Milwaukee Prospects –
It
was reported last week that the Brewers were most interested in securing the
services of RP Addison Reed.
Here’s
five chips we might want to target –
Who
are we not going to get: OF Lewis Brinson
OF
Corey Ray - With a quick left-handed bat and a
knack for making hard contact, Ray projects to hit for both power and average
from the left side of the plate. There's 20-homer potential in his bat, perhaps
even more if he can become more comfortable driving the ball the other way. Ray
did a better job of managing the strike zone last spring and then during his
pro debut, but he still struggles at times to recognize spin, resulting in some
swing-and-miss tendencies. Ray's plus speed makes him a consistent threat on
the basepaths and also serves him well in center field, where he spent his
entire pro debut after manning right field exclusively at Louisville. Ray suffered
a torn meniscus in his left knee during instructional league and underwent
subsequent surgery in October. After recovering, Ray's combination of power and
speed could help him to jump on the fast track to the big leagues in his first
full season. ETA: 2018
RHP
Luis Ortiz - Ortiz combines stuff and feel
better than most young pitchers. His strong build allows him to maintain his
92-97 mph fastball deep into ballgames, and his low-80s slider gives him a plus
second pitch. Ortiz threw his changeup sparingly as an amateur, but has
developed it enough as a pro to where scouts view it as a potentially average
pitch. Meanwhile, a clean and repeatable delivery has helped to make Ortiz an
accomplished strike-thrower early in his career. Much like Brinson, Ortiz
impressed last summer in his brief Brewers debut, posting a 1.93 ERA over six
starts at Double-A Biloxi. He lacks projection in his physical 6-foot-3 frame
and needs to stay healthy, but Ortiz has both the stuff and command profile to
develop into a No. 2 starter. ETA: 2018
2B/SS
Isan Diaz - Diaz's plus bat speed and strong
bat-to-ball skills from the left side enable him to make hard contact and drive
the ball with authority across the whole field. The leverage he's added to his
swing since signing has allowed him to tap into his impressive raw power in
games with greater consistency. Diaz's aggressive approach yields quite a few
whiffs, but is still advanced for his age, as he paced the Midwest League with
72 walks last season. A fringy runner with good instincts on both sides of the
ball, Diaz profiles as more of a second baseman than shortstop at the highest
level, where his range, speed and arm strength are a cleaner fit. Diaz's
ceiling as a power-hitting middle-infielder is tantalizing, but he's likely few
years away from making an impact at the highest level. Once developed, he could
form one of the top double-play combos in baseball alongside slick-fielding
Orlando Arcia in Milwaukee. ETA: 2018
3B
Lucas Erceg - Erceg has impact potential from
the left side of the plate, with natural feel to hit, a solid approach and plus
raw power that could make him a middle-of-the-order bat at maturity.
Defensively, Erceg's athleticism should help him stick at third base, where he
has a strong arm -- one that fired 93-94 mph fastballs as Menlo's closer --
that's ideal for the position. He also received positive reviews as a shortstop
during the fall instructional league, highlighting Erceg's overall athleticism
and versatility. The Brewers have long been trying to develop a homegrown third
baseman, and while it's early in his career, Erceg, with his high offensive
ceiling, could be the team's long-term answer. ETA: 2018
3 comments:
I'm just waiting based on our current hot streak, against lousy clubs of course, to sell us all on the "were still in the race" nonsense....stay tuned.
Gary, what would be weird is if somehow, Colorado and Arizona lost mostly thru this weekend and we won out, and ended up 5 or 6 out of a WC slot by Sunday and Familia and Thor 1-3 weeks away at that point and Cespedes slugging. What then?
What if Donald Trump became president? Oh wait... :)
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