This week’s minor league roundup looks a little different. When I originally took over this column at the beginning of the year, my main goal was to provide a thorough and concise resource for those who wanted to know more about players who might eventually appear with the Brewers.
This is a really exciting time to be a Brewers fan. The Crew are the best team in baseball in late August, a feat that’s incredible in and of itself. The present is promising, but so is the future, due to the impressive
level of talent that GM Matt Arnold and the Brewers scouting and developmental teams have managed to amass in the minor leagues. The minor league roundup was intended to give Brewers fans something to look forward to, serving as an introduction to the Brewers’ top prospects — not just how they did in any given week, but why? What do certain prospects do well? What do certain prospects need to improve upon to become successful big leaguers?
More than anything, I wanted the roundup to be accessible. I wanted someone who’d never read the column to be able to pick up any week’s edition and get an idea of who each prospect is as a player, in addition to what that week’s stats said about their developmental trajectory. For that reason, if I wrote something that I felt was important in understanding a player’s profile, I’d leave it in for weeks at a time.
With that being said, the old format was admittedly getting somewhat repetitive. This new format is an attempt at better meeting my previously-stated goal of being concise and thorough. I’ll still highlight prospects and provide relevant stats, but I’m not going to repeat myself week after week. If you want to know more about a prospect’s profile, you can refer to older editions of the roundup or other articles I’ve written. If there’s a certain prospect you want me to highlight in the next week’s edition, let me know in the comments — I’m always happy to have an excuse to dive into a prospect’s film or advanced stats.
I’m also happy to take criticism. If you like the old format, don’t like the new format, or have other suggestions for me — let me know. I want you to enjoy reading my writing.
So, without further ado, welcome to the new-look Minor League Roundup:
Triple-A Nashville (68-56)
Record this week: 4-2
Second-half record: 24-27
C Jeferson Quero (No. 4): 5-for-17, 2 2B, 1 HR
RHP Craig Yoho (No. 16): 2 IP, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
LHP Robert Gasser (No. 18) — REHAB: 8 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K
Gasser should be back soon. His surgically-repaired elbow is holding up well, and his 1.98 ERA in four starts with Nashville suggests that he will remain effective upon rejoining the Brewers. However, Gasser will rejoining a crowded pitching staff, leading to questions about what his role will be with Milwaukee. He’s still a viable starting option, but Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy may opt to use him in a DL Hall/Aaron Ashby-esque “high leverage long reliever” role — especially with Hall back on the IL.
1B/OF Tyler Black (No. 24): 4-for-15, 0 XBH
RHP Coleman Crow (No. 25): DNP
LHP Tate Kuehner: 4 1/3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
1B Rhys Hoskins — REHAB: 5-for-19, 2 HR
OF Jackson Chourio — REHAB: 1-for-11, 2B
Chourio’s stats are far from impressive in his rehab start. His stats also don’t matter. He has a place in Milwaukee’s starting lineup when he’s healthy, and he’s only in Nashville to prove his health. Chourio has started three straight games since he joined the Sounds on Friday — first at DH, but he got the start in CF on Sunday. I’d guess he’s called up within the next few days. His return can’t come at a better time for the Brewers, who have now lost five of their last seven games.
Double-A Biloxi (66-54)
Record this week: 4-2
Second-half record: 24-27
SS Cooper Pratt (No. 3): 7-for-21, 2 2B — including this walk-off:
1B/3B Luke Adams (No. 8): DNP — left shoulder contusion
OF Luis Lara (No. 12): 6-for-22, 1 2B
RHP Tyson Hardin (No. 20): 1 IP, 2 H, ER
1B Mike Boeve (No. 27): DNP
1B Blake Burke (No. 29): 7-f0r-26. 2 HR, 4 SO
Burke now has six home runs in Double-A and five home runs in High-A. He was promoted to Double-A just over three weeks ago. Burke, who’s hitting .329 as a Shucker, has always had immense raw power and great exit velocities, but until his promotion it had mostly translated to doubles instead of home runs. That seems to no longer be the case.
