Article: Brewers Minor League Week in Review (5/17-23): Wisconsin Pitching and Wiemer Hitting

[Seth Stohs]

The Brewers are in first place. Nashville is in first place. Biloxi, Wisconsin, and Carolina are all in second place, well within striking distance. Find out which teams on are the rise, which players are hitting or pitching well, and how the organization’s top prospects performed this week and throughout the season.  

We are now at the quarter-point of the season. Of course, that means that for minor leagues that play two halves, the first half is just over half complete. Playoff spots can be won by finishing at the top of their divisions in the first half. At that point, records will go back to 0-0 and the second half will begin. Triple-A plays the full season. The other full-season leagues all play two halves. 

Biloxi is currently tied for second place. Carolina is in second place and part of a three-team race in the division. Wisconsin is one game behind Cedar Rapids in their division. This week, the Timber Rattlers will be in Iowa to take on the Kernels. 

Patrick McGuff, a development coach with the Timber Rattlers, was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 2016 and played for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in 2017. The Brewers hired him in January and he gets to work with a terrific coaching staff and some really exciting pitching prospects. I had the chance to chat with McGuff on Monday night about his time with the Twins, his transition to coaching, and some of the great talent he is excited to work with in Wisconsin. 

TRANSACTIONS 

The Brewers made a few player transactions announced on Monday. 

• LHP Josh Hader was placed on the family medical emergency list.

• RHP Freddy Peralta was placed on the 15-Day IL with a shoulder strain.  

• RHPs Trevor Kelley and Miguel Sanchez were both recalled to the Brewers. 

• RHP Dylan File was outrighted to Nashville.  

RESULTS

• Last week’s Week in Review (5/10-5/16): Wiemer Powers Shuckers 
• Tuesday: Promotions Aplenty, a Center Field Showcase, a 3-1 Evening Overall 
• Wednesday: A 2-2 Affiliate Wednesday Still Feel Great After Hiura’s 11th Inning Walk Off 
• Thursday: Carolina Rolls, But Three Other Affiliates Lose in Late Innings 
• Friday: Two Comebacks (One EPIC!!) and a Nashville Shutout Victory 
• Saturday: Things Stay Knarr-ly in Wisconsin, Weather Rears Its Head in the Southeast, and Wiemer Finishes a Triple Shy of the Cycle 
• Sunday: Nashville and Wisconsin Come Back to Pull Out Late Victories  

WEEK IN REVIEW 

Triple-A: Nashville Sounds
Week: 5-1, hosting Louisville   
Season: 29-12 overall, 1st place in the International League West. They are 2 1/2 games ahead of Columbus and 7.0 games ahead of Iowa.

Nine of the 12 Sounds hitters posted an OPS over .810. For the week, they outscored their opponent 38-21. That pushes their season Run Differential to +86! Their 29-12 record would have them 3 1/2 games ahead of the Rochester Red Wings if they were in the IL East Division. 

• Jason Alexander had the best start of the week for a Nashville pitcher. He tossed five scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked two, hit one, and struck out five batters. 

• Tyler Herb made his first Nashville appearance. The 30-year-old had made 30 previous appearances in Triple-A with the Giants, Orioles, and Mariners organizations going back to 2018. He worked four scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked two (1 intentional), and struck out three batters. 

• Likewise, Andy Otero made his first appearance for Nashville this year. He tossed four scoreless innings and gave up one hit and one walk. 

• Josh Lindblom made a start. He went just three innings, but he did not allow a run. He gave up one hit and struck out two batters. 

• Dylan File gave up only a solo home run over five innings in his start. He gave up three hits, walked one, hit two batters, and struck out three. 

• Pablo Reyes played in four games. He went 8-for-16, hitting .500/.500/.938 (1.438) with a double, two homers and five RBI.

• Jon Singleton played in five games and went 5-for-15. He hit .333/.500/.667 (1.167) with two doubles, and a homer. He also walked five times. 

• Mark Mathias went 5-for-14 in five games. He hit .357/.500/.571 (1.071) with a home run. He also walked four times .

• Abraham Almonte went 5-for-16 (.357) with two home runs, six RBI and two walks. 

• Mario Feliciano hit .357 (5-for-14) with two walks. 

