For 2022 - Birthday Status Thread

[Mass Haas]

Just catalogued all 280 birthdays in system from MLB to DSL. For a new Brewerfan thread in '22, we'll begin each day noting any birthdays & provide a mini-career or season update. Notes will be brief, and we'll only tweet the link for the most prominent names.

 

Should be able to keep up with it -- like I noted, blurbs will be brief.

 

Today's 2021 Thanksgiving Birthday - Hayden Cantrelle

 

Kicking off the thread January 2nd - Brendan Murphy

 

Current most "popular dates" - May 9th and June 3rd

 

Christmas Baby - Darling Solano

 

Have to keep track of -- "Leap Year" Baby: 2021 7th round OF Tristan Peters, born 02/29/00.

[Mass Haas]

1/1/22 - No New Year's babies!

 

***

 

1/2/22

 

Happy 23rd Birthday, LHP Brendan Murphy!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference always linked in the birthday greeting)

 

4th round 2017 out of Mundelein (ILL) HS, $500,000 (slot $468,000), signed away from an Arizona State commitment - Read an excellent first-hand draft day account here

 

2018 — Missed the entire season with left biceps tendinitis.....underwent left shoulder surgery on 9/7

 

2019 — Missed the entire season as he recovered from left shoulder surgery

 

2020 - Covid shuts down MiLB

 

Here are Murphy's 2021 splits with the Mudcats, notice he pitched well in his re-entry month of May, three years after debuting in rookie ball

 

May 6th Video Thread

 

More May 6th Video

 

Sunday May 30h masterpiece --

 

"Murphy (2-0, 2.05) took the game one victory after turning in a career high seven scoreless innings and totaling a career best nine strikeouts. He ended up scattering five hits, including two in the seventh, and walked one while earning his second career win. He earned the first win of his career earlier in the series versus Kannapolis. The complete game shutout was also the first in Low-A East this season."

 

Box Score

 

As a high school signee, despite the three lost years, Murphy still has a chance to open 2022 at age-appropriate High-A Wisconsin.

 

***

 

Come back Monday for an introduction to a newcomer to the organization.

[Mass Haas]

1/3/22:

 

Happy 26th Birthday, catcher Jakson Reetz!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Yes, newly-signed last month (and importantly, offered a big-league camp invite), Reetz is the only "Jakson" in the history of professional baseball.

 

Reetz was signed to an $800,000 bonus out of a Nebraska high school when the Nationals picked him in the 3rd round of the 2014 draft. He was taken eight picks after the Brewers selected future big league Astro RHP Cy Sneed (traded for Jonathan Villar).

 

Reetz has only played defensively behind the plate.

 

VIDEO: Double in his 1st MLB at-bat this past July

 

Given a pinch hit appearance in the ninth inning of Saturday’s game, Reetz lined a slider from reliever John Brebbia to right-center field for a two-base hit, and he scored a run in what ended up a 10-4 loss to the Giants.

 

“It’s awesome for him,” Nationals Manager Davey Martinez said after the game. “He gets on a plane, we didn’t get him until the game started, he came out to the dugout, saw him, and it was the perfect opportunity just to give him an at bat, and hit a rocket into right field, which was awesome, a double, so congratulations to him and his family, but that’s the start for him.”

 

Reetz has only appeared in 77 games above A-Ball, 64 at AA and 13 at AAA. The most games he has appeared in within a single season is 96 with High-A Potomac in 2019. Reetz was in the Nationals' 60-man player pool during the summer of 2020. As for that 2019 season, he posted an .812 OPS but struggled in 2021 (.613).

 

Look for Reetz to be part of the Biloxi catching depth to start 2022, and likely to see action in Nashville as well.

 

***

 

Come back Tuesday as we focus on an athletic player working his way back from major surgery.

[sveumrules]

Excellent thread concept, especially now in the doldrums of CBA limbo.

 

Thanks, MH.

[Mass Haas]

1/4/22:

 

Happy 25th Birthday, LHP Clayton Andrews!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Andrews (17th round, 2017) signed for $75,000 out of Long Beach State. We were first introduced to his 5'6" frame in our Draft Pick Selection thread post that day.

 

On December 23rd, Will Sammon of the Athletic ranked the Brewers’ top pitching prospects (subscription-based, but that's a must for Brewer fans, Will's work is tremendous).

 

Will's note in that piece broke the news which had not been made public since last summer - we were aware of elbow issues, but not that surgery had indeed been performed.

 

Andrews threw only 9 1/3 innings for the Sounds before Tommy John surgery ended his season. He was a candidate for a call-up from the alternate site in 2020, and it wouldn’t have been surprising to see him make his major-league debut in 2021. He could be useful as a lefty reliever but he isn’t expected to be available until at least June. He’s well-liked for his fastball/changeup combination.

