As a reminder, every Monday morning I’ll be bringing you a quick recap of the previous week’s minor league activity — including team records, roster updates, standout performances, and more

Triple-A Nashville (64-54)

The Sounds went 3-3 this week against the Durham Bulls. Nashville is now 7.5 games back in the International League West.

Milwaukee still has a few highly-regarded position player prospects in Nashville despite all of the call-ups this year. Catcher Jeferson Quero (No. 4) has gone 10-for-25 (.400), including five extra-base hits, since returning from a mild left shoulder strain. He absolutely crushed the ball a few times this week — watch this home run:

Tyler Black (No. 24) earned another call-up to the big leagues after Isaac Collins went on the paternity list and Blake Perkins was placed on the bereavement list. Black only recorded two at-bats across two games (August 16 and 17), but that’s partially because he also managed to work three walks. He was returned to Nashville after Collins and Perkins returned. The former top 50 overall prospect is slashing .187/.308/.284 across 134 at-bats with Triple-A Nashville.

Ernesto Martinez Jr., who fell off the Brewers’ top 30 earlier this year, put together a nice week — 4-for-14 with three doubles. He did strike out eight times in those 14 at-bats. Martinez Jr. has a strikeout rate of 26.8%, a number that is higher than average but not necessarily egregious. The more concerning stat is his .366 slugging percentage — Martinez Jr. hasn’t slugged below .415 since rookie ball. His SLG and OPS (.707) are both career lows if you exclude abridged seasons in 2017 (49 games) and 2018 (35).

Robert Gasser (No. 18) gave up five hits and one earned run during a two-inning rehab start. Tate Kuehner, another left-handed pitching prospect who has been a mainstay in the Double-A portion of this column, made his first Triple-A start this week. Kuehner went 5 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and just one earned run while picking up four strikeouts. The outing was definitely an encouraging start to his time with the Sounds.

Easton McGee threw 4 2/3 shutout innings in his only start of the week. Chad Patrick, who put up great numbers (3.52) in 18 starts with Milwaukee, got hit around a little bit (six innings pitched with four earned runs on four home runs). Patrick was selected as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader and is expected to start the second game this evening.

Next week’s opponent: Louisville Bats

Double-A Biloxi (62-52)

Biloxi went 3-3 this week against the Columbus Clingstones. The Shuckers are 20-25 in the second half of the season after winning the first half Southern League title.

The hitting stats out of Biloxi hadn’t looked very impressive for a couple weeks there. This week was definitely an exception.

Cooper Pratt (No. 3) went 8-for-19 (.421) with three home runs and eight RBIs. Close enough, welcome back Barry Bonds:

Pratt has had a bit of a streaky, up-and-down season in the pitcher-friendly Southern League, but weeks like this serve as a reminder that the Shuckers’ shortstop oozes potential both at the plate and in the field. Pratt’s OPS (.703) is now above .700 on the season.

Luis Lara (No. 10) slashed (.318/.519/.714) with three doubles and two triples in 21 at-bats. Lara has a reputation as a defense-first contact hitter, which makes sense when you realize he’s only hit one home run all season while sporting a .370 OBP. Still, Lara leads the Shuckers in doubles by a good margin — he’s hit 29, with Pratt and the injured Brock Wilken both sitting at 17 apiece. Lara’s still only 20, and he won’t turn 21 until the offseason. It’s possible that his extra-base pop might someday develop into home run power, although his diminutive stature (5’8”, 167 lbs) makes that slightly more unlikely.

Blake Burke (No. 29) has been hotter than hot since being called up to Biloxi. The No. 34 overall pick in 2024 had been one of the best hitters on the Timber Rattlers all season and slashed .278/.440/.722 in his first week with Biloxi. What did he do this week, you might ask? Nothing crazy, he just hit .417 with a 1.254 OPS, including two home runs.

Burke profiles as a career DH — or maybe a defensively unimpressive first baseman — at the major league level, so his bat needs to be valuable to continue progressing through the Brewers’ farm system. With that being said, I don’t think you can argue that his production in the last year-plus has been anything short of impressive. His exit velocities have also been incredibly impressive, especially for a Double-A hitter. I’ll say it again — Burke should be ranked higher than No. 29, even considering his defensive limitations.

