Brewers Top 10 Prospects -- Latest: Sickels Re-Visists His Pre-Season Top 20

[mrpackersfan1]

I've been wanting to see an updated Brewers Top 10 prospects, and I thought we should make our own. Mine probably isn't the best, but heres one I've compiled.

 

1. Tyler Thornburg, RHP, Brevard County Manatees I've gotta put Thornburg in at the top. He is dominant. I believe only 1 loss in his professional career, along with his ERA and WHIP is stellar.

2. Wily Peralta, RHP, Huntsville Stars He throws fast, produces groundballs, etc. Also, he has been outstanding this month with a 0.90 ERA in 3 starts. To go along with that, Keith Law says he is the Brewers top prospect.

3. Khris Davis, LF, Brevard County Manatees There has been a lot of discussion on this board on how he is the most deserving brewer to earn a promotion, but what I think is that Nichols is holding him back so he can time with Corey Hart's contract, so he can replace Hart. He has an average around .320, about 15 HR, and an OBP of about .420.

4. Mat Gamel, Corner INF, Nashville Sounds He has been 6- 16 since being sent down to the minors. his AVG hovers around .325, tied with Brock Kjeldgaard with 18 HR, and his OPS sits around .950.

5. Kyle Heckathorn, RHP, Huntsville Stars Recently promoted to AA, Heckathorn was the Brewers top pitcher last year. He is having a decent year between AA and A+. Great future for this guy.

6. Mark Rogers, RHP, Rehap Assignment He had a heck of a year last year, reaching the majors and posting a 1.80 ERA, but this year hasn't been nice to him. He has bounced all over and is currently rehabbing in Arizona. Hope he can get back on track and join the Milwaukee Brewers rotation some day.

7. Austin Ross, RHP, Brevard County Manatees He got promoted along with Thornburg, but hasn't looked great in Brevard. He will improve though. He has potential. Just his name sounds like he could reach the majors.

8. Taylor Green, 3B, Nashville Sounds Many have wanted him to replace McGehee at 3B with him struggling. He is a great batter, and was promoted to AAA early in the season. He throws right and bats left.

9. Cody Scarpetta, RHP, Huntsville Stars His recent promotion and then demotion to the majors meant the Brewers were desperate for a long reliever. His future will be in the bullpen.

10. Amuary Rivas, RHP, Nashville Sounds I'm sure many would've rated him higher or maybe even lower, but Rivas has struggled this year. He has had great career numbers, and has potential, but needs to improve.

 

Honorable Mentions- Santo Manzillo RHP AA, Scooter Gennett 2B A+, Eric Farris 2B AAA, Jimmy Nelson RHP A, T.J. Mittelstaedt LF A, Hunter Morris 1B A+, Sean Halton 1B AA, Caleb Gindl OF AAA, Daniel Meadows LHP AAA, Nic Bucci RHP A+, Brendan Katin RF AAA

 

 

Everyone else should make one. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Tedaldtada]

Sure, I have an hour to kill.

 

No way Austin Ross sniffs my top-20 and Rivas has been exposed in AAA. I am holding out hope for Amaury, but he will not be in my top-10.

 

There are certainly some DSL kids making some noise and Orland Arcia is on my top-10. Osmel Perez is close, but it is hard to trust DSL pitching stats.

 

I don't count Gamel because he is not rookie eligible anymore.

 

Gagnon has to be considered and I have spots reserved for the top-3 picks from this draft.

 

1. Wily Peralta: 3 major league caliber pitches with a stud body and few durability concerns. Wily is a legit top-100 prospect in all of baseball.

2. Tyler Thornburg: Dominating, but IMO, still truly unchallenged.

3. Kyle Heckathorn: Doing everything we had hoped from Arnett.

4. Cody Scarpetta: I like his FB:CB combo more than most. It is a major league caliber combo.

5. Khris Davis: Best pure bat in the system.

6. Taylor Green: Should be up already.

7. Caleb Gindl: 22 and keeps hitting. Reports on bat speed are always something like "Quicker bat than I would have expected."

