Missions player possibilities for 2020

Missions outfielder Tyrone Taylor chases down a fly ball at Wolff Stadium last summer. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions outfielder Tyrone Taylor chases down a fly ball at Wolff Stadium last summer.
If and when the 2020 major league and Triple-A seasons get underway, here is a look at who might be playing for the San Antonio Missions:

These Milwaukee Brewers transactions from March list players the big club sent to San Antonio:

Brewers optioned 3B Ryon Healy to Missions.
Brewers optioned 2B Mark Mathias to Missions.
Brewers optioned SS Ronny Rodriguez to Missions.
Brewers optioned C David Freitas to Missions.
Brewers optioned CF Corey Ray to Missions.
Brewers optioned RHP Trey Supak to Missions.

The following players have minor-league contracts with the Brewers and were invited to spring training with the big club. They could end up in San Antonio and include six of last season’s Missions:

LHP Clayton Andrews
RHP Zack Brown
3B Andres Blanco
3B Lucas Erceg
C Payton Henry
RHP Thomas Jankins
RHP Mike Morin
C Mario Feliciano
RHP Drew Rasmussen
RHP Miguel Sanchez
LHP Ethan Small
RHP Aaron Wilkerson
1B Logan Morrison
C Tuffy Gosewisch

Other 2019 Missions who were in the Brewers’ minor league spring training were:

P Bubba Derby
C Skyler Ewing

Outfielder Tyrone Taylor had his 2019 season with the injured slowed by injuries. He is on the Brewers’ 40-man roster by wasn’t playing in spring training while he recovered from surgery.

Update on Friday, Feb. 27, 2020:

The Milwaukee Brewers optioned the following players to the San Antonio Missions:
C Jacob Nottingham
LHP Angel Perdomo
RHP Bobby Wahl
RHP Eric Yardley

Missions’ Tuffy Gosewisch plays 1,000th minor league game

San Antonio Missions catcher Tuffy Gosewisch at Wolff Stadium on Friday, playing in his 1,000th minor league game. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions catcher Tuffy Gosewisch at Wolff Stadium on Friday, playing in his 1,000th minor league game. – photo by Joe Alexander
It’s late in the season and the San Antonio Missions are short-handed at catcher.

David Freitas is hitting almost .400 but is on the injured list. Jacob Nottingham has played a lot of innings over a long hot Texas summer.

So the Missions turned to Tuffy Gosewisch, who started two of their last three games.

Gosewisch has played in only 42 games this season. But one summer doesn’t tell you the story of the experience he brings to the team.

The 32-year-old catcher had been in pro baseball since being an 11th-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Phillies 14 years ago. He has spent time in the majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, playing a combined 137 games in bigs from 2013-2017.

And after playing all of last year and this year in Triple-A, Gosewisch played in his 1,000th minor league game on Friday night at Wolff Stadium in the Missions’ 4-2 victory over the Oklahoma City Dodgers.

Trent Grisham homers twice as Missions pound Storm Chasers again

The Missions' Trent Grisham (12) is congratulated by Blake Allemand (right) and Lucas Erceg after hitting a fourth-inning home run Sunday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
The Missions’ Trent Grisham (12) is congratulated by Blake Allemand (right) and Lucas Erceg after hitting a fourth-inning home run Sunday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
Trent Grisham lashed out four hits including two home runs as the San Antonio Missions beat the Omaha Storm Chasers 9-5 Sunday at Wolff Stadium.

The Missions swept the four-game series with the Storm Chasers, scoring at least eight runs and piling up double-digit hits in every game:

July 14: W 9-5, 11 hits, 3 home runs
July 13: W 8-2, 11 hits, 2 home runs
July 12: W 10-9, 11 hits, 2 home runs
July 11: W 9-2, 10 hits, 2 home runs

On Sunday, Grisham hit his sixth and seventh home runs in 20 games since joining the Missions from Double-A Biloxi.

Tuffy Gosewisch, a catcher who doesn’t see much playing time for the Missions, hit his second home run of the season. His solo homer gave the Missions a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning and they led the rest of the way.

Bubba Derby was the Missions starting pitcher. He went four innings, allowed five runs and did not get a decision.

Burch Smith had been the expected starting pitcher for the Missions on Sunday. It was announced to the media about an hour before game time that Derby would start instead.

Missions reliever Donnie Hart (3-2) pitched two scoreless innings and got the win.

The Missions' Tuffy Gosewisch hits his second home run of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
The Missions’ Tuffy Gosewisch hits his second home run of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
The Missions' Trent Grisham trots around the bases in the sixth inning after hitting his second home run of the game Sunday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
The Missions’ Trent Grisham trots around the bases in the sixth inning after hitting his second home run of the game Sunday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
The Missions' Cory Spangenberg slides into second base on his 23rd double of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
The Missions’ Cory Spangenberg slides into second base on his 23rd double of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander

Missions’ Tyler Saladino blasts Redbirds again

Tyler Saladino hits a seventh-inning home run in the Missions' 4-0 victory over the Memphis Redbirds on Monday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Tyler Saladino hits a seventh-inning home run in the Missions’ 4-0 victory over the Redbirds. – photo by Joe Alexander
Tyler Saladino and the San Antonio Missions made life miserable for the Memphis Redbirds over the last five games.

Saladino had a two-run pinch-hit homer in the seventh inning Monday as the Missions beat the Redbirds 4-0 at Wolff Stadium to complete a sweep of their series.

In the five games against the Redbirds, Saladino batted .643 (9-of-14) with five runs scored, two home runs, two doubles and 10 RBIs. He has nine home runs and 23 extra-base hits on the season.

Jake Hager and Tuffy Gosewisch drove in the other two runs Monday.

Missions reliever Taylor Williams (1-0) pitched the fifth and six innings and got the win. He allowed no runs and two hits with two strikeouts. Burch Smith was the starter and did not get a decision. Smith went four scoreless innings and allowed two hits with six strikeouts and four walks.

Missions play musical outfielders and shuffle their catchers

David Freitas, like all the Missions' catchers, also plays first base. - photo by Joe Alexander
David Freitas, like all the Missions’ catchers, also plays first base. – photo by Joe Alexander
Among the oddities on the roster of the Triple-A San Antonio Missions:

There is currently only one active player on the roster listed as an outfielder and there are four players listed as catchers.

Tyrone Taylor was the Missions’ only active outfielder on Sunday. And he didn’t start in Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Oklahoma City Dodgers at Wolff Stadium.

Corey Ray and Troy Stokes Jr. are listed on the roster as outfielders, but are both currently on the injured list. Ray was the Missions’ main center fielder to start the season. Taylor played primarily in right, but had been playing center with Ray out.

Sunday’s starting outfielders on Sunday were Jake Hager in left, Cory Spangenberg in center and Nate Orf in right. All three are listed on the roster as infielders.

Spangenberg has seen action all over the field this season. He has played first base, third base, shortstop, left field and now center field.

While the Missions are short on players listed as outfielders, they have four active players listed as catchers: Skyler Ewing, David Freitas, Tuffy Gosewisch and Jacob Nottingham. All four got into the game on Sunday. All four have also gotten work as first basemen this season.

Twice during Sunday’s game, three of them batted in a row and the other was coaching first base. The Missions use a player as a first base coach, so that part of the equation wasn’t unusual.

Freitas was the No. 7 batter in the order on Sunday and played first base. Nottingham was No. 8 in the order and played catcher.

In the fifth inning, after Freitas and Nottingham batted, Gosewisch went to the plate as a pinch-hitter. Ewing was coaching first base.

In the seventh inning, after Freitas and Nottingham batted, Ewing went to the plate as a pinch-hitter. Gosewisch was coaching first base.

Missions fall to Sounds despite three home runs; Tyler Saladino hits inside-the-parker

The Missions' Tyler Saladino hit an inside-the-park home run against the Sounds on Friday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
The Missions’ Tyler Saladino hit an inside-the-park home run against the Sounds on Friday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander

The San Antonio Missions got home runs Keston Hiura, Tyler Saladino and Tyrone Taylor but lost to the Memphis Sounds 7-3 Friday at Wolff Stadium.

Saladino hit an inside-the-park homer in the seventh inning, beating a tag in a close play at the plate, to give the Missions a 2-0 lead.

Hiura homered in the fourth for the first run of the game.

Taylor added his third home run of the season in the ninth.

The Sounds scored all seven of their runs in the eighth inning off Missions relief pitchers.

Missions starting pitcher Aaron Wilkerson threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed two hits with one walk and two strikeouts.