Brewers Minor League Week in Review (5/10-5/16): Wiemer Powers Shuckers

We are now about six weeks into the season, and several players (hitters and pitchers) have really stood out. This is the time of year when we will start seeing more and more merit-based promotions (and potentially demotions) beyond transactions for injury-related purposes. As the day goes on, the Brewers’ affiliates will be making those announcements. 

Also, remember that several full-season minor league leagues are comprised of two half-seasons. The season essentially starts over at the halfway point and a couple of playoff spots will be up for grabs. That is something we’ll need to pay attention to over the next month. 

TRANSACTIONS 

Nothing is official yet, but there will be several player promotions announced on Tuesday. 

• RHP Cristian Sierra has been released. 
• RHP Fernando Olguin promoted from the Arizona Complex to Carolina. 

RESULTS

• Last week’s Week in Review (5/3-5/9): Chourio Debuts in Carolina, Rattler Pitchers Continue to Dominate  
• Tuesday: Break out the Brooms, It’s a 4-0 Affiliate Evening Sweep! 
• Wednesday: T-Rats Win Ensures Affiliates Avoid 0-4 Night 
• Thursday: Nashville and Wisconsin Lead the Way Once Again 
• Friday: Shuckers and Mudcats Avoid Any Friday the 13th Voodoo 
• Saturday: Thirty-Five Runs Power a 3-1 Night 
• Sunday: It’s a Four-Game Affiliate Sweep, Including Stiven Cruz’s Sterling Debut and Team-Record Six Biloxi Home Runs! 

WEEK IN REVIEW 

Triple-A: Nashville Sounds 
Week: 4-2 @ Jacksonville   
Season: 24-11 overall, 1st place in the International League West. They are 1/2  game ahead of Columbus and 4 1/2 games ahead of Toledo and Memphis. 

Nashville just continues to play great each week. In Jacksonville, they outscored the Jumbo Shrimp 40-28 over the week, largely due to a 10-1 win on Thursday.   

• Ethan Small made a start and gave up one run on four hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out nine batters. 

• Five Sounds relievers pitched twice last week without allowing a run. Connor Sadzeck led the way with five strikeouts in three innings. 

• Obviously when he was optioned, Keston Hiura had to be disappointed. However, he didn’t let it affect how he performed. In four games with the Sounds, he went 7-for-15 and hit .467/.556/1.067 (1.623) with three home runs and nine RBI. Two of those homers came against Marlins’ pitching prospect Max Meyer. Hiura did miss the final two games of the week with a minor injury. 

• Mario Feliciano played in just three games. He went 7-for-11 (.636) with a double.

• Mark Mathias played in four games and went 7-for-16, hitting .438/.471/.625 (1.096) with a home run. 

• On the other side, Tyler White had a rough week. He played in four games and went 1-for-17 (..059) with seven strikeouts.  

What’s Next? The Sounds will return home to take on Louisville. 

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

Double-A: Biloxi Shuckers  
Week: 4-2, hosting Birmingham     
Season: 16-17 overall, 2nd place in the Southern League. They are 2.0  games behind Pensacola.  

A week after they lost all six of their games, the Shuckers were back on their winning ways. After winning the first game, they lost the next two. However, they won the final three games by a combined score of 30-10. This week, it was the offense that carried their success. 

• Joey Wiemer played in all six games. He went 10-for-24 and hit .417/.500/1.083 (1.583) with one home run and five RBI. 

• Jakson Reetz played in five games and went 7-for-17. He hit .412/.524/1.000 (1.524) with a double and three homers. 

• Thomas Dillard played all six games. He went 7-for-20, hitting .350/.500/.650 (1.150) with three doubles and a home run. He also walked six times. 

• Felix Valerio played in six games. He went 8-for-25. He hit .320/.393/.680 (.1.073) with three home runs. 

• Noah Campbell played in four games and went 5-for-14 (.357) with two doubles. He added three walks. 

