Brewers minor-league report; Coleman Crow throwing great in August
If the Milwaukee Brewers indeed need another starting pitcher down the stretch, they have an option at Class AAA Nashville who’s been dealing.
Coleman Crow (still No. 23 on MLB Pipeline) was strong again for Nashville on Aug. 20, allowing no earned runs on five hits in six innings, with two walks and six strikeouts. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in 18⅔ innings in August, and he has an 8-1 record in the minors this year with a 3.13 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 78 innings (a 1.13 WHIP).
Crow has a 5.30 ERA in five big-league games this year, and the Brewers haven’t needed to dip into more pitching depth, with their six-man rotation rolling for most of the season. And the rotation will likely get shortened to five pitchers as we get closer to October. But on the same day Robert Gasser was removed from the middle of an at-bat, the 25-year-old showed he’s ready for another shot if called upon.
- Class AAA Nashville (68-57) allowed only one run in sweeping a doubleheader at Norfolk (Baltimore Orioles) on Aug. 23, capping a rain-shortened 3-2 week.
- Class AA Biloxi (56-59) finally snapped its 12-game losing streak, but not much else went right in a 1-4 week vs. Rocket City (Los Angeles Angels).
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Class High A Wisconsin (62-53) finished the week 2-4 against Lake County (Cleveland Guardians).
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Class A Wilson (62-54) busted out the bats Aug. 23 for a 14-3 win to cap a 2-3 week vs. Salem (Boston Red Sox).
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The Dominican Summer League Gold team went 2-1 in pool play of the DSL Cup but didn’t advance because of tiebreakers. It ended the season 34-20 and then 2-1 in the postseason. The DSL Blue finished 31-24 and didn’t qualify for the Cup. The Arizona Complex League rookie-league season has been over for weeks, with the team finishing 26-34.
Class AAA Nashville (68-57) allowed only one run in sweeping a doubleheader at Norfolk (Baltimore Orioles) on Aug. 23, capping a rain-shortened 3-2 week.
Class AA Biloxi (56-59) finally snapped its 12-game losing streak, but not much else went right in a 1-4 week vs. Rocket City (Los Angeles Angels).
Class High A Wisconsin (62-53) finished the week 2-4 against Lake County (Cleveland Guardians).
Class A Wilson (62-54) busted out the bats Aug. 23 for a 14-3 win to cap a 2-3 week vs. Salem (Boston Red Sox).
The Dominican Summer League Gold team went 2-1 in pool play of the DSL Cup but didn’t advance because of tiebreakers. It ended the season 34-20 and then 2-1 in the postseason. The DSL Blue finished 31-24 and didn’t qualify for the Cup. The Arizona Complex League rookie-league season has been over for weeks, with the team finishing 26-34.
- Sal Frelick has been productive during his rehab stint at Nashville, including another five hits in three games last week (two doubles, homer, two RBIs). Expect the outfielder back with the Brewers sometime this week.
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Brandon Sproat threw three hitless innings Aug. 23, part of a no-hitter with teammate Tate Kuehner over the seven-inning game against Norfolk. Sproat has a 4.50 ERA in three games at Class AAA, with 18 strikeouts in 12 innings and a strong 1.17 WHIP.
Sal Frelick has been productive during his rehab stint at Nashville, including another five hits in three games last week (two doubles, homer, two RBIs). Expect the outfielder back with the Brewers sometime this week.
Brandon Sproat threw three hitless innings Aug. 23, part of a no-hitter with teammate Tate Kuehner over the seven-inning game against Norfolk. Sproat has a 4.50 ERA in three games at Class AAA, with 18 strikeouts in 12 innings and a strong 1.17 WHIP.
Luis Peña has been reported as the top-flight prospect who would have headed to Detroit if the Brewers had landed pitcher Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline. That, of course, didn’t happen and, despite being the No. 2 prospect in the organization and one of the best in all of baseball, Peña’s playing like he has something to prove.