High-A Wisconsin (52-66)
Record this week: 2-4
Second-half record: 18-35
SS Jesús Made (No. 1): 4-for-20, HR
SS Luis Peña (No. 2): 2-f0r-19
1B/3B Andrew Fischer (No. 6): 4-for-19
Fischer, drafted in the first round this year out of the University of Tennessee, is hitting .250 (.619 OPS) through his first 36 at-bats as a minor leaguer. Fischer is an extremely advanced hitter for his age (21), so it shouldn’t be surprising that he’s holding his own. At the same time, he was playing college baseball earlier in the summer. All he needs to do this year with the Timber Rattlers is show flashes, like this:
RHP Bishop Letson (No. 7): 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, ER, HR
C Marco Dinges (No. 10): 3-for-13, 2B
2B/SS Josh Adamczewski (No. 13): 7-for-20, 3 2B
Adamczewski was promoted from Single-A and picked up right where he left off. Adamczewski (1.002 OPS across both levels of A-ball) has done nothing but rake all year, so it shouldn’t be surprising that his initial introduction to High-A went this well.
RHP Manuel Rodriguez: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 1 BB
Single-A Carolina (64-51)
Record this week: 2-4
Second-half record: 28-23
OF Braylon Payne (No. 8): 2-for-14, 2B, 6 K
SS/3B Brady Ebel (No. 11): 4-for-20
Ebel, drafted No. 32 overall in this year’s draft, more than held his own in his first week of professional baseball outside of the bridge league. Most of the 18-year-old Ebel’s peers are attending their college orientations this week, so 4-f0r-20 in affiliated ball isn’t half bad. Also, 108 mph off the bat would be absurd even if he wasn’t 18.
RHP Bryce Meccage (No. 15): DNP
INF Eric Bitonti (No. 19): 3-for-21
RHP Ethan Dorchies (No. 21): 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 HR, 6 K
OF Jose Anderson (No. 30): 4-for-24, 2B
Season Totals for the Top 10 Brewers Prospects (MLB Pipeline)
- SS/3B Jesús Made (A+): .277/.379/.415, 6 HR, 42 SB (includes Low-A stats)
- SS/3B Luis Peña (A+): .289/.360/.458, 9 HR, 43 SB (includes Low-A stats)
- SS Cooper Pratt (AA): .247/.353/.364, 8 HR
- C Jeferson Quero (AAA): .285/.356/.462, 5 HR
- RHP Logan Henderson (MLB): 16 G, 15 GS, 10-4 W-L, 77 2/3 IP, 3.59 ERA, 1.11 WHIP
- 1B/3B Andrew Fischer (A+): 9-for-36, 2B, 12 K
- RHP Bishop Letson (A+): 8 G, 7 GS, 31 IP, 1.45 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 10.16 K/9, 2.03 BB/9
- 1B/3B Luke Adams (AA): .241/.422/.477, 11 HR
- OF Braylon Payne (A): .243/.362/.386, 7 HR, 30 SB
- C Marco Dinges (A+): .274/.364/.459, 7 HR
Player of the Week
Cooper Pratt, who hit .333 this week and now has two walk-off hits in the last two weeks:
Pratt’s been a little streaky this season, but he’s now sporting a .717 OPS for the season in a pitcher-friendly league. His average is approaching .250, and — most importantly — he’s shown a knack for delivering in the clutch both at the plate and in the field. I know the Brewers probably won’t call him up to Triple-A before the end of the season, but they should. Might as well give him a few weeks to get his feet wet, since he’ll most likely be there early next year anyway.
Play of the Week
As Jerry Garcia once said, “hang it up and see what tomorrow brings.” Yes, that means you, Austin Callahan. All you can do is tip your hat after a play like that.