8. Nick Bucci: The organization loves him. Hoping he doesn't go all Inman in the upper minors

9. Orlando Arcia: Huge upside plus big numbers on a pitcher's island. I think Ruben Ozuna's success in the states gives me more confidence in Orlando.

10. D'Vontrey Richardson: Biggest upside in the system. Keeps slowly getting better. He is my pick to explode in Huntsville next year.

 

Next tier: Nelson, Ruben Ozuna, Gennett, Kentrail Davis, Gian Rizzo, Osmel Perez, Komatsu, Schafer, Rivas, Rogers, Morris, Nick Ramirez, Yaddy Rivera, Santo Manzanillo, Tyler Roberts, Renaldo Jenkins, Max Walla, FDLC, Brooks Hall, Halton, Drew Gagnon, Edit 3: Fiers, Ross

 

Next tier: Arnett, Farris, Walker, Mittlestaedt, Hawn, Dennis, Neda, "The Stherv", Haydel, Mondesi Jr., Matt Miller, Joel Dicent, Milton Gomez, David Goforth, Holle, Marzec, Alan Williams, Cam Garfield, Katin

 

Big-time sleepers: Jalen Harris, Malcom Dowell, Elvis Rubio, Joel Pierce, Michael Schaub, Dustin Houle, Tyler Cravy, Carlos Sosa, Alex Jones, Danny Keller, RJ Johnson

 

Overall, I like our system. I really do. It is super bottom heavy right now, but there is upside littered throughout. The 3 pitchers at the top all deserve more love (nationally), imo. Add in our top-3 from the draft, and we are really cooking.

 

 

Edit 2: Forgot my boy Kenny Allison. Big-time sleeper for sure. I will always remember him squaring up Wily Peralta pretty good in the Rising Stars Game. Chad Stang too. See, this system has some possible gems.

[mrpackersfan1]

I forgot about Marzec and Komatsu and Schafer. All make my honorable mentions. Your is much more thourough than mine. I pay attention all the time to the brewers minor league teams, but for some reason never follow the DSL. All I know is Milton Gomez and Ruben Ozuna as great players haha

[mrpackersfan1]

Also, what do you mean Gamel is not rookie- eligible anymore. He has never played full-time MLB

[foamboy1]

I am a huge fan of the folks on this site, including Brian, Toby, Patrick, Maas, etc., etc.......but wanted to encourage you to continue posting.

 

I think the site traffic is way down (my opinion not based on numbers) and the exchanges/ideas are almost non-existent (sorry to offend). We need more provocative posts...thanks.

[Mass Haas]

I am a huge fan of the folks on this site, including Brian, Toby, Patrick, Maas, etc., etc.......but wanted to encourage you to continue posting.

Cool, a Kevin Maas reference http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

 

Nope, this was my guy --

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7C0gSvTcf58/TToPKwHaDLI/AAAAAAAACNI/i1S4r3YkUm8/s1600/moose.jpg

[Mass Haas]

And yes, keep posting.

 

The next Power 50 is about ten days away, so this will stoke the pre-conversation.

[mrpackersfan1]

Yes, I am probably the biggest brewers fan in Illinois, and i recently joined. I will hopefully be very active here. I am a diehard brewers fan. Lets get the topic a lot of posts. Everyone should submit their own top 10 prospects

[Tedaldtada]

Also, what do you mean Gamel is not rookie- eligible anymore. He has never played full-time MLB

He has too many MLB AB's to qualify as a rookie anymore. The cutoff is 140-150, I think.

 

He is certainly a legit major league ballplayer. I would have him right near Taylor Green if he was still eligible. I have no problem if people include him on their lists. I just wanted the extra space for D'Vo! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[markedman5]

Arnett?

 

Hard to consider him a prospect at all at this point.

[Tedaldtada]

Arnett?

 

Hard to consider him a prospect at all at this point.

Which is why I have him way, way down the list. There is something there, it just probably will never come out.