• Victor Castaneda went six scoreless innings in his first start last week. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out ten batters. He pitched three innings out of the bullpen on Sunday. Overall, he gave up two runs on five hits and two walks. In nine innings, he had 16 strikeouts. 

• Tyler Herb had another terrific start. He tossed six scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out three batters. 

• Five Sounds relievers worked at least two scoreless innings during the week. 

What's Next? The Shuckers will travel to Mississippi to take on the Braves. 

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

High-A: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers  
Week: 5-1, @ Quad Cities 
Season: 22-11 overall, 2nd place in the Midwest League West Division, 2.0 games behind Cedar Rapids. 

The Timber Rattlers went 5-1 for the week, but they were unable to make up any ground to the Cedar Rapids Kernels. These two teams are likely to remain at the top of the division, and after the upcoming week hosting South Bend, the Rattlers will head to Iowa to take on the Kernels. The pitchers have really led the way for Wisconsin much of this season, but last week, the offense really had a big week. It started with a 17-4 win, and over the six games, the Rattlers outscored the Bandits 49-24. 

• Tyler Black played in all six games and went 11-for-25. He hit .440/.500/.800 (1.300) with a double, a triple, two homers, and 11 RBI. He also walked three times. 

• Tristan Peters also played all six games. He went 9-for-24 and hit .375/.467/.833 (1.300) with two doubles, three triples, and a home run. He also walked five times. 

• Zavier Warren played six games and went 7-for-24. He hit .292/.433/.583 (1.016) with four doubles and a home run. He also walked five times. 

• Darrien Miller played in five games and went 8-for-21. He hit .381/.480/.524 (.1004) with a double and a triple. 

• Cam Robinson recorded saves in both of his appearances last week. In four scoreless innings, he gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out five batters.

• Kent Hasler pitched twice and gave up just a walk over 3 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings. He struck out nine batters. 

• Brandon Knarr made two starts for Wisconsin. He went 2-0 and gave up just two runs. He gave up eight hits, walked two, and struck out 15 batters in 12 innings. 

• Antoine Kelly gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out two batters. 

What’s Next? The Timber Rattlers return home to take on the South Bend Cubs.    

Pitching Probables (LHP Antoine Kelly, RHP Ryne Moore, RHP Justin Jarvis, TBD, TBD, TBD)

Low-A: Carolina Mudcats 
Week: 3-3, @ Fayetteville  
Season: 17-16 overall, tied for 3rd place in the Carolina League North Division with Salem, 1/2 game behind Lynchburg and 2 1/2 games behind Fredericksburg.

As you would expect from a 3-3 week, the teams were very closely matched. In fact, Carolina was outscored 27-28 for the week. Four of the games were settled by two runs or less. As you’ll see below, the Mudcats got a nice, long start, but it was the relief corp that really got the job done.

• In his start, Ryne Moore gave up one run on six hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out six batters. 

• Stiven Cruz pitched three innings in his bullpen appearance. He gave up just one hit and walked one, and he struck out eight batters. 

• Edwin Jimenez also worked three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He gave up one hit, walked one, hit one and struck out four batters. 

• Michele Vassalotti finished two games and went 2-0. In four innings, he gave up only an unearned run and struck out six batters in four innings. 

• Carlos Rodriguez pitched just once, four innings in relief. He gave up an unearned run on two hits and a walk, and he struck out seven batters.

• Christian Tripp worked three innings over two relief outings. He gave up no runs on two hits. He walked none and struck out five batters.  

• Herbert Perez played in five games. He went 5-for-19 and hit .263/.391/.474 (.865) with a double and a home run. He also walked four times.

• Jesus Chirinos played in all six games. He went 5-for-19 and hit .263/.417/.421 (.838) with a home run. He also walked five times. 

• Of players with more than seven plate appearances, no one had an OPS higher than .626  

What’s Next? The Mudcats will be hosting the Down East Wood Ducks.