What’s Next? The Sounds will travel to Toledo for the week to take on the Mudhens.   

Pitching Probables (LHP Ethan Small, RHP Jason Alexander, Dylan File, RHP Josh Lindblom, RHP Caleb Boushley, LHP Ethan Small) 

Double-A: Biloxi Shuckers  
Week: 2-4, @ Mississippi      
Season: 18-21 overall, tied for 2nd place in the Southern League South Division with Mississippi. They are 3 1/2 games behind Pensacola.  

It’s been a season of ups and downs for the Shuckers. The team was outscored 23-34 on the week. The two games they won, they won by just one run. Two of their losses were by five runs. 

• Joey Wiemer again had a big week. In six games, he went 8-for-26 and hit .308/.357/.615 (.972) with two doubles, two home runs, and four stolen bases. In one game, he was a triple shy of the cycle. 

• Jakson Reetz is forcing his name into the lineup with his performance. Last week, he went 6-for-24 and hit .250/.333/.625 (.958) with three home runs and six RBI. 

• Five Shuckers relievers pitched at least twice and at least three innings. Harold Chirino, Luis Contreras, Lucas Erceg and J.T. Hintzen each struck out three batters in three innings of no-earned run relief. 

• Zach Vennaro pitched twice and recorded saves in both games. In 1 2/3 scoreless, hitless, walkless innings, he struck out two batters. 

• TJ Shook made his first Shucker start. He tossed three scoreless innings despite giving up three hits and three walks. He also struck out three batters. 

What’s Next? The Shuckers will be hosting the Montgomery Biscuits (15-19), the Double-A affiliate of the Rays. 

Pitching Probables (RHP Justin Bullock, RHP JT Shook, RHP Victor Castaneda, RHP Noah Zavolas, LHP Nick Bennett, RHP Justin Bullock)

High-A: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers  
Week: 3-3, hosting South Bend  
Season: 25-14 overall, 2nd place in the Midwest League West Division, 1.0 game behind Cedar Rapids. 

The Timber Rattlers were able to gain one game last week on Cedar Rapids ahead of the first series between the two teams of the season. The Rattlers were outscored for the series, but as you would expect from a series split, it was by just one run. Just two Rattlers hitters posted an OPS over .733 for the week. As it has been all season, the Wisconsin starting staff was fantastic.   

• Brandon Knarr struck out seven batters over six scoreless innings in his start. He gave up five hits, walked one, and struck out seven batters. He was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week. 

• Justin Jarvis gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits and two walks in six innings in his start. He struck out ten batters. 

• Antoine Kelly made two starts and worked 12 innings. He gave up four runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out 18 batters. 

• Cam Robinson came in for two appearances. In three innings, he gave up just one hit, walked none, and struck out five batters. He recorded one save.

• Carlos Rodriguez played in all six games. He went 7-for-19 and hit .368/.478/.474 (.952) with two doubles. He walked three times and stole a base. 

• Joe Gray, Jr. went 6-for-22 over six games. He hit .273/.385/.545 (.930) with two home runs and five RBI. He walked four times.   

What’s Next? The Timber Rattlers head down to Cedar Rapids to take on the division-leading Kernels in a series that could mean a playoff spot for one of the teams.     

Pitching Probables (RHP Ryne Moore, RHP Justin Jarvis, LHP Russell Smith, LHP Brandon Knarr, LHP Antoine Kelly, RHP Ryne Moore)

Low-A: Carolina Mudcats 
Week: 4-2, hosting Down East  
Season: 21-18 overall, 2nd place in the Carolina League North Division, but just 1/2 game behind Lynchburg and 1/2 game ahead of Fredericksburg   

It was a good week for the Mudcats offense. They outscored Down East 35-23. Twice they won games by a seven-run differential.      

• Hendry Mendez played in five games and went 6-for-16, hitting .375/.500/.688 (1.188) with a triple, homer, and six RBI. He also walked five times. 

• Zack Raabe went 6-for-14 over four games, and he hit .429/.529/.643 (1.172) with three doubles, and four RBI. He also walked twice and stole a bag. 

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• Arbert Cipion went 5-for-14 over four games. He hit .357/.500/.643 (1.143) with a double, a homer, and four walks. 

• Alberis Ferrer played in three games and hit .308 (4-for-13) with a triple, a homer, and four RBI.