 

I know MTBrew is still hopeful, if not steadfast. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[mrpackersfan1]

I have hope for Arnett. Though it will be one long journey

[gregmag]

Thanks for starting this, Mrpackersfan. Here's my shot:

1. Wily Peralta

2. Tyler Thornburg

3. Taylor Green

4. Cody Scarpetta

5. Khris Davis

6. Caleb Gindl

7. Nick Bucci

8. Eric Komatsu

9. Logan Schafer

10. Kyle Heckathorn

I'm not confident about the order, but this seems to me like a pretty clear top 10 right now, with two caveats: I don't know enough about Gagnon to rank him; and I think Arcia probably belongs on the list, but I have a hard time putting his performance in perspective. I see no reason to put Rivas or Gennett with this group. Rogers at this point is suspect until proven prospect. Ross, Kentrail Davis, and Richardson need to perform their ways into the discussion.

The first two guys seem pretty obvious. Then I have Green ranked this high because he has a much better chance than any other position player in the system to start for the Brewers, he's having almost as good a year as anyone in the system, he has a history of strong performance (albeit interrupted by the wrist problem, but cf. Rickie Weeks), and he isn't even all that old. He's doing everything well right now. Honestly, he excites me.

Then it's the parade of pitchers and outfielders, and trying to compare between the two groups makes my head hurt. Heck, trying to compare within the two groups is pretty tough, and I wouldn't argue passionately against any rearrangement of the last six names. I will say that I don't see how Schafer can rate ahead of Komatsu, or Heckathorn ahead of Bucci, until the first guy in each pair actually outplays the second guy, given that the second guy has the age/level advantage.

Oh, and what has Caleb Gindl ever done except be short, be young for his level, and hit?

[narwhalattack]

1. Tyler Thornburg- absolutely dominating in the minors and has the stuff to back it up. People still believe he's a reliever due to his size and unorthodox delivery, but i still believe he can be a good starter in the long run.

 

2. Wily Peralta- he has good stuff and his strikeout numbers have increased. The problem with him has been consistency, but if he can find consistency he can be a very good prospect. He still has plenty of time to improve.

 

3. Khris Davis- great bat, but which position will he play if and once he gets to the majors?

 

4. Yadiel Rivera- great defensive skills, showing good pop with the bat, and is hitting for average. Although he still strikes out a ton, he has great potential as a SS.

 

5. Kyle Heckathorn- he's not as good as he was a year ago, but he's still doing well in AA

 

6. Cody Scarpetta- great stuff, but the lack of command and a good third pitch could be problematic if he wants to remain a starter.

 

7. Taylor Green- great bat and could very well replace McGehee soon enough.

 

8. Caleb Gindl- great bat and hitting away left and right

 

9. D'Vo Richardson- great upside and is starting to hit very well

 

10. Nick Ramirez- hitting very well from the get- go. If he keeps this up he could turn out to be a VERY good prospect for the Brewers.

[TheCrew07]

1) Tyler Thornburg - No brainer here, keep tightening up that curve and working that change.
2) Wily Peralta - Has been encouraging lately, not sure I buy Law's 98 MPH blurb from the other day, but I want to believe it's true
3) Kris Davis - My opinions on him are well known, higher OF OPS than Braun! Okay... so it's only A ball...
4) Orlando Arcia - Trumpets blaring, etc
5) Taylor Green - You won me over again Taylor, not flashy, but steady and solid
6) Ruben Ozuna - Youngest OF with the highest OPS in the system as a CF prospect. 10th highest OF OPS overall in the entire organization as a 19 year old, small sample size given he's only played 29 games.
7) Nick Bucci - His velocity is better than I gave him credit for
8) Kyle Heckathorn - I hope he finishes strong
9) Caleb Gindl - Much like Green he's not flashy he's just a solid/steady player
10) Santo Manzanillo - The biggest arm the Brewers have above rookie ball, I'm not sold he's figured it out but his upside in the bullpen is tremendous. He wouldn't be this high if Lopez had signed, I was believer in Scarpetta, etc. I hate having a reliever in my top 10, obviously he could be 1 year wonder as well. This speaks more to the state of the system than anything else.

7/8 are pretty interchangeable for me right now.