 

Prior to his elbow trouble, Andrews had been set to be on the U.S. Olympic team that netted a silver medal last summer.

 

You'll find Andrews at #36 on the recently-published Fangraphs list of top Brewers prospects, with additional notes there.

 

It doesn't appear Andrews will receive position-player opportunities moving forward, but his 2019 line of .333/.391/.381 (.772 OPS in 63 AB's - six BB, 7 K) sure was fun. Andrews earned an Arizona Fall League spot that year.

 

Looking back, Kyle Lobner profiled Andrews in the back half of this 2018 Frosty MicroBrew. (By the way reliever J.T. Hintzen, also featured, is growing in prominence in the organization and was an Arizona Fall league participant in 2021.)

 

Also from 2018, video feature report from Fox11Online.

 

Very thorough Baseball America feature article from November 2019: 'Ultra-competitive' Clayton Andrews Intent On Proving Himself At Every Stop

 

May 2020 AUDIO Interview via the "Bernie's Bums" podcast: go the 05:50 minute mark

 

June 2020 AUDIO Interview via Voice of the Mudcats Greg Young's podcast

 

August 2020:

 

 

By the way, back in 2000, for eight big league appearances, there was another "Clayton Andrews", also a LHP, for the Blue Jays.

 

***

 

Come back Wednesday the 5th for what will be the first of many brief looks at a Dominican Summer League farmhand.

[sveumrules]

Looking back, Kyle Lobner profiled Andrews in the back half of this 2018 Frosty MicroBrew. (By the way reliever J.T. Hintzen, also featured, is growing in prominence in the organization and was an Arizona Fall league participant in 2021.)

 

Speaking of Hintzen, I never realized he counts a knuckleball among the pitches in his arsenal. Pretty cool wrinkle to toss up there every once in awhile...

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/sunday-notes-brewers-prospect-j-t-hintzen-isnt-a-knuckleball-pitcher/

[Mass Haas]

1/5/22:

 

Happy 20th Birthday, RHP Waldin Rodriguez!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Rodriguez is the only "Waldin" in the history of professional baseball.

 

A native of the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez was signed January 15, 2021. Remember, the traditional July 2nd international signing period was pushed from the summer of 2020 to that date due to Covid.

 

The Brewers have traditionally tossed all their large-dollar international signing bonuses to position players. As is the case for nearly every international pitcher they sign, no signing bonus info is available on Rodriguez, and it likely did not reach six figures.

 

Listed at 6'3, 176 heading into his age 19 rookie season in 2021, Rodriguez posted a WHIP of 2.05 in his 19 relief innings in the Dominican Summer League, so there is work to do.

 

Rodriguez did not allow an earned run over his first five pro appearances (spanning six innings). Remarkably, he walked ten in those six innings! That string of no earned runs to open his career was broken when he struggled in consecutive outings against the Brewers' other Dominican Summer League squad.

 

There would be four outings in which Rodriguez allowed multiple earned runs. Twice he allowed five ER in an appearance, including his season-ender.

 

Based on his impressive frame, it's probable Rodriguez will get another chance in 2022, and that his age 20 season will probably be back in the DSL, at least to start.

 

***

 

On Thursday, we check in on a gifted basestealer, who, like several others, seemed to lose momentum after the lost 2020 season.

[Mass Haas]

1/6/22:

 

Happy 21st Birthday, OF Reidy Mercado!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Was hoping we'd already have our third unique all-time first name, but there was one other "Reidy" in the history of pro baseball, a Braves farmhand earlier this century (2007-2009).

 

Switch-hitting Reidy Mercado was signed in March of 2018 out of the Dominican Republic two months after his 17th birthday. He was eligible to be brought on board during the prior July 2nd international signing period, so this is an indication Mercado did not receive a significant bonus.

 

That initial pro season did not go well, as Mercado posted only a .473 OPS in 50 games, although the speedster did swipe 18 bases in 25 attempts.

 

But something clicked back on the island in 2019, as Mercado earned DSL Mid-Season All-Star Honors after a .329/.406/.432 line (.837 OPS) with 32 steals in 43 attempts. That netted him a bump stateside later that summer. In that 23 game Maryvale sample (.615 OPS), all four of Mercado's extra-base hits were triples and he managed to steal 11 more bases (14 tries).

 

Just prior to Covid becoming a reality, Mercado was among those honored by the Crew for his educational efforts.

 

After the lost 2020 season, Mercado was "OK" in 38 Maryvale games in 2021 - .248/.326/.341 (.668 OPS), while still maintaining his high thievery success (12-of-14).

 

Unfortunately, you won't see a lot of productive swings (none, actually) in this four-minute sequence from Maryvale action this past summer. Wide stance for the young man.