• In his first full-season start, Fernando Olguin tossed five scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked none, and struck out one batter. 

• Stiven Cruz was good again. He made a start and threw four shutout frames. He gave up three hits, walked two, and struck out three batters. 

• Alexander Cornielle pitched the final five innings of a game. He gave up one run on one hit and two walks while striking out six batters. 

• Six Mudcats relievers pitched once without allowing an earned run. The best relief performance came from Karlos Morales. He struck out four batters over two innings. 

What’s Next? The Mudcats will be hosting the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. 

Pitching Probables (RHP Fernando Olquin, RHP Alexander Cornielle, RHP Miguel Segura, RHP Stiven Cruz, RHP Edwin Jimenez, RHP Fernando Olquin) 

PROSPECT SUMMARY
This Prospect Summary shows our current Brewers Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week (May 17 to May 23). 

#1 - LHP Aaron Ashby (Milwaukee) - 1 G, 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K (Season: 9 G, 3 GS, 28.1 IP, 14 R, 11 ER, 17 BB, 34 K, 0-3, 1 S, 3.49 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 5.4 BB/9, 10.8 K/9)  
#2 - OF Joey Wiemer (Biloxi) - 6 G, 8-for-26 (.308), 2-2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K (Season: 39 G, 47-for-155, .303/.372/.607 (.979), 14-2B, 11-HR, 30 RBI, 15 BB, 53 K)
#3 - OF Garrett Mitchell (Biloxi) - Injured List (Season: 30 G, 24-for-107, .224/.331/.346 (.676), 3-2B, 2-3B, 2-HR, 11 RBI, 13 BB, 40 K) 
#4 - OF Sal Frelick (Wisconsin) - (Season: 21 G, 23-for-79, .291/.391/.456 (.847), 5-2B, 1-3B, 2-HR, 9 RBI, 6/9 SB, 13 BB, 14 K)
#4 - OF Sal Frelick (Biloxi) - 1 G, 3-for-5 (.600), 0-2B, 1-3B, 0-HR, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K (Season: 10 G, 12-for-44, .273/.304/.341 (.645), 1-2B, 1-3B, 0-HR, 1 RBI, 1/2 SB, 2 BB, 8 K)      
#5 - LHP Ethan Small (Nashville) - Scratched due to non-COVID illness (Season: 7 GS, 32.1 IP, 9 R, 7 ER, 17 H, 21 BB, 46 K, 3-1, 1.95 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 5.8 BB/9, 12.8 K/9)

#6 - SS Brice Turang (Nashville) - 5 G, 5-for-22 (.227), 1-2B, 0-HR, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 5 K (Season: 36 G, 43-for-154, .279/.337/.403 (.740), 8-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 25 RBI, 14 BB, 36 K)  
#7 - OF Hedbert Perez (Carolina) - 6 G, 6-for-16 (.375), 0-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K (Season: 31 G, 22-for-125, .176/.237/.288 (.525), 5-2B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 5/7 SB, 10 BB, 47 K) 
#8 - C Jeferson Quero (Carolina) - 5 G, 4-for-18 (.222), 1-2B, 0-HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K (Season: 31 G, 29-for-124, .234/.292/.339 (.631), 8-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 16 RBI, 11 BB, 32 K) 
#9 - SS Freddy Zamora (Biloxi) - Injured List (Season: 24 G, 19-for-91), .209/.270/.286 (.556), 4-2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 22 K)
#10 - 2B Tyler Black (Wisconsin) - 6 G, 6-for-24 (.250), 1-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 0 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K  (Season: 25 G, 27-for-90 (.300/.413/.444 (.857), 5-2B, 1-3B, 2-HR, 21 RBI, 15 BB, 16 K)  

