Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!
As a reminder, you can find this roundup — covering everything you need to know about each of the Brewers’ minor league affiliates — every Tuesday morning right here on Brew Crew Ball. For consistency, all organizational prospect rankings will reference MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted.
Triple-A Nashville Sounds
Current record: 71-58
Record this week: 3-3
This week’s opponent: @ Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
Next week’s opponent: vs. Louisville Bats
Standout weekly performances:
Tyler
Black: 7-for-15, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 7 BB, 4 K Akil Baddoo: 8-for-19, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K Bo Naylor: 6-for-20, 3 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K Brock Wilken: 6-for-21, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 6 K Colton Gordon: 11.0 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 13 K Brandon Sproat: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K Tyson Hardin: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K Coleman Crow: 5.0 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
With rosters expanding on Sept. 1, it’s likely that one of the Sounds’ position players will be in Milwaukee by the time this article is published. Lefty reliever JoJo Romero seems like a good bet to be activated, but there are a couple of possibilities for the second and final roster spot.
Three of those options had big weeks against Jacksonville. Tyler Black, Akil Baddoo, and Bo Naylor all recorded four extra-base hits; Black went 7-for-15 with seven walks, good for a ridiculous 1.586 OPS, while Baddoo’s OPS (1.320) wasn’t far behind.
Naylor, who went 6-for-20 with seven RBIs, still feels like the most likely option. Milwaukee already has plenty of outfield options, making Baddoo somewhat redundant, and the same goes for Black, whose defensive fit on the current roster isn’t particularly obvious.
Meanwhile, Naylor gives the Brewers a third catcher with major league experience, which is important because Contreras will need days off to keep him fresh for the playoffs and Gary Sánchez isn’t a Gold Glover. With a .903 OPS in 60 at-bats since the trade, Naylor has also shown that he has enough offensive upside to be useful off the bench. It’s worth mentioning, too, that the Brewers liked him enough to go out and get him from Cleveland, trading away outfielder Blake Perkins and reliever Craig Yoho at the deadline.
Jeferson Quero is another possibility, and he’s had a solid season at the plate with a .755 OPS and 15 home runs, but there are reasons to think Milwaukee might prefer Naylor for September. Quero has thrown out a little under 16% of attempted base stealers this season in 116 attempts, and there are still questions about how much of a workload he can handle behind the plate. From June 28 through Aug. 15, Quero didn’t catch a game, appearing exclusively at DH. Add in Naylor’s previous major league experience, and he seems like the safer choice for a team with World Series aspirations.
Elsewhere, Brock Wilken continued his recent surge with two more homers, while Colton Gordon turned in a strong week on the mound. Gordon worked 11 innings across two appearances, allowing four earned runs while striking out 13 and walking only two. Brandon Sproat struck out seven over four one-hit innings, although he allowed two runs and walked three.
Double-A Biloxi Shuckers
Current record: 59-63
Record this week: 3-3
This week’s opponent: vs. Knoxville Smokies
Next week’s opponent: vs. Birmingham Barons
Standout performances:
Andrew Fischer: 6-for-16, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K
Braylon Payne: 8-for-22, 2 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K
Mike Boeve: 6-for-18, 0 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K
Luis Peña: 6-for-19, 0 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K
Dylan O’Rae: 5-for-20, 1 3B, 0 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Bishop Letson: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Jaron DeBerry: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 5 K
J.D. Thompson: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K
Manuel Rodriguez: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Jack Seppings: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Jesús Made has finally encountered something resembling a speed bump.
Made went 4-for-18 this week to bring his line for the month of August to .204/.299/.280. It’s hardly concerning for a player who is still just 19 years old and has rocketed through the system, but the Southern League has provided a considerably tougher test than the levels below it. Made’s overall numbers (.773 OPS) remain impressive considering his age and aggressive assignments, but his production has cooled as the season has progressed.
Andrew Fischer has dealt with some adjustments of his own since arriving in Biloxi, hitting .183 over the month of August. He spent this week reminding everyone exactly why he’s one of the fastest-rising prospects in the organization, though, going 6-for-16 with four home runs and eight RBIs — three of those homers coming in a monster performance Thursday. He finished the week with a 1.575 OPS despite striking out seven times in 20 plate appearances.
While Fischer still had an .820 OPS last month, his batting average is worth watching, as are the strikeouts — although he hasn’t actually been striking out all that much more in Double-A (82 Ks in 246 Single-A plate appearances vs. 90 in 258 Double-A plate appearances). Still, he’s hit 42 home runs this year. Progress isn’t linear, and both Made and Fischer have proven enough so far that one down month doesn’t mean much. If both struggle tremendously to end the year, then it becomes a conversation, but as of now, it’s somewhat premature.
Braylon Payne continued his breakout season with another great week, going 8-for-22 with two doubles and two homers, while Mike Boeve went 6-for-18 with three walks.