 

 

Just turning 21 years old but entering his 5th pro season (darn you, 2020), if Mercado avoids repeating Maryvale in 2022, he'd likely be expected to have a 4th/5th OF role in Carolina. Mercado has split his outfield duties, with 60 career starts in CF, 47 in LF, and 31 in RF.

 

***

 

On Friday the 7th, come back as we check in on a college pick with sweet on-base skills.

[Mass Haas]

1/7/22:

 

Happy 24th Birthday, 2B/3B Gabe Holt!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

A proud product of Texas Tech, Gabe Holt helped lead the Red Raiders to the College World Series in 2019 as a redshirt sophomore in what would be his final amateur action. Holt unfortunately did miss most of that CWS with an injured thumb.

 

Drafted in the 7th round in 2019, here's our mega-post from the Official Draft Thread that year with all the pre-draft scouting reports and a video focusing on Holt's speed from his first college season.

 

Holt signed for a $450,000 bonus, well more than double the $192,900 slot value. It was the 2nd largest bonus in that draft round. Shortly after the draft, Holt shared the story of how his signing came about in this Q&A feature with BrewCrewBall's Brad Ford.

 

Holt would get his professional feet wet later that summer (two games in Maryvale, nine with the Rocky Mountain Vibes in Colorado Springs).

 

The 2020 season wasn't completely lost as Holt was invited to the 60-man alternate site for the month of September.

 

For 2021, Holt's outfield days, so prominently mentioned in those scouting reports, seem to have passed. With the Carolina Mudcats, he'd start 48 games at second base and 19 games at third. Bumped over High-A Wisconsin to AA Biloxi in mid-August, Holt started five games at the keystone and seven at the hot corner.

 

But let's focus on Holt's 2021 batting line -- .283/.403/.341 (.744 OPS) between the two levels. Holt reached base by BB or HBP 75 times vs. just 52 strikeouts! He stole 17 bases in 19 attempts.

 

VIDEO: This Labor Day weekend game in Biloxi exhibits three of the type of hits in Holt's arsenal pretty well.

 

Given Holt's speed, the case could be made that with his 123 base hits, just 16 doubles and only one triple indicate that not enough balls reached the alleys (he hit one home run). Holt also was nearly two years older than the average of other position players in Carolina's League.

 

Effectively "blocked" (for 2021, anyway) at second base at Wisconsin by a player a year younger (Hayden Cantrelle, who was effective reaching base but posted a rough .175 average with similar lacking slugging numbers), Holt's double-bump to Biloxi was certainly a welcome moment for him.

 

The Mudcats put together a nice highlight reel which includes that lone home run, by the way --

 

 

It was nice to see Holt was just fine in the small 15-game Biloxi sample (.778 OPS), because the depth chart looks very viable for Holt to be prominently featured on the Shuckers' infield grass to start 2022.

 

If a few more line drives find the deep outfield grass, and the incredible BB-to-K ratio is even close to maintained, it should be a sweet age 24 campaign for Gabe.

 

***

 

On Saturday we pass along birthday wishes to another impressive 2021 Mudcat. Come on back to our thread then.

 

***

 

EDIT: Sneaking in a birthday from the January 15th International Signing Class:

 

Dominican RHP Jeral Vizcaino turned 20 on January 7th. He is the 2nd oldest of the 33 players announced as signed on Day One of the period.

[Mass Haas]

1/8/22:

 

Happy 23rd Birthday, switch-hitting corner infielder and catcher Zavier Warren!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Incredibly, for the 3rd time in this thread about a first name (and almost a 4th), we can say Warren is the only "Zavier" (with a "Z") in the history of professional baseball. It's only January 8th in our year-long effort!)

 

Drafted out of Central Michigan University in the 3rd round of the shortened 2020 five-round draft, Warren signed for $575,000 (slot value $637,600)

 

Our draft-day profile post listed all the scouting reports.

 

Loved Brad Ford's draft week Q&A's back when he was with BrewCrewBall - of course, Brad is now the Brewers' Manager of Social Media

 

'Off the charts' hand-eye coordination leads CMU's Zavier Warren to Brewers

Tony Paul, The Detroit News

 

Article highlights Warren's work in independent ball during the 2020 pandemic summer

 

***

 

Because of Warren's prospect status, we don't need to dig too deep into the interwebs to find recent commentary:

 

Currently #14 on MLB.com's Pipeline Top 30

 

#23 on FanGraphs recent analysis of Brewers prospects

 

Named a Brewers Organizational All-Star by MiLB.com in November

 

***

 

Plenty of video highlights from Warren's first full pro season - 53 games with the Mudcats, 36 with the Timber Rattlers --

 

First affiliated pro home run

 

Warren missed two weeks in late May - early June and came back on fire, as per these tweets posted on:

 

June 12th

 

June 17th - Foiling a steal of home

 

June 19th

 

June 25th

 

June 30th Oppo Taco

 

July 4th

 

July 7th - Walk Off (Remember, "walk off" refers to what the opponent does after such game-enders)

 

Jump to September and first Wisconsin home run

 

Here's a Brewerfan reader post that includes video of a four-hit night for Warren later in September (no cheapies!)

