Sports
Quero's Return Restarts Prospect Dilemma for Brewers
While the Brewers spent the weekend trying to get back into the National League playoff race, a storyline with ramifications for their long-term plans took a significant step forward in Nashville. When the Brewers have been going well this season it’s often revolved around All Star catcher and two-time MVP vote recipient William Contreras, who […]

While the Brewers spent the weekend trying to get back into the National League playoff race, a storyline with ramifications for their long-term plans took a significant step forward in Nashville.
When the Brewers have been going well this season it’s often revolved around All Star catcher and two-time MVP vote recipient William Contreras, who has earned a reputation as one of the game’s best backstops. Contreras is one of just a few players in the sport to combine middle of the order caliber offensive production with solid defense behind the plate and this season no one in baseball has caught more games than he has.
At the top level of the minors, however, the Brewers also have one of the game’s top catching prospects. Jeferson Quero is 22 years old and was making a rapid climb to the big leagues, reaching the AAA level after just 208 regular season games in the minors, when disaster struck in his debut at that level. He suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder while running the bases in the first game of the 2024 season and missed the entire year. A hamstring injury suffered during his rehab further delayed his return. Even with over a year on the shelf, however, Quero is still rated as one of the game’s elite young talents. MLB Pipeline has Quero as the #38 prospect in all of baseball and the #5 catcher.
Quero on the Comeback
Meanwhile, Quero has been on the way back. He spent much of the month of May on a rehab assignment with the Brewers’ Arizona Complex League team and performed as one might expect from an elite prospect playing against some of the game’s youngest minor leaguers: He batted .371 with a .500 on-base percentage and .886 slugging in 11 games in the desert with five home runs, including one in each of his last three games there. On Tuesday the Brewers activated him off the injured list in Nashville and he played in four games during the Sounds’ series with Gwinnett, reaching base safely in each contest.
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The Brewers watch all of their prospects’ progress with great interest, of course, but Quero’s performance this season might have more significant ramifications than most. As noted previously he’s still only 22 years old (almost five years younger than the average AAA player) and has played in just a handful of games at the AAA level, but he’s on the cusp of the big leagues. If he establishes that he’s healthy and able to perform at that level, then he’s going to leave the Brewers with a challenging decision to make.
When the Brewers acquired William Contreras following the 2022 season he looked like an offense-first catcher destined to eventually move to a less demanding position, not unlike the path his brother Willson has followed with the Cardinals. The younger Contreras has evolved into a solid contributor behind the plate, however, and now generates a significant amount of value with his play there. As noted above, he also plays there more often than most. A move off the catcher position might allow him to stay healthier (he’s already playing through a broken finger), but it also might impact his value. Contreras also has a significant financial incentive to stay behind the plate: He’s scheduled to become a free agent following the 2027 season and would be significantly more valuable if he reaches the market as one of the game’s top catchers.
Behind the Plate
Quero, however, has been exclusively a catcher throughout his minor league career. Before this season’s rehab assignment, he had never even appeared in a game as a designated hitter, much less another defensive position. And, perhaps even more so than Contreras, he generates a lot of value with his work behind the plate: He was a minor league Gold Glove Award winner in 2023, a season where he threw out the second-highest percentage of would-be base stealers of any full time catcher in the minors.
The Brewers’ recent roster situation makes it increasingly difficult for them to find playing time at the MLB level for two catchers. Christian Yelich has been their designated hitter for 57 of his 63 games this season, which doesn’t leave much room for the Brewers to play one backstop in the field and keep the other in the lineup. Neither Contreras nor Quero have played a professional game at first base, another frequent option for a relocated catcher. And with Quero already at the AAA level and Contreras still under team control with the Brewers for this season and two more, this also probably isn’t a question the Brewers can simply wait out.
As always, having too many talented players might be the best problem an MLB team can have. If Jeferson Quero is fully recovered and ready to resume his role as one of Minor League Baseball’s top catchers, however, then it might create a challenge for the Brewers to balance playing time for two young stars at the same position.