For a slightly more holistic profile of Burke, I wrote this a few weeks ago for my overview of the top 30 Brewers prospects (per MLB Pipeline):

Burke, the No. 34 overall pick in 2024, is slashing .296/.381/.416 in High-A this year. Honestly, I’d have him higher than 27 on my own list of the Brewers’ top-30 prospects. He’s shown great contact ability in his time with the Brewers’ organization, and it’s not like he doesn’t hit for power, either. Burke has recorded 28 extra-base hits with the Timber Rattlers this year and has raw power that hasn’t yet entirely translated (due to his newfound tendency to pull the ball).

Burke’s defense, however, leaves something to be desired. He has a below-average arm and significantly below-average speed, so he projects as a first baseman or DH in the big leagues. Burke also tends to chase pitches more than he should (35% chase rate in his final year in college), although this year he’s walking 11.9% of the time.

Corner infielder Luke Adams (No. 7), who had a .986 OPS over his last month with the Shuckers, is still on the seven-day IL with a left shoulder contusion. Adams suffered the injury sliding into home plate about a month and a half ago.

RHP Tyson Hardin (No. 20), who’s been really impressive, hasn’t pitched in three weeks now. He was placed on the 7-day IL retroactive to July 20, apparently because he was slow to recover from his last couple of starts. Hardin has posted a 3.38 ERA through five starts in Double-A.

Brett Wichrowski fell out of the Brewers’ top 30 in MLB Pipeline’s most recent update. He struggled with his command last week (eight walks in eight innings), but this week was a different story. Wichrowski went seven strong innings, allowing four hits and three earned runs while striking out four and walking only one. It’s been more of the same for Wichrowski, who I also wrote about in my top 30 overview:

Wichrowski’s ERA (2.69) and FIP (3.28) are both stellar, and he hasn’t dipped below a 3.15 ERA in any given month this year. He has great stuff — including a sweeper that’s probably his best pitch, a fastball that touches the upper 90s, a sinker, and a cutter. The concerning part of Wichrowski’s profile is that his above-average stuff hasn’t been generating many strikeouts (7.01 K/9). He has at least improved his command (3.28 BB/9, compared to nearly 4 last year).

K.C. Hunt, who earned this column’s player of the week award last week, got lit up to the tune of seven runs (four earned) in 4 1/3 innings. It’s been a rough season for Hunt, who posted a 2.03 ERA last season between Single-A, High-A, and Double-A. Jaron DeBerry gave up four runs in 11 innings while striking out 13. DeBerry has usually been pretty effective this season. He has a 4.26 ERA on the season, but has posted an ERA under 3.60 in May, June, and August. We’re not going to talk about July (6.93).

Next week’s opponent: Chattanooga Lookouts

High-A Wisconsin (50-62)

The Timber Rattlers went 2-4 this week against the Great Lakes Loons.

Most of the Timber Rattlers have been cold at the plate in recent weeks, a trend that continued into this week. The three most productive offensive players for the Timber Rattlers have been C Marco Dinges (1-for-15 in his first full week back from the IL), Burke (promoted to Double-A), and SS Jadher Areinamo (traded to the Rays for Danny Jansen). Wisconsin has the worst record of any Brewers affiliate by a good margin.

However, the tide is turning. Recently promoted top prospects Jesus Made (No. 1) and Luis Peña (No. 2) have been absolutely raking since joining the club. Made hit .458 (LOL) with a 1.227 OPS this week. Those numbers speak for themselves, as does this:

111-mph exit velocity at 18 years old? That’ll play.

Peña “only” posted a .937 OPS with two home runs and seven RBIs. Yeah, LOL is right. The kids are gonna be just fine. Oh, and Wisconsin also added their 2025 first-round pick, 1B/3B Andrew Fischer (No. 6), to High-A. Fischer went 5-for-17 to start his career. The future is bright in Appleton, and for the Brewers organization:

Another player promoted last week was RHP Travis Smith, who was named the July Minor League Pitcher of the Month for the Brewers organization. Smith posted a 0.69 ERA through 26 innings with the Mudcats prior to his promotion. The 22-year-old right-hander has had a low strikeout rate (5.94 K/9) all season, but this month that number jumped all the way up to 8.31 K/9.