Pitching Probables (RHP Edwin Jimenez, RHP Fernando Olguin, RHP Carlos Rodriguez, RHP Jefferson Figueroa, RHP Stiven Cruz, RHP Israel Puello) 

PROSPECT SUMMARY
This Prospect Summary shows our current Brewers Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week (May 10 to May 16). 

#1 - LHP Aaron Ashby (Milwaukee) - 1 G, 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 8 K (Season: 8 G, 3 GS, 27.1 IP, 14 R, 11 ER, 17 BB, 33 K, 0-3, 1 S, 3.62 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 5.6 BB/9, 10.9 K/9)  
#2 - OF Joey Wiemer (Biloxi) - 6 G, 10-for-24 (.417), 1-2B, 5 HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K (Season: 33 G, 39-for-129, .302/.375/.605 (.980), 12-2B, 0-HR, 27 RBI, 13 BB, 45 K)
#3 - OF Garrett Mitchell (Biloxi) - 4 G, 4-for-14 (.286), 0-2B, 1-3B, 0-HR, 1 BB, 3 K (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) - 6 G, 8-for-26 (.308), 1-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K (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) - 3 G, 4-for-13 (.308), 0-2B, 0-HR, 0 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K (Season: 9 G, 9-for-39, .231/.268/.256 (.456), 1-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 1 RBI, 1/2 SB, 2 BB, 7 K)      
#5 - LHP Ethan Small (Nashville) - 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 9 K (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) - 6 G, 8-for-28 (.286), 0-2B, 1-HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K (Season: 31 G, 38-for-132, .288/.354/.424 (.778), 7-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 21 RBI, 14 BB, 31 K)  
#7 - OF Hedbert Perez (Carolina) - 5 G, 5-for-19 (.263), 1-2B, 1-HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 5 K (Season: 27 G, 19-for-108, .176/.246/.296 (.542), 4-2B, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 5/6 SB, 10 BB, 41 K) 
#8 - C Jeferson Quero (Carolina) - 5 G, 4-for-18 (.222), 0-2B, 0-HR, 0 RBI, 5 BB, 5 K (Season: 26 G, 25-for-106, .236/.291/.349 (.640), 7-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 14 RBI, 9 BB, 28 K) 
#9 - SS Freddy Zamora (Biloxi) - 2 G, 0-for-8 (.000), 0-2B, 0-HR, 0 RBI, 2 BB, 0 K (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, 11-for-25 (.440), 1-2B, 1-3B, 2-HR, 11 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K  (Season: 19 G, 21-for-66 (.318/.439/.500 (.939), 4-2B, 1-3B, 2-HR, 21 RBI, 12 BB, 10 K)  

#11 - 2B Felix Valerio (Biloxi) - 6 G, 8-for-25 (.320), 0-2B, 3-HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K (Season: 27 G, 27-for-98, .276/.353/.520 (.874), 4-2B, 1-3B, 6-HR, 18 RBI, 13 BB, 15 K) 
#12 - OF Jackson Chourio (Carolina) - 4 G, 4-for-18 (.222), 2-2B, 0-HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K (Season: 10 G, 16-for-43, .372/.413/.605 (1.018), 7-2B, 1-HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K) 
#13 - C Mario Feliciano (Nashville) - 3 G, 7-for-11 (.636), 1-2B, 0-HR, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K (Season: 21 G, 20-for-73, .274/.338/.343 (.680), 5-2B, 0-HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 21 K)
#13 - C Mario Feliciano (Milwaukee) - (Season: 1 G, 0-for-0, R, BB)
#14 - LHP Antoine Kelly (Wisconsin) - 1 GS, 5.2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K (Season: 6 GS, 27.1 IP, 9 R, 7 ER, 12 H, 17 BB, 35 K, 1-0, 2.30 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 5.6 BB/9, 11.5 K/9)  
#15 - OF Joe Gray, Jr. (Wisconsin) - 6 G, 5-for-23 (.217), 3-2B, 2-HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 8 K (Season: 33 G, 22-for-116, .190/.304/.388 (.692), 9-2B, 1-3B, 4-HR, 14 RBI, 7/7 SB, 19 BB, 48 K) 