Sports
Lion Football announces 2025 home kick-off times
By Lion Athletics The East Texas A&M University football team has announced its kick-off times for the five home games on Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium in 2025. The Lions begin their home slate on September 27 against NC Central and then host four Southland Conference opponents in October and November. East Texas A&M […]

By Lion Athletics
The East Texas A&M University football team has announced its kick-off times for the five home games on Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium in 2025.
The Lions begin their home slate on September 27 against NC Central and then host four Southland Conference opponents in October and November.
East Texas A&M is coming off a 3-9 season, including going 3-5 in conference play, and winning two of its three games at home, beating SFA and HCU, who the Lions host once again this year.
Season tickets are on sale and can be purchased at LionAthletics.com/Tickets. More information on single-game tickets and tailgating will be released later this month. The 2025 season begins on the road at SMU on August 30.
Date | Opponent | Time |
Sept. 27 | NC Central FAMILY WEEKEND |
6 p.m. |
Oct. 11 | Lamar | 6 p.m. |
Oct. 25 | SFA HOMECOMING |
6 p.m. |
Nov. 8 | McNeese | 4 p.m. |
Nov. 15 | HCU | 4 p.m. |
Featured Photo: Lion Football released game times for its 2025 home schedule | Photo by Lion Athletics
Sports
America’s Achilles’ Heel in the AI Race
If you’ve ever watched or played water polo, you know that matches involve two drastically different battles. Above the surface, there is fluid motion and effortless passing. But below the surface, there’s grabbing and kicking and constant positioning for control. That’s also happening with the global race to reach artificial superintelligence (ASI) first. Because ASI […]

If you’ve ever watched or played water polo, you know that matches involve two drastically different battles.
Above the surface, there is fluid motion and effortless passing.
But below the surface, there’s grabbing and kicking and constant positioning for control.
That’s also happening with the global race to reach artificial superintelligence (ASI) first.
Because ASI won’t be achieved by algorithms alone — that’s just the battle going on above the surface.
You also need infrastructure, including advanced data centers, high-efficiency chips and a lot of specialized hardware.
And you can’t build any of this without a small group of minerals with names most people have never heard of… or even pronounce.
Neodymium… dysprosium… terbium… samarium.
They’re called rare earth elements. And they’re becoming a big problem for the U.S.
Because we might currently lead the race to ASI, but China dominates nearly every step of the rare earth supply chain.
That’s the battle unfolding under the surface today…
A cold war being waged over the rare earth elements that power AI.
The Chinese Choke Point
Without rare earth elements, modern AI hardware would grind to a halt.
They’re what allow high-efficiency motors to spin. They make advanced sensors work.
And perhaps most importantly, they’re what goes into the permanent magnets used in everything from missile guidance systems to the cooling fans in AI accelerator racks.
Over 70% of global rare earth mining happens in China.
But China’s real leverage is in processing, where the country controls as much as 90% of global refining capacity.
Distribution of rare earths production worldwide as of 2024, by country
Source: statista.com
It’s a strategic vulnerability for the U.S. — and we’re not blameless for the predicament we find ourselves in today.
After all, China didn’t become dominant in rare earths by accident.
This has been a 30-year strategy…
One that involved massive subsidies, tightly controlled domestic demand and environmental sacrifices few democracies would accept.
According to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, thanks in large part to its vertical integration of industrial supply chains, China now leads in 7 out of 10 advanced industries globally.
China’s global market shares in advanced industries
Source: Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Which means China’s rare earth advantage impacts much more than AI.
It gives them an advantage in developing robotics.
Quantum computing.
Advanced defense systems.
All the things that will define economic and military power in the 21st century.
And China is using this advantage as a geopolitical bargaining chip.
Like when Beijing imposed new licensing restrictions on rare earth exports in response to Trump’s proposed tariffs.
Specifically, China blocked shipments of heavy rare earths like samarium, which is essential for missile guidance systems and the radar units inside fighter jets like the F‑35.
Each F‑35 contains about 920 pounds of rare earth materials.
Without them, building or repairing these jets becomes a lot more difficult.
Back in June, President Trump’s trade team tried to get ahead of these restrictions by negotiating a limited truce with China over critical tech exports.
