Jake McKibbin

vs There's certainly a change here. The foot's down earlier, there's a lot less "sink" in the knees and the weight seems further back. I think the stance might be a little closer together too, which if anything, may allow him to impact the baseball even more. Awesome spot Spencer!

I can't tell for sure, as it's based on a graph, but I think Braylon Payne's whiff rate was around 15% last week, maybe even lower. A stark difference compared to what it's been like over the last two months, even accounting for the variability of a 10 swing sample (had to go low to isolate it to a week-ish)

Same, it just looks like he's found some rhythm and timing, and a little bit of confidence again. I wonder if it was less an injury he was off for, and more just some time off on an unofficial development list placement

Is it just me or does Braylon Payne look a LOT more consistent in the box since his return?

I'm not denying he played a role but I did have a look into this after Matt Truebloods article the other day on Turang. The Brewers are averaging.3 feet less, but actually an extra .1 feet from the base on stolen base attempts, so it's not the leads that are really a difference. I do wonder if he picked the pitch coming better than most, but I can't get data on that unfortunately. He's also the Cubs third base coach so even that "pitch selection" piece wouldn't have an impact. Perhaps it's game planning on what to look for but the Cubs do also have big speed in their ranks especially. In short you could be right but I can't find any data to back that up

Image courtesy of © Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Jacob Misiorowski's workload is becoming increasingly concerning, given what he's been able to get through in previous seasons. As a general rule of thumb, teams don't like their pitchers to throw half again as many innings in one season as in the previous one, especially if the hurler in question is young and throws hard. After throwing 97 1/3 innings in 2024, Misiorowski already has 83 frames on his arm this season, and there might be 15 more turns through the rotation. Assuming a moderate five innings in each, that would push him past the 150-inning mark—before even considering what happens if the Brewers make the playoffs. Taking a different approach, it's important to factor in that Misiorowski was far less efficient with his pitches in 2024, meaning that when he only threw four or five innings in a start, he was potentially in the 90-100 pitch range. In other words, although he's eating more innings in 2025, that doesn't necessarily translate to him throwing more pitches (although that will happen by the season's end, and comfortably so). We also have to take into account the additional strain and mental fatigue of pitching in the big leagues, compared to toiling for the Biloxi Shuckers. It adds tension, and thus adds to the drain placed on his arm from start to start. With an arm moving as fast as Misiorwoski's, health is an absolute priority for the Brewers and there may be one way they can manage that pitch load even if it does present some additional risks. With the upcoming All-Star break (and Misiorowski penciled in to start July 8 against the Dodgers), they could give him an extended break of up to 15 days to refresh himself and reset somewhat. The Brewers have an upcoming crunch of returns from the injured list, in Brandon Woodruff (this weekend) and hopefully Nestor Cortes after the break. They may need to resolve that logjam by the trade deadline, but in the interim, they can use their wealth of options to give Misiorowski time to reset in the middle of the season and slowly ramp up again. With multiple long relievers on their roster, they could build up again from a 2-3 inning pace toward a stretched-out five innings as you come into August. In theory, this could save Misiorowski from around 20 innings of pitching this year while keeping his arm fresh during the dog days, but it does present its own risks. There's a reason we see the majority of long-term elbow injuries happen in the first month of the season. Stress on the elbow is heightened when the arm isn't accustomed to that stress. The question is, medically, whether a two- or three-week layoff for Misiorowski would completely unwind his arm, or whether he would still be considered "hot", for want of a better term. The All-Star break presents the Brewers with the perfect opportunity to give Misiorowski a rest during what could be a career year. The questions are whether they feel they can afford that, and whether it's truly necessary. With Misiorowski looking so good, the other option is to simply let him pitch and be ready to take proactive action if and when he shows signs of wearing down. View full article

I kind of like the swing. I think, to my untrained eye, it's a very flat bat path but the hand speed is electric. Really fast barrel movement

Eri Bitonti, over the last 30 days, still has an egregious 31.3% strikeout rate but he is slashing .274/.384/4.93 and making the type of contact we hoped to see from the get go in 2025. The other good news (and we'll see if this holds) is that his whiff rate is on the decline and his current 50-swing average is around 50th percentile. He has reached that at other points of the season but with tangible changes in his impact on the ball I wonder if it sticks this time

