Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!
As a reminder, you can find this roundup — covering everything you need to know about each of the Brewers’ minor league affiliates — every Tuesday morning right here on Brew Crew Ball. For consistency, all organizational prospect rankings will reference MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted.
Triple-A Nashville Sounds (20-19)
Opponent: Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds)
Jeferson Quero (No. 8): 7-for-19, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K
Eddys Leonard: 6-for-17, 4 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Jett Williams (No. 3): 6-for-21, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 6 BB, 4 K
Luis Lara (No. 11): 6-for-21, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K
Garrett Stallings: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Coleman Crow (No. 26): 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Carlos Rodriguez: 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 6 BB, 5 K
Robert Gasser (No. 16): 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Now that we’re more than a month into the minor league season, stats are starting to stabilize a bit. Nashville’s offenses has been led by Eddys Leonard, who leads the Sounds with a 1.028 OPS and .345 batting average over 116 at-bats. Luis Lara isn’t far behind him, with a .317/.417/.511 line in 139 at-bats. Other important contributors for the Sounds have included catchers Ramon Rodriguez (.319 batting average, .806 OPS) and Jeferson Quero (.257/.344/.425).
The Sounds have a few top organizational prospects who have struggled to start the season. Cooper Pratt is barely hitting over .200 (.205). He’s hitting .207 over the last month and .205 over the last two weeks, although his numbers are weighed down by a 3-for-24 performance this week. Jett Williams (.243/.360/.354) also had a rough start, although he’s started to turn things around over the last month (.812 OPS).
Brock Wilken (No. 21) has also bounced back recently, but his season long slash line (.179/.316/.317 with just two home runs) is still far from encouraging. He’s struck out 43 times in 123 at-bats, which means he’s striking out in over a third of his at-bats. Luke Adams (No. 12)has been out with a shoulder contusion for almost a month, but he had a .732 OPS in 39 at-bats before going on the IL. Tyler Black, who’s up in Milwaukee right now, has gone 11-for-39 with the Sounds this season.
The Sounds have a lot of pitching depth, but a couple of their starters haven’t had great starts. Tate Kuehner (5.50 ERA) and Coleman Crow (4.70) have had a few rough outings that have ballooned their season-long stats, although both pitchers are still striking out one batter per inning. Carlos Rodriguez (7.91) has been hit even harder over 19.1 innings. Logan Henderson (1.02) has been by far the Sounds’ best starting pitcher, but he’s now in the major league rotation.
With Henderson in Milwaukee, lefty Robert Gasser (4.08) would probably be the next pitcher to get the call to the majors should the Brewers need reinforcements. Gasser’s only allowed one home run all year and has 25 strikeouts to seven walks in 17.2 innings pitched.
Will Childers and Brian Fitzpatrick, who’s now in Milwaukee, both have yet to record an earned run on the season. Jacob Waguespack (11 appearances, 2.25 ERA, 12.94 K/9) pitched extremely well out of the Sounds’ bullpen before being released last week, likely after exercising an opt-out clause.
Next week’s opponent: vs. Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs)
Double-A Biloxi Shuckers (14-18)
Opponent: Columbus Clingstones (Atlanta Braves)
Blake Burke (No. 17): 6-for-21, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
Darrien Miller: 4-for-11, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Mike Boeve: 4-for-14, 1 2B, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 0 K
Manuel Rodriguez: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Dylan O’Rae: 6-for-18, 0 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
1B/DH Blake Burke, who was just named the Brewers Minor League Player of the Month, has turned into a formidable power hitter with the Shuckers. He’s hit 22 homers for the Shuckers since his promotion from High-A in August 2025. Eight of those home runs came in the month of April, along with 8 doubles, a triple, 20 RBI, 17 runs scored, and — perhaps most impressively — 9 stolen bases.
The Brewers don’t usually rush their prospects, so don’t expect to see Burke in the major leagues this year — especially given the wealth of 1B/DH options currently on the 26-man roster. Still, he should be in Triple-A pretty soon if he keeps hitting like this. He’s looking like a legitimate power hitter, a trait that should translate to the majors someday.
Jesus Made’s season-long stats still look solid (.275.360/.427), but his numbers have taken a nosedive over the last month. He’s now hitting .242 with a .698 OPS over the last month. Over the last two weeks, his numbers are down even further (.233 batting average, .578 OPS).
I’ve consistently said not to worry about Made, but at this point he’s been performing below his (admittedly sky-high) expectations for about a month. I still wouldn’t worry too much, for a couple reasons.
One, Made is still a good five years younger than the average Double-A player. Going from High-A to Double-A is often considered the hardest jump in the minor leagues, and pitchers have adjusted to how they pitch him. He was so absurdly good to start the season (and last year) that anything short of eye-popping stats starts to feel like a let-down, but he’s also not striking out that often (16 Ks in his last 95 at-bats) and has still looked like himself at the plate. Development isn’t linear. If Made keeps hitting like this for another month, then it’s worth a deeper dive into his mechanics and approach.
I generally try to avoid speculation, but it’s at least worth noting that Made’s recent downturn has overlapped with the hospitalization of Luis Peña, who collapsed in the dugout during a High-A game. I’ll get into Peña’s situation more in the High-A section below, but the short version is this: Brewers GM Matt Arnold said Peña was okay following the incident, yet he hasn’t appeared in a game in nearly three weeks. The organization announced more than a week ago that Peña was scheduled to see a neurologist, but there hasn’t been any public update from either the Brewers or Peña’s camp since then.
Hitting is as much mental as it is physical, and the Peña situation was undeniably scary. Made and Peña have known each other since they were twelve years old and are reportedly very close. If Peña is still dealing with something serious, it wouldn’t be surprising if that’s affecting Made as well.
