And That

Per various tweets, Erceg has been promoted to Colorado Springs.

Final: Billings 4, Helena 2 Career Night From Friese Highlights Brewers Victory Gabe Friese tosses longest outing for a Brewers starter this season, picks up third consecutive victory as the Brewers beat the Voyagers 7-2 By Garrett Greene / Helena Brewers Helena Box Score This was Gabe Friese's third straight Helena start pitching 6 or more innings, which is not a common occurrence in a league with such an extreme offensive environment. I've compared Friese to Jon Perrin a few times - back in 2015, Perrin began his career with 46 hits, 7 walks, and 42 Ks over 49 2/3 innings. Friese has begun his career with 44 hits, 4 walks, and 26 Ks over 47 1/3 innings. Pretty eery. Brandon Presley pitched the remainder of the game after Friese was was really good once again as well. His overall peripherals look odd because of his walk rate, and I am extremely loathe to say "well he's been good except for..." because everything counts, but his 8/16 outing against Orem accounts for nearly *half* of his walk total. If you take out that outing, which you can't, but if you do, he's looking like a really good piece for Wisconsin next year. Payton Henry lead the offense with 3 hits including 2 more doubles. Kenny Corey and Tristan Lutz had two hits. KJ Harrison walked 3 times and Gabriel Garcia walked twice to go along with a single. It will be interesting to see how they handle Payton Henry, KJ Harrison, and Mario Feliciano all needing reps behind the dish in A/A+ next year. Helena Game Log Nothing really stood out to me - just enjoy a nice win.

AZL Brewers 8, AZL Athletics 3 AZL Brewers Boxscore A day after getting stomped, the Baby Brewers due their own stomping, scoring in innings 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 to roll to a 8-3 win. Jesus Lujano had two hits, a walk, and stole bases 26 and 27, which is more impressive considering is OBP is under .315. One only player in the AZL has more steals. Pat McInerney had another long ball, his league-leading 9th. And Rob Henry was on base three more times with a hit and two walks, and added steal #17 as well. 2nd round pick Caden Lemons made his third pro appearance, pitching a clean inning and notching his first pro K. Joaquin De La Cruz pitched 3 scoreless innings of relief. AZL Brewers Game Log Biggest inning, including a balk score: AZL Brewers Bottom of the 4th Brent Diaz doubles (6) on a fly ball to left fielder Ben Spitznagel. Ernesto Wilson Martinez pops out to shortstop Nick Allen. Je'Von Ward singles on a line drive to center fielder Austin Beck. Brent Diaz scores. Je'Von Ward to 2nd. Robert Henry singles on a line drive to left fielder Ben Spitznagel. Je'Von Ward to 3rd. With Jesus Lujano batting, Je'Von Ward caught stealing home, catcher Jesus Monserratt to shortstop Nick Allen to catcher Jesus Monserratt, Robert Henry to 2nd. Jesus Lujano singles on a ground ball to right fielder Jeramiah McCray. Robert Henry scores. With Jean Carmona batting, Jesus Lujano steals (26) 2nd base, . Jesus Lujano advances to 3rd, on a throwing error by catcher Jesus Monserratt. With Jean Carmona batting, Jesus Lujano scores on a balk. Jean Carmona strikes out swinging.

Gabe Friese will be the 2018 version of Tom Jankins who is the 2017 version of 2016 Jon Perrin.

AZL Rangers 15, AZL Brewers 1 AZL Brewers Boxscore Not much context needed here as the good guys get creamed. Pat McInerney, Je'Von Ward, and Pablo Abreu each had two hits. McInerney smacked two doubles; Ward and Abreu each had one. It's only about 20 PAs, but the 17 year old Abreu has a .316/.381/.474 slash in Maryvale. Ward is hitting .304/.360/.380 since the second half began. AZL Brewers Game Log Nope.

Gatewood's long term home is pretty clearly first base, IMO. He plays really good to outstanding defense there. At third, his arm is above average but he has limited range that will not get better as he fills out his gigantic frame. Erceg is the more athletic of the two, played some shortstop in instructs, and could probably handle second if given adequate time there. I think he absolutely sticks at third. Good range, superlative arm.

Houser would need medical clearance and be "unrestricted" before he'd be allowed in the AFL and he's currently at a 45-pitch limit. That being said, there are still five weeks before the AFL season begins, so that is five weeks of rehab for Houser. I don't think it would be unreasonable to expect him to be able to go 75-85 pitches by the end of that timeframe. 75 pitches is probably unrestricted enough for the AFL. Bickford has already been cleared and he's currently at 60 pitches. The Brewers also may not want to push him that far, but as a 40-man guy who has already burned two options, I'd think they would want him to face better competition than instructionals. We'll see.

