And That

Two Three more undrafted senior signs: Missouri Baptist RHP Brandon Nunn UC Irvine catcher Alex Guenette Kennesaw State RHP Gabe Friese

Including the DSL teams, the Brewers' system dropped to a game under .500 for the first time this season.

Kane County Closes in on Playoff Spot with 14-2 Win over Wisconsin Rattlers trailed 10-0 after four innings and lost for ninth straight time By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Photo: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) Wisconsin Boxscore Wisconsin just keeps getting beat up. They've gone from a couple of games over .500 to 15 games under .500 in the course of about 4 weeks. It remains to be seen if the Brewers will shake up their roster for the second half, or let the guys that are there try to get back on course. The pitching in particular has been disappointing. Of the 15 pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched, 11 have an ERA of 4.50 or worse. I'll let you read Chris Mehring's recap again, and as Jim mentioned yesterday, he has the patience of a saint. Wisconsin Game Log

Wichita State RHP Landon Holifield has also signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Brewers.

Brewers add another college senior, this time RHP Cole Lipscomb from Auburn.

Scahill accepted the assignment.

Undaunted by lack of roster spaces at the rookie levels, the Brewers have signed two more undrafted free agents: IF Julian Jarrard, from Menlo College (see: Erceg, Lucas) Big RHP Tyler Thorne out of Stanford

Victor Vasquez not only surfaced, he started yesterday's primary squad game. Elian Gonzalez now appears on the Brewers' primary squad roster. Also, I found a player page for Julio Raudez - so it appears he will show up eventually.

Pennington is throwing off the mound but at last check was still a ways off from assignment. He probably goes to Wisconsin when he is assigned. Bickford is out until August with his hand injury. I would guess if he sees full season ball this year, it will be with Carolina.

Bees Sweep Doubleheader and Series from Rattlers with 9-4 Win in Nightcap Burlington takes all five games in three days from Wisconsin By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Photo: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) BURLINGTON, IA - The Burlington Bees completed their five-game sweep of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers with a 9-4 win in game two of Thursday's doubleheader at Community Field. Burlington had rallied to win game one of Thursday's twinbill 6-4 earlier in the evening. Wisconsin charged to the lead in the top of the first inning in game two. Demi Orimoloye started the game with a triple into the corner in left. Joantgel Segovia got Orimoloye home with an RBI grounder for the 1-0 lead. Monte Harrison was next and he crushed a solo homer to left for a 2-0 lead. The homer was the eleventh of the season for Harrison. Burlington stormed back to take the lead in the bottom of the third inning. Derek Jenkins reached on a single with one out. Keith Grieshaber launched a two-run homer to tie the game. Sam McDonnel walked a stole second, but Rattlers starting pitcher David Burkhalter got the second out of the inning on a strikeout. But, the third out was elusive. Roberto Baldoquin put the Bees in front with a double down the line in right. Burkhalter got the next batter to send a grounder to third, but Tucker Neuhaus mishandled the ball for an error and that put runners on the corners. John Schuknecht was next and he cleared the bases with a three-run home run to left to give the Bees a 6-2 lead. The Rattlers chipped away with an unearned run in the fourth inning when Trey York scored from first on a dropped fly ball with two outs by Jenkins in center field. Wisconsin looked like they had a big inning brewing in the top of the fifth against reliever Greg Belton. Segovia singled with one out and Harrison ripped a double to left to put runners on second and third. Neuhaus followed with a sharp single to right to score Segovia and the Rattlers were within two runs with runners at the corners with one out. However, with Neuhaus running on a 3-2 pitch, York struck out swinging and interfered with Burlington catcher Mario Sanjur. That interference meant that Neuhaus was out and the inning ended with the Rattlers trailing 6-4. The Bees again made the Rattlers pay for the missed opportunity. Baldoquin was at second with two outs and reliever Aaron Myers on the mound for Wisconsin. Schuknecht lined a double to right to score Baldoquin. Juan Moreno followed by lining an RBI double to left. Sanjur made it 9-4 in favor of Burlington with a single to right to score Moreno. Belton would close out the game be retiring the Timber Rattlers in order in the sixth and seventh innings. The Bees swept the five-game series at Community Field and have won seven straight games overall. Wisconsin has lost seven straight games for the second time this season. Wisconsin Boxscore Wisconsin Game Log