He was promoted at 19 years old to Biloxi last week and he’s gotten a hit in every game he’s played, including his first Class AA home run Aug. 20. He’s driven in three and stolen two bases, bringing his season totals to a .821 OPS, three homers and 31 steals in 60 games.
The shortstop, now among the youngest players in the Southern League, won’t turn 20 until November.
It was quiet for the top prospect in baseball. Made had three hits last week, all singles, with one RBI and a stolen base. The 19-year-old has a .779 OPS this season with 13 homers, 80 RBIs and 33 steals.
Adamczewski had a slow week, with three hits (one double) and two walks in five games, with one steal. The 21-year-old has an .856 OPS in 49 games since his promotion to Class AA, with seven homers, six steals and 28 RBIs.
Ebel collected four hits in his first week promoted to Wisconsin and started the week going 0-for-0 with four walks and a run scored. He racked up three doubles and has an .825 OPS for the season, most of that at Wilson. Ebel, one of Milwaukee’s first-round picks in 2025, turned 19 in late July.
Fischer hit his 38th home run of the season and is up to 92 RBIs between two levels, with a 1.015 OPS. It was, however, his only hit of the week – he went 1-for-19. He has a .911 OPS in 55 games at Biloxi.
In his first full week at Class AA, Payne had four hits, including a double, with three RBIs. For the season, the newly turned 20-year-old outfielder has an .899 OPS between two levels.
It was the final week for the Dominican Summer League last week, with one last new name to learn:
Paul Hoff allowed just one hit and one unearned run in five innings of the Aug. 21 playoff win, with four punchouts and two walks. The 6-foot-5, 19-year-old right-hander had a 6-0 record this season with a 2.01 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 45 innings, finishing with a 1.14 WHIP. It’s his second year in the DSL after he had a 3.64 ERA in 30 innings last year.
- We could just as easily give the prospect of the week nod to Brailyn Antunez (No. 29 on Pipeline) again, just like we did two weeks ago and debated doing last week. The Wilson 18-year-old is on a tear, closing the week on a nine-game hitting streak. In his five games, he had 10 hits, including a double and a triple, eight RBIs, a pair of walks and three steals. The outfielder has a .990 OPS for the season but he’s had an otherworldly 1.256 OPS in 22 games since promotion to High A.
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Eric Bitonti (No. 26 on Pipeline) went 4-for-4 with two homers Aug. 23, driving in three and capping off a strong week at Wisconsin. He was also caught stealing for just the first time all year after his first 22 successful attempts. The 6-5, 218-pound 20-year-old also homered and stole a base earlier in the week and is up to 22 in both departments. He has an .896 OPS for the year.
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Handelfry Encarnacion (No. 24 on Pipeline) had a great week for Wilson, with eight hits in the final three games, including a double and a homer, and eight RBIs for the week. He also stole two bases and walked four times. The 19-year-old has 12 homers, 25 steals and a .780 OPS this season.
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Blake Burke (No. 12 on Pipeline) cracked his first Triple-A homer Aug. 20, driving in a pair of runs. It’s been a slow start at Nashville for the slugging first baseman, with a .582 OPS in 11 games and only one homer and no steals, along with 18 strikeouts and six walks. He’s two stolen bases away from a 30/30 season after he belted 30 homers at Biloxi. The 23-year-old still has a .930 OPS for the season.
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In his first week of pro baseball, 2026 first-round pick Trey Ebel (No. 17 on Pipeline) had six hits for Wilson, including a double, four RBIs, eight walks and two stolen bases. The 17-year-old has been playing shortstop, a space occupied by his older brother, Brady, who was promoted to Wisconsin.
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Sawyer Strosnider (No. 16 on Pipeline) not only hit his first career home run to his father last week at Wisconsin, but he finished the week with five hits, a double, three walks and three steals. Two weeks into his pro career, he has an .877 OPS. The Brewers took him in the second round of the 2026 draft.