 

***

 

Plus we have Warren to thank for Joey Wiemer's 2021 mid-season transformation!

 

Brewers’ Wiemer taps into power potential

Outfielder’s homer surge fuels wild month, promotion to High-A

By Gerard Gilberto, MiLB.com

 

Thank you, Zavier Warren! (Read...)

 

***

 

It's worth noting Warren was one of only two African-American players to see significant time behind the plate in 2021, so even if catcher is only part of his versatile player profile in the future, it's newsworthy.

 

2022 - Wisconsin to start, Biloxi to finish? We'll see...

 

***

 

Come back Sunday as the Birthday Thread rolls along -- there won't be a unique first name notation...

 

***

 

EDIT: Sneaking in a birthday from the January 15th International Signing Class:

 

Venezuelan shortstop Johan Barrios turned 17 on January 8th.

 

Barrios appears to be among the top two of the Brewers class, along with fellow shortstop Jhonny Severino, who turned 17 in November 2021.

 

Highest bonus of all 33 signees - $1,385,000

 

You can read about (and see a video of) Barrios at this MLB.com Jesse Sanchez article.

[Mass Haas]

1/9/22:

 

Happy 19th Birthday, RHP Jose Chavez!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Chavez is from Venezuela and wasn't signed by the Brewers until March of 2021. Although initially placed on a Dominican Summer League roster, it's unclear where Chavez trained prior to his July 26th professional debut. You see, that debut came in Maryvale, where the Covid-delayed season began in early July.

 

It does happen, but it's not often that the Brewers start an 18-year-old international signing stateside. Any number of factors could be at play - travel (visa) paperwork, roster makeup/availability in the Dominican, a player's familiarity with the English language, and yes, the player's perceived talent level and readiness.

 

Just prior to that July 26 debut, Chavez was activated from the "60-day DL". It was at a time when several minor leaguers were being placed or activated from that list and it may be that MiLB didn't have a designation for a Covid protocol list, as several players were placed on and activated from as such for much less than 60 days.

 

Jose Chavez Game Log

 

First two pro appearances -- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 HBP, 1 BB, 4 K

 

Over Chavez' remaining nine outings, four were scoreless, but he allowed 19 runs in the other five. His season-ender was sour (four earned runs).

 

Three consecutive August outings were in a starting role. His most effective start was this one vs. the Crew's other Maryvale squad (3 IP, 1 R, 5 K).

 

Listed at 6'2", 150, Chavez will be back in complex ball in 2022, either in the Dominican Summer League or back in Maryvale.

 

PHOTOS: Four nice images via Phrake Photography

 

***

 

On Sunday we check in with an infielder/outfielder signed in the July 2nd, 2019 international class at age 16, whose debut had to wait until 2021.

[Mass Haas]

1/10/22:

 

Happy 19th Birthday, INF/OF Luis Watter!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Watter was not a prominent name from the 2019 international signing class, and remember that nearly all July 2nd signees don't debut until the following year. In December of 2019, Baseball America noted on Watter - "small infielder/outfielder who is tooled up. 80 runner, with a 60 arm. Slap and dash approach at the plate from the right side".

 

Watter's defensive starts in 2021: CF 11, 2B 10, LF 7, 3B 3, RF 2 - The Brewers emphasize versatility early, don't they?

 

Playing time in the DSL was sporadic at first for Watter. Starting September 7th, Watter had a seven-game stretch in which he was 11-for-24 (.458, one triple) to lift his season's line to .253/.378/.347 (.725 OPS).

 

But Watter finished the season in a 1-for-20 skid that dropped his final numbers as you saw in the initial links in this post. He fanned in 29.5% of his at-bats.

 

Watter stole 12 bases in 14 attempts.

 

Entering his age 19 season, look for Watter to be assigned again to the DSL as the organization determines his future role and potential value.

 

***

 

After nine days with birthdays to celebrate, we take January 11th off. We'll be back on Wednesday the 12th with a pitcher who kept busy on several fronts throughout 2021. It'll surprise you that he's entering his final season of formal team control (debuted in 2016).

[damuelle]

These posts are informative and help us deal with the lockout-induced lull. We really appreciate it. Thank you.

[Mass Haas]

If landing here via our Twitter link, be sure to scroll up and catch up on prior entries!

 

***

 

1/12/22:

 

Happy 24th Birthday, RHP Harold Chirino!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Chirino was signed at age 17 out of Venezuela in 2015, but not as part of the July 2nd group (November).