The U.S. agreed to ease certain export restrictions on advanced chip design software and select petrochemicals like ethane during these negotiations.
In return, China committed to resuming some rare earth exports…
But only for civilian use, and only under six-month licenses.
That left America’s defense and AI industries dangerously exposed.
While commercial magnet users were able to source limited quantities, many were forced to pay a premium of up to 30% for non-Chinese supply.
And military-grade materials, especially the high-purity samarium magnets used in precision weapons systems, remained off-limits.
So what’s the U.S. doing about it?
After all, we have deposits in places like Mountain Pass, California and Round Top, Texas.
But even if we mined them completely, it still wouldn’t cover our needs.
And refining them? That’s another story entirely.
MP Materials, the United States’ largest domestic producer, still sends its output to China for final processing.
That’s like drilling for oil in Texas, then shipping it overseas to be refined into gasoline.
The Pentagon is trying to fix this. It’s funding magnet manufacturing plants in Oklahoma and pushing for rare earth refineries in Louisiana and Nebraska.
Congress has also proposed tax credits to boost domestic magnet production.
But most of these projects won’t come online until 2026 or later.
By then, China could have even tighter control over the market. It’s already investing heavily in its own AI infrastructure, including a $50 billion expansion of its “Big Fund” to bolster its domestic semiconductor ecosystem.
And that’s another element of this tech cold war that the mainstream media has overlooked.
You hear about the U.S. trying to uncouple from Chinese materials.
But you rarely hear about the fact that China is also actively working to replace the last few pieces of Western technology it still relies on.
China wants to own everything from mining and refining to chip design and AI training. That way it can operate with total independence from U.S. or European suppliers.
It’s the logical next move in this tech cold war. And it’s why supply chains now matter as much as semiconductors.
Here’s My Take
Last week was another reminder of how fragile our place is in this high-stakes global supply chain.
On July 3, the Trump administration agreed to lift U.S. restrictions on chip-design software and ethane exports, largely due to China’s rare earths embargo.
In return, Beijing promised to extend six-month export licenses for civilian materials.
But military-grade elements like samarium? They’re still off the table.
It shows you that when it comes to rare earth minerals, China has all the leverage.
Sure, the U.S. leads in foundational AI research. We have better chips, stronger alliances and our government is clearly aware of the risks we face here.
But if we want to win the race to ASI, we have to build an industrial base that matches our ambition.
Otherwise, we might crack the ASI algorithm, but China will own the machines that run it.
Regards,
Ian King
Chief Strategist, Banyan Hill Publishing
Editor’s Note: We’d love to hear from you!
If you want to share your thoughts or suggestions about the Daily Disruptor, or if there are any specific topics you’d like us to cover, just send an email to dailydisruptor@banyanhill.com.
Don’t worry, we won’t reveal your full name in the event we publish a response. So feel free to comment away!
Sports
Minnesota AD says Gophers have $8.75M deficit after House settlement
Coyle’s presentation included a slide about new men’s basketball coach Niko Medved, who replaced Ben Johnson in a coaching change after the season. The Gophers are banking on Medved’s arrival sparking more success on the court and thus renewed excitement around the program to help improve sagging ticket sales. That alone won’t be enough to […]
Coyle’s presentation included a slide about new men’s basketball coach Niko Medved, who replaced Ben Johnson in a coaching change after the season. The Gophers are banking on Medved’s arrival sparking more success on the court and thus renewed excitement around the program to help improve sagging ticket sales.
That alone won’t be enough to offset new revenue-sharing costs.
Universities across the country are searching for creative solutions while also making difficult choices in incorporating athlete compensation into their budgets. Even leaders of the wealthiest athletic departments are grappling with this expense.
“Everybody is having the same stressful conversations,” Coyle said.
Eliminating more sports programs is not included in his conversations, Coyle said. In 2020, he dropped men’s gymnastics, men’s tennis and men’s indoor track and field. Coyle said cost savings tied to that decision helped prepare for the House settlement, but he added: “I don’t want to go through that again. I think we’re at the right sports offerings right now.”