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Kyle Jones (No. 25 on Pipeline), a 2026 third-round pick, doubled among his four hits last week at Wilson, with three RBIs, three walks and three steals. The 21-year-old from Florida has a .716 OPS in his first 46 professional at-bats.
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Tyson Hardin (No. 7 on Pipeline) allowed just one hit over four innings at Nashville on Aug. 23, striking out seven and walking nobody. He has a 5.85 ERA this year but 120 strikeouts in 105 innings.
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Jaron DeBerry (No. 27 on Pipeline) allowed four hits and just one earned run (two total) in six innings for Biloxi on Aug. 22, with two walks and eight strikeouts. DeBerry has a 4.41 ERA with 127 strikeouts over 114 innings.
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Jayden Dubanewicz (No. 22 on Pipeline) permitted two earned runs and three hits in 5⅓ innings, with three walks and five strikeouts for Wisconsin on Aug. 22. He has a 4.22 ERA this year across three levels, with 71 strikeouts in 75 innings.
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Josh Knoth (No. 9 on Pipeline) allowed one earned run on three hits in five innings, with four walks and four strikeouts Aug. 19 at Wisconsin. The 21-year-old has a 4.46 ERA this year and 70 strikeouts in 69 innings.
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Including three more scoreless innings, Wisconsin reliever Jose Meneses has allowed just one earned run in his last 12⅔ innings. The 21-year-old has a 1.04 WHIP and 2.29 ERA across stops in Wilson and Wisconsin this year, with 69 strikeouts in 55 innings. The left-hander from Venezuela has been mostly under the radar as a prospect, far surpassing his numbers from last season in the rookie league and Class A.
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Right-handed reliever Cameron Wagoner was back after a foot injury kept him on the shelf for two weeks at Nashville. He threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts Aug. 20 and has a 2.03 ERA for the year with 47 strikeouts in 34 innings.
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Jacob Morrison allowed just one hit in four innings Aug. 23 for Wisconsin, facing one over the minimum with zero walks and six strikeouts. He has a 1.24 WHIP and 4.76 ERA this year in 15 games, with 56 strikeouts in 51 innings. The 6-8 22-year-old was drafted in the third round last year.
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It was more good stuff from Daniel Dickinson, the 22-year-old second baseman at Wisconsin having a surging second half. He went 3-for-4 on Aug. 21 with two RBIs and two steals, his second two-steal day of the week. He had eight hits on the week, including two doubles and a triple, plus two walks, five steals and three RBIs. He’s up to an .851 OPS on the year and is second in the Midwest League with 51 steals.
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It’s easy to forget about former first-round pick Eric Brown Jr., but he had a really nice week at Nashville, getting six hits in the final four games of the week, including a home run. The 27th overall pick in 2022 is still trying to rediscover his prospect status, with a .701 OPS for the year (though it’s .800 in 14 games at AAA), but he has a solid .349 on-base percentage, with six homers and nine steals in 213 at-bats this season. The 25-year-old shortstop spent most of the season at Biloxi.
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Carsten Sabathia III has been mashing in his early days with Wilson, getting six hits last week, including a homer and two doubles, with three RBIs and a stolen base. The 22-year-old son of Brewers royalty has a 1.118 OPS in his first 10 games, with two homers.
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Josue Rodriguez delivered huge performances for the Dominican Summer League Gold team in the round-robin portion of the DSL Cup, with a six-RBI performance Aug. 21 that featured two homers. He finished 3-for-4 with three runs and two walks in that game, and that was after a homer and three RBIs in an Aug. 20 game. He closed the regular season by driving in five runs Aug. 18 and seven overall over two games, with a double, a homer, five hits overall, a stolen base and a walk. The 17-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic has an .866 OPS this year, helped by a .412 on-base mark.
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Also, in the DSL postseason, Ricki Moneys went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs on Aug. 20, then doubled Aug. 21 with two walks and a stolen base. The 17-year-old top young prospect had a .919 OPS in the regular season, with five homers and 28 steals.
