And That

Final: Clinton 5, Wisconsin 1 Clinton Quiets Rattlers McInerney homers again for Wisconsin, but Rattlers drop game two of series 5-1 By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers *** Wisconsin Box Score As Chris notes in the subheading, Pat McInerney hit a long ball, added a double, and nothing else much worth writing about happened. KJ Harrison's nightmarish start to the season continued as he took the golden sombrero. Braulio Ortiz did *not* allow a run. Wisconsin Game Log The old 3-2-3 double play. FIELDING DP: (McInerney-Harrison-McInerney).

I believe if they are with the team, they get paid the same as their teammates regardless of which roster they're on. I'm not sure what the difference in weekly pay is between A-ball and rookie level clubs. Or, guys like Tim Dillard who have a negotiated contract would earn the same amount regardless of which roster they're on (assuming there isn't a provision in their contract to the contrary).

RHP Joaquin De La Cruz and SS Trever Morrison have been transferred from Wisconsin to the Helena paper roster. Taking their place are RHP Christian Taugner and CF Zach Clark, both of whom are in this afternoon's game. This will be Taugner's initial assignment to full season ball, having pitched the entire season for the AZL Brewers in '17 after being drafted in the 37th round.

Lol.

This whole article is a good read if you're feeling down about Chacin, or for some reason convinced he's THE WORST away from Petco, but thought this was a cogent point to the discussion here: Earlier in his career, Chacin suffered from some shoulder problems, but based on his success and velocity, those appear to be behind him. It’s probably worth noting, too, that he has a career 91 ERA-, to go with a 99 FIP- and a 105 xFIP-. A partial explanation for the difference between the first two numbers would be that Chacin is a strong defensive pitcher. Over his career, he’s averaged about +5 defensive runs per 200 innings. He’s been as good as, say, Mike Leake. ... Generally speaking, you should bet on the track record. Chacin has looked like an average starting pitcher with a platoon split, so he’s likely to be an average starting pitcher with a platoon split. And teams have long tried to help righties get better against lefties, and vice versa, even before this present information era. But my guess is that the Brewers have some ideas here, ideas backed up by new-age pitcher data. If it doesn’t work out, Chacin can still be fine, but the Brewers will likely make it a priority to help him get lefties out. If he can clear that hurdle, he’d be a whole new kind of value.

He is absolutely a bad pitcher away from Petco. Btw, Miller park is away from Petco. The sky is purple. Do you know how I know the sky is purple? The sky is not orange.

In order to ignore older data you'd have to prove the stuff has changed. Chacin has never been a hard thrower, and he's always been pretty a sinker/slider guy. But if you want to try to prove it, go for it. I'll wait. Ignore history at your own peril.

I doubt the Brewers have any internal definition of "a #3" or "a #5" pitcher. They signed Chacin to be... Chacin.

Bunk. He has a career 4.19 ERA outside of Petco, including a career 4.23 ERA pitching at Coors Field. He's been a better pitcher (using ERA) at Comerica Park, Nationals Park, and AT&T Park. He has a sub-4.00 ERA in 12 different parks.

Exactly.

Final: Wisconsin 10, Clinton 4 Rattlers Club LumberKings Feliciano goes 4-for-4, Henry homers & drives in three for Wisconsin By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers *** Wisconsin Box Score Jay Feliciano and Payton Henry lead the Rattlers to a big victory over the LumberKings and evened the team's record at 2-2. The two combined for 7 hits, 3 doubles, a home run, 5 runs scored and 5 RBI. Add in Nick Roscetti and the bottom third of the order went 9-13. 2017 21st rounder Dylan File made his full season debut and pitched really well. Wisconsin Game Log Lots of action to check out.

