5 observations from a day at Brewers minor league camp

Monday was a scheduled day off for the big-league club, but that doesn't mean the Milwaukee Brewers spring training complex was quiet.

On the back fields, the team's minor-leaguers were in action as a full squad for the first time this spring.

Here are five observations from a morning with the minor-leaguers.

Jackson Chourio takes the field

Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee’s top prospect, was busy swinging the lumber Monday morning.

He opened up his day taking live batting practice against two pitchers – he struck out and grounded out against Zach Vennaro and smashed a pair of hard-hit balls off Alexander Vallecillo, but results were far from important in that setting – and drew a crowd of spectators.

I spoke with one scout who was getting his first in-person look at Baseball America’s No. 3 prospect. His biggest takeaway from a limited look in what was the first live BP of the spring for many hitters: The physical stature of Chourio stood out.

“The body matches,” he said.

“You can see the framework for why everyone raves about him.”

Chourio certainly looked as though he had tacked on a little muscle to fill out his 6-foot-1 frame. He also put on his usual display during batting practice, particularly toward the end. In his final two rounds facing the slider machine, Chourio rocketed lasers to all fields, the thwack of the bat reverberating throughout the back fields.

Scouts, both internal and external, have lauded Chourio’s ability to make adjustments quickly. That was on display during his batting practice as he was getting too wide in his base in the batter’s box before making a slight tweak to get a more fluid rhythm, earning the praise of a hitting coach standing nearby.

Catching instruction made exciting

Is there an organization with a better minor-league catching instructor duo than the Brewers?

During catching drills, Brewers backstop prospects were subject to the tutelage of longtime catching instructor Charlie Greene and two-time all-star Jonathan Lucroy.

Greene is in his first year as an assistant director of player development but retained his title of catching instructor, his 19th season in the position.

Lucroy was one of the game’s elite catchers during his time with the Brewers from 2010-16 and one of the players at the forefront of the movement regarding the importance of pitch framing. He entered into a personal services agreement with the Brewers in September 2022 that includes a part-time instructional role.

Greene seized the lead role during the session, shouting out instructions and stories – including how as a player he would make sure to use a new glove that wasn’t yet broken in during catching drills so he could blame it on the glove if he dropped the ball – while Lucroy observed alongside High-A Wisconsin manager Joe Ayrault (himself a former big-league catcher) and offering tips on the side.

The view from live batting practice

Of the half-dozen or so pitchers to throw a live BP, two in particular stood out: Zach Vennaro and Aidan Maldonado.

Vennaro, a right-handed reliever, faced four hitters and retired them all. He struck out Chourio looking on three pitches, induced a weak grounder from Terence Doston, struck out Jason Lopez and then finished off his session by breaking Chourio’s bat with a burrowing sinker in.

This is a pivotal season for Vennaro, a signing out of independent ball in 2019 who will turn 27 in June. He has spent the last two years at Class AA Biloxi, posting a 5.21 earned run average. The Brewers will likely challenge Vennaro at Class AAA in a make-or-break year.

A scout observing noted that Maldonado was the pitcher who stood out the most.

A 14th-round selection in last year’s draft, the righty out of the University of Minnesota throws gas. His upper-90s fastball generates high spin rates and, along with some deception created from an over-the-top arm slot, gives him some of the best pure stuff in the system.

The problem Maldonado often runs into was on display; he has difficulty throwing strikes consistently. Maldonado walked 5.7 batters per nine innings during his college career and likely has a reliever profile because of it.

The fastball and a slider that showed good sweeping movement, though, are both legitimate enough offerings to give Maldonado back-end reliever upside. And when that potential is present, it’s worth giving a player time to try and figure out the speed bump in his way.

Hedbert Perez’s batting practice was a show

The hype around Hedbert Perez has largely dissipated.

Last year at this time, Perez was considered one of the premier prospects in the system, having dominated the Arizona Complex League as an 18-year-old with eye-popping exit velocities both in games and practice.

After a poor showing at Class A Carolina last year, the buzz declined. Perez hit just .216 with a .272 on-base percentage while striking out nearly 30% of the time. He dropped down prospect lists all over; Fangraphs even put him all the way down at No. 36 in the organization, scraping the bottom of the barrel in their rankings.

A reminder, however, courtesy of Perez: The things that made scouts enamored of his bat two years ago are still present.

Perez had, shy of Chourio, maybe the most impressive round of batting practice I saw – and I saw about 30 players hit on the field. He launched ball after ball in the air with authority to all fields. No exit velocities were tracked or posted, but I can assure you many of those swings generated sky-high figures.

The challenge for Perez is to prove he can swing at the correct pitches and make enough contact in games. That remains a significant question for Perez, but it’s worth remembering he’s still only 19.

Tyler Black is worth a watch

Just about everything Tyler Black does on a baseball field has entertainment value.

The 2021 second-round draft pick might have the best pitch selection in the Brewers system. He’s a high-contact hitter who can spray line drives to all fields. He competes at a high level on every pitch on both sides of the ball. Even his takes at the plate are emphatic.

This translates to practice, as well.

So many of Black’s mannerisms mirror those of fellow Canadian Joey Votto, from the charismatic non-swings to choking up for an entire round of batting practice to pelt left-center with liners with a short, compact swing.

It’s also worth monitoring with Black that he took infield practice at third base. Drafted primarily as a second baseman, Black saw plenty of action in center field last year. He played six games at third base.

Milwaukee will likely continue to develop Black at a variety of positions, and him getting work at the hot corner confirms that theory.

Other Brewers minor-league news

• Like Perez, Joe Gray Jr. is an outfielder who dropped out of the top 10 on Brewers prospect lists last year with major strikeout issues. But, also like Perez, he can still put on one of the flashiest rounds of batting practice, smashing rocket after rocket.

• There are questions about the defensive position of 2022 ninth-round draft pick Tayden Hall, but he remains at catcher primarily. At 6-foot-4, his frame stands out at the position. First base may be his future home but the Brewers seem intent on seeing if he can cut it at backstop, the same position his father, Toby, played nine seasons in the majors.

• James Meeker threw 21 scoreless innings this winter in Australia. The results from his live session were positive as he displayed a sharp slider. He will turn 28 later this month but has only pitched one full year of affiliated ball after the Brewers signed him out of an independent league.

More:Bob Uecker is back behind the mic for his 53rd season after an uneventful and healthy offseason

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 5 Brewers minor-league camp observations