His plan includes belt-tightening on budgets, an uptick in media rights revenue distribution from the Big Ten and a new student fee. Coyle said he began preparing for this financial eventuality a few years ago.
Sports
VYPE HOU 2025 Preseason Volleyball Outside Hitter Of The Year Fan Poll
Please note that the use of voting software or bots will result in a deletion of votes and a potential DQ from the contest. PLEASE try to keep this fair and fun for all involved! All athlete polls and their content are only associated and created by VYPE Media and its staff. The content is […]

Sports
Reports: Clippers the favorite to sign Bradley Beal – Field Level Media – Professional sports content solutions
The Los Angeles Clippers are emerging as the favorite to land Bradley Beal once the guard is expected to hit free agency, according to two reports Tuesday. NBC Sports and The Athletic both reported that the three-time All Star is likely to land in Los Angeles, should the Phoenix Suns buy out his contract as […]

The Los Angeles Clippers are emerging as the favorite to land Bradley Beal once the guard is expected to hit free agency, according to two reports Tuesday.
NBC Sports and The Athletic both reported that the three-time All Star is likely to land in Los Angeles, should the Phoenix Suns buy out his contract as expected.
Last week, the Arizona Republic reported that the 32-year-old could be bought out of the final two years of his contract, with the team and player already discussing terms.
Beal has nearly $111 million remaining on his contract, per Spotrac.
The Clippers trading away Norman Powell — as part of a deal to bring in John Collins — was seen as “a precursor to the Beal signing,” NBC Sports reported. The team still wants a sharpshooting ball-handler to play alongside James Harden.
Beal signed a five-year, $251 million deal with a no-trade clause in July 2022 when he was still with the Washington Wizards. The Suns acquired Beal in June 2023, trading multiple draft assets in exchange.
According to The Athletic, the Clippers can offer Beal up to $5.3 million in salary this season.
“The work’s not done. We still have a lot of work to do, but I think we’re moving in the right direction to give this group a chance to be better than we were last year,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said following the Collins-Powell trade.
Beal has also considered joining the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks, per The Athletic.
A former No. 3 overall draft pick, Beal has been limited to 53 games in each of his two seasons with the Suns, and he has not played as many as 60 games in any season since 2020-21.
Beal averaged 17.0 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 53 games (38 starts) last season. He has career averages of 21.5 points, 4.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 801 games (752 starts) with the Wizards and Suns.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Van Buren Collects CSC Academic All-America First Team Honors
Story Links GREENWOOD, Ind. – Capping off a remarkable collegiate career blended with elite athletic performance and academic excellence, Loyola University Chicago’s Parker Van Buren has been named to the 2025 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America® At-Large First Team, selected by CSC members. The prestigious award marks the program’s first […]

GREENWOOD, Ind. – Capping off a remarkable collegiate career blended with elite athletic performance and academic excellence, Loyola University Chicago’s Parker Van Buren has been named to the 2025 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America® At-Large First Team, selected by CSC members. The prestigious award marks the program’s first CSC Academic All-American since Peter Jasaitis made the third team in 2014, and its first-ever first teamer in Van Buren.
After earning his spot on the CSC Academic All-District team earlier this summer, alongside juniors Brad Bell and Ryan McElligott, Van Buren was the sole men’s volleyball student-athlete selected to the First Team, and one of two volleyball players on the Academic All-America At-Large Division I Team.
The Cross Plains, Wis. native graduated as one of the most decorated student-athletes in Loyola history. As a two-time MIVA Player of the Year and MBA graduate, Van Buren finished his academic career with a 3.96 GPA while leading the Ramblers to their fourth MIVA Tournament Championship and first NCAA Tournament berth since 2015.
Van Buren started in all but one match for Loyola this season, posting a career-best .403 hitting percentage. He led the team and the MIVA in kills (435), averaging 4.39 per set, and in service aces (47 total). His performances elevated him to third in the Ramblers’ all-time kills list with 1,647 as well as the third all-time ace leader with 135.
Van Buren’s selection to the CSC Academic All-America First Team places him among the nation’s top scholar-athletes, recognizing his dedication and leadership throughout his Loyola career.
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