Michael Trzinski

How about $5M for 2024 and $15M for 2025? $20M total would be the average ($10M) of what he made in 2023?

This is a tough call...could be lose-lose no matter what happens 😥

I know Avina is a decent player, but he is an even better person, and for that reason, this trade bums me out...

Dunn=17

Agree 100%

I get that. I'm just curious of how he goes from 17 to 55. Seems like a huge jump, especially moving up a class or two. I mean, if he could steal 20 bags in the Show, that would be awesome.

Looking forward to seeing Boeve and O'Rae moving up in the organization. Both look very talented, and O'Rae (19) and Boeve (21) both have time to grow. Let's hope they can build on their prospect status and not slip to suspects.

My question: Black stole 22 bases in 107 games for his teams in 2021-22. How did he pilfer 55 bags in 123 games in 2023 at the AA/AAA level? At 5-10, 204, he does not exactly have the 'speedster-type' body...

I like the Stephen Vogt idea. Vote for Vogt!

I think the only way CC leaves is if Milwaukee gives him a crappy offer. He is too much of a Milwaukee-area guy to go to some other place.

One to watch is Jace Avina. He is a great player and an even better person. How could one not cheer for him?

For those of us that only see the player's name in articles, could you please provide a pronunciation? Bay-vee? Bove? Bo-vee? Thanks!

I like the Contreras choice. He played almost every day at the toughest position on the diamond and rarely disappointed. Two thumbs up!!