Biloxi also got a trio of impressive performances from its pitching staff, headlined by Bishop Letson, who allowed just one earned run over five innings while striking out five. Jaron DeBerry and J.D. Thompson also held the Smokies to one run in their respective starts, although each pitcher issued five walks.
High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
Current record: 63-55
Record this week: 3-3
This week’s opponent: vs. South Bend Cubs
Next week’s opponent: @ Beloit Sky Carp
Standout performances:
Eric Bitonti: 9-for-23, 7 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K
Sawyer Strosnider: 9-for-24, 3 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Luis Lameda: 4-for-11, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
Tyler Rodriguez: 5-for-15, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
Daniel Dickinson: 7-for-24, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Wande Torres: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
Josh Knoth: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Michael Fowler: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Andrew Healy: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Jarrette Bonet: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Eric Bitonti, who I highlighted as the Player of the Week in last week’s column, almost one-upped himself this week. He absolutely demolished South Bend pitching, going 9-for-23 with seven doubles, two home runs, and 12 RBIs. That’s nine extra-base hits in six games, good for a .391 average and 1.438 OPS. His best performance came Thursday, when he collected three hits, including a homer, and drove in four.
Bitonti, still only 20, is now hitting .273 with a .929 OPS, although he was far from the only notable Brewers prospect to have a strong week. Sawyer Strosnider continued to hit after his promotion to High-A, finishing 9-for-24 with three doubles and a triple. It’s hard to ask for a better start from Strosnider than a .328/.438/.507 line through his first 67 professional at-bats. Also, for the “eye test” people out there, look at this absolute beauty of a swing:
Daniel Dickinson also had another productive series, going 7-for-24 with a double, triple, homer, and three walks while striking out only four times in 29 plate appearances.
Wisconsin got two noteworthy performances from its pitching staff courtesy of Wande Torres and Josh Knoth. Torres, the Brewers’ Pitcher of the Month for July, might win again this month after putting up a 1.75 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 25.2 innings in August. He turned in the best start of the week, tossing 6 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing only three hits and two walks. Knoth wasn’t quite as dominant, but put together another solid start of his own, allowing two earned runs across six innings while walking just one. Also of note: Knoth was promoted to Double-A Biloxi last Thursday, August 27th.
Knoth’s development remains particularly worth watching down the stretch. The former second-round pick missed all of 2025 following Tommy John surgery, so simply seeing him continue to accumulate innings is important. The results (4.33 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 4.42 FIP, 4.27 xFIP, 8.65 K/9, 3.41 BB/9) are becoming increasingly relevant, too, as Milwaukee gets a better idea of where he fits in among their top pitching prospects.
Single-A Wilson Warbirds
Current record: 64-59
Record this week: 1-6
This week’s opponent: vs. Hickory Crawdads
Next week’s opponent: @ Fredericksburg Nationals
Standout performances:
Frederi Montero: 5-for-11, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 0 K
Handelfry Encarnacion: 4-for-11, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
Kyle Jones: 8-for-23, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
Rylan Mills: 7-for-21, 1 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 10 K
Brailyn Antunez: 5-for-21, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K
Miqueas Mercedes: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Thomas Conrad: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
Tyler Renz: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Hayden Robinson: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 8 ER, 6 BB, 7 K
It wasn’t a great week for Wilson as a team; the Warbirds went just 1-6 and were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday. They’ll wrap up their inaugural season next week with a series against the Fredericksburg Nationals.
While I’ll refrain from talking about everything until next week’s season recap (covering both A-ball affiliates), there’s a lot to be excited about down in Wilson.
Catcher Rylan Mills, who has an .813 OPS in 187 at-bats with the Warbirds, went 7-for-21 with three home runs, six RBIs, and three walks. Even more impressively, he put together multi-hit games with a homer on both Friday and Saturday. Mills’ power came with plenty of swing-and-miss — he struck out 10 times in 24 plate appearances — but three homers in a week will always play.
Kyle Jones had a slightly quieter week at the plate, although it wasn’t exactly quiet. He hit .348 with a double and three RBIs while striking out only twice. Jones, the Brewers’ third-round pick in this year’s draft, is hitting .304 through his first 69 professional at-bats.
On the mound, Miqueas Mercedes delivered easily the best performance of the week. Mercedes tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing only four hits without issuing a walk. He struck out three, relying more on contact management than overpowering hitters, but the results — seven shutout innings with a 0.57 WHIP — are hard to argue with.
Finally, as always, Handelfry Encarnacion and Brailyn Antunez continued to produce. Encarnacion went 4-for-11 with a pair of doubles, two RBIs, and only two strikeouts, finishing the week with a 1.007 OPS. Antunez went 5-for-21 with a double, four RBIs, and two walks, though he struck out eight times.
Play of the Week:
Shortstop Dylan O’Rae broke the Shuckers’ single-season franchise record for stolen bases with his 53rd of the season last Friday.