60-day DL for Susac or Bandy, transfer Barnes to AAA, purchase Mauricio Dubon's contract. DFA Carlos Torres, purchase Freddy Peralta's contract. Quintin Berry does absolutely nothing for me, though I'm sure the Brewers are thinking about adding him. De Jesus is 30, is highly likely to not be a part of the organization's future, and provides little to no marginal value over Dubon over the course of a month. If he (or Berry) replaces Rivera in September, fine, but I wouldn't add either before then. Edit: I would also personally replace Garza with Taylor Williams (which would in turn free up a 40-man spot for Berry/De Jesus in September) or Tristan Archer (which would not free up said spot), but I think they value Garza's clubhouse presence enough that they won't consider cutting him loose before the end of the season.

Williams could be an option on the MLB roster in September. They could easily control his innings while getting some big league experience under his belt. He's already burned his option and the service time argument has never really swayed me. Plus you know, he could help the bullpen. Which is the same reason I'm in favor of calling up Freddy Peralta now. I'll go with Bickford, either Barker or Hanhold, Houser (he'd just have to be activated from the DL at the end of the season), and they always seem to send a random reliever, so Archer, Torres-Costa, or Ramirez (if they re-sign him/add him to the 40-man). They could actually send more than four pitchers and use Bickford as a "taxi squad" guy, assuming they want him to start. He'd only be eligible to play two games per week, but if he's starting that's all he'd be pitching anyway.

You're right. My brain skipped over that one. Good catch! So I will once again be surprised if Bickford is not on the AFL roster.

Those rules are out of date. Two players are allowed that were not on a AA/AAA/MLB roster as of August 15th. Here are about the best version of the current rules: http://www.thecubreporter.com/book/export/html/3812

Billings 6, Helena 1 Errors Hurt Brewers In Loss Brewers commit four errors, leave eight men on base in 6-1 defeat at Dehler Park By Garrett Greene / Helena Brewers Photo: Gary Marshall Helena Box Score Five hits, four errors, one loss. As the subheading notes above, the fault here lies as much with the offense as it does with the defense (well, it's the same people really). Despite 9 baserunners, the Brewers could only scratch across a lone run. They lose whether or not they have four errors. If the Brewers had a Rattlers-type player of the game, it would probably be righty Robbie Hitt. Hitt has been pretty good for the most part, and was again here with 2 innings of earned run-less ball, allowing just a couple of hits and striking out 4. He's someone to keep tabs on going forward, an under the radar player if you'd like. A former teammate of Wisconsin righty and personal favorite Tom Jankins at Quinnipiac, Hitt received a $100k bonus in the 24th round, which is quite a bit for a college player taken in that area of the draft. He has a dropped 3/4 delivery similar to Carlos Herrera, nearing sidearm. Throws across his body as well. He gets into the low 90s with his fastball, and as far as I am able to tell, has a slider too. There's very little video and/or scouting info on him, so that's about as specific as I can get at the moment. He should be with the Rattlers next year so we'll know more about him then. Helena Game Log

So it appears Bickford will not be on the AFL squad. Ray and Erceg take the two

This date was changed from August 1st to August 15th.

AZL Brewers 3, AZL Reds 1 AZL Brewers Boxscore The Brewers win a low-scoring affair in their first time back out on the field since the Julio Mendez incident on Saturday. Nick Egnatuk had half of the Brewers' 4 hits, including a double. Pablo Abreu hit a double as well for his first stateside extra base hit. Phil Bickford made another 60-ish pitch start, going 4 1/3 innings and allowing a run on 3 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 5. In case you missed it in the AFL thread, Bickford is AFL-eligible and it would seem likely that he's ramping up to start a game or two a week in the fall league. Recent high schoolers Justin Bullock and Cam Robinson threw 2 scoreless innings apiece. All the healthy AZL pitchers should get on the hill at least one more time. There are four games remaining on the regular season schedule, including an off day on Friday. The Brewers are also guaranteed at least one playoff game. (All AZL playoff games are single-elimination.) They could earn a bye in the first round by finishing with one of best two overall records in the AZL. Currently they have the 3rd-best record, trailing the Giants by a game and a half for second. They are three games behind the Dodgers for best overall record. There are no more Brewers-Giants games remaining, but the Baby Brewers can help themselves on Tuesday when they face the Dodgers. AZL Brewers Game Log Pablo Abreu supplies all of the necessary offense: AZL Brewers Top of the 2nd Ernesto Wilson Martinez walks. Robie Rojas flies out to center fielder Mariel Bautista. Robert Henry walks. Ernesto Wilson Martinez to 2nd. Pablo Abreu doubles (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Mariel Bautista. Ernesto Wilson Martinez scores. Robert Henry scores. Yeison Coca flies out to left fielder Reshard Munroe. Jesus Lujano called out on strikes.