 

So at age 18, he'd begin his pro career in the Dominican Summer League, and the organization immediately placed him in the starting rotation (always a vote of confidence), as all eleven of his appearances were starts, and he posted strong numbers across the board.

 

Chirino was brought stateside in 2017, but was skipped over the Maryvale complex and was placed in Helena's rotation (eleven starts, six relief outings). The placement ended up being debatable as Chirino's walk rate spiked (albeit with an increased K rate per nine to 8.5). The 6.94 ERA wasn't glamorous, but this was the old Pioneer League. Take note of Toby's comments after a late August game from within our Link Report that day:

 

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.

 

While preparing for the 2018 season, it was determined Chirino required Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in May. Chirino did well to make it back in time to appear in 19 rookie-level games (now as a reliever) in Maryvale and Rocky Mountain in 2019, but clearly in terms of level, it was lost time. Then came the pandemic 2020 lost season.

 

In effect, the elbow surgery has us jumping from 2017 to 2021, where Chirino spent the full season with the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, where remarkably Chirino was still slightly younger than other league pitchers. Chirino appeared in 35 games, finishing 17 of them.

 

What started to catch our eye was the velocity spike and oh, striking out 13.2 batters per nine innings.

 

By early June, Chirinos was given permission by the Brewers to participate in Venezuelan Olympic qualifying and although this one video pitch was off-speed, it was one of our early hints that 98-99 MPH was happening.

 

By late July, our own Toby was again taking note online.

 

In September, the Rattlers were posting game-ending save videos and it was the breaking stuff playing off the fastball that ended these two games:

 

September 4th

 

September 6th

 

Chirinos would go on to pitch in the Venezuelan Winter League to cap his busy year, and although his numbers in the regular season portion of his season were not strong (1.875 WHIP in the nine-game, eight-inning sample), there was more mention of his velocity.

 

2022 will mark Chirino's final year of team control unless he is added to the 40-man roster at season's end. With a solid campaign, likely with AA Biloxi, Chirino would be a prime candidate for the Brewers to reach out to and offer an enhanced contract year to remain in the organization. Otherwise, he'd find plenty of attention on the minor league free agent market heading into his age 25 season in 2023.

 

***

 

Tomorrow (Thursday the 13th) will be our first dual entry, and we'll bookmark the day with the first member of the 40-man roster on this thread, and a Dominican Summer League rookie.

[Mass Haas]

NOTE: Realized that Wednesday the 12th's post on RHP Harold Chirino did not include the correct player page links. This has been corrected, apologies. On to the 13th!

 

***

 

1/13/22: (Player #1 on this date)

 

Happy 31st Birthday, LH reliever Hoby Milner!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

This thread, positioned in the Minor League Forum as it is, will focus on introducing (or re-introducing) the Brewers' farmhands to you. That doesn't mean we'll ignore 40-man roster and/or big league birthdays, though.

 

As will often be the case for players with big league time under their belts, we'll link to Wikipedia as it does break down Milner's multi-organizational journey in this case.

 

AUDIO via the Voice of the Sounds, Jeff Hem: Hoby Milner interview the day after his Brewers' minor league debut May 11th, 2021

 

Going to lean on BrewCrewBall's coverage here regarding Milner's Brewers stint thus far:

 

What to expect from Hoby Milner

Milner brings mid-inning relief, called strikes, and barrels

By Lindsey Loberg - May 17, 2021

 

And in a gift to us here at the Birthday Thread, BCB's Jack Stern gives us an outstanding analysis just within the past 24 hours -- thanks, Jack!

 

Hoby Milner could emerge as a valuable member of the Brewers bullpen in 2022

Intriguing adjustments made over the past couple of seasons make the lefty reliever worth keeping an eye on

By Jack Stern - Jan 12, 2022

 

VIDEO from 2021: Milner with a strikeout run

[Mass Haas]

1/13/22: (Player #2 on this date)

 

Happy 18th Birthday, LF/1B Yeison Perez!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Perez signed along with others as part of the January 2021 international class. This would have been the July 2020 class if not for pandemic-related delays. We did not learn about signing bonuses for that class other than top signing Jackson Chourio's hefty $1.9M figure. Perez is not believed to have been a prominent member of the class, he was not among Baseball America's listed Brewers.

 

While listed at just 5'10", 165, because Perez throws (and bats) left-handed, he only appeared defensively in left field (24 games started) and first base (ten games) to begin his pro career.

 

Perez' age 17 line of .244/.293/.333 (.626 OPS) won't raise eyebrows, although his 26.2% K rate wasn't off-the-charts horrible. Only drawing nine walks was not ideal. Perez only attempted one steal (successful).

 

VIDEO TWEET: What we do have is this collection of highlights via the Brewers of Perez' finest day of the season.

 

Perez does look a bit thick in the mid-section and thighs, this could portend to his future projection.