Bees Sting Rattlers with Late Rally to Win Game One Wisconsin can't hold 4-0 lead and drops 6-4 decision to Burlington By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Photo: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) Wisconsin Boxscore Including the second game of the doubleheader which *SPOILER ALERT* the Rattlers also lost, the team has now lost 17 of their past 20 games, as well as their last 7 in a row. I'm just going to leave it up to Chris Mehring to describe the game: BURLINGTON, IA - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers jumped to a 4-0 lead against the Burlington Bees in game one of a doubleheader at Community Field on Thursday night, but they could not hang on for the win. Burlington tied the game with four runs in the fifth and scored the go-ahead runs on an error in the sixth to defeat the Rattlers 6-4. The Timber Rattlers (26-38) scored three runs in the top of the second inning to take the lead in game one. Ronnie Gideon and Ryan Aguilar each singled to start the inning. Jose Cuas bunted the runners into scoring position. Then, Nathan Rodriguez dropped a single into short center to drive in Gideon. Later in the inning, Gilbert Lara made it 3-0 in favor of the Rattlers with a two-run single. Wisconsin added to their lead in the fourth inning. Ryan Aguilar singled to start the inning, but was at second base with two outs. Caleb Whalen delivered the two-out hit, a double to the corner in left, to drive in Aguilar and the Rattlers were up 4-0. Rattlers starting pitcher Nattino cruised through the first four innings as he kept the Bees (29-36) off the scoreboard. That changed with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning. Derek Jenkins started the Burlington rally when he drew a four-pitch walk, stole second, and went to third on a wild pitch. Then, Jahmai Jones drew a walk and stole second. Jack Kruger was next and his hot grounder made it to left to send Jenkins home for the first Burlington run of the inning. Diplan's day ended after he walked Keith Grieshaber to load the bases. Wisconsin reliever Andrew Vernon took over for Diplan and got the second out on a deep fly to center off the bat of Jordan Zimmerman. The sacrifice fly was deep enough to advance all three runners. Jones scored to make it 4-2 while Kruger and Grieshaber moved into scoring position. Sam McDonnell followed with a two-run single to right and the game was tied 4-4. The Bees had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning against Vernon after Jenkins and Jones singled and Kruger walked. Vernon got the double play ball he needed off the bat of Grieshaber, but the ball was missed by Lara at short and two runs scored to put the Bees up 6-4. Wisconsin had a pair of hits in the top of the ninth inning. Demi Orimoloye singled to start the inning, but was erased on a 4-6-3 double play. Joantgel Segovia also singled in the ninth, but he was left stranded when the game ended. The Bees have won six games in a row. The Rattlers have lost six games in a row. Wisconsin Game Log Nattino Diplan had pitched 4 scoreless innings, and then: Burlington Bottom of the 5th John Schuknecht strikes out swinging. Derek Jenkins walks. With Jahmai Jones batting, Derek Jenkins steals (4) 2nd base. With Jahmai Jones batting, wild pitch by Nattino Diplan, Derek Jenkins to 3rd. Jahmai Jones walks. With Jack Kruger batting, Jahmai Jones steals (12) 2nd base. Jack Kruger singles on a ground ball to left fielder Joantgel Segovia. Derek Jenkins scores. Jahmai Jones to 3rd. Keith Grieshaber walks. Jack Kruger to 2nd. Pitching Change: Andrew Vernon replaces Nattino Diplan. Jordan Zimmerman out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Caleb Whalen. Jahmai Jones scores. Jack Kruger to 3rd. Keith Grieshaber to 2nd. Sam McDonnell singles on a line drive to right fielder Demi Orimoloye. Jack Kruger scores. Keith Grieshaber scores. Brennan Morgan walks. Sam McDonnell to 2nd. Roberto Baldoquin flies out to right fielder Demi Orimoloye.

Meet the Milwaukee Brewers’ 7th Round Pick Bowden Francis

That's exactly right. They have a limited amount of roster space, even for the short season clubs. This is from the MiLB website somewhere - I had this copied and pasted into a workbook and I can't find the link offhand: Advanced rookie clubs: 35 players. No more than 30 players may be used in a single game. As of July 1, the Active List must include at least 10 pitchers. No more than 12 players may be 21 years old or older, and no more than two players may be 23 years old or older. No player may have more than two years as a professional, and no player may have three or more years of minor-league service time. Rookie clubs: 35 players. No more than 30 players may be used in a single game. As of July 1, the Active List must include at least 10 pitchers. No more than 8 players may be 20 years old or older, including two drafted players and four undrafted players who are at least 21 years old. No player may have more than two years of minor-league service time. Currently the Brewers have 18 active players on the Helena roster and 32 (!) players on the Maryvale roster. (Assuming the aforementioned DSL guys are there, plus a few other signings that haven't been reflected on the MiLB.com roster yet. There will be some DL assignments. Probably half a dozen or more for the AZL club. But even if DL-ing guys brings the AZL roster down to 25, there are only 27 open roster slots currently available in rookie ball for the Brewers. So like I was saying, about 30 guys. Unless the Brewers all of the sudden decide to add a second AZL team, though I believe it's too close to the season to do that.