Less-heralded prospects Dylan O’Rae, Mike Boeve, and Damon Keith have all continued to play well with the Shuckers. O’Rae is hitting .299 with an .809 OPS, while Keith is hitting .338 with a 1.093 OPS in eighty at-bats. Boeve’s season-long numbers are less impressive, but over the last two weeks he has an OPS of .762.
Tyson Hardin and Brett Wichrowski, both top-30 Brewers prospects, haven’t been effective this season. Hardin had a breakout season in 2025, but he’s already allowed almost as many earned runs (25) as he did all of last season (28) and has an ERA approaching eight. At least he’s still striking guys out, with 43 Ks in less than 30 innings. Wichrowski has nearly identical stats, except that he’s striking out less batters and has allowed twice as many home runs as Hardin.
Manuel Rodriguez (5.40 ERA), Bishop Letson (6.75), and Jaron DeBerry (7.25) have also been struggling. Letson’s at least had a couple solid outings lately, giving up three hits and two runs in four innings in his last appearance. Ryan Birchard has been limiting opponents’ production, but he’s also walked 26 batters in 20 innings.
Next week’s opponent: @ Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays)
High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (19-12)
Opponent: Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis Cardinals)
Luiyin Alastre: 7-for-15, 2 2B, 1 3B, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K
Andrew Fischer (No. 5): 9-for-23, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K
Josiah Ragsdale: 6-for-21, 3 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Eric Bitonti (No. 25): 8-for-23, 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 10 K
Travis Smith: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Braylon Owens: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Bryan Rivera: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Andrew Fischer turned in another impressive week, recording three home runs and six total extra-base hits in just 23 at-bats. Josh Adamczewski (No. 10) and Marco Dinges (No. 9) also both bounced back this week with six hits each. Adamczewski hit two home runs, while Dinges hit one. Adamczewski’s OPS is still over 1.000 on the season, while Dinges’ is “only” .908.
Josiah Ragsdale has also kept hitting. Over the last month, he owns an .883 OPS across 78 at-bats, trailing only Andrew Fischer among Timber Rattlers hitters.
Eric Bitonti has quietly been great over the last month, with a .257/.382/.473 line over 74 at-bats. Bitonti still strikes out way too much (30 Ks in those 74 at-bats), but this stretch has still brought his strikeout rate down. He won’t be promoted until he refines his approach, but he’s been showing that the hit tool is still very much there.
Luis Peña, the Brewers’ No. 2 prospect, is the best prospect on the Timber Rattlers. As I mentioned above, Peña still hasn’t played since the medical emergency on April 22nd, and the organization hasn’t given any updates on him since they announced he was scheduled to see a neurologist last Monday. Simply put, that’s not great.
Like I also said above, I hate to speculate, but it seems logical to conclude that there may be more going on here than initially meets the eye. Peña was diagnosed with heatstroke, but has now missed almost three weeks. Furthermore, the Brewers haven’t placed him on the injured list. If he had been cleared to play, the Brewers would have obviously announced that, even if they were giving him some time to recover before throwing him back in the lineup. I’m not going to guess what’s going on, but it’s clearly something. Hopefully he’s alright and will be back in the lineup soon.
Wisconsin has four pitchers who threw more than 20 innings this month — Travis Smith, Ethan Dorchies, Braylon Owens, and Wande Torres. Other than Smith (3.42), the others had ERAs between 4.50 and 6.95.
Next week’s opponent: vs. South Bend Cubs (Chicago Cubs)
Single-A Wilson Warbirds (15-17)
Opponent: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros)
Luis Lameda: 5-for-13, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K
Frederi Montero: 5-for-14, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 2 K
Handelfry Encarnacion: 6-for-25, 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 6 K
Juan Ortuno: 5-for-14, 2 2B, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Jacob Morrison: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Jarrette Bonet: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Tanner Perry: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
Tyler Renz: 4 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Player of the Month: Jarrette Bonet (this week: 7.2 IP, 10 H, 9 ER, 6 BB, 7 K)
Jarrett Bonet, named the Brewers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April, went 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA over 23.1 innings pitched. He racked up 26 strikeouts while posting an opponent batting average of just .222 (18-for-81). Bonet was signed as a free agent after last year’s draft and is quickly surpassing expectations with the Warbirds.
Although the season-long hitting stats look pretty bad so far, the bats have continued to heat up as Wilson inches closer to .500. Infielder Luis Lameda is slashing .318/,439/.379 this season. Handelfry Encarnacion, who won Carolina League Player of the Week last week, has shown some serious power over the last month with five homers and ten extra-base hits. Over that same stretch, Pedro Ibarguen is hitting .327 with a .929 OPS and Brady Ebel (No. 14) has a .388 OBP. Ebel is still hitting south of .200 on the season, but he’s clearly improving at the plate.
Wilson doesn’t really have a workhorse starter outside of Bonet (31 IP). After Bonet, Enderson Mercado ranks second on the staff in innings pitched, though he’s struggled to a 6.58 ERA. Tyler Renz (3.38 ERA in 26 2/3 innings), Miqueas Mercedes (3.04 ERA in 23 2/3 innings), and Garrett Hodges (2.00 ERA in 18 innings) have all quietly put together strong seasons.
Next week’s opponent: vs. Hill City Howlers (Cleveland Guardians)
Andrew Fischer, who hit three home runs in a week for the second time in the last month. It’s easy to forget Fischer, who’s slashing .274/.365/.623 with a .988 OPS and nine home runs in his first full professional season, was playing in the College World Series less than a year ago. At this rate, it would be surprising if he isn’t viewed as a top-50 prospect in baseball by the end of the year.
I couldn’t find a defensive play that impressed me as much as this filthy strikeout from Craig Yoho:
