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.
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The Sounds just finished up their season this week, and the Shuckers will be done either Tuesday or Wednesday. You can expect the annual Minor League Season Roundup next Tuesday, but for now, here’s the final weekly roundup of the season.
Triple-A Nashville Sounds
Current record: 80-69
Record this week: 2-4
This week’s opponent: vs. Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals)
Next week’s opponent: None
Standout performances:
Jonathan Ornelas: 7-for-20, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Eduardo Garcia: 5-for-16, 2 RBI, BB, 7 K
Brandon Lockridge: 5-for-18, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB, 6 K
Akil Baddoo: 5-for-18, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Tyler Black: 5-for-22, 3 2B, RBI, BB, 4 K
Bryse Wilson: 6 1/3 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Coleman Crow: 9 2/3 IP, 12 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
Tate Kuehner: 4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
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The Sounds ended their season by dropping four of six games to the Memphis Redbirds, an inconspicuous ending to what was largely a successful season.
Infielder Jonathan Ornelas led the Sounds with a 7-for-20 performance that included his first two home runs as a Sound. Ornelas, who got a cup of coffee with the Brewers due to injuries earlier in the summer, is slashing .213/.327/.362 in 47 at-bats with Nashville.
Brandon Lockridge has now been in Triple-A for over a month. After this week’s 5-for-18 showing, he’s hitting .253 with a .701 OPS in the minors. Lockridge more than held his own in Milwaukee (.273 average, albeit with a .658 OPS), so while he’s not supplanting Luis Lara or Sal Frelick anytime soon, there’s a world in which he ends up on the bench in the playoffs as a pinch-runner and late-game defensive specialist.
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Aside from Lockridge, Akil Baddoo, Tyler Black, and Eduardo Garcia each had solid weeks. None of the three appear to be in the Brewers’ future plans, but each has held his own this year in Triple-A. Black has put up a .755 OPS in 354 at-bats this year and seems like a candidate to end up somewhere else this winter.
As for the pitching staff, Coleman Crow got hit around a bit but managed to limit the damage, allowing 12 hits but only two runs over 9 2/3 innings. Tate Kuehner put together another solid start; since coming off the injured list last month, he hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his six appearances. In four of those outings, he’s allowed one or fewer earned runs, including this week’s start. Bryse Wilson was even better, tossing 6 1/3 shutout innings while striking out seven during his rehab assignment.
Double-A Biloxi Shuckers
Current record: 68-69
Record this week: 2-1
This week’s opponent: Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Miami Marlins) (Southern League Division Series)
Next week’s opponent: Rocket City Trash Pandas (Los Angeles Angels) (Southern League Championship Series)
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Standout performances:
Matthew Wood: 5-for-10, 2 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K
Dylan O’Rae: 5-for-12, RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Damon Keith: 4-for-12, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 6 K
Andrew Fischer: 3-for-13, HR, 3 RBI, 4 K
Jesús Made: 3-for-13, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Bishop Letson: 5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
J.D. Thompson: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Josh Knoth: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Biloxi finished the first half with the best record in the South Division of the Southern League, so they’ve had a playoff spot secured for about half the season. This week, they finally got to prove their mettle and did not disappoint. The Shuckers swept a three-game set against the Blue Wahoos, winning the opener 6-3 and the clincher by an even more decisive 8-3.
Game 1 was deadlocked at 0-0 as Pensacola starter, and Madison, Wisconsin, native, Jacob Kisting (10-0, 1.72 ERA) no-hit the Shuckers through four innings. However, things took a turn when Kisting opened the fifth with two fastballs that were much slower than his normal velocity, and Shuckers outfielder Damon Keith tagged the second one for a solo home run. Kisting was clearly in pain after the pitch and was immediately pulled from the game. Biloxi then hung five runs on his replacement, Nigel Belgrave, to take the first game of the series.
In Game 2, Biloxi took a quick 6-0 lead and never looked back thanks to three two-run homers from Jesús Made, Matthew Wood, and Braylon Payne. Payne’s was an absolute laser, clearing the fence while he was still in the batter’s box.
Yeah, you read that right: 117 mph, which happens to be the hardest-hit ball by a Shucker this season. It’s not surprising that it came off the bat of Payne, whose 28 homers this season trail only Andrew Fischer (who’s had a record-breaking season) and Blake Burke.
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After sweeping the Blue Wahoos, Biloxi advanced to the Southern League Championship Series, where they dropped Game 1 to the Rocket City Trash Pandas, 5-4, despite home runs from Josh Adamczewski and Andrew Fischer. Fischer went opposite field to give the Shuckers a 4-2 lead.
Starter Josh Knoth went six strong innings and put the Shuckers in a position to win, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. Each of Biloxi’s starters this week — Bishop Letson, J.D. Thompson, and Knoth — went at least five innings and allowed no more than two runs. All three have had their fair share of ups and downs this year, but they’ve looked better as the season has gone on, and their playoff performances can only give Brewers fans more reason to be excited about their development.
Finally, Blake Burke was named the Southern League MVP (despite having been in Nashville since August 10). This season, he became the first player to hit 30 home runs in the Southern League since 2015, while his 91 RBIs broke the Shuckers’ single-season record of 90, set by Jackson Chourio in 2023. Burke slashed .285/.367/.603 (.970 OPS) in 375 at-bats with the Shuckers.
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Biloxi will need to win each of its next two games to claim the first title in franchise history — and the first outright title by a Brewers Double-A affiliate since 1994. Game 2 & a potential Game 3 will be held in Madison, Alabama at the home of the Trash Pandas. Game 2 is set for 6:35 p.m. CT on Tuesday night, and Game 3 would also be at 6:35 p.m. on Wednesday night.
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