He got the most votes? lol

As a team, the Milwaukee Brewers batters were pretty much below ‘league average’ across the board. Yet the team won 92 games in the regular season. How did they do it? Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo & Brewer Fanatic Satchel Paige once said, ‘My pitching philosophy is simple - keep the ball away from the bat.’ And in 2023, the Brewers pitching staff was good at doing just that. Final regular season NL team pitching stats had the Brewers sporting the following numbers: ERA: 3.71 (1st) ERA+: 116 (1st) WHIP: 1.186 (1st) Saves: 46 (5th) BB Allowed: 493 (4th) K/W Ratio: 2.89 (5th) K: 1425 (5th) Although I am a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), I am not an expert on the sabermetrics that have come into vogue in the last 10-20 years, and my childhood days (60s/70s) included me buying and studying the backs of thousands of Topps cards. The only pitching stats were complete games, wins and losses, and ERA. There was nothing else. These days, the complete game has gone the way of the T-Rex, with only a combined total of 15 authored by starters in the National League this year. You would have to return to 1998 to find ONE pitcher with that many CGs. His name would be Curt Schilling. But as a team--and individually--Brewer pitching, for the most part, performed well this season. The staff was the linchpin of the team that closed out the NL Central in a pretty convincing fashion, eradicating the hopes of the Chicago Cubs and beating them by nine games in the division. Unfortunately, an injury to Brandon Woodruff and disappointing performances by Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta, and Devin Williams in the NL Wild Card Series led to an early exit, and the Arizona Diamondbacks ‘swept’ the Brewers two games to none at American Family Field. While the post-season ended abruptly, a handful of Brewers pitchers performed well during the regular season. Peralta, Williams, Burnes, and Woodruff continued to pitch at an elite level during the regular segment of the 2023 campaign, while Joel Payamps, Hoby Milner, and Bryse Wilson upped their games in the middle of their major league careers. Despite the short post-season, today, we honor the hurlers who stood out for Milwaukee in the 2023 regular season. OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES (Points) Bryse Wilson, RHR (1) G: 53 IP: 76 W: 6 L: 0 Sv: 3 ERA+: 167 WHIP: 1.07 ERA: 2.58 Adrian Houser, RHS (1) GS: 21 IP: 111 W: 8 L: 5 Sv: 0 ERA+: 105 WHIP: 1.39 ERA: 4.12 Hoby Milner, LHR (4) G: 73 IP: 64 W: 2 L: 1 Sv: 0 ERA+: 238 WHIP: 0.96 ERA: 1.82 HONORABLE MENTION (Points) Joel Payamps, RHR (6) G: 69 IP: 70 W: 7 L: 5 Sv: 3 ERA+: 170 WHIP: 1.05 ERA: 2.55 Brandon Woodruff, RHS (9) GS: 11 IP: 67 W: 5 L: 1 Sv: 0 ERA+: 189 WHIP: 0.82 ERA: 2.28 Wade Miley, LHS (10) GS: 23 IP: 120 W: 9 L: 4 Sv: 0 ERA+: 137 WHIP: 1.14 ERA: 3.14 THIRD PLACE Corbin Burnes, RHS (38) GS: 32 IP: 193 W: 10 L: 8 Sv: 0 ERA+: 127 WHIP: 1.07 ERA: 3.39 In his sixth season in the bigs, Burnes earned All-Star status for the third time. Although not as dominating as in the three previous seasons, Burnes led the Brewers in innings pitched this year and was second in wins and strikeouts. However, Game One of the Wild Card series was not one of Burnes’ better efforts. He lasted only 19 batters (four innings), allowed five hits, including three homers in a five-batter span, walked two, and gave up four earned runs. It was not the opening game performance the Brewers were hoping for, especially with the shoulder injury to Woodruff. His future with Milwaukee is uncertain, especially after a contentious off-season resulting from a ‘bad beat’ arbitration case that ended with Burnes signing a one-year, $10 million contract. Will he be traded in the next few months, or will Milwaukee try to re-sign him? Only time will tell. SECOND PLACE Devin Williams, RHR (39) G: 61 IP: 58 W: 8 L: 3 Sv: 36 ERA+: 282 WHIP: 0.92 ERA: 1.53 In a span of just 219 games, Williams has become one of the top closers in baseball. He was NL ROY in 2020 and was named to the NL All-Star team the last two seasons. He led the Milwaukee staff in ERA, saves, ERA+, FIP, and K/9 this season. But disaster struck for Williams once the Arizona D-Backs hit town for an NL Wild Card Series. In Game One, with the Brewers trailing by a single run entering the top of the ninth, The Snakes bit Williams for two runs, courtesy of one hit and three walks while only making two outs. Bryse Wilson came in to get the final out, but the damage had been done in a 6-3 loss, ending the Brewers’ season. Williams had a one-year deal for 2023, but I would be hard-pressed to believe that Milwaukee would not try to sign the master of the ‘Airbender’ to a multi-year deal. PITCHER OF THE YEAR Freddy Peralta, RHS (42) GS: 30 IP: 165 W: 12 L:10 Sv: 0 ERA+: 112 WHIP: 1.12 ERA: 3.86 Peralta was named this year’s Brewers Pitcher of the Year by a narrow margin over Burnes and Williams. He led the team in wins and strikeouts. Peralta won each of his five starts in August and hit double-digits in whiffs six times during the season. In short, Freddy was electrifying at times. But his W/L record was just above .500, and his season had its ups and downs. His final appearance in September might have been a portent of things to come in the short playoff series. Peralta struggled on September 24 in Miami, lasting just three innings while giving up nine hits and four earned runs. Pitching on long rest (nine days) for the first time all year, Peralta was ineffective at best against Arizona in Game Two, yielding four runs on three hits in five-plus innings, which was the beginning of the end of the Brewers' 2023 season, which a week before had showed so much hope. Even though the top hurlers struggled against Arizona, we should celebrate their outstanding showings in the regular season and hope that most or many can return in 2024 and repeat their solid performances of 2023. Congrats to the pitchers honored as Brewers Pitcher of the Year. View full article

I've written thousands of articles for various websites, blogs, and magazines. But I LOVE the passion of people like CheeseheadinQC and the staff and contributors to BF. You guys rock!!!

I'm with you 100%!!

Miller Park? Oops...haha.