The Shuckers still need to make a move to replace these two. They're currently working with 11 pitchers, and 23 players on the 25-man roster overall.

I would expect the Brewers to sign fewer - perhaps many fewer - draft picks this year after signing 37 last year. I would expect the number of signings being closer to 30, if not 25. With 19 high school picks, and with 7 of those picks occurring after the 20th round, you're probably looking at 6-10 of those guys not signing. A few of the college picks probably won't sign either, which brings that total of unsigned picks to 8-12. Splitting the difference, I would guess the Brewers won't sign about 10 guys, which makes 31 draft picks signed. I suppose there's a possibility that the Brewers have pre-draft deals with most of the high school picks and they've figured out how to shoehorn all these guys in without going into draft pick penalty for their bonus pool. I was surprised at how many high school guys they inked last year - maybe they have a similar trick up their sleeves this year.

MrAllen - thank you for putting that together!

Perfect Game report from September 2016 on 20th rounder Austin Rubick: --- 20. Austin Rubick, rhp, Ventura (Ventura College/SO in 2017) The highly touted Rubick struggled in both his freshman year at Arizona and this summer with the Halos. Despite the choppy results, there is no denying the arm talent that motivated the Indians to take him in the 27th round of the 2015 draft. Rubick has the ideal pitcher's build at 6-foot-3 and 210-pounds and his fastball works in the low-90s. Rubick has transferred to Ventura College for his sophomore year and this might be the perfect environment for him to begin to harness his big arm.

He's not going to sign, but nonetheless Perfect Game's report on 19th rounder Noah Campbell: --- 311. Noah Campbell, ss, Cardinal Gibbons HS S-R, 6-1/190, Durham, N.C. College Commitment: South Carolina Campbell is a switch-hitter who is currently much better from the left side of the plate and by the end of last summer, where he was a regular at major events, was hitting left handed even against left handed pitchers. His left handed swing is strong with very good bat speed and plenty of gap power and Campbell's 55/60 grade running speed enables him to beat out hits from the left side and take extra bases. Campbell had a strong spring offensively, hitting .478-3-21 in 23 games with 15 stolen bases. Defensively, Campbell seems to be best suited for second base at the next level or perhaps third base. His father, Darin, was drafted three times during the 1980's, including in the fifth round out of high school in 1985 and eventually signed as a 22nd rounder out of UNC in 1988 with the Indians. The elder Campbell played third base during his short professional career.

Perfect Game report on 17th rounder LG Castillo: --- 402. Leugim Castillo, of, Lancaster HS R/R, 6-3/215, Lancaster, N.Y. College Commitment: Oklahoma Castillo is a superb athlete who is listed at 225 pounds for football, where he was an All-State selection at wide receiver and also punted and returned kicks, but also runs a 6.5 sixty. He has huge strength in his right handed swing in baseball and can hit the ball as hard as any player in the class. Despite this, Castillo falls firmly into the category of players who need much more seasoning before they try their hand at professional baseball. He has a very arm oriented swing at the plate that incorporates very little lower half for either bat speed or timing and has young left field tools and fundamentals on defense.

Perfect Game report on 16th rounder Justin Bullock: --- 353. Justin Bullock, rhp, South Granville HS R-R, 6-2/200, Creedmoor, N.C. College Commitment: North Carolina State Bullock just concluded one of the more impressive four-year varsity careers in the 2017 class as a two-way player, going 11-1, 0.55 on the mound with 124 strikeouts in 63 innings and hitting .476-11-46 with 16 doubles in 30 games. His career totals are 37-9, 1.49 on the mound and .436-30-131 at the plate. Bullock will be a primary pitcher at the next level, although the possibility of his playing two-ways at North Carolina State certainly exists. He throws from a complex, multi-part arm action and delivery that has plenty of energy in it but his athleticism enables him to hold those mechanics together well. Bullock's fastball generally works in the 89-91 mph range and will top out at 93, while he does a good job throwing strikes with a big breaking mid-70's curveball and fairly advanced changeup.