Absolutely! It's a small sample but a healthy, confident Joel Payamps is a good bullpen arm and he looks to be approaching some form. You do NOT want me to share Elvis Peguero's numbers mind. nasty stuff

Joel Payamps in Triple A, based on these metrics, looks... outstanding. Tons of whiffs, tons of chases, an xWOBA of .112. All contact is aerial but outside of that, this looks like a regular in big league bullpen. Not a single barrel as of yet

Remi has done a phenomenal dive I to similarities between Priester and Burnes including arm slot, supination bias and more, well worth checking out

With the double header I wouldn't now be surprised to see Chad Patrick stay in the rotation for one more start over the weekend as well as Woodruff. You can't ask Peralta to throw Wednesday and Sunday on three days rest

It's probably a lot to term anyone as a left handed Jacob Misiorowski given his recent starts, but there is upside there. Schoolcraft has a big frame and a big fastball but Misiorowski is more than just that. A unqiue release point, feel for spin and outrageous arm speed are borderline impossible to replicate Schoolcraft has the velocity but doesn't have much feel to create that rising effect and I think personally that's a red flag. Apparently the slider has good bite so there's maybe a chance he can work on that fastball shape but it won't be linear and is a risky and, likely, costly first pick. Certainly not a no-brainer for me, but the upside is there and if the Brewers took him you know they'd have a plan ready and waiting. It seems that the 15-30 list is really up in the air with a lot of preference built in. I think we might see more than a couple of currently projected teen ranked players available at the 20th pick Also Fien's bat is pretty highly rated but the high hands MLB.com mentioned worries me just a tad on how that will profile against higher velocities. Given the plethora of corner IF bats the Brewers have I wonder if they'll look to athleticism and to work on the bat from there in t draft. Daniel Pierce/Steele Hall could be interesting and in play on that note

Ben, I'm in awe. Amazing round-up!

This is why we're patient! Phenomenal job Jim!

Brailyn Antuñez had fly balls exit velocities of 102 and 101 mph in Saturdays game

The interesting thing about this is, time wise, by missing 12 games they could give someone 18 days off due to the ASB. Not too bad, but we'll see how they play it. I'd say its far more likely that Monasterio is sent down at this point given his lack of utility off the bench, he's barely been used and mostly as a PR for Hoskins.