 

***

 

This thread will be idle the next two days before returning Sunday the 16th with another young'un (turning 20).

[Mass Haas]

1/16/22:

 

Happy 20th Birthday, RHP Andy Garcia!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Signed in September 2020 at age 18 out of the Dominican Republic, Garcia, like RHP Jose Chavez (detailed last week), made his debut in Maryvale rather the Dominican Summer League.

 

Outside of striking out 36 in 32 innings, it was a fairly rough age 19 debut campaign, as the linked numbers will attest. But Garcia was mainly enlisted as a starter (eight of ten outings), so the organization at least initially sees him fitting a starter's profile.

 

Garcia's line was impacted by two rough starts - (3 IP, 5 ER and especially his next-to-last start, 1.2 IP, 7 ER).

 

However, unlike a couple of young pitchers already profiled above who closed their debut pro years on sour notes, Garcia saved his finest moment for his season-ender and his first professional win.

 

September 14th Box Score: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 K, 1 WP

 

VIDEOS: For those of you on Instagram, there are two collections of effective Garcia pitches.

 

***

 

Two more days off, then back on Wednesday the 19th with one of the several players coming off their age 17 debut season.

[Mass Haas]

Regarding all the players signed on Day One of the January 15th International Signing Period (all 33 of them), they will be noted on the birthday thread although for nearly all, there will be no additional information until Dominican Summer League play for 2022 begins.

 

If you scroll up above, you'll see that Gabe Holt and Zavier Warren now have company on January 7th and 8th, respectively, including one of the more prominent Brewer signings.

[Mass Haas]

1/19/22:

 

Happy 18th Birthday, INF Richard Rojas!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Rojas was signed out of Venezuela four days prior to his 17th birthday in January of 2021, bonus information is not available, but it is not believed that he was a prominent signing.

 

In his 2021 debut season, the infielder started twelve Dominican Summer League games at third base, eight at second base and two at shortstop. In the 22 games, he committed nine errors.

 

Things did not go much better at the plate, where all ten of Rojas' base hits in 76 at-bats were singles, as he posted a .132/.267/.132 line (.399 OPS). He fanned in 32% of those 76 at-bats, though he did draw 12 walks and was HBP twice. Rojas was successful on one of three stolen base attempts.

 

Certainly we do try and focus on the positive within this forum, and in particular this thread. Hard to do here, so it is better a reminder that we are often discussing young men, yet to reach legal adulthood, and in this case, in a foreign country away from family.

 

Rojas' game log reveals the inconsistent playing time he received. He did manage two two-hit games, including his 2nd game as a pro.

 

With a big influx of new talent in the 2022 signing period poised to begin careers, we'll eventually learn what an offseason of growth might do to afford Rojas a chance at being coached up this coming season.

 

We do know that few have ever rocked a neon blue sportscoat as well as Richard did on his signing day.

 

 

***

 

On Thursday the 20th, we'll very briefly acknowledge birthdays for two of the just-signed international players. Our next more formal post will be Saturday the 22nd.

[Mass Haas]

1/20/22:

 

Happy 18th Birthday, RHP Daurys Mora!

 

Just signed on January 15th out of the Dominican Republic, Mora is listed at 5'10", 180.

 

EDIT: $10,000 bonus

 

***

 

Happy 19th Birthday, RHP Reybert Reyes!

 

EDIT: $5,000 bonus

 

Just signed on January 15th out of Venezuela, Reyes is listed at 6'3", 183.

 

If you're on Facebook, you can see recent photos from Reyes' signing here.

 

"I thank God for this blessing that I dreamed and worked for so long! There were hard times, days of frustration, there were many drops of sweat and tears shed. But it was all worth it, thank you to @brewers @academiaabar @jgpitchersacademy for believing in me and helping me achieve this goal, Thank you to my family who were supporting me all the time. I just ask God to give me health to continue doing what I love! And thank God I now officially belong to the Milwaukee Brewers. #nopainnogain

 

Once Reyes takes to a pro mound, he'll be the first "Reybert" in the history of professional baseball.

 

If you're wondering about Daurys Mora, he'll be the 2nd "Daurys" .

 

***

 

Our next post will be Saturday as we send a big leaguer birthday greetings.

[Mass Haas]

1/22/22:

 

Happy 28th Birthday, OF Tyrone Taylor!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Taylor had a scholarship offer from Cal State-Fullerton before Milwaukee persuaded him with an above-slot signing bonus of $750,000 to begin his professional career after drafting him in the 2nd round in 2012, a round with only LHP Alex Wood poised to have a more significant career WAR value than Taylor.

 

***

 

Primed for a big 2022, particularly if a designated hitter role allows for shared at-bats among the outfielders, please enjoy a wonderful four minutes of Taylor highlights from 2021 (video found at NicksHighlights)

 

 

***

 

We have brought this up previously, but the Brewers maintain (barring an unexpected change in free agency eligibility in the next CBA) an amazing 15 years of control over Taylor since he signed that initial contract.

