Who’s next?
Outfielder Lewis Brinson is the No. 1 prospect in a farm system that is considered one of the best in baseball.
In many ways, the Milwaukee Brewers’ spring training became a Parade of Prospects. One by one, some of the organization’s top minor-league talent displayed their skills during exhibition games, mostly in impressive fashion. Outfielder Lewis Brinson, ranked
as the Brewers’ No. 1 prospect after being acquired from Texas in the Jonathan Lucroy trade last year, certainly didn’t disappoint. In 14 Cactus League games, Brinson batted .294 with two home runs (he hit two against UW-Milwaukee that didn’t count), eight RBI, .385 slugging percentage and .973 OPS.
An impressive physical specimen at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Brinson carried himself well, on and off the field.
“Not to sound cocky, but I have a lot of confidence in my game now,” Brinson said the day he was optioned to Class AAA Colorado Springs. “You just try to go out there and play baseball. Everything else will take care of itself."
As for being a step away from Milwaukee, Brinson said, “It’s actually easier, knowing I’m one call away. All I have to do is go down there and play hard. Results are going to take care of themselves.”
Here is a look at the rest of the Brewers’ top 10 prospects, as ranked before the season by Baseball America magazine:
2. LHP Josh Hader: The Brewers have had trouble getting left-handed pitchers to the big leagues, but Hader, who will be 23 on April 7, appears to be the real deal. With a funky, side-armed delivery and nasty slider, the lanky lefty is a strikeout machine, whiffing 161 batters in 126 innings while splitting the 2016 season between Class AA Biloxi and Colorado Springs. It is a challenging pitching environment at Colorado Springs, but the Brewers believe Hader will be able to hold his own there until the call comes to the major leagues.
3. RHP Luis Ortiz: Ortiz is the “baby” of the top group of prospects, having turned 21 in late September. He has plenty of time to develop but has
the stuff, including a mid-90s (mph) fastball and sharp-breaking slider, to climb steadily through the system. Ortiz’s biggest challenge might come off the field with physical conditioning. At 6-3 and 230, he’s going to have to work hard to stay in shape and avoid injuries that have plagued him in recent seasons.
4. OF Corey Ray: The bad news is that the Brewers’ first-round draft pick in 2016 tore a meniscus in his left knee sliding into a base in instructional ball and underwent surgery. The good news is that Ray progressed nicely through his physical rehab and is ready to play ball this season. Ray is an athletic, multitalented player who has both speed and power. He is an advanced hitter who uses the entire field and figures to be worth the club-record $4.125 million signing bonus.
5. SS/2B Isan Diaz: Diaz is a fireplug (5-10, 185) with a lot of thunder in his bat, a real plus for a middle infielder. Acquired in a trade with Arizona that sent away shortstop Jean Segura, Diaz also plays that position, but his future in the majors is at second base. Playing last season in the low Class A
Midwest League at age 20, he led the circuit with 20 home runs and 75 RBI, and was named the organization’s minor-league player of the year. He has a high offensive upside and plenty of time to develop. 6. OF Trent Clark: Clark was an advanced hitter coming out of high school as a first-round draft pick in 2015 and fared well in rookie ball. He had trouble staying on the field last season with Class A Wisconsin, however, suffering a strained hamstring on two occasions. He is a good athlete with aboveaverage speed and shows great instincts on the bases and in center field. The Brewers have many talented centerfielders ahead of the 20-year-old Clark on the depth chart and therefore can afford to be patient with him. 7. RHP Brandon Woodruff: No player took a bigger leap in the Brewers’ farm system in 2016 than Woodruff, who was named the organization’s pitcher of the year. After dominating during a short stint at high Class A Brevard County (1.83 ERA in eight starts), he moved up to Biloxi and performed quite well (10-8, 3.01), especially considering his brother was killed in an accident back home in Mississippi. The hard-throwing Woodruff logged 173 strikeouts in 158 innings, the highest total in all of the minor leagues.
8. RHP Phil Bickford: The Brewers were quite pleased to acquire Bickford as one of two players from San Francisco in the Will Smith trade, but that enthusiasm was tempered somewhat by a 50-game suspension to open the 2017 season for a second positive test for a drug of abuse. He has had trouble with command and maintaining his velocity and often fares better in short bursts, making some think his future in the majors will be as a reliever.
9. 3B Lucas Erceg: With a dynamic performance in the Brewers’ spring camp, Erceg proved something already known within the organization — he is one to watch. Erceg doesn’t turn 22 until May 1 and already is an advanced hitter and solid fielder. The Brewers have had trouble developing third basemen, but that drought should end soon. A left-handed hitter with considerable pop, Erceg had a strong pro debut in ’16 and figures to rise to the big leagues quickly. 10. RHP Marcos Diplan: Diplan is small in stature (6-0, 170) but not in stuff. He pitched at two Class A levels last season at age 19 and held his own, showing a good feel for pitching and a big arm (129 strikeouts in 113 innings). He throws his fastball consistently in the mid-90s with late life and also features a slider that has been a plus pitch for him. He needs to lower his walk rate but regularly induces soft contact and keeps the ball on the ground. The Brewers think he can stay a starter.