Final: Wisconsin 4, Beloit 2 Rattlers Get Into the Win Column Wisconsin beats Beloit 4-2 to close out homestand By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers AUDIO via the Rattler Radio Soundcloud: "The Timber Rattlers beat Beloit 4-2 on Sunday afternoon and Chris & Kyle have plenty to discuss. There are also plenty of interviews including: Gilbert Lara, Payton Henry, Nelson Hernandez, Tristen Lutz, & Matt Erickson." *** Wisconsin Box Score The offense woke up a little Sunday afternoon, netting 8 hits and raising the team batting average to .173. Tristen Lutz and Gilbert Lara each notched their first home run of the year. Lara, who also added a single to make him the only Rattler this season with a multihit game besides Pat McInerney, played third base again. That's twice in two games, perhaps portending to a full time move off of short. Nelson Hernandez made his inaugural A-ball appearance and threw six strong innings, albeit with a lone strikeout. I've mentioned in the past that while you have to like the pitch-to-contact walk limiting profile, he does not appear to me to have an out pitch in his repertoire. We'll see if he can develop one, whether that might be his changeup or slider, as the season moves on. Following Hernandez, UK-born Michael Petersen and 2017 UDFA Gabe Friese made their full season debuts as well, holding the Snappers in check over the final three innings. Petersen has a real interesting arm, while Friese was arguably the Brewers' best short season pitcher last year. Wisconsin Game Log

Final: Beloit 10, Wisconsin 1 Wisconsin Falls to Beloit in Home Opener Snappers cool off Rattlers 10-1 By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers AUDIO via the Rattler Radio Soundcloud: "Here is the Papa John’s Pizza Postgame Podcast. Kyle & I discuss the game, the weather, the positives, and have post-game audio clips from Pat McInerney, Matt Erickson, & Jenri Montas." *** Wisconsin Box Score The Rattler lineup is still thawing out after many of the group are experiencing Wisconsin and snow and stuff for the first time. Nine hits through their first 20 innings, 4 runs and not enough offensive support for the pitching. I didn't watch the whole game, but the bits of the game I did see featured a lot of short ABs and nondescript pop flyballs. But nothing to worry about for now. Pat McInerney is the offense right now as the 2017 undrafted free agent out of the University of Illinois has three doubles and a home run through two games. Starter Alec Bettinger retired the first two batters via strikeout, but things went downhill after that as the Snappers scattered around 8 hits, walked 4 times and tagged Bettinger for 4 runs in 2 2/3 innings. One of my favorite Rattler pitchers is Robbie Hitt, and he relieved Bettinger but gave up another few runs himself. 21 year old Dominican Jenri Montas made his stateside debut and pitched two scoreless, hitless innings in relief though his command was extremely shaky and got a few outs on well struck balls. Wisconsin Game Log

Freddy Peralta looked AMAZING last night. The stadium gun only had him 89-91, but he was eating batters alive with his fastball, and commanding well enough to force batters to expand the zone against his breaking stuff.

It's said that for quite awhile, at least a year. It's a joke, sort of.

To the best of my knowledge, McClanahan is not injured. Kenny Corey and Antonio Pineiro are nursing injuries, though they’re not necessarily missing from the Wisconsin roster because of the injuries.

Feliciano was bumped down to Helena's roster along with a number of other injured players. We'll post the full "Helena" roster once the dust settles on the full season ones. Cooper Hummel is listed as an OF after being a catcher to this point in his career.

Unlike the A-ball rosters, Biloxi's roster is already at 25. No further cut-downs required.

Biloxi Shuckers roster announced. The initial Biloxi Shuckers roster for the 2018 season has been set by the Milwaukee Brewers. The 25-man roster features 14 pitchers, three catchers, five infielders and three outfielders. The squad includes 11 of the Top 30 prospects in the Brewers system according to MLB Pipeline, and six of the top 15. Corey Ray (7), Trent Grisham (8) and Troy Stokes Jr. (22) make up the outfield, while Lucas Erceg (4) and Jake Gatewood (19) will play the corner infield positions. On the pitching staff, RHP Luis Ortiz (5), RHP Adrian Houser (13), RHP Cody Ponce (14), LHP Kodi Medeiros (20) and RHP Zack Brown (25) are all slated to be part of the starting rotation. Several members of the 2017 pitching staff return, including LHP Nick Ramirez , RHP Josh Uhen , LHP Quintin Torres-Costa , RHP Angel Ventura , RHP Tristan Archer and RHP Wuilder Rodriguez . Rounding out the pitching staff is RHP Thomas Jankins , LHP Brad Kuntz and RHP Nate Griep . In total, the Shuckers have 14 pitchers on their staff, 10 right-handers and four lefties. In the field, Blake Allemand and Wendell Rijo return from the 2017 squad, while former Montgomery Biscuits infielder Jake Hager joins the Shuckers after signing with the Brewers this offseason. Behind the plate, the Shuckers will have Dustin Houle , Tyler Heineman and Nick Franklin , who is transitioning from infielder to catcher. Mike Guerrero returns for his third season to manage the Shuckers. Al LeBoeuf will serve as the hitting coach, while Dave Chavarria takes over as the pitching coach. Bench coach Chuckie Caufield, Strength and Conditioning Specialist Nate Dine and Athletic Trainer Kevan Creighton all return after working on the 2017 Shuckers staff.