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Leanders Matos finished his strong DSL season with two hits Aug. 22 (and two RBIs), plus two runs scored, three walks and a stolen base the day before. The 17-year-old infielder finished the regular season with a gaudy 1.045 OPS (.456 on-base percentage) with 10 homers, 19 steals and 52 RBIs in 185 at-bats.
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Raymond Sarmiento was the other DSL Gold star of note, working six no-hit innings and walking just two, with five strikeouts. He’s 18 years old and will be 19 next spring. He had a 3.51 ERA and 4-0 record in 11 regular-season games.
We could just as easily give the prospect of the week nod to Brailyn Antunez (No. 29 on Pipeline) again, just like we did two weeks ago and debated doing last week. The Wilson 18-year-old is on a tear, closing the week on a nine-game hitting streak. In his five games, he had 10 hits, including a double and a triple, eight RBIs, a pair of walks and three steals. The outfielder has a .990 OPS for the season but he’s had an otherworldly 1.256 OPS in 22 games since promotion to High A.
Eric Bitonti (No. 26 on Pipeline) went 4-for-4 with two homers Aug. 23, driving in three and capping off a strong week at Wisconsin. He was also caught stealing for just the first time all year after his first 22 successful attempts. The 6-5, 218-pound 20-year-old also homered and stole a base earlier in the week and is up to 22 in both departments. He has an .896 OPS for the year.
Handelfry Encarnacion (No. 24 on Pipeline) had a great week for Wilson, with eight hits in the final three games, including a double and a homer, and eight RBIs for the week. He also stole two bases and walked four times. The 19-year-old has 12 homers, 25 steals and a .780 OPS this season.
Blake Burke (No. 12 on Pipeline) cracked his first Triple-A homer Aug. 20, driving in a pair of runs. It’s been a slow start at Nashville for the slugging first baseman, with a .582 OPS in 11 games and only one homer and no steals, along with 18 strikeouts and six walks. He’s two stolen bases away from a 30/30 season after he belted 30 homers at Biloxi. The 23-year-old still has a .930 OPS for the season.
In his first week of pro baseball, 2026 first-round pick Trey Ebel (No. 17 on Pipeline) had six hits for Wilson, including a double, four RBIs, eight walks and two stolen bases. The 17-year-old has been playing shortstop, a space occupied by his older brother, Brady, who was promoted to Wisconsin.
Sawyer Strosnider (No. 16 on Pipeline) not only hit his first career home run to his father last week at Wisconsin, but he finished the week with five hits, a double, three walks and three steals. Two weeks into his pro career, he has an .877 OPS. The Brewers took him in the second round of the 2026 draft.
Kyle Jones (No. 25 on Pipeline), a 2026 third-round pick, doubled among his four hits last week at Wilson, with three RBIs, three walks and three steals. The 21-year-old from Florida has a .716 OPS in his first 46 professional at-bats.
Tyson Hardin (No. 7 on Pipeline) allowed just one hit over four innings at Nashville on Aug. 23, striking out seven and walking nobody. He has a 5.85 ERA this year but 120 strikeouts in 105 innings.
Jaron DeBerry (No. 27 on Pipeline) allowed four hits and just one earned run (two total) in six innings for Biloxi on Aug. 22, with two walks and eight strikeouts. DeBerry has a 4.41 ERA with 127 strikeouts over 114 innings.
Jayden Dubanewicz (No. 22 on Pipeline) permitted two earned runs and three hits in 5⅓ innings, with three walks and five strikeouts for Wisconsin on Aug. 22. He has a 4.22 ERA this year across three levels, with 71 strikeouts in 75 innings.
Josh Knoth (No. 9 on Pipeline) allowed one earned run on three hits in five innings, with four walks and four strikeouts Aug. 19 at Wisconsin. The 21-year-old has a 4.46 ERA this year and 70 strikeouts in 69 innings.
