of April.

Via WSSP's "Big Show": "Cody Decker played a long time in the minor leagues and is very familiar with the plight of those athletes trying to make the major leagues. From the Big Time Baseball Podcast, he joins the show, and shares his experiences trying to make it in baseball while struggling to find a place to sleep and things to eat."

2/21/22: Happy 25th Birthday, RHP Brady Schanuel! MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting) Drafted and signed for $50,000 in the 27th round out of the University of Iowa in 2018, Schanuel had been drafted twice previously as his draft day scouting reports (always informative as to that pro career starting point) indicate. Schanuel has had a busy run thus far in pro ball. In 75 appearances, all in relief, Schanuel has an 11-2 record, and say what you will about W-L%, but part of that record is driven by his career strand mark, as only 12 of 42 inherited runners have scored. That will net you some relief victories, as the Timber Rattlers' Chris Mehring noted last August. While Schanuel was assigned directly to advanced rookie ball (Rocky Mountain) post-draft, he wasn't able to avoid Maryvale altogether, as he was transferred down after a very rough eight-game beginning. Schanuel was back in Colorado Springs for his age 22 season in 2019 and stuck, though a career-long issue with walks (6.8 per 9/IP) continued. In 39.2 IP that summer, Schanuel struck out 70 and walked 30. I love this August 9th, 2019 quote: Phrake Photography 2019 Photos Instead of just sitting idle in 2020, Schanuel pitched in the CarShield Collegiate League in his native Missouri, found control, and dominated in the small but "wow" sample. The Brewers saw the opportunity to have Schanuel bypass low-A Carolina and he spent all of 2021 with Wisconsin, where given his continued K and BB rates (12.0 and 6.3), one would surmise and confirm -- yes, Brady throws hard. Schanuel was a sidenote in Milwaukee's sour deadline deal that sent RHP Reese Olson to the Tigers for LHP Daniel Norris. Olson, was very much taken by surprise by the news, in fact, he has a funny story about how he was made aware of the trade. "I saw on twitter that the Brewers were about to acquire Daniel Norris," Olson said. "So I got up and I went to my friends room, my roommate, and told him that he was getting traded as a joke. Then I went back in the living room, refreshed my feed and saw it was actually me, so that is how I found out." His roommate with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers was relief pitcher Brady Schanuel. Clearly the Brewers have faith in Schanuel's arm and eventual ability to harness his command. So he remains a Brewer, and will have the opportunity to make a case for a AA Biloxi placement this spring training.

2/20/22: Happy 18th Birthday, RHP Dikember Sanchez! MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting) Yes, it's happened yet again in this thread. Sanchez is the only "Dikember" in the history of professional baseball. Signed out of Venezuela in January of 2021 a month shy of his 17th birthday (in what normally would have been the July 2nd, 2020 international signing class), Sanchez is not believed to have been signed to a significant bonus. As this particular Facebook photo shows, Sanchez was sporting Brewers gear as early as March 2020 - and likely even earlier. As long as we're glancing at Sanchez' social media, let's congratulate the young man on his environmental efforts picking up trash along the Dominican shoreline this past December with Brent Suter, Keston Hiura, Luis Urias, Willy Adames, the Rays' Wander Franco and others (various photos). On the mound, Sanchez' debut age 17 season was a moderate roller-coaster ride that finished with the line you saw linked above: 3-3, (15 games, four of those starts), 4.54 ERA, 39.2 IP, 34 H, 29 BB, 35 K, 1.58 WHIP. Clearly the 6.6 BB/9 is not going to fly, but Sanchez should merit another DSL season to build on that first effort. Speaking of first efforts, his pro game debut was one of a few that soured his overall line -- one-third of an inning of relief, 2 H, 4 BB, 5 ER. That 135.00 ERA might have kept him up that night. But if Sanchez showed anything, it was that he could rebound from the occasional clunker. Six combined scoreless innings over his next two appearances. In fact, Sanchez' ten appearances after Opening Day went rather well before, like other very young hurlers we've already profiled in this thread, it appears a bit of a wall was hit - 11 ER over 10 IP in a four-game stretch. But Sanchez capped his season with a three-inning scoreless effort, only one walk. Oh, did we mention Sanchez was part of a bit of Brewers pseudo-history? The below was our Daily Link Report entry for games of August 7th (check out the box score at the link): Box: DSL Brewers #1 Squad 5, DSL Brewers #2 Squad 1, seven innings No-Hitter! Does the organization celebrate or not? "Ugh, we got no-hit today." "No, wait, we pitched a no-hitter today." Uh, doesn't count in MLB/MiLB's eyes anyway, seven innings. The victors walked six and hit two batters in the seven frames, so hardly your traditional effort, especially by 19-year-old Dominican RHP Anthony Perez, who couldn't escape the first inning. But kudos to 17-year-old Venezuelan RHP Dikember Sanchez and 19-year-old 2nd-year Colombian RHP Fray Morelo for combining on the final 6.1 innings. Morelo did not walk a batter and fanned five in his three frames. The winning Cerveceros scored their five runs on only three hits. *** How cool is it we get video of Sanchez on the mound from that 2021 DSL season? More photos via his Instagram here, also. *** We're back tomorrow (Monday the 21st) for this year's President Day birthdays.

Brewers' top prospects, '21 Draft picks to gear up in 'Build-Up Camp' Adam McCalvy, Brewers.com Adam includes the names of several of the 50 "mostly young" players who will be participating; they check-in on Wednesday the 23rd.

The folks at abc7chicago conveniently posted the ESPN+ organizational rankings by Kiley McDaniel in full, bypassing the paywall. Brewers 25th...

AUDIO via The Prospect Pod: Milwaukee Brewers System Breakdown Nearly 55 minutes on what their analyst consider the Crew's top ten prospects and then those that "just missed". They rank as follows: Garrett Mitchell Sal Frelick Jeferson Quero Hedbert Perez Ethan Small Brice Turang Aaron Ashby Joe Gray, Jr. Freddy Zamora Tyler Black Beyond the Top Ten discussed but not necessarily 11, 12, etc. Joey Wiemer (podcast points docked for pronouncing it "Wymer") Korry Howell Jackson Chourio Zavier Warren

AUDIO via The Prospect Pod: Milwaukee Brewers System Breakdown Nearly 55 minutes on what their analyst consider the Crew's top ten prospects and then those that "just missed". They rank as follows: Garrett Mitchell Sal Frelick Jeferson Quero Hedbert Perez Ethan Small Brice Turang Aaron Ashby Joe Gray, Jr. Freddy Zamora Tyler Black Beyond the Top Ten discussed but not necessarily 11, 12, etc. Joey Wiemer (podcast points docked for pronouncing it "Wymer") Korry Howell Jackson Chourio Zavier Warren