Perfect Game report on 15th rounder Christian Santana: --- 132. Christian Santana, rhp, American Heritage HS R-R, 6-3/210, Hialeah, Fla. College Commitment: Florida International Santana is a young right hander who won't turn 18 years old until after the draft but who has a strong but still very projectable build that is ideal for a pitching prospect. He has a full, loose arm action and a high 3/4's arm slot and has learned to repeat his mechanics much better this spring than he has previously demonstrated. Santana's fastball has been up to 94 mph this spring and he's maintained his velocity well while showing an improved ability to throw strikes to different spots. Santana's curveball has also become more consistent in both spin and release and become a legitimate second weapon for him.

Perfect Game report on 14th rounder Gage Workman: --- 323. Gage Workman, ss, Basha HS S-R, 6-3/180, Queen Creek, Ariz. College Commitment: Arizona State Workman was originally part of the 2018 class until reclassifying as a 2017 last year and is exceptionally young for a 2017 prospect, with an October, 1999 birthdate. Workman's father, Widd, was a third round pick out of Arizona State in 1996 as a right handed pitcher, marking the fourth time he'd been draft since graduating high school in 1992, in part because he was draft eligible during his two-year LDS mission. Workman is a loose and graceful athlete with tons of physical projection due to his build and age. His most projectable tool is his swing and power potential, power potential that probably won't be realized for years but is definitely there with Workman's swing type waiting for future strength to kick in. Workman has played shortstop in the past but profiles best at third base moving forward and could be potentially above average there with time.

Perfect Game 2016 showcase report on 13th rounder Abdiel Layer: --- Abdiel Layer is a 2017 SS/2B with a 6-2 165 lb. frame from San Juan, PR who attends Colegio Angel David HS. Tall and slender athletic build, looks like he's gained some strength and has plenty of room to add more. 6.80 runner, has good balance and body control in the infield, shows athleticism, good hands to both sides, can come and get the ball and get ride of it quickly, smooth defender, arm strength solid and projectable. Switch hitter, better bat speed and strength right handed, has a fluid swing that is just waiting for the strength to kick in, more rotational and mechanical left handed. Should keep improving as he gets stronger in all areas.

Thanks as always to Patrick and the entire Perfect Game staff for allowing us to repost their subscriber-only content! Here is their report on Je'von Carrier-Ward (aka Je'von Ward): --- 224. Je'Von Carrier-Ward, rhp, Richard Gahr HS L-R, 6-5/190, Long Beach, Calif. College Commitment: Southern California A 2016 Perfect Game All-American, Carrier-Ward's future as a prospect lies heavily in his offensive projection, especially with how he develops his outstanding power potential. He has a long limbed 6-foot-5 build with a young body and won't turn 18 years old until late October. Carrier-Ward has always had advanced barrel to ball skills for a taller young player and has made significant gains with his strength and raw bat speed over the last year. Athletically, Carrier-Ward fits a left field/first base profile on defense, with sub-7.0 speed in the sixty but a below average throwing arm on the big league scouts scale. If he fulfills his power projection, his defense will be a secondary concern.

Burlington Shuts Out Wisconsin 4-0 in Game Two, Too Bees hold Rattlers to three hits in second game of twinbill, too By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Photo: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) Wisconsin Boxscore Like my two year old would say - it's a pattern! The Rattlers get shut out 4-0 again, on three hits again. One player (Joantgel Segovia this time) had two of the hits again. The eight-hole hitter had the other hit again. Starting pitcher Cameron Roegner fared better than Braden Webb, allowing two earned runs and only six baserunners in five innings of work, with four punch outs and no walks. Roegner's ERA has dropped six appearances in a row, from 6.93 on 5/13 to 4.82 now. Luke Barker allowed an unearned run in his inning of work. He hasn't allowed an earned run in seven straight appearances, spanning 12 1/3 innings. Wisconsin Game Log All Burlington would need, again: Burlington Bottom of the 3rd Derek Jenkins singles on a ground ball to second baseman Tucker Neuhaus. Juan Moreno grounds out, third baseman Jose Cuas to first baseman Ronnie Gideon. Derek Jenkins to 2nd. Jahmai Jones homers (5) on a line drive to right field. Derek Jenkins scores. Keith Grieshaber doubles (5) on a ground ball to left fielder Joantgel Segovia. With Jordan Zimmerman batting, passed ball by A. Murray, Keith Grieshaber to 3rd. Jordan Zimmerman flies into a double play, right fielder Caleb Whalen to catcher A. Murray. Keith Grieshaber out at home.