#11 - 2B Felix Valerio (Biloxi) - 6 G, 4-for-26 (.154), 1-2B, 0-HR, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 6 K (Season: 33 G, 31-for-124, .250/.319/.452 (.771), 5-2B, 1-3B, 6-HR, 21 RBI, 13 BB, 21 K) 
#12 - OF Jackson Chourio (Carolina) - 6 G, 4-for-24 (.167), 1-2B, 0-HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 13 K (Season: 16 G, 21-for-64, .328/.397/.516 (.913), 9-2B, 1-HR, 10 RBI, 8 BB, 16 K) 
#13 - C Mario Feliciano (Nashville) - 4 G, 5-for-14 (.357), 0-2B, 0-HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K (Season: 25 G, 25-for-87, .287/.361/.345 (.706), 5-2B, 0-HR, 6 RBI, 6 BB, 22 K)
#14 - LHP Antoine Kelly (Wisconsin) - 2 GS, 12.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 18 K (Season: 8 GS, 39.1 IP, 13 R, 11 ER, 20 H, 19 BB, 53 K, 1-0, 2.52 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 4.3 BB/9, 12.1 K/9)  
#15 - OF Joe Gray, Jr. (Wisconsin) - 6 G, 6-for-22 (.272), 0-2B, 2-HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 11 K (Season: 39 G, 28-for-138, .203/.317/.413 (.730), 9-2B, 1-3B, 6-HR, 19 RBI, 7/7 SB, 23 BB, 59 K) 

#16 - SS Eduardo Garcia (Carolina) - 4 G, 4-for-17 (.235), 0-2B, 0-HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K (Season: 34 G, 38-141, 270/.307/.376 (.683), 7-2B, 1-3B, 2 HR, 25 RBI, 5 BB, 55 K)  
#17 - UTL Zavier Warren (Wisconsin) - 6 G, 4-for-24 (.167), 1-2B, 1-HR, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K (Season: 37 G, 33-for-136, .243/.342/.382 (.724), 13-2B, 2-HR, 14 RBI, 6/6 SB, 17 BB, 34 K)  
#18 - RHP Abner Uribe (Biloxi) - IL (out for season)
#19 - OF Hendry Mendez (Carolina) - 4 G, 3-for-17 (.176), 1-2B, 0-HR, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 6 K (Season: 32 G, 26-for-107, .243/.406/.336 (.742), 2-2B, 1-3B, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 29 BB, 31 K) 
#20 - LHP Russell Smith (Wisconsin) - Did Not Pitch (Season: 5 GS, 20.0 IP, 13 R, 11 ER, 17 H, 13 BB, 22 K, 1-1, 4.95 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 5.9 BB/9, 9.9 K/9) 

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK 

Hitter of the Week: Outfielder Joey Wiemer, Biloxi Shuckers     

For the second straight week, Joey Wiemer is the choice for Brewers Minor League Hitter of the Week. He played all six games. He went 8-for-26 and hit .308/.357/.615 (.972) with two doubles, two homers, and three RBI. He also went 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts. 

Overall, he has played 39 games this season with Biloxi. He is now 47-for-155 and hitting .303/.372/.607 (.979) with 14 doubles, 11 home runs, and 30 RBI. He is also 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts. 

The 23-year-old was the Brewers’ fourth-round pick in 2020 out of the University of Cincinnati. At 6-5 and 215 pounds, Wiemer is an incredible athlete. He’s got better-than-average speed. He’s got immense power potential. Defensively, he has the range, but he’s also got a very strong arm.  

Pitcher of the Week: RHP Justin Jarvis, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 

Another week, another Timber Rattler starting pitcher is our choice for pitcher of the week. In his start last week, Justin Jarvis gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits. In six innings, he walked two and struck out ten batters. 

Jarvis was the Brewers’ fifth-round draft pick out of his North Carolina high school in 2018. He signed and spent that summer with the Arizona League team. In 2019, he went to then-Low-A Wisconsin and went 4-1 with a 3.50 ERA. After the lost 2020 season, he went to now-High-A Wisconsin in 2021. He struggled to the tune of a 1-7 record with a 5.40 ERA in 17 starts. Following the season, he pitched in seven games for Salt River in the Arizona Fall League. 

This season started out with Jarvis again struggling. In his first five starts, he went 1-2 with a 7.91 ERA. In 19 1/3 innings, he gave up 19 hits, walked 12, and struck out 16. Six of the hits were home runs. However, in his last three starts, he is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA. In 16 innings, he has given up 16 hits, (3 homers), walked six, and struck out 19 batters. He appears to have turned things around, and more exciting, still has the potential to keep getting better. 

Overall on the season, he is 2-2 with a 5.35 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. In 35 1/3 innings, he has 18 walks and 34 strikeouts.  

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