Note the Mudcats' release lists 27 players, so they need to cut down 2 more players in the next couple of days. Likely one of the catchers and one of the pitchers. And yes, that's Clint Coulter on the advanced-A roster after playing all of last season in AA.

Carolina Mudcats roster announced. ZEBULON, N.C. - The Carolina Mudcats, the Class-A Advanced affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, unveiled their initial roster for the 2018 season today. The Mudcats will open the new season with Milwaukee's top overall rated prospect Keston Hiura , former first round picks Nathan Kirby and Clint Coulter and 10 players returning from the 2017 team. The initial 2018 Carolina Mudcats roster breaks down as follows: PITCHERS: RHP Luke Barker, LHP Daniel Brown, RHP Victor Diaz, RHP Marcos Diplan, RHP Nattino Diplan, RHP Conor Harber, RHP Alec Kenilvort, LHP Nathan Kirby, RHP Jon Olczak, LHP Cameron Roegner, RHP Miguel Sanchez, RHP Trey Supak, RHP Braden Webb, RHP Chase Williams CATCHERS: Cooper Hummel, Max McDowell, Robie Rojas INFIELDERS: Luis Aviles, Dallas Carroll, Ronnie Gideon, Keston Hiura, Tucker Neuhaus, Weston Wilson OUTFIELDERS: Ryan Aguilar, Carlos Belonis, Clint Coulter, Rob Henry Hiura was selected by the Brewers in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft out of UC Irvine. He enters the 2018 season rated as the number one overall prospect in the Brewers system according to MLBPipeline.com. Hiura is also rated as the No. 56 overall prospect in baseball according to MLBPipeline.com. He is also rated as the No. 2 prospect in the Brewers system and No. 47 overall in MiLB by Baseball America. Hiura hit a combined .371/.422/.611 over 42 games with the AZL Brewers and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers last season. Hiura will man the middle of the Carolina infield this season along with fellow infielder Luis Aviles. Aviles played in a Carolina League high 132 games last season. He also led the Mudcats and was second in the Carolina League with 38 stolen bases during the 2017 season. Infielder Weston Wilson is also among the returnees back from 2017, while Dallas Carroll, Tucker Neuhaus and Ronnie Gideon are among the newcomers to the Carolina infield this season. Gideon, however, is no stranger to Five County Stadium as his father Ron Gideon managed the Mudcats in 2000 and 2001 when Ronnie was a child. The Carolina outfield will consist of returnee Carlos Belonis and newcomers in Coulter, Rob Henry and Ryan Aguilar. Cooper Hummel, one of Carolina's primary catchers during the 2017 season, will also see steady playing time in the outfield this year. Belonis started the 2017 season with the Mudcats before a mid-season transfer to Low-A Wisconsin. He later returned to the Mudcats in August for a few games before suffering an injury and finishing the season on the disabled list. Coulter spent the entire 2017 season with Double-A Biloxi where he finished the season as the club leader in home runs (14). Both of Carolina's primary catchers from the 2017 season in Hummel and Max McDowell, as well as newcomer Robie Rojas, will act as battery mates for the Carolina pitching staff this season. McDowell closed out his 2017 campaign hitting .290 with three home runs and a 1.016 OPS over his final 10 games. The 2018 starting rotation should initially be comprised of returnees in Marcos Diplan and Trey Supak who are rated as the No. 12 and No. 23 prospects respectively in the Brewers system by MLBPipeline.com. The rotation is rounded out with Kirby, Cameron Roegner and Braden Webb. The Brewers selected Kirby in the first round (40th overall) of the 2015 draft out of the University of Virginia where he was named ACC Co-Pitcher of the Year in 2014 and named First Team College All-American in 2015. Kirby has been plagued by injuries throughout his professional career after being limited to just five games in 2015 with Low-A Wisconsin and missing both the 2016 and 2017 seasons due to injury. Webb was a third round pick by Milwaukee in 2016 out of the University of South Carolina where he was named Freshman Pitcher of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association in 2016. Carolina's bullpen will feature returnees Jon Olczak and Luke Barker, as well as newly added arms with Daniel Brown, Nattino Diplan, Alec Kenilvort, Miguel Sanchez and Chase Williams all joining the Mudcats. Olczak pitched for NC State and went 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA over 23 games in 2015 for the Wolfpack. Brown pitched to a 1.98 ERA over his final 19 games with Low-A Wisconsin last season. The 6'6" Kenilvort signed with the Brewers in July of 2017 after originally beginning his career in the Colorado Rockies system and playing in the Frontier League at the beginning of the 2017 season. Williams missed most of the 2017 season due to injury, but has pitched to a 1.54 ERA over 17 games and two starts (23.1 IP) since his selection by the Brewers in the 2016 draft. Joe Ayrault will return for his second straight season as manager of the Mudcats in 2018. Ayrault is joined this season by pitching coach Bob Milacki, hitting coach Bobby Bell, coach Edwin Maysonet , athletic trainer Jeff Bodenhamer and strength and conditioning specialist Jonah Mergen.