#16 - SS Eduardo Garcia (Carolina) - 5 G, 3-for-21 (.143), 0-2B, 0-HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 10 K (Season: 30 G, 34-124, 274/.311/.395 (.706), 7-2B, 1-3B, 2 HR, 23 RBI, 4 BB, 51 K)  
#17 - UTL Zavier Warren (Wisconsin) - 6 G, 7-for-24 (.292), 4-2B, 1-HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 6 K (Season: 31 G, 29-for-112, .259/.359/.393 (.752), 12-2B, 1-HR, 13 RBI, 5/5 SB, 14 BB, 31 K)  
#18 - RHP Abner Uribe (Biloxi) - IL (out for season)
#19 - OF Hendry Mendez (Carolina) - 5 G, 5-for-20 (.250), 0-2B, 0-HR, 2 RBI, 4BB, 7 K (Season: 27 G, 20-for-91, .220/.388/.275 (.663), 2-2B, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 24 BB, 28 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     
Wiemer had a big week for the Shuckers. He played all six games. He had ten hits including a double and five home runs. He also walked three times and showed his speed with a couple of stolen bases. 

Weimer was a star at Bedford High School in Michigan. Beyond baseball, he was on the varsity football team four years and the basketball team two seasons. He was a three-year starter at the University of Cincinnati before the Brewers made him their fourth-round pick in 2020. He began his professional career last year with 75 games in Carolina before ending the season with 34 games in Wisconsin. Combined, he hit .296/.403/.556 (.958) with 18 doubles and 27 home runs. He was also 30-for-36 in stolen base attempts. He did as much damage with the Rattlers in half the number of games. After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League where he hit .467 with a 1.234 OPS. 

Wiemer is a fantastic prospect who has both power and speed. The 23-year-old will likely play mostly in the corner outfield spots, and his power has a chance to be really special. Consider he’s already got 12 doubles and nine home runs in just 33 games in Double-A. Pre-season, Baseball America named him the #100 prospect in baseball. 

Pitcher of the Week: LHP Brandon Knarr, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 
Here we are again, a Timber Rattler is the choice for Brewers Minor League Pitcher of the Week. For the second time, that pitcher is left-hander Brandon Knarr. Last week, he made two starts and went 2-0. He posted a 1.50 ERA. In 12 innings, he gave up two runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out 15 batters. Possible it is his last start in High-A? 

Knarr has a career that has been quite circuitous to get to this point. The Pennsylvania native was a star at Eastern York High School. He started his college career at Notre Dame before transferring to the College of Central Florida. In 65 2/3 innings, he had 86 strikeouts. From there, he went to the Division II baseball powerhouse at the University of Tampa. In six starts before the season was shut down, he went 4-1 with a 2.55 ERA. He had 64 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings (16.3 K/9). Knarr went undrafted in the Covid-shortened, five-round 2020 MLB draft. As you recall, teams were able to sign non-drafted players for up to $20,000. Knarr had many options, but the Brewers offered the opportunity to work as a starter. He signed and has taken advantage. 

Last year in Carolina, he went 7-2 with a 3.84 ERA in 75 innings. He struck out 103 batters (12.4 K/9). He ended the season with five starts in Wisconsin, where he struggled some but also struck out more than a batter per inning. 

Knarr has worked hard to get to this point in his career. He stands less than 6-0 tall. He doesn’t throw real hard, but he is incredibly competitive. His fastball sits between 88 and 91 mph. He has a split-finger pitch that is sitting in the 72-76 mph range. He’s got two breaking balls, a slider in the low-80s and a slower curveball in the mid-70s. He works fast and really commands the zone. He’s known to ask questions and is always working to learn more about his craft.

Feel free to discuss the Brewers' prospects and their affiliates in the COMMENTS below.