Brewers Minor League Roundup Week #20

Each week, I’ll be bringing you a roundup of the Brewers minor league affiliates, including score updates, key players and more. Here is the week 20 roundup. After a week off, I’ve recapped the last two weeks all at once, so the stats might seem a bit different than usual.

AAA Nashville

The Sounds went 3-3 against the Gwinnett Stripers and 4-2 against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp for a 7-5 overall record over the last two weeks. Nashville (70-46) remains in first place in the International League West standings, 2.5 games ahead of Columbus (67-48).

Outfield prospect Sal Frelick continues to rake with the Sounds, as he went 20-for-41, slashing .488/.553/.610 with three RBIs, three doubles and a triple. Fellow top prospect shortstop Brice Turang also had a solid pair of weeks, as he collected a team-high four home runs and a team-high 15 RBIs while slashing .311/.373/.600. As a team, Nashville slashed .292/.369/.431 with seven homers and 59 runs scored over the two series.

Tyler Herb had two strong starts, including a seven-inning complete game shutout on Sunday against Jacksonville. Between his two starts, he lasted 12 innings and allowed just one run on nine hits with no walks and 14 strikeouts. Dylan File and Josh Lindblom also looked strong in their two starts, as File pitched to a 2.31 ERA across 11 ⅔ innings with 13 strikeouts and Lindblom pitched to a 2.45 ERA across 11 innings with 16 strikeouts. As a pitching staff, Nashville pitched to a league-best 3.43 ERA over the two series, striking out 116 batters across 97 innings.

The Sounds now travel to take on the Durham Bulls (66-51) in a battle of two first-place teams. Nashville is 6-6 in two series against Durham this season, so these six games will decide the season series victor.

AA Biloxi

The Shuckers went 3-3 against the Rocket City Trash Pandas and 2-4 against the Montgomery Biscuits for a 5-7 record over the two weeks. Biloxi (22-23) fell into last place in the Southern League South standings, seven games behind Montgomery (29-16) in the second half.

Outfielder Garrett Whitley was the only consistent hitter for Biloxi, slashing .326/.396/.605 with three homers, 10 RBIs and 14 hits across 43 at-bats. As a team, Biloxi had a league-worst .641 OPS over the two series, slashing .226/.306/.335 with nine homers and just 43 runs scored across 12 games.

Robert Gasser looked strong in two more starts with Biloxi, pitching to a 2.79 ERA across 9 ⅔ innings with 12 strikeouts. Reliever Cam Robinson pitched five shutout innings over four appearances, striking out eight and going a perfect 3-for-3 in save opportunities. As a team, Biloxi pitched to a 5.17 ERA with 119 strikeouts across 102 ⅔ innings.

The Shuckers now welcome the Chattanooga Lookouts (14-31) to town for six games. In their lone series back in June, Biloxi went 4-2 against Chattanooga.

High-A Wisconsin

The Timber Rattlers looked strong against the South Bend Cubs, going 4-2, but they then went just 1-5 against the Cedar Rapids Kernels for a 5-7 overall record. The rough week puts the Rattlers at 23-25 in the second half, seven games back of the Cubs (30-18) in the Midwest League West standings.

Top prospect Jackson Chourio just keeps hitting, as he slashed .258/.314/.581 with three homers and seven RBIs across 31 at-bats. He also went 2-for-2 on stolen base attempts. Catcher Darrien Miller added a .200/.396/.475 slash line, including 10 walks, three homers and seven RBIs across 40 at-bats. As a team, the Rattlers slashed .216/.293/.345 with 12 homers and 49 runs across their 12 games.

Starter Carlos Rodriguez looked strong across 11 ⅓ innings in two starts, giving up three runs on nine hits and five walks with 13 strikeouts. Reliever Robbie Baker went 3-for-4 in save opportunities and gave up no runs over nine innings across four appearances, striking out 10 and allowing just three hits. As a team, Wisconsin pitched to a 4.32 ERA with 106 strikeouts over 102 innings.

Wisconsin now battles the Lansing Lugnuts for the first and only time this season. Like Wisconsin, Lansing (21-27) is sitting in the middle of the pack in the Midwest League East standings.

A Carolina

The Mudcats had a pair of strong weeks, going 3-3 against the Delmarva Shorebirds before sweeping the Fayetteville Woodpeckers for a 9-3 record overall. Carolina improved to 27-21 in the second half, closing the division lead of Fredericksburg (29-18) to just 2.5 games.

Catcher Jose Sibrian led the way for Carolina offensively, slashing .444/.545/.722 with a home run and four RBIs over 18 at-bats. Shortstop Eric Brown Jr., the newest Mudcat, slashed .238/.365/.548 with three home runs and seven RBIs in an impressive pair of weeks to kick off his professional career. Carolina slashed .228/.327/.383 across their 12 games, hitting 14 home runs and scoring 64 runs.

Starter Alexander Cornielle continues to pitch well, as he allowed just one run over 11 innings in two starts, striking out 14 hitters. Long reliever Pablo Garabitos also earned two wins in two relief appearances, totaling 10 innings and giving up no runs on eight hits and one walk with 10 strikeouts. As a team, Carolina pitched to a 3.15 ERA with 109 strikeouts across 103 innings. They also went 6-for-7 in save opportunities.

The Mudcats now travel to take on the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (24-24). A familiar opponent, Carolina is 10-8 against Kannapolis, including a 4-2 series earlier this month.

Performances by Top 10 Brewers Prospects (Weekly Performance; Season Totals)

1. (MLB No. 11) OF Jackson Chourio (High-A): .258/.314/.581 (31 at-bats), 3 HR, 7 RBI; .310/.363/.566 (332 at-bats), 16 HR, 59 RBI
2. (MLB No. 49) OF Sal Frelick (AAA): .488/.553/.610 (41 at-bats), 0 HR, 3 RBI; .334/.408/.478 (368 at-bats), 7 HR, 39 RBI
3. (MLB No. 89) OF Joey Wiemer (AAA): .205/.220/.385 (39 at-bats), 1 HR, 5 RBI; .237/.310/.426 (392 at-bats), 16 HR, 55 RBI
4. SS Brice Turang (AAA): .311/.373/.600 (45 at-bats), 4 HR, 15 RBI; .290/.361/.417 (434 at-bats), 11 HR, 63 RBI
5. OF Garrett Mitchell (AAA): .353/.476/.441 (34 at-bats), 0 HR, 4 RBI; .277/.369/.417 (235 at-bats), 5 HR, 33 RBI
6. 2B Tyler Black (High-A): On 7-day injured list (7/18); .281/.406/.424 (231 at-bats), 4 HR, 35 RBI
7. C Jeferson Quero (High-A): .241/.241/.276 (29 at-bats), 0 HR, 2 RBI; .275/.336/.399 (313 at-bats), 6 HR, 45 RBI
8. OF Esteury Ruiz (AAA): .350/.409/.450 (40 at-bats), 0 HR, 2 RBI; .329/.455/.533 (347 at-bats), 13 HR, 49 RBI
9. RHP Jacob Misiorowski (ACL Brewers Gold): No appearances
10. SS Eric Brown Jr. (A): .238/.365/.548 (42 at-bats), 3 HR, 7 RBI; .255/.391/.545 (55 at-bats), 3 HR, 8 RBI

Note: With the MLB.com midseason update, the Brewers’ top 10 prospects changed, with 2022 draftees Jacob Misiorowski and Eric Brown Jr. slotting in at No. 9 and 10. Top prospect Jackson Chourio also rose to No. 11 in the overall prospect rankings.