I didn't see the game on TV, just 'watched' it on ESPN Gamecast. I swear at one point it showed 4-4 as the score, and then when I refreshed, it changed back to 4-3. Did they anticipate Frelick's run and then had to retract it? The world may never know...

Thank you. I actually haven't followed the minors that closely until this year, but it looks like the system is stocked pretty well. The list was built from writer voting, but I would tend to agree that 'Yoph' has a ton of potential and could maybe be higher...

Today we begin handing out our 2023 Brewers minor-league awards. We will start with the top players in the short-season, complex leagues. Milwaukee has three teams that compete in a short-season league: one in the Arizona Complex League, and two in the Dominican Summer League. The ACL team, based in the Phoenix area, finished first in the Central Division with a 31-25 mark, then proceeded to beat the Diamondbacks Red team to win the ACL title. Three of the players on that team made the ‘Top Hitters’ list for teams in the Milwaukee short-season system: Juan Baez, Dylan O’Rae , and Satchell Norman. The two teams in the DSL didn’t fare that well but added a quintet of players to this elite list: Yophery Rodriguez and Brian Sanchez from DSL Brewers 1; and Demetrio Nadal, Pedro Ibarguen, and Filippo Di Turi from the DSL Brewers 2 squad. The votes were tabulated from ballots cast by staff and contributors to Brewer Fanatic. BREWERS SHORT-SEASON MINOR LEAGUE HITTER OF THE YEAR Before getting to the top four, here are a few Honorable Mentions worthy of being recognized. Honorable Mention C Satchell Norman, 21, ACL Brewers Sarasota, FL G: 30 H/AB: 28/91 Slash: .308/.425/.473 2B: 6 3B: 0 HR: 3 RBI: 20 SB: 8 BB/K: 19/26 Pos: C (19), DH (8) Bats: R Throws: R OF Brian Sanchez, 19, DSL Brewers 1 Cumanacoa, Venezuela G: 33 H/AB: 30/101 Slash: .297/.414/.446 2B: 7 3B: 4 HR: 0 RBI: 19 SB: 8 BB/K: 20/23 Pos: LF (15), RF (12), DH (4), CF (1) Bats: L Throws: R OF-IF Pedro Ibarguen, 17, DSL Brewers 2 Miranda, Venezuela G: 43 H/AB: 41/132 Slash: .311/.437/.447 2B: 7 3B: 1 HR: 3 RBI: 26 SB: 7 BB/K: 25/32 Pos: DH (16), CF (11), 2B (7), RF (3), 3B (2), LF (2) Bats: R Throws: R IF Filippo Di Turi, 17, DSL Brewers 2 Valencia, Venezuela G: 52 H/AB: 51/181 Slash: .282/.414/.354 2B: 9 3B: 2 HR: 0 RBI: 27 SB: 12 BB/K: 38/32 Pos: SS (31), 2B (12), DH (9) Bats: B Throws: R Fourth Place OF Yophery Rodriguez, 17, DSL Brewers 1 San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic G: 55 H/AB: 45/178 Slash: .253/.393/.449 2B: 13 3B: 2 HR: 6 RBI: 36 SB: 12 BB/K: 41/40 Pos: CF (36), RF (8), LF (5), DH (3) Bats: L Throws: L Rodriguez signed for $1.5 million in January and had a nice rookie season as a 17-year-old. He is ranked 13th in the Brewers organization on MLB.com, and is seen as a center fielder, adding to the already full cupboard of middle gardeners in the system. Flashing his skill, the 6-1, 185 pound Rodriguez led his team in runs, hits, doubles, homers, RBI, stolen bases, walks, slugging, and total bases. Given the abundance of quality outfielders in the organization and the age of Rodriguez, there is no need to rush him through the system. His ETA in Milwaukee is 2028, during which he will be 22 years of age. With time to mature and improve his skills, he could arrive in Milwaukee with stardom written all over him, much like Jackson Chourio. Third Place IF-OF Demetrio Nadal, 19, DSL Brewers 2 San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic G: 40 H/AB: 41/120 Slash: .342/.478/.525 2B: 6 3B: 5 HR: 2 RBI: 20 SB: 33 BB/K: 24/19 Pos: 3B (15), LF (10), SS (5), 2B (4), DH (4), CF (1) Bats: R Throws: R Nadal was signed to a minor league contract by Milwaukee