Burnes, Cooper excelling in minors for Brewers
The major-league debuts of Lewis Brinson, Brett Phillips and Josh Hader served as the biggest storyline of the first half of the season for the Milwaukee Brewers’ minor-league system.
But the standout seasons produced by Class AA Biloxi right-hander Corbin Burnes and Class AAA Colorado Springs first baseman Garrett Cooper so far this season have turned heads as well.
Burnes jumped from Class A Carolina to Biloxi and through 17 combined starts has compiled an earned-run average of 1.06, tops among all qualified minor-league starters. Cooper leads the Pacific Coast League in hitting with a .366 average and ranks second with 82 RBI and an OPS of 1.080.
“As staff members, we’re trying to see incremental progress,” farm director Tom Flanagan said on Wednesday. “But when guys really take a huge leap forward like those two guys have, you really sit back and take notice.
“Both guys, to their credit, have really had phenomenal seasons.”
Burnes, 22, was a fourth-round pick of the Brewers out of St. Mary’s
College (Calif.) last June. Having already pitched a full college season before joining the organization, he was limited to 352⁄3 innings over 12 appearances (six starts) split between the Arizona Rookie League Brewers and Class A Wisconsin as he was eased him into his career.
Burnes opened this season at advanced Class A Carolina and dominated. In 10 starts he went 5-0 with a 1.05 ERA and WHIP of 0.88 while striking out 56 in 60 innings. He was promoted to Biloxi in early June and in seven starts has gone 2-1 with a 1.06 ERA while improving his WHIP to 0.76 and upping his strikeouts to 43 in 421⁄3 innings.
Utilizing a mix of a fastball, slider, curveball and a hybrid split-finger changeup, the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder throws about 93 mph with the ability to dial it up to 95-96.
“Just seeing him go from the first intersquad scrimmage in spring training to this point, he’s been consistent and dialed in pretty much every outing,” said Flanagan. “That’s incredible for his first full pro season. It’s a credit to all the work he’s put in.
“We talk about the first year, establishing a routine, getting acclimated to pro ball, foundational things. Then that next full season is an adjustment. He’s come in and the best way I can describe it is he’s tunnel-visioned.
“He’s got it down to himself, the catcher and the umpire. That’s his workspace. He’s so dialed in. His focus and his drive is there. He keeps it very simple. But with his approach and his stuff, it’s a lethal combination.”
With 138 innings heading into his next start, Burnes isn’t close to his limit for the year, according to Flanagan. He also could advance yet another level to Colorado Springs toward the end of the season.
“We’re just kind of taking it start by start now, and managing his workload is pretty easy to do at Double-A. But he’s certainly in the conversation,” Flanagan said. “He’s put himself squarely in the conversation with the way he’s handled the challenges to this point.”
Burnes entered 2017 on the fringes of the Brewers’ top 20 prospects list. But as was the case for Brandon Woodruff last year, his performance makes him arguably the fastest riser in the organization and a heavy favorite to be named the Brewers’ minor-league pitcher of the year.
Cooper, 26, was a sixthround pick out of Auburn in 2013. Unlike Burnes, Cooper’s ascension in the minors has been a steady one.
But he has hit at every level while improving his power numbers, an important facet of a corner infielder’s game.
After never hitting more than nine home runs in a year, Cooper has nearly doubled that with 17 through 75 games at Colorado Springs.
The altitude has played a role, but a focus on adding more loft to his swing has also made a difference.
Powered by his impressive numbers, the 6-foot-6, 230-pounder earned a starting nod in the Triple-A All-Star Game, which was to be played Wednesday night in Tacoma, Wash.
“With the system, through no fault of his own, he’s a guy people tend to forget about,” Flanagan said, referencing the attention paid to players such as Cooper’s teammates Brinson and Phillips.
“But if you look at the numbers, they stack up pretty well against everybody.”
But can Cooper truly be considered a prospect? He’ll be 27 heading into the 2018 season and although he’s played some third base and outfield previously his best position is first base. That spot is unlikely to be open anytime soon in Milwaukee with Eric Thames and Jesús Aguilar locked in there.
Despite all that, Flanagan says the organization remains high on Cooper, a player who might also turn into a useful trade chip should the first-place Brewers bolster their major-league roster in the coming weeks.
“I think sometimes, on the various prospect lists, you can lose track of guys,” Flanagan said.
“Garrett’s a guy who, being a college senior draftee and starting everything a bit later, has moved at a decent pace through the system. But I think what he’s done the last 2-3 years, accentuated by what he’s done this year, that has kind of put him on the map.
“He’s more athletic than you see on paper. He handles first base well defensively. He’s a good runner. So he’s not just a home-run guy. He hits for average, doubles, hits to all fields. With his performance, I think he’s certainly getting everyone’s attention.”