Final: Billings 4, Helena 2 Brewers Drop Sunday Affair In Billings Brewers bats quieted by Hunter Greene, Tyler Mondile in 4-2 loss at Dehler Park By Garrett Greene / Helena Brewers *** Helena Box Score In a game that will be much more well known as the pro mound debut of 2nd overall pick Hunter Greene, the Brewers mounted somewhat of a late comeback against the Mustangs, but fell short and took their 40th loss of the season in their 63rd game. Chad McClanahan, who has been much better at the plate as the season as worn on, got a double, as did KJ Harrison. Actually power had been the thing surprisingly missing from McClanahan's game as he has tremendous raw power, but has not seen translate to pro ball yet. League ISO is .164, while Chad is currently sitting at .089. Alex Guenette was the only Brewer with two hits. Kenny Corey was the first batter faced by Hunter Greene, and Corey greeted Greene was a single. Three members of the Brewers' staff gave up four runs, which isn't bad for a Pioneer League game. But their end-of-game ERAs are less inspiring: 7.22, 7.85, 6.97. Harold Chirino was the starter and allowed a run over three innings of work. His end product this year is not great, but I still like him as a prospect going forward. The young Venezuelan does not turn 20 until January. He throws in the low-mid 90s and has two nice offspeed pitches in a slider and changeup, but control is obviously still a significant issue. Helena Game Log After a promising start, a 9th inning rally quickly fizzled: Helena Top of the 9th Pitching Change: Connor Ryan replaces Tyler Buffett. KJ Harrison doubles (10) on a line drive to left fielder Andy Sugilio. Jay Feliciano singles on a line drive to left fielder Andy Sugilio. KJ Harrison scores. Offensive Substitution: Pinch-runner Nic Pierre replaces Jay Feliciano. Chad McClanahan grounds out, pitcher Connor Ryan to first baseman Montrell Marshall. Nic Pierre to 2nd. Jose Gomez grounds out, second baseman Alejo Lopez to first baseman Montrell Marshall. Nic Pierre to 3rd. Nick Roscetti called out on strikes.

Yep. Nicasio and/or some of the other relievers still out there could make some sense if the price is right. Like you said, the Brewers would trading for somewhere between 10-20 innings of Nicasio, which even though they may be high leverage innings, should not be worth a ton in prospect value. There might be some market for Nicasio though, so the Pirates may be able to leverage something better than they maybe should get. This is also assuming that Nicasio cleared waivers. MLBTR posted a nice review of the guys still out there. In addition to Nicasio, guys such as Craig Stammen, Clayton Richard (as a reliever), Derek Holland (as a reliever), and Drew Storen could be fits as well.

I confirmed with the Brewers that Bickford is indeed eligible.

Per Brewers Prospects twitter,

Creating this thread as a breakoff split from Saturday 8/26's Link Report in order to dedicate these posts to all of our concerns for Maryvale farmhand Julio Mendez. This picture is from his Helena Opening Day appearance, he only played two Pioneer League games before returning to Maryvale. http://www.milb.com/images/531588/generic/180x270/531588.jpg Below are the first posts of the evening - Mass Haas (Jim) *** With some acknowledgement that any portion of this may be hyperbole, but also that none of it may be, I do not enjoy posting this update from the AZL game, ended early with 1 out in the 9th: This is from a Padres fan account, the Padres being the opposing team in tonight's game. We'll post any updates.

Bickford was never on the DL, as least as far as I know. He was injured but never transferred from the Carolina restricted list to any disabled list.

Yes, the Brewers added their shared DSL team this year. I believe the intent is to have that become a full-fledged 2nd Brewers DSL club as soon as next season. I also wouldn't be surprised to hear about the Brewers investing some money is DSL infrastructure. As Jim noted in the thread he linked above, the Brewers do not have the leeway to add another full-season affiliate as far as I am aware. However, something they could consider is a loan program with a Mexican League team to stash some extra A/AA/AAA depth. The Brewers haven't done this for quite some time (25+ years?) and I am not sure what current MLB rules are on this, but it is something to think about. I do think they are on the path of adding at least one more stateside short-season team at some point, whether in 2018 or 2020. Or sooner, if they choose to double up in the AZL as the Padres did this year.

Wikerson isn't in AAA now for the same reason he wasn't at the beginning of the year: with his stuff, he's likely going to get crushed in Colorado Springs. His fastball only grazes 90 without significant movement, and he relies on a curveball. That's a recipe for high altitude disaster.

AZL Mariners 8, AZL Brewers 1 AZL Brewers Boxscore An early scoring barrage against Brewers' starter Mike Gonzalez put the team into a hole they didn't come close to digging out of. Gonzalez' career with the organization has been marked by a series of blow-ups. This is the 5th time in 20 appearances that he's given up at least 7 runs. He's given up at least 4 runs in half of his appearances. He's a talented kid, but there is also clearly something amiss. Youngsters Cam Robinson, Justin Bullock, and Wilfred Salaman pitched the final 7 innings and allowed no runs on just 3 hits. In what has become a theme, there wasn't much happening for the Brewers' offense. Yeison Coca had two singles and Tyler Lawrence got the only extra base hit, a double. The team did walk 7 times, including 2 from Je'Von Ward. AZL Brewers Game Log

Brandon Presley's previous outing: 3 IP, 7 BB. Brandon Presley's outing last night: 2 IP, 0 BB. Gabriel Garcia's 2016 OPS: .893. Gabriel Garcia's 2017 OPS: .893. Also, my man Gabe Friese doing his best Jon Perrin impression.