 

How so?

 

Well, due to the uneven progress of Taylor's minor league journey, which included sub-par OPS figures in 2015 and 2016 at AA Biloxi (yes, in only his age 21 and 22 seasons), Taylor broke out and earned his 40-man roster spot at the last possible moment, after his 7th season in the Brewers system.

 

Years 2019, 2020, and 2021 were Taylor's option years, and the organization certainly utilized those options. So seven + three, we're already up to ten years of control.

 

In those three years, Taylor has garnered one year, 93 days' worth of MLB service time. So to reach the six MLB seasons needed for MLB free agency, Taylor is under Brewers' control for five more seasons through the end of the the 2026 season when he'll be 32. If it weren't for the extra 93 days of big league time so far, Taylor would have been maxed out at 16 years of control, as much as possible.

 

Did Taylor know he'd be tied to the Brewers by that initial contract for 15 years? Perhaps not, but he's certainly pleased to be where he is now, as are the Brewers to have him, and in peak year form at age 28, this birthday boy may just be on the breakout stage (RotoBaller sure thinks so). He's a popular name on other team's message boards regarding trade targets. Don't, Milwaukee braintrust, don't.

 

And Tyrone can always fall back on his FEDEX career after his baseball days are done.

 

***

 

The birthday thread takes a couple of days off but returns on Tuesday the 25th. If you're joining us via our Twitter link for the first time today, scroll up to the top to see what you've missed thus far.

[Mass Haas]

1/25/22:

 

Happy 21st Birthday, INF Daniel Castillo!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Via Baseball America on Milwaukee's 2017 international signing class: "The Brewers signed Venezuelan shortstop Daniel Castillo, a 16-year-old who trained with Carlos Guillen, for $140,000 on July 2. An instinctive player, Castillo is 5-foot-11, 155 pounds and projects as a true shortstop. He’s an average runner with good actions, soft hands and good range to both sides. Castillo has a strong arm and the ability to make sharp throws from different angles, with a knack for being in the right place at the right time. At the plate, Castillo doesn’t have much power right now, but he’s a switch-hitter who can spray the ball to all fields."

 

*At some point, perhaps to begin his pro career, Castillo abandoned LH-hitting, now a RH batter only.

 

Still primarily a shortstop (103 starts vs. 18 at second base and 13 at third base over three pro seasons - lost 2020 of course), Castillo debuted as the primary shortstop on his 2018 Dominican Summer League team but struggled with a .212/.328/.241 line (.570 OPS, 9 SB, 8 CS). Bumped up to Maryvale in 2019, all 40 of Castillo's starts came as a shortstop, but his .541 OPS reflected more offensive difficulty, though still young for the competition. Castillo committed a combined 37 errors in 95 games over those two seasons.

 

Looks like this would be fall instructional camp in Maryvale

 

Returning to the field in 2021, Castillo surprisingly was on AA Biloxi's roster, though that seemed like a temporary "need" placement from the start - he'd go 1-for-7 (one walk, one K) over four games with the Shuckers.

 

In what appeared to be a paper move, Castillo was assigned to the Maryvale complex, but he'd be playing for the low-A Carolina squad just a week later, where he'd remain until mid-July when the Maryvale assignment was real through the rest of the season.

 

Though Castillo would post another sub-par OPS in the relatively small 72 at-bat Mudcats sample, thanks to the efforts of the always-diligent Mudcats' media/highlight team, several key moments are available for viewing.

 

First on defense:

 

Voice of the Mudcats Greg Young loved this play in the hole

 

First hit as a Mudcat

 

"There's only one way to celebrate your first career home run and it's to flip the bat into another dimension"

 

Go-ahead double

 

"Three-run SINGLE to take the lead late, that's rare, this team is fun!"

 

2021 Maryvale Photos via Phrake Photography

 

Did those moments in full-season benefit Castillo? Daniel would skyrocket his OPS in 63 Maryvale at-bats to end his regular season, jumping all the way to .842 in the smallish but promising sample.

 

With so much shortstop talent in the system, including the lower levels, Castillo's role in 2022 will likely be from a reserve perspective, with a bench spot in Carolina a possibility for his age 21 year. Fangraphs has been high on his physical projection, though tempered expectations otherwise.

 

***

 

Back on Thursday the 27th...

[Mass Haas]

1/27/22:

 

Happy 19th Birthday, OF Mendy Ferreira!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Signed out of the Dominican Republic at age 16 with the July 2nd, 2019 class, the right-handed hitting outfielder had to wait over two years to make his pro debut this past summer on July 17th, when he notched his first pro hit and stolen base.