I dislike the Jungmann pick enough that he'd be in teens and outside the top 10, Bradley would be low teens. D'Vo would be low teens, Gennett in the teens, Fiers in the teens, Hall in the teens, Mittelstaedt in the teens, Walker in the high teens/20s, Gagnon in the middle teens some place, Reed would be in the high teens/20s, and Scarpetta is in the teens someplace. Finally Rivas who I've been supporting for a long time has really pitched poorly this season, he'd be in the high teens/20s I would think if I went that far. I'm concerned enough about Rogers that I wouldn't even put him in my top 20 right now, and he was in my top 10 last season. He's out of options, unhealthy, and hasn't had time to reign in his control.

Edit. Forgot Komatsu and Schafer... Komatsu would be high teens or low 20s, Schafer in the mid teens someplace.

edit 2. Also forgot Rivera, he'd be a low 20s guy for me right now, though I'll say I'm as intrigued by him as I was by D'Vo when he was drafted.

[Never Outhustled]

1. Tyler Thornburg

2. Wily Peralta

3. Caleb Gindl : I wonder how good he'll be when he gets as old as Khris Davis?

4. Taylor Green

5. Mark Rogers

6. Cody Scarpetta

7. Santo Manzanillo: You can't fake velocity

8. Kyle Heckathorn

9. Logan Schafer: A rare defender in the Brewers system

10. Khris Davis

[TooLiveBrew]

He wouldn't be this high if Lopez had signed

Holy cow, you just scared me. I searched through the draft forum to see where the news was that Lopez spurned the Brewers & is going to college.

 

I was relieved when I couldn't find any, & realized your context was probably "had signed already." At least I hope so.

[greeg35]

Santo Manzanillo: You can't fake velocity

 

 

Velocity is faked all the time. Its called jacked up minor league radar guns. Not saying this is the case for Santo; but it has been for many many prospects over the years.

[JohnBriggs12]

Perhaps the most interesting stat for any Brewer prospect this year is the K rate for Richardson. Last year, he struck out once ever 3.6 AB's. This season, at a level higher, his K rate has improved dramatically to once every 5.8 AB's. That certainly accounts for the increased BA. Predictably his walks are down, because no doubt his walk total last year got boosted by more swings and misses.

 

Dramatic improvement in making contact from one season to the next bodes well for his future.

[TheCrew07]

He wouldn't be this high if Lopez had signed

Holy cow, you just scared me. I searched through the draft forum to see where the news was that Lopez spurned the Brewers & is going to college.

 

I was relieved when I couldn't find any, & realized your context was probably "had signed already." At least I hope so.

Correct. I was speaking to the fact that he hasn't signed yet, not that he won't sign. It's tough to drop any draftees that haven't signed into the 10.

 

 

[gregmag]

3. Caleb Gindl : I wonder how good he'll be when he gets as old as Khris Davis?

This is exactly right. I realized as soon as I posted my list that, given my obsession with age/level, I had made a mistake ranking Davis ahead of Gindl.

 

 

[docduany]

1. Tyler Thornburg - Please maintain REAL velocity and your health!

2. Wily Peralta

3.Taylor Green - Doug doesn't like you, please move out of Canada ASAP

4.Kyle Heckathorn

5.Logan Schafer - Hoping for a full time CF

6.Cody Scarpetta - Sure need that 5th option year

7.Caleb Gindl - I'm suffering from little man syndrome

8.Mark Rogers - What a difference a year makes.

9.Khris Davis - What does Melvin & Co. know that we don't?

10.Santo Manzanillo - A reliever as a top 10 prospect... boo

 

WOW. You read the link report everyday and you kind of forget how weak the system is. Reminds of days gone by when Jason Shelly came out of the independent league and lit up Huntsville for a time. You are excited, but deep down you know better. I can honestly say there is no one on there I would call a sure bet. Hope? Heck yes. But not what we've been accustomed to. I guess that major league team being in contention will have to suffice http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[CheezWizHed]

I would disagree. I think Gindl is proving some of us wrong with the "only 4th OFer" label and could be a legit starting RF. There is nothing particularly "special" about any one tool, he is solid all-around. Putting him at #3 seems really high.