In his first appearance with Wisconsin, Smith allowed three runs (two earned) while walking two over 5 2/3 innings. He didn’t strike anybody out, which is potentially a red flag given his low K%. Still, hard to argue with the results in what would have been a quality start had he gotten that final out in the sixth.

RHP Manuel Rodriguez, who was ranked as the No. 30 prospect in the Brewers organization, got shelled again this week (7 hits, 6 ER, 2 HR in four innings). His ERA has ballooned from 1.73 to 3.21 over the last two starts.

Finally, Bishop Letson (No. 7), who’s been out since June 3, made his return from a right shoulder injury on Sunday. Letson allowed two hits (zero runs) while striking out two in 1 1/3 innings. His stats were legitimately the most impressive in the entire farm system prior to his injury — the right-hander has a 1.27 ERA with 10.16 strikeouts per nine innings and hasn’t allowed a home run all season.

Next week’s opponent: Beloit Sky Carp

Single-A Carolina (62-47)

Carolina went 3-4 against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. The Mudcats are two games up in the Carolina League North.

This is your weekly reminder to find a way to watch a Mudcats game (free to watch on Bally Sports’ website). They’re young, feature a ton of the Brewers’ high-ceiling and top-ranked prospects, and put up runs. Carolina seriously might be one of the most stacked Brewers affiliates ever.

Even after the promotions of Peña and Made, the Mudcats’ roster includes:

Braylon Payne (No. 8): Payne had been slashing an astounding .371/.511/.600 over the month prior to landing on the IL. He wasn’t projected to be much of a power hitter coming out of high school, but Payne already has seven home runs this season. The Brewers’ 2024 first-round pick went 1-for-17 with nine strikeouts this week.

Josh Adamczewski (No. 14): Adamczewski hit .444 with a 1.211 OPS in 18 at-bats while walking seven times. Sure, that’s a hot streak, but he was also slashing .346/.438/.533 with five home runs through 179 at-bats this season. Promote him, you cowards.

Bryce Meccage (No. 15): Meccage had a rough last start (2 IP, 3 ER, 3 H) and didn’t pitch this week. Milwaukee’s 2024 second-round pick could stand to improve his command, so the fact that he’s only walked one batter over the last two starts is a definite positive.

Eric Bitonti (No. 19): Bitonti went 5-for-20 on the week. The 19-year-old Bitonti has one of the highest ceilings in the farm system, as evidenced by his league-leading 18 home runs. He’s also still raw, as evidenced by his 34.6% strikeout rate. Bitonti is certainly a work in progress, but has shown more than enough flashes to earn his spot in the Brewers’ top prospect list.

Ethan Dorchies (No. 21): Dorchies has been lights-out since the Brewers promoted him from the Arizona Complex League. The 6’5” righty sported a 1.11 ERA through the first seven games (three starts) with the Mudcats. Unfortunately, his few starts hadn’t been as smooth. In his last three appearances (13 2/3 innings) before this week, Dorchies has a 4.61 ERA with 7 walks.

Single-A has been an adjustment for Dorchies, who started the season in the Arizona Complex League. Regardless, last year’s 10th-round pick is already a five-pitch pitcher and still looks like an early development win for the Brewers’ organization. This week was a subtle improvement on the previous three — Dorchies allowed two earned runs through four innings while striking out three. Dorchies did still walk four batters, a number that he’ll have to cut down significantly if he wants to remain a starter.

Jose Anderson (No. 30): Anderson went 4-for-26 (.154) with a home run and 10 strikeouts this week.

Other standouts over the last week include pitchers Melvin Hernandez (5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 6 K), and Jayden Dubanewicz (4 IP, 4 H, 0 ER). Bryan Rivera struck out eight in six innings, but also allowed five earned runs.

Next week’s opponent: Salem Red Sox

Player of the Week

Cooper Pratt, who had the most home runs in the Brewers’ farm system this week while hitting above .400. Pratt’s had a couple extended cold stretches and a few torrid weeks. He might always be a streaky hitter, but the fact that he’s putting together weeks like this in a pitcher-friendly league is a great sign for his development. I’d like to see how he does in Triple-A. especially because we already know his defense should play at that level. Also — it’s his 21st birthday today. Happy birthday, Cooper!

Play of the Week

Beautiful snag and great situational awareness from Zavier Warren to pick up the 5-2 double play: