The play-by-play broadcaster and media relations manager for the Biloxi Shuckers, Javik Blake, discusses the Shuckers’ 2024 season and looks ahead to 2025
If you’re hoping to gain insight into the Brewers’ Double-A affiliate, the Biloxi Shuckers, there’s no better person to talk to than Javik Blake, the “Voice of the Shuckers.” Blake has served as the teams’ play-by-play broadcaster for the past two seasons. In addition to calling all 138 Shuckers’ games, Blake also serves as the team’s media relations manager, promoting the team on social media and managing the team website among many other responsibilities. Blake’s extensive engagement with the Shuckers organization, his years of experience as a sports broadcaster, and his nuanced knowledge of the game of baseball give him a unique perspective on the Brewers’ Double-A team and the farm system as a whole.
I sat down with Javik last week to get his thoughts on the 2024 Shuckers season, while also previewing the 2025 season. Let’s take a look at the main takeaways from our conversation.
Q: If you could sum up the 2024 season in one word what would it be?
A: “It was a rollercoaster,” Javik said, “It was a season of ups and downs. It really was a rollercoaster emotionally and mentally.” Javik went on to discuss the many obstacles that the team faced in 2024, from Brock Wilken getting hit by a pitch in the face, to manager Joe Ayrault having to step aside for health reasons, to the many promotions that kept the roster in flux. These ups and downs off the field were mirrored by the team’s play on the field. The Shuckers got off to a hot start but followed it with a prolonged slump that left them in last place in their division at the halfway point. However, a second-half resurgence led them to qualify for the Southern League playoffs where they lost a three-game set to the Montgomery Biscuits.
Q: How important is the resilience and determination that the Shuckers players showed last year?
A: “Even the best players in the world struggle. Bryce Harper goes into slumps, Mike Trout goes into slumps, Aaron Judge goes into slumps,” Javik said, noting the importance of enduring obstacles and down seasons if you want to reach the big leagues. Javik offered insight into one of manager Joe Ayrault’s mottos that helped the team persevere through these struggles saying, “One of the big things that Joe [Ayrault] really harped on last year was ‘being a buffalo.’ That’s why there was a buffalo head in the dugout. Cows run away from the storm, buffaloes run into the storm. That kind of mentality was really, really big for our guys last year…making the playoffs last year is really a testament of the perseverance of this group.”
Q: One guy who endured a lot of obstacles last year was Brock Wilken. What do you make of his 2024 season and what are your expectations for him going forward?
A: “I expect this year to really be a bounce back year, because not only did he get hit in the face, but he had a kid in mid-August. While also managing your body and health during his first full season of pro ball. That’s hard enough by itself…I’m expecting the Brock who he was when he came back from the injury before the downslide at the end of the season.” Javik is referring to the months of May, June, and July last season when Wilken posted an OPS of .729, .755, and .874 respectively. I asked Javik if the Brewers’ decision to send Wilken to the Arizona Fall League this offseason was an indication that they want him to start the year in Triple-A, to which he responded, “I expect him to likely be with us to start the season. The offseason is a great mental reset. Fresh start, clean slate. More than just the power department, I’m expecting a big bounce back on that triple slash line as well.”
Q: What did you see from Ernesto Martinez Jr. last year? What can we expect from him this year?
A: Martinez earned the nickname “el espectáculo” for the exciting way he plays the game of baseball, including his ability to go into a full split when stretching for a ball at first base. However, Javik informed me of another nickname that Martinez was given last year, saying, “the other nickname he has is ‘el cazador.’ Crowned on him by Joe Ayrault, which is ‘hunter’ in Spanish. We were playing a game in Kodak against the Tennessee Smokies and he hit a ball so hard that it went through the trees and must have murdered a bird or a squirrel. Because the ball when it hit the tree line, which is a hundred feet beyond the fence, was still going up.”
Javik raved about Martinez’s athleticism, even mentioning him in the same sentence as basketball star and freak athlete Victor Wembanyama. I asked why Martinez has seemingly been overlooked in the Brewers farm system, despite having less question marks than some players ranked above him. Javik noted that Martinez’s prospect career got off to a slow start before saying, “One of the reasons he gets overlooked is he’s in his mid-20s. But I’m really excited to see what he does against the pitching in Triple-A. Last year was really a jumping off point proving himself in Double-A. Getting an invite to spring training will be really exciting, to see how he performs out the gate there.”
Q: 2024 was a tough year for Eric Brown Jr., what do make of his season last year? What are your expectations for him coming into this year?
A: “Just like Brock [Wilken], I think it will be a bounce back season for him. Last year was really the first time he ever struggled in his life. It’s just about powering through…Now familiar with Double-A ball, knowing what it takes to compete in Double-A, I think it’s an opportunity for a bounce back year.” Javik also highlighted that while Brown Jr. struggled at the plate, it did not affect his stellar play in the field and on the basepaths. With the ascension of Cooper Pratt and Jadher Areinamo, it will be interesting to see where the at-bats come for Brown Jr. in 2025.
Q: Who impressed you the most on the mound last year?
A: “I’ll give you three names…When Miz figured it out. There was one start, when you could see it click. It’s when he started dotting the 93-mph cutter on the black. When that happened, you realized that this was about to get really, really fun. And it got really, really fun. You could just see the progression from two years ago to last year and then you saw it all come together, and it was spectacular.”
“Craig Yoho is a guy that came to us and it was already all together. Yoho, was like having a big-league arm in a Double-A bullpen. He shows up and it’s game over. He was impossible to hit against.”
“And then K.C. Hunt, he’s a bulldog. Not only because he went to Mississippi State, but he’s a bulldog on the mound. The start he had in the playoffs for us was insane. And all three of these guys are awesome people and seeing them succeed the way that they did was so much fun.”
Q: You lose Misiorowski halfway through the year to a promotion to Triple-A. What is it like losing your ace mid-season?
A: “They are all so excited for each other. It’s one of those things where getting called up is such a great thing…It wasn’t as fun not seeing Miz on the mound every fifth day, but it was awesome to see him go to Triple-A. That’s the more fun part.”
Q: Looking ahead to next season, how do you see the infield shaking out in 2025?
A: “I’m glad I’m not the manager,” Javik started before noting the plethora of infield options that the Shuckers will have in 2025. “I would expect with us this year, likely Wilken, likely Brown Jr., likely Boeve.” Of Boeve, Javik said, “[He’s] an all-time guy. He’s a machine. Kid wakes up, hits, sleeps, wakes up, and hits again.”
Javik continued, mentioning three players who were in High-A last year, but are due for a promotion, saying, “[Jadher] Areinamo is a blast. I have watched an ungodly amount of Jadher Areinamo highlights this offseason. Cooper Pratt was with us at the end of last year. We’ll see if he starts with us or if he goes back to High-A does well and quickly comes back to us. Everything looks so easy for Pratt at shortstop. Luke Adams is a guy who could potentially be with us this year. He’s a young guy as well who could factor into the mix. That would be a lot of fun.”
Q: Are you penciling Luis Lara into the lineup right now, or are you writing it in pen?
A: “My dreams are to write it in pen, because I want to see that kid play CF on opening day. That’s just a dream I have of seeing Luis Lara make a diving catch in CF against Pensacola to start our season.” Lara spent all of last season with the Timber Rattlers in High-A, but after a solid season and a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, he appears ready to make the leap to Double-A.
I asked Javik how he expected the rest of the outfield picture to shake out for the Shuckers in 2025, to which he responded, “There are a lot of different guys that you can put in a bunch of different spots. Garrett Spain is a guy who the Brewers got in the Rule 5 Draft. He has a chance to factor into the outfield this year for us. Bladimir Restituyo spent all of last year in Double-A Hartford. He might be Isaac Collins 2.0.” The Brewers signed Restituyo away from the Rockies organization this offseason and like Collins, he can play virtually everywhere on the diamond. However, he has played mostly outfield for the past two seasons. Javik also mentioned that Dylan O’Rae will factor into both the infield and outfield mix.
Q: Who are you expecting to make the biggest leap in 2025? Who is your breakout candidate for 2025?
A: “I would say Brett Wichrowski. Last year was a lot of learning for Brett. He got promoted to Double-A after four career starts. Lots of learning how to be a pitcher in professional baseball. The swing-and-miss faded at the back of the year, then he got hurt. Considering his youth, he had an absurdly good year in Double-A last year, but I think he can take a big leap this year.”
I followed up by asking if Javik thinks Wichrowski could make the jump to Triple-A this upcoming season to which he responded, “If he does really, really well, he’s going to go up. There’s a chance, if he does really well and takes a big step forward, that his time in Biloxi is not a full season.”
Q: Finally, who do you expect to be closing games for the Shuckers in 2025?
A: “Yeags [Justin Yeager] will definitely be the guy at the backend just with how good he is in those high leverage situations. Chase Costello could be kind of an under-the-radar guy. His stuff is nuts. He kind of throws an airbender, the movement on it is absurd. I’m guessing Will Childers will be at the backend. Nick Merkel didn’t close games for us last year, but he has some funky stuff. He’s a guy you could slot into quite literally any role you want.”
Javik also noted that, “the Brewers are one of those teams that has a consistent closer in the minor leagues. If Yeags does start the year in Double-A it will definitely be him.” I followed up by asking Javik if he believes the choice to have an everyday closer in the minor leagues is a deliberate decision by the organization, to which he responded, “I think it’s definitely the case. Obviously, they’ve done well with it. I think it’s intentional, because pitching the ninth inning is so different from pitching the eighth or the seventh.”
The Shuckers open their season on Friday, April 4 in Pensacola, with their home opener coming four days later against the Columbus Clingstones. Craig Yoho, Jacob Misiorowski, Cooper Pratt, Ernesto Martinez Jr., Luis Lara, and Darrien Miller, who were all either a part of the 2024 Biloxi Shuckers or are expected to be a part of their 2025 roster, have been invited to big-league camp this spring, so be sure to tune into the Brewers’ Cactus League games to follow their success. In order to stay up-to-date on all things Shuckers, be sure to follow Javik Blake on X (@javblake8).