 

There is no news on Ferreira's signing bonus, thus it is not believed to be significant.

 

The stolen base part of the equation would be a theme of his season. Ferreira posted a somewhat eye-raising line of .195/.380/.256.

 

In 38 games and 82 at-bats (108 plate appearances), Ferreira swiped 16 bases in 19 tries. He drew 24 walks (one HBP). His low slugging was more representative of his batting average as five of his 16 hits were doubles, we imagine of the speed variety rather than the gap variety. Unfortunately, Ferreira K'd in 41.5 of his at-bats.

 

As late as September 18th, Ferreira's line was .233/.420/.300 (.720 OPS), but he ended his season with a 2-for-22 stretch (nine K's).

 

Defensively, 20 of Ferreira's 29 starts came in center field, and he played errorless ball on the season.

 

Ferreira's speed must have contributed to his .327 average on balls in play, and it's that speed that will likely keep Ferreira in the organization for 2022 despite the influx of signings from this January, almost assuredly still in the Dominican Summer League for his age 19 season.

 

This photo from Mendy's Twitter account is from February 2020, so shortly after he turned 17.

 

On the cusp of a blizzard nor'easter in my world, that Dominican palm trees skyline sure looks enticing.

 

***

 

Back tomorrow (Friday the 28th) with an under-the-radar youngster who finished his debut season with a flourish...

[Mass Haas]

1/28/22:

 

Happy 19th Birthday, LHP Junior Castillo!

 

MiLB Player Page (Baseball Reference page always linked above in the birthday greeting)

 

Apparently, particularly in recent seasons, it hasn't been easy for the Brewers to sign left-handed pitching talent for their Dominican Academy. So, it was nice to see that four of the twelve pitchers brought on board in the latest January international signing period were southpaws.

 

In 2021, the lack of LH pitching in the Dominican was taken to an extreme. Only three lefty's took the mound between the two Milwaukee squads, which tended to carry between 17 and 19 arms each during the season.

 

Two of the LHP's saw action only in relief. Leoni De La Cruz dazzled in his first pro season and received a mid-year bump to Maryvale. Of note is that De La Cruz was an exceptionally "late" debut, and will turn 24 years old in May. The other LH reliever was Albert Caldera, who completed his 2nd season toiling on the island (2019, then Covid idleness).

 

Only one LHP made even a single start for a Brewers Dominican squad in 2021, and he's our birthday subject today. Junior Castillo made starts in seven of his 13 appearances.

 

The Dominican-native Castillo only signed with Milwaukee on May 10th of last year. So, he wasn't part of the January 15, 2021 initial signing group, but was inked for what one would imagine at that point was short money from the remains of the Brewers' international signing pool (also, bonuses of $10,000 or less are exempt from the pool).

 

The pro debut for Castillo came in relief and was pretty darn impressive. Be sure to click that link because that game (the 2nd commented on in the post, was noted at the time for Junior's teammate's unique accomplishment).

 

In Castillo's first four pro games, all in relief, he would toss a combined 8.2 scoreless innings, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K.

 

By appearance #6, the Brewers figured "we need to see this young man in a starting role". It was a mixed bag. Castillo's first start (August 3rd) saw him touched up for four runs in 2.2 innings. He'd bounce back a week later (3 IP, 1 R). Then came an 18-day gap before his next mound effort (3 IP, 5 R). Castillo's ERA had bumped to 5.89 over 19.1 innings at that point.

 

But then came five September/October appearances (four starts and then an extended relief appearance to conclude his season).

 

The first of the five was a start against the Brewers' other DSL club - 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K. Castillo allowed the two runs in the 1st inning.

 

Junior ran with those final four scoreless innings and followed it up with 18 additional innings without giving up an earned run. So yes, Castillo ended 2021 with a run of 22 frames in which his ERA was 0.00 (two unearned runs). He notched his first pro win in that final four-inning relief appearance.

 

That brought his season ERA down to 3.05 (1.19 WHIP), which you saw when you checked out the link to open this post. Here's Castillo's game log, by the way.

 

Tempering enthusiasm? Walks, even during that extended scoreless stretch (21 on the season in 41.1 IP). But folks, it was his age 18 debut season.

 

If nothing else, one to watch for sure. And a portsider to boot, yay! One would think even at just age 19, that final stretch will see Castillo in Maryvale to begin 2022. We'll know in a few months.

[Mass Haas]

1/28/22:

 

Happy 17th Birthday, OF Reminton Batista!

 

Just signed on January 15th out of the Dominican Republic, the switch-hitting Batista, listed by the Brewers as a right-fielder, is listed at 5'10", 175. He's a RH arm.

 

He's pictured on the left in each of these recent Twitter photos.

 

EDIT: $10,000 bonus

 

***

 

The Birthday Thread returns to action on Monday, January 31st.