Image courtesy of © James A. Pittman-Imagn Images Trevor Megill has been admirable this season, closing out 18 of 22 games and often coming up clutch even in non-save, late-game situations. That being said, the Milwaukee Brewers have become accustomed to a certain shutdown "unhittability" from their closers, and Megill doesn't quite meet that lofty standard. The four-seam fastball has been more hittable than ever this year, meaning that if he loses the feel for his knuckle-curveball, it can become a dire situation quite quickly. On top of that, they've moved Nick Mears away from high-leverage spots to decrease his burden, while Abner Uribe is tiring. Both Mears and Uribe have shown wear under extreme usage. Jared Koenig has been solid as well, but the Brewers bullpen just hasn't had that same aura of invincibility—even as they've come on strong over the last month. The Brewers rank fourth in Major League Baseball for innings pitched out of the bullpen (332 1/3) and are running a 4.22 relief ERA. Yes, some blowouts (such as the Yankees series) may be skewing that ERA, but even from the start of May, their bullpen ERA is 17th with a 4.04 mark. In 2023 and 2024, they had the second-best bullpen in baseball, but that just hasn't been a strength this season. A few distinct problems plague the relief corps. They don't keep the ball on the ground all that effectively (42.8%, 15th), don't strike a lot of hitters out (22.6%, 13th) and have a moderately high walk rate (12th-highest in MLB, at 9.5%). Those are the components of a mid-tier pitching performance, and that's exactly where the bullpen sits right now. The addition of one player comfortable in high-leverage spots could change all of that immediately. Whether it be in place of DL Hall (who appears to be in the dog house right now), Grant Anderson or Rob Zastryzny (who has actually been very effective but would have less leeway than most), if the Brewers can split the 7th- to 9th-inning duties between Uribe, Megill, Koenig and one new weapon, they can allow for one of that group to rest with greater regularity. Anderson, Zastryzny and Aaron Ashby have the stuff to handle the 7th inning, and the funkiness to exploit situational matchups every once in a while. Allowing Uribe, Koenig and Megill to be fresh come September by adding another dominant arm could have massive implications in September and beyond. As it stands, Uribe is tied for sixth in the majors in games pitched out of the bullpen, while Koenig is tied for 13th. The question, of course, is whom they should add to the mix. On the surface, Seranthony Domínguez has been highly effective, albeit with a few command issues. His raw stuff is some of the best in baseball, with a 97-98 mph fastball from a low arm slot (adding some variety when following or preceding the slots of Megill or Mears) and a deep arsenal for a reliever. With above-average whiff rates (misses per swing) on his four-seamer and sinker and the deadly offspeed mix of his splitter and sweeper, Domínguez has a ceiling of being one of the best relievers in baseball. To add to that, when he's keeping his fastball in that upper third, every single one of his pitches generates poor quality of contact against them. Domínguez's electric raw stuff would give the Brewers' coaching staff a lot to work with. He's in the top 5 percent of major-league hurlers in both expected batting average and expected slugging, and has given up just three home runs all season—all on fastballs he missed down in the zone with. He's very hard to square up Historically, Domínguez also hasn't been as wild with his walk rates, sitting at 9.8% and 8,2% in 2023 and 2024 before jumping to 14.2% in 2025. If we compare the different pitch usage, a couple of things stand out. Here's his movement plot for 2025 (left) and for 2024 (right): Domínguez has ditched his slider for the bigger-breaking sweeper and is leaning on the sweeper and splitter—two pitches that traditionally work best when they end up outside the strike zone. Thus, he's sitting inside the strike zone a lot less. To round out his arsenal, the Brewers may want to bring back that shorter slider and use it to create a breaking pitch that can land in the strike zone (and still manage contact effectively), creating that thought in a hitter that a glove-side pitch isn't necessarily going to break almost a foot. Maybe the answer is even replacing the slider with a firmer, shorter version thereof, akin to a cutter. Overall, Domínguez is landing just 42.3% of his pitches inside the strike zone. With his prodigious stuff, he doesn't need to be landing a lot in the zone, but it needs to be closer to that 50% mark for him to have more sustainable success, especially against the more patient offenses that you'll face come October. All in all, Domínguez is one of the best high-ceiling relievers in baseball and is a free agent after 2025, curtailing the price somewhat. There should be serious demand for him, but it's unlikely to be a true top prospect-caliber deal, which is where the depth of the Brewers' farm system could come to the fore. The price tag for Dominguez could look more like Brett Wichrowski than Josh Knoth or Bryce Meccage. Having such a bevy of talented hurlers gives the Brewers the luxury of considering that kind of move, to deepen their bullpen for a pennant race to come. What would you think of a package for Seranthony Dominguez? Would you chase him to bolster this Brewers bullpen? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! View full article

Anthony Seiglers quality of contact as a lefty are absolutely nuts. To produce those averages without big top end EV's speaks to remarkable consistency and barrel control

Yep. You get a pick if you bring them up with enough time to accrue a year's service time, thus the PPI incentive to say "we'll reward you if they're a great player and you're not manipulating their service time" The Pirates got burned by this when they manipulated Skenes last season only for him to win ROY. No pick, and Skenes got the full year of service time Miz wasn't close to ready for the start of the year so this isn't the situation that the penalty/incentive was designed around but still the Brewers will lose their 7th year with Misiorowski should he come top 2 in RoY voting

This is the first time my timing has been impeccable with a move, and I'm going to enjoy it

Not to stoke fire on this, but Hamstring strains of any grade are a minimum two week absence. You can't image immediately after as the swelling and bruising hide the damage, so there's still a very real chance this is a lot worse and more on the grade 2-3 scale meaning 6-8 weeks. Grade 1 tears usually don't require assistance to get off the field

In almost every interview this year when asked "what's your focus" Blake Burke has responded with swing decisions time and again. Swinging at strikes, taking out of zone. Well over a 50 pitch rolling sample it seems he's in a purple patch now and the power is showing up alongside that Chase rate is currently below 25% while he's swinging at 70% of in zone pitches. Thing you love to see. It's no coincidence that he's also popped his only two home runs in June over the last week to boot