Including three more scoreless innings, Wisconsin reliever Jose Meneses has allowed just one earned run in his last 12⅔ innings. The 21-year-old has a 1.04 WHIP and 2.29 ERA across stops in Wilson and Wisconsin this year, with 69 strikeouts in 55 innings. The left-hander from Venezuela has been mostly under the radar as a prospect, far surpassing his numbers from last season in the rookie league and Class A.
Right-handed reliever Cameron Wagoner was back after a foot injury kept him on the shelf for two weeks at Nashville. He threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts Aug. 20 and has a 2.03 ERA for the year with 47 strikeouts in 34 innings.
Jacob Morrison allowed just one hit in four innings Aug. 23 for Wisconsin, facing one over the minimum with zero walks and six strikeouts. He has a 1.24 WHIP and 4.76 ERA this year in 15 games, with 56 strikeouts in 51 innings. The 6-8 22-year-old was drafted in the third round last year.
It was more good stuff from Daniel Dickinson, the 22-year-old second baseman at Wisconsin having a surging second half. He went 3-for-4 on Aug. 21 with two RBIs and two steals, his second two-steal day of the week. He had eight hits on the week, including two doubles and a triple, plus two walks, five steals and three RBIs. He’s up to an .851 OPS on the year and is second in the Midwest League with 51 steals.
It’s easy to forget about former first-round pick Eric Brown Jr., but he had a really nice week at Nashville, getting six hits in the final four games of the week, including a home run. The 27th overall pick in 2022 is still trying to rediscover his prospect status, with a .701 OPS for the year (though it’s .800 in 14 games at AAA), but he has a solid .349 on-base percentage, with six homers and nine steals in 213 at-bats this season. The 25-year-old shortstop spent most of the season at Biloxi.
Carsten Sabathia III has been mashing in his early days with Wilson, getting six hits last week, including a homer and two doubles, with three RBIs and a stolen base. The 22-year-old son of Brewers royalty has a 1.118 OPS in his first 10 games, with two homers.
Josue Rodriguez delivered huge performances for the Dominican Summer League Gold team in the round-robin portion of the DSL Cup, with a six-RBI performance Aug. 21 that featured two homers. He finished 3-for-4 with three runs and two walks in that game, and that was after a homer and three RBIs in an Aug. 20 game. He closed the regular season by driving in five runs Aug. 18 and seven overall over two games, with a double, a homer, five hits overall, a stolen base and a walk. The 17-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic has an .866 OPS this year, helped by a .412 on-base mark.
Also, in the DSL postseason, Ricki Moneys went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs on Aug. 20, then doubled Aug. 21 with two walks and a stolen base. The 17-year-old top young prospect had a .919 OPS in the regular season, with five homers and 28 steals.
Leanders Matos finished his strong DSL season with two hits Aug. 22 (and two RBIs), plus two runs scored, three walks and a stolen base the day before. The 17-year-old infielder finished the regular season with a gaudy 1.045 OPS (.456 on-base percentage) with 10 homers, 19 steals and 52 RBIs in 185 at-bats.
Raymond Sarmiento was the other DSL Gold star of note, working six no-hit innings and walking just two, with five strikeouts. He’s 18 years old and will be 19 next spring. He had a 3.51 ERA and 4-0 record in 11 regular-season games.
- Nashville stays on the road for a second straight week to face Jacksonville (Miami Marlins)
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Biloxi returns home to face Knoxville (Chicago Cubs)
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Wisconsin is back home in Grand Chute for a series with South Bend (Chicago Cubs)
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Wilson returns home to face Hickory (Texas Rangers), starting with an Aug. 25 doubleheader
Nashville stays on the road for a second straight week to face Jacksonville (Miami Marlins)
Biloxi returns home to face Knoxville (Chicago Cubs)
Wisconsin is back home in Grand Chute for a series with South Bend (Chicago Cubs)
Wilson returns home to face Hickory (Texas Rangers), starting with an Aug. 25 doubleheader
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers minor-league report; Coleman Crow throwing great in August
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