It’s heady times for followers of the Class AA Biloxi Shuckers, where the Milwaukee Brewers have built a deep lineup featuring many of the organization’s top prospects.
That was never more on display than July 24, when the Shuckers hit a franchise-record seven homers and won a 10-7 battle against Chattanooga. That haul included three from Blake Burke, two from Josiah Ragsdale and a 30th homer of the season for Andrew Fischer, all of whom are among the top prospects in the organization.
They closed the week with a dramatic 13-7 win, scoring three times in the ninth to take a brief lead, then six times in the 10th after surrendering the lead in the bottom of the ninth. Burke (twice) and Fischer both went deep in that game, too.
But the pitching also had a great week.
On July 21, the Shuckers took a no-hitter into the ninth, starting with six shutout innings by Manuel Rodriguez. Though not blessed with elite velocity, Rodriguez delivered a second consecutive great outing, allowing no hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Rodriguez allowed no runs on two hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in five innings July 12.
Rodriguez (4.74 ERA on the year) was followed by Nick Merkel (1 ⅓ innings) and Jesús Broca (two-thirds of an inning) to carry the no-hitter into the ninth. Though Will Childers allowed a leadoff single, he bounced back to finish off the one-hitter.
Two nights later, the Shuckers were at it again, finishing off a two-hitter and a 1-0 win over the Lookouts.
Yorman Galindez, who remains intriguing despite a 5.84 ERA this season, took a no-hitter into the sixth and finished with one hit in 5 ⅓ innings, two walks and two strikeouts. Galindez hasn’t allowed a run in July, covering 12 innings.
After the promotion of catcher Marco Dinges from Class High A Wisconsin earlier in the week, the Shuckers lineup is the featured attraction, with Josh Adamczewski and No. 1 MLB prospect Jesús Made in the same lineup as Burke, Ragsdale and Fischer. That doesn’t even count intriguing prospects like Dylan O’Rae batting leadoff or Mike Boeve.
Catcher Matthew Wood, batting ninth, ultimately hit the go-ahead homer for the Shuckers on July 24. He has an .896 OPS with 13 homers and 50 RBIs this year. The 25-year-old catcher has been with the Brewers since getting drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 draft.
We’ve been providing weekly updates of the Brewers vaunted farm system all season. With the trade deadline arriving Aug. 3, it’s an especially interesting time to follow Milwaukee’s top prospects:
Here’s what happened last week
Standout performances from the Brewers’ 40-man roster last week
Best performance from a Brewers top prospect
It wasn’t easy to choose between teammates Blake Burke and Andrew Fischer, but Burke was on another level.
The first baseman did, after all, hit three homers in a game July 24 and then followed up with two more July 26, including a three-run homer in extras to pad Biloxi’s advantage in a six-run 10th inning. His RBI single in the ninth helped the Shuckers pull within a run and eventually force the extra frame, with Fischer’s two-run homer briefly giving his team the lead in the ninth.
Did we mention he had the only RBI in a 1-0 win July 23?
Burke had nine hits overall, with six of the extra-base variety, during the week in Chattanooga. He’s got a .960 OPS this season and has 26 homers with 24 steals. Though Fischer became the first Brewers minor-leaguer to reach 30 homers in a season since 2001, there’s a good chance Burke will reach the threshold, too.
Burke ranks as the No. 18 prospect in the organization according to MLB Pipeline.
What about No. 7 prospect Andrew Fischer last week?
While we’re discussing Fischer, you can note he wasn’t satisfied stopping at 30 home runs between two levels this season. He homered again July 25 and July 26, giving him a three-game homer streak and 32 bombs overall.
He’s now nudged ahead of St. Louis top prospect Joshua Báez, who has 31 homers, for the season lead across minor-league baseball.
Fischer had six hits this week and has a 1.033 OPS at Biloxi in 31 games since he was promoted from High Class A Wisconsin. He hit 20 of his homers in Appleton and another 12 with the Shuckers.
According to the Biloxi Shuckers’ Javik Blake, the only other Brewers farmhands to reach 30 minor-league homers in a season are Lance Burkhart in 2001 and John Jaha in 1991.
What did No. 1 prospect Jesús Made do last week?
Made had six hits, including a double, drove in two runs, walked three times and had two steals.
The 19-year-old has a .784 OPS this season at Biloxi, with 10 homers, 66 RBIs and 29 stolen bases. He’s still regarded by most publications as the top prospect in all of baseball.
What did No. 2 prospect Luis Peña do last week?
The shortstop was on a roll again, with six hits in the final four games, including a double and his second home run of the season July 23. He also stole a base.
Peña, 19, has an .848 OPS at Wisconsin, with two homers, 18 RBIs and 22 steals in 141 at-bats.
What did No. 5 prospect Jett Williams do last week?
Still on the seven-day injured list with a wrist ailment, Williams has been out since July 7. The 22-year-old utility player has a .726 OPS this season, with nine homers and 21 steals.
What did No. 6 prospect Josh Adamczewski do last week?
Adamczewski only had four hits all week, but all of them were for extra bases – two homers and two doubles. He also stole a base and made a diving catch in left field.
The 21-year-old has a .986 OPS over two stops this year, including his .907 mark in 30 games at Biloxi.
What did No. 8 prospect Braylon Payne do last week?
The 19-year-old outfielder at Wisconsin just keeps on delivering, with a pair of multi-hit games to end the week and an 8-for-23 week overall with three doubles, seven runs, four walks and a stolen base.
He’s got a .958 OPS for the season. The 2024 draft, in which the Brewers made Payne and Burke the club’s first two picks, is looking incredible, especially given that the team’s top pitching prospect, Tyson Hardin, also got selected that season.
A Brewers minor-league name you might want to learn
Keep an eye on reliever Blake Holub at Nashville. He has a 2.35 ERA in 33 games this year, with 46 strikeouts and 14 walks in 38 ⅓ innings. The right-handed Holub, 27, was acquired when the Brewers traded Mark Canha to the Tigers in 2023.
Brewers minor-league highlights July 20-26
Brewers minor-league games July 27-Aug. 2
All four of the top Brewers minor league teams will be at home this week for their six-game series.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers minor-league report; near no-no, homers make for crazy AA week
Reporting by JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