in 2021, but didn’t make his debut until the following year. At age 17, he struggled, hitting just .239, but he walked enough to post an impressive OBP of .375. He stole 17 bases and played decently at three infield spots. In 2023, he upped his game, leading his DSL team in triples, stolen bases, batting, OBP, SLG, and OPS. If that wasn’t enough, he also led the team in plunks (hit-by-pitch) with ten. At 5-7, he weighs in only at 125 pounds but can fly, having pilfered 50 bases in 89 career minor league games. On defense, he is versatile enough to play five different positions, so he could be a speedier version of Owen Miller or Brian Anderson. Nadal probably deserves a promotion to Carolina next year, so we’ll get a better chance to see what he can do. Second Place IF-OF Dylan O’Rae, 19, ACL Brewers Sarnia, Ontario (Canada) G: 37 H/AB: 47/130 Slash: .362/.523/.408 2B: 4 3B: 1 HR: 0 RBI: 15 SB: 28 BB/K: 40/23 Pos: 2B (25), CF (6), SS (4), DH (2) Bats: L Throws: R O’Rae was selected by the Brewers in the 3rd round of the 2022 draft (102nd overall) and received $597,000 in the process. The diminutive (5-7, 160#) speedster has little pop, but can draw a free pass and then steal a base, in essence giving him extra-base power. The Canadian, who played for his country’s Junior National team in 2022, moved up to Class A Carolina in mid-August and proved he could compete at the advanced level, slashing .330/.439/.375 in 107 PA for the Mudcats. Sixty-eight games into his professional career, O’Rae has 48 steals and 63 base-on-balls, both impressive numbers for a teenager at the beginning of a promising career. Ranked #19 in the organization by MLB.com, O’Rae has a 70 grade for speed, giving him a tool that can’t be taught. If he can mix that with his ability to get on base, he could be a Pat Listach-type player (rookie season) for years to come. Winner IF Juan Baez, 18, ACL Brewers Santiago, Dominican Republic G: 48 H/AB: 71/192 Slash: .370/.395/.557 2B: 16 3B: 4 HR: 4 RBI: 42 SB: 17 BB/K: 8/23 Pos: SS (20), 3B (15), 2B (2), DH (11) Bats: R Throws: R Baez was signed for a meager $10,000 bonus in 2022, but he looks to have been a huge steal for the Brewers. The 5-9, 175 pound infielder played 55 games for the DSL 2 team in 2022 and had a nice season, but nothing like this year. Baez led the 2023 ACL squad in hits, doubles, triples, homers, RBI, batting, slugging, OPS, and total bases. The 24th-ranked prospect in the Brewers system according to MLB.com, Baez has a big league ETA of 2027. His weakness at this point appears to be in the field, having made a combined 18 errors in 140 total chances (.871) at three infield positions. MLB.com states, ‘…a lot of the errors have come on fixable mistakes…’ The scouts seem to think his future lies at 3B, but he could also turn into a handyman utility player for the parent club. Baez got a late-season call-up to Class A Carolina and performed well, considering he was three years younger than league average, slashing .233/.265/.333 in 34 plate appearances. If he can learn to draw a walk and repair his ‘fixable mistakes’ on defense, we might see him at American Family Field as early as 2026. The Brewers have good, young talent in the bigs, and some upcoming stars in the mid- and high-minors. The list of top hitters in the short season add to the collection of potential future big leaguers that Brewers fans hope to see in Milwaukee in the next few years. Congratulations to Juan Baez and the other players honored as Short Season Minor League Hitters of the Year. View full article

This is for the WC series.

Not having to worry about pitchers hitting or using a PH are small nuances that are often overlooked. Good points, Tim!!