Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America
2013 (23) | 2012 (25) | 2011 (30) | 2010 (14) | 2009 (10)
2013 Affiliate Records
MLB: [74-88] NL Central
AAA: [57-87] Pacific Coast League — Nashville
AA: [59-79] Southern League — Huntsville
A+: [66-68] Florida State League — Brevard County
A: [59-76] Midwest League — Wisconsin
Arizona Fall League Players — Surprise Saguaros
Tyler Cravy (RHP); David Goforth (RHP); Taylor Jungmann (RHP); Kevin Shackelford (RHP); Adam Weisenburger (C); Mitch Haniger (OF); Jason Rogers (OF)
Graduated Prospects
Logan Schafer (OF); Jeff Bianchi (INF); Scooter Gennett (2B); Khris Davis (OF); Caleb Gindl (OF); Wily Peralta (RHP); Brandon Kintzler (RHP); Alfredo Figaro (RHP); Donovan Hand (RHP); Tyler Thornburg (RHP)
The Run Down
The upper levels of the Brewers’ minor league system graduated quite a bit of talent into the bigs in 2013, as Wily Peralta, Tyler Thornburg, Khris Davis, and Scooter Gennett, among others, earned significant playing time in Milwaukee. What remains of the Brewers’ farm is a rather uninteresting mix of low-risk/low-upside, and high-risk/high-reward type prospects. It’s not the worst org in the game — no, the Angels have that locked up by a comfy margin — but it’s lacking severely in the high-impact department. Outfielders Victor Roache and Tyrone Taylor can change that outlook with big seasons in 2014. And Orlando Arcia and Devin Williams are gifted enough to bring some excitement to the lower levels of this system. But until further notice, you should probably try to avoid stocking up on Brewers in your dynasty leagues.
Top Ten Fantasy Prospects
1. Jimmy Nelson, RHP: Nelson is going to be one of the least exciting prospects to headline a top 10 list this offseason. That’s for certain. Not to imply that he’ll be without value in the fantasy game, though — the 24-year-old could find himself in a rotation role this coming season, and if he does, he has the type of bat-missing stuff that will make him an attractive option in all formats. Through 27 MiLB starts in 2013, Nelson posted a 3.25 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP, and K/9 at 9.6. Those are decent enough numbers, but the overall profile here points to a mid-rotation starter, and not the front-end type hurler that we’re used to seeing at the top of these lists. If he can improve his changeup and find more consistency with the rest of his repertoire, perhaps his projection could improve. Regardless, Nelson will be one of the first arms in line for starts as soon as there’s a need in Milwaukee. ETA: 2014
2. Johnny Hellweg, RHP: Hellweg arrived in Milwaukee via Los Angeles as a part of the Zack Greinke swap in 2012. The 25-year-old is 6-9 and he throws in the upper-90s and, at times, he’s utterly unhittable. At other times, he struggles finding his release point and cannot locate the strike zone. His upside is probably better than Nelson’s, but he ranks behind Nelson because of risk factor. Projections for Hellweg vary from front-of-the-rotation starter, to high-leverage reliever. Either way, he’ll be useful to the Brewers sometime soon. ETA: 2014
3. Victor Roache, OF: Roache possesses some of the best raw power in the minors, but poor pitch recognition and swing-and-miss issues have prevented the 22-year-old from truly unleashing it. 2013 was his first season as a pro, and he managed 22 homers even with the approach troubles. With improved contact, Roache can easily hit 30 long balls. He’ll move up to High-A to begin 2014, and should reach the upper levels by year’s end. ETA: 2015
4. Tyrone Taylor, OF: Taylor is a superb athlete with the tools to help across the board in fantasy. In his first year of full-season ball, the 19-year-old hit.274/.338/.400 with 43 XBH (8 HR) and 19 SB through 549 PA. If everything clicks, he could be a 20-20 type outfielder with an AVG around .275. That’d be quite nice for fantasy purposes, but there’s a long way to go to reach that projection. With a strong effort at High-A in 2014, Taylor could move to the top of this list. ETA: 2016
5. Hunter Morris, 1B: I actually ranked Morris #23 in my Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects for 2013. In retrospect, that was a horrendous ranking — the 25-year-old hit just .247 at Triple-A, and never earned a big league look. Even without an everyday 1B in the bigs, Milwaukee chose to keep Morris in the minors to tweak his approach. I’m hopeful that said tweaking will lead to more consistency and a better overall future for him. 30 HR upside is definitely an attainable projection for Morris. ETA: 2014
6. Orlando Arcia, SS: Orlando, brother of Oswaldo, is loaded with athleticism, and could develop into a high-impact shortstop, but there’s still a long way to go on that end. After hitting .251/.314/.333 with 4 HR and 20 SB in his first year of full-season baseball, Arcia will move up to High-A in 2013, where the Brewers hope his hit tool begins to take form. Scouts see potential in his bat, but that aspect of his game could be slow to develop. Not to worry, though — he’ll will be a teenager throughout the 2014 season, so Milwaukee can afford to be patient. ETA: 2017
7. Devin Williams, RHP: A second round pick this past June, Williams is a tremendous athlete with an already-big fastball. The secondary stuff figures to develop nicely given his athletic ability and feel for pitching, but it’s tough to put a firm projection on the 19-year-old until we’ve seen him pitch at the full-season level. Williams should make that jump in 2014. ETA: 2017
8. Clint Coulter, C: Coulter is a bat-first catching prospect, and his fantasy appeal (and real-life baseball appeal, too) depends almost entirely on his ability to stick at the catcher position. Unfortunately, most folks are doubtful that he’ll be able to stick behind the dish. Proving his worth defensively will be of utmost importance as he steps up to Low-A in 2014. If his receiving skills can progress as hoped, the 20-year-old’s prospect status is in for a sizable boost. ETA: 2017
9. Taylor Jungmann, RHP: Jungmann has the arsenal (FB, SL, CH) and frame (6-6, 210) of a mid-rotation innings-eater, but the 23-year-old has struggled thus far as a pro. Through 26 Double-A starts, he posted a 4.33 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP, and a K/9 at 5.3, and his mediocre performance continued through his time in the Arizona Fall League. There’s still plenty of potential here, but he needs to get his shizz together in a hurry. ETA: Late 2014
10. Mitch Haniger, OF: Haniger hit .264/.348/.431 with 11 HR and 9 SB across 129 games between Low-A and High-A. Scouts are doubtful that he’ll be able to cut it defensively as a CF, so there’s pressure on his power to progress considerably if he’s going to fit the corner outfield mold. Most likely, though, Haniger will end up as a useful 4th outfielder. He’ll step up to Double-A in 2014. ETA: 2015