 

Davis has a plus tool in power. He obviously has defensive limitations that take some luster off that shine. And now at 22, I doubt Gindl is going to add much in terms of power to make up the difference. I can understand some reservations on Davis as he hasn't hit above A-ball yet, but I think his potential still trumps Gindl's

[Platteville brewer fan]

1. Tyler Thornburg - If he had a bigger body, most people would be ready to call this guy a potential ace.

2. Wily Peralta - For a long time has been one of my favs. Great stuff, and never backed it up with tremendous minor league results. His stats/production reminds me a bit of Juan Nicasio and I've compared Nicasio to Ubaldo Jiminez... can peralta be a poor man's ubaldo, probably not, but a strong #2/#3 type is not out of the question.

3. Orlando Arcia - His brother is absolutely one of my favorite prospects in all of baseball, if orlando can stick to SS and follow the path his brother has taken, we have a gem on our hands.

4. Khris Davis - Love the power potential in this guy.

5. Cody Scarpetta - As others have mentioned, the fastball/curveball combo is enticing. He might be another one of those guys that just clicks all of a sudden (could he do what Peacock has done this year?).

6. Taylor Green - Would be an immediate improvement at 3B for us right now.

7. Nick Bucci - Like others have said, hopefully he delivers for the organization

8. Drew Gagnon - One of my favorite draft picks this spring, impressed in first outing...

9. Nick Ramirez - Like his power potential

10. Kyle Heckathorn - honestly dont' have a good gut feeling about him

 

HM's: Yadiel Rivera, Ruben Ozuna, Caleb Gindl, Eric Komatsu, Mark Rogers, Santo Manzanillo and D'Vontrey Richardson

 

Deeper sleepers: Renaldo Jenkins and Jalen Harris.

 

Also, If they had signed, I'd have Jed Bradley #1 and Jorge Lopez #2... Jungman would come in after Arcia. Michael Reed might fight for a spot at the tail end of the top 10, probably would still miss though.

 

 

[Scooter1027]

1. Tyler Thornburg -- Clear cut #1 at this point, in my opinion. Really one of only 2 guys I'd have a tough time trading at the deadling for big league upgrades.

2. Wily Peralta -- Has the build, the GB tendencies, and a good enough K rate to be a solid mid-to-back of the rotation starter. The kind of guy who hopefully can keep you from spending tens of millions of dollars on the Jeff Suppans for the world.

3. Taylor Green -- The other guy I'd have a hard time trading, not so much because I think he has Tyler's upside, but because he could be that big league upgrade that we need.

4. Khris Davis -- Needs a promotion. I just don't get it. It's time to see what we really have here, he's old enough.

5. Caleb Gindl -- Has just kept producing and exceeding expectations. Actually younger than Davis and producing in AAA. Ready to see him up; can we dump Kotsay yet?

6. Orlando Arcia -- It's going to be fun to follow what hopefully will be a long career in the Brewers organization for this 16 year old.

7. Nicholas Bucci -- The most interesting of our remaining pitching prospects, in my opinion (outside of the unsigned Jungmann/Bradley/Lopez trio, perhaps). BB rate has improved significantly from last year.

8. Kyle Heckathorn -- Just okay so far, maybe a little better than that. I was hoping for more this year. Hopefully he can finish strong at the AA level, that would be a boost to his stock. The kinda guy who might have trade value, and who I wouldn't be too broken up seeing dealt for the right piece.

9. Erik Komatsu -- Another guy I'd like to see up another level. More BBs than Ks each of the last two years (thus far). Maybe not a big league starter, but could be a real nice 4th OF type, so we don't have to sign the Kotsays of the world.

10. Drew Gagnon -- I like what we have here, seems to have a nice mix of pitches, a good feel for pitching, and with his size, some projectability left. Improved each year in college, pitched well against wood bats in the Cape, hopefully he can keep all this positive momentum going. Nice debut for him too.

Just missing for me were Ruben Ozuna, Logan Schafer, Santo Manzanillo, Michael Fiers, and Cody Scarpetta.