Milwaukee Brewers: April Minor League Affiliate Recap

Brewers Double-A Affiliate: Biloxi Shuckers (12-9, 1st in Southern League South)

To say the Shuckers started the season hot would be an understatement. Biloxi rattled off a seven-game win streak to begin the 2022 season while also winning eight of their first nine contests.

Things have since cooled off a bit down south, but the Shuckers still find themselves with a 2.5-game division lead. And though they have the third best record in the Southern League as a whole, their +12 run differential places second in the league.

As Biloxi’s record has leveled off, so too has their offense. Their .680 OPS and 92 runs scored each rank as the second worst in the Southern League while their .220 batting average and 18 homers are both dead last.

But like Nashville, Biloxi has also gotten strong pitching performances to start the season. They have a 3.11 staff ERA that is tops in the Southern League, a .237 batting average against that ranks third, and have issued just 71 walks, which is the second least in the league.

The Shuckers offense has been led by a pair of highly-ranked prospects, outfielder Joey Wiemer (No. 2) and infielder Felix Valerio (No. 11). Both have an identical .904 OPS and three home runs with the former also leading the team in doubles (8) and RBIs (17).

Though he’s only played in 11 games, catcher Jakson Reetz, another offseason minor league free agent signing by the Brewers, has looked strong as well. He has a .316 batting average and a 1.041 OPS with three doubles and three homers so far in 2022.

After a somewhat rough 2021 season, right-hander Victor Castaneda (No. 25) has bounced back well this year. He leads the rotation with a 1.77 ERA and 0.934 WHIP and sports the team’s only complete game of the season.

Also similar to the Sounds, the Shuckers have their own starting rotation that gives opposing batters fits. Tyler Herb (1.96 ERA), Carlos Luna (2.12), and Andy Otero (3.09) have each impressed early.

In the bullpen, Harold Chirino (0.93) and Zach Vennaro (0.96, 2 saves) have done well to limit runs in the early going. The same could be said about intriguing pitching prospect Abner Uribe (No. 19) who had given up two hits and four walks with four strikeouts in three scoreless innings before unfortunately being shut down for the season.

Brewers High-A Affiliate: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (12-9, T-2nd in Midwest League West)

The Timber Rattlers are yet another affiliate who started the year off strong before simmering down. Wisconsin won their first three series of the 2022 season before dropping five of six in their most recent set of games on the road against the Peoria Chiefs.

Despite the recent swoon, the Timber Rattlers still see themselves sporting a winning record heading into the beginning of May. That conflicts a bit with the fact that they have a -15 run differential, though two losses by a combined 27 runs this season contribute to that quite a bit.

The offense has for the most part been just below league average so far in 2022. Of the 12 Midwest League teams, Wisconsin is 7th in runs scored (88) and batting average (.224), 8th in OPS (.686) and 9th in homers (15). They do sport the 2nd most steals (35) in the league, however.

The pitching staff has been ok at limiting hits so far in 2022 with a .223 batting average against that ranks 6th lowest in the league, but not so much at limiting runs with a 4.68 ERA that is 3rd highest. Again, two blowout losses don’t exactly help in that regard.

The Timber Rattler offense is largely being led by 2021 draft picks. Outfielder Sal Frelick, the team’s first-round draft pick from last year and No. 1 prospect overall, is second on the team with a .847 OPS, third with a .291 average, and is tied for the team lead with 12 runs scored.

He is joined by last year’s Competitive Balance A pick, second baseman Tyler Black (No. 6) and seventh rounder Tristan Peters. The former has a .303 average and .804 OPS with just three strikeouts in 10 games, while the latter has a .304 average and .825 OPS.

Don’t forget about catcher Darien Miller, though, a ninth rounder from the 2019 draft. In 17 games, he leads the team with his .876 OPS and three home runs and is the one tied with Frelick for the team lead with 12 runs scored.

The Wisconsin pitching staff features two standouts in TJ Shook and Brandon Knarr. Both were signed by the Brewers as minor league free agents in the summer of 2020, when, as most will remember, there was no minor league season.

Shook is 1-1 on the season in four games (two starts) and leads the team with a 1.37 ERA and team-leading .125 batting average against. Knarr, meanwhile, is 2-1 in his four games (all starts) with a 1.61 ERA and team-leading 0.851 WHIP. They each have 27 strikeouts on the season.

Brewers Low-A Affiliate: Carolina Mudcats (11-10, T-2nd in Carolina League North)

The Mudcats have been a bit of a streaky team in this first portion of 2022 regular season play with two winning streaks of at least three games and two losing streaks of at least the same length already this year. But after a win last Sunday, Carolina sits a game over .500.

That’s good enough to place them in second place in their division, three games behind the first place Fredricksburg Nationals. They have the worst run differential of the four Brewers affiliates at -23, though like the Timber Rattlers, they had two losses of more than ten runs last month.

The Mudcats have been able to put hits on the board as they place 5th of 12 Carolina League teams in batting average (.232). They rank low in other offensive marks, however, placing 10th in OPS (.654) and home runs (10) and are 8th in runs scored (102).

Things don’t get particularly better on the pitching side, either. Carolina pitchers have put up a 5.33 ERA and 1.601 WHIP in 2022, both placing 10th in the Carolina League, while giving up the second most walks (128) so far as well.

The team MVP on offense so far has arguably been outfielder Micah Bello. The Competitive Balance B pick from the 2018 draft leads the team in a handful off offensive categories including batting average (.356), OPS (.994), runs scored (13), doubles (6), and homers (2) across 18 games played.

Joining him in a tie for the team lead in doubles and homers is shortstop Eduardo Garcia (No. 12). His slash line (.321/.357/.500) has been plenty impressive as well, as has that of second baseman Zach Raabe (.297/.460/.405), an 8th round pick in last year’s draft.

The top performer on the mound for the Mudcats has probably been reliever Michele Vassalotti. The right-hander has pitched 11 innings across seven games in 2022 and has a 2-0 record with a 2.45 ERA and 0.636 WHIP while converting each of his two save opportunities on the season.

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The vibes are positive across the organization coming out of the first calendar month of play and the Brewers and their affiliates will look to keep it going into May.