The Brewers have found a new Class-A Advanced affiliate – and a new home for some of their most talented young prospects – exchanging Manatees for Mudcats in what would appear to be a very good fit for the big-league club.
Milwaukee announced a two-year player development contract with the Carolina Mudcats that will run through the 2018 season. The Mudcats, who are majority owned by Steve Bryant, compete in the Southern Division of the Class-A Carolina League. It's the first time the Brewers will have an affiliate in that league.
"The Brewers are excited to announce a partnership with Steve Bryant and the Carolina Mudcats," said general manager David Stearns. "The organization is committed to developing young talent and we strongly believe that the Mudcats will help us achieve that goal. We look forward to working with our new partner in the Carolina League."
Milwaukee needed to find a different high Class-A affiliate after its previous partner, Brevard County, reached an agreement two weeks ago on a new, four-year development contract with the Atlanta Braves. The Advanced-A Manatees, who are moving their operations to Kissimmee, Fla., are a member of the Florida State League.
After a terrible second half, Brevard County finished the 2016 season with a 40-97 record. In Space Coast Stadium, their home park in Brevard County, offensive numbers were depressed, as the Manatees scored 427 runs last year, an average of just 3.1 per game.
The Mudcats play their home games at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, N.C. Compared to offensively sedated Brevard County and offensively inflated Colorado Springs, their Class-AAA affiliate, the Carolina park should provide a better balance and make for more accurate evaluations of pitchers and hitters.
Some of the Brewers' best young players figure to start next season at the Class-A Advanced level. Those could include 2016 first-round draft pick Corey Ray, reigning Brewers minor-league player of the year Isan Diaz, pitchers Phil Bickford, Cody Ponce, Marcos Diplan, Kodi Medeiros and Devin Williams and infielders Jake Gatewood, Lucas Erceg, among others.
"Having met with the Brewers, and in looking at their system, we are confident that we are getting an organization that is loaded with young, talented prospects that we feel will enhance our program" said Bryant. "We are very impressed with the Brewers in that they share with us a desire to develop young talent at the Minor League level."
Mudcats are defined as any of several large North American catfish living in muddy rivers, especially in the Mississippi valley. Incidentally, the Brewers' Class-AA affiliate, the Biloxi Shuckers, also have a marine connection, as the name celebrates the town's heritage as a center for the oyster and seafood industries.
And for what it's worth, the Carolina Mudcats' logo is pretty great.
What do you think of the move? Do you like that fish? Let us know in the comments.
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