Timber Rattlers roster announced. GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have announced a tentative roster for the 2018 Midwest League season. The Milwaukee Brewers have placed 28 players on this roster. The team will need to be down to the 25-player limit by Thursday when the team opens their schedule with a game against the Beloit Snappers. Baseball America ranks four players on this tentative roster as Top 30 Prospects in the Brewers system. They rank outfielder Tristan Lutz (11), catchers KJ Harrison (16) and Payton Henry (28), and pitcher Carlos Herrera (26) on their list. MLB Pipeline has placed Lutz (9) and Harrison (21) on their list of Brewers prospects. Wisconsin has eight members of the 2017 Milwaukee Brewers draft class, including four players from the top ten rounds of the draft: Lutz (Competitive Balance Round A; James W. Martin High School, Arlington, Texas), Harrison (3rd round; Oregon State University), pitcher Bowden Francis (7th round; Chipola (FL) College), and pitcher Alec Bettinger (10th Round; University of Virginia) were all picked in the top ten rounds. The other 2017 draft picks of the Brewers to join the Rattlers this year are: Pitchers Dylan File (21st round, Dixie State College of Utah), Robbie Hitt (24th round, Quinnipiac University), and Christian Taugner (37th round, Brown University) and catcher Brent Diaz (29th round, Louisiana Tech University). Seven players return to the Fox Cities from the 2017 team: Pitchers Herrera and Rodrigo Benoit; infielders Gilbert Lara and Trever Morrison; and outfielders Zach Clark, Demi Orimoloye, and Joantgel Segovia. 2018 TIMBER RATTLERS: PITCHERS (14): Rodrigo Benoit, Alec Bettinger, Joaquín De La Cruz, Dylan File, Bowden Francis, Gabe Friese, Matt hardy, Nelson Hernández, Carlos Herrera, Robbie Hitt, Jenri Montas, Braulio Ortiz, Michael Petersen, Christian Taugner CATCHERS (3): Brent Diaz, KJ Harrison, Payton Henry INFIELDERS (6): Gabriel García, Gilbert Lara, Franly Mallen, Pat McInerney, Trever Morrison, Nick Roscetti OUTFIELDERS (5): Zach Clark, Jay Feliciano, Tristen Lutz, Demi Orimoloye, Joantgel Segovia

We're not really going with anything. Blanco is a veteran presence, which is needed in a AAA clubhouse. He also happens to be at least 4th, and maybe as low as 6th or 7th on the organizational depth chart for 3rd base. If it gets down to the point where Milwaukee needs to start Andres Blanco for a bunch of games at third base, the season has almost assuredly already gone sideways anyway. Hager has been awful in AAA and being a former first-round pick doesn't necessarily mean he has upside. Franklin, long-term, is more valuable as a catcher. I think that's a very smart move on his/the organizations part.

I'm 99% sure it's Andres Blanco.

Aguilar changed his Twitter profile to “new tiger” - take that how you will. A South Korean news agency is reporting that Choi has made the Brewers’ team. https://twitter.com/sung_minkim/status/979161184988364800?s=21