BF.net Fan Community Top 25 Prospects - 2016 Post-Season Edition

[reillymcshane]

#1 (+1) Lewis Brinson, OF, Age 22

758 points (25 1st place votes) - 31 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Tore up the PCL (hitting .382 in 23 games) after joining the Brewers.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Stay healthy. Brinson has struggled at times throughout his career due to nagging injuries. He can also get impatient, which can lead to some rough stretches.

 

Likely 2017 destination: AAA Colorado Springs

 

#2 (+1) Josh Hader, LHP, Age 22

737 points (4 1st place votes) - 31 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: wipeout slider and fastball combo led to 161 strikeouts in 126 IP in 2016.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Consistency and control. He walked 36 in 63 innings at AAA.

 

Likely 2017 destination: AAA Colorado Springs

 

#3 (+1) Luis Ortiz, RHP, Age 21

689 points - 31 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Ortiz sports a multi-pitch arsenal with excellent command (just 39 walks in 166 career innings).

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Ortiz needs to just take the ball and go out on a regular basis. He has had some nagging injuries throughout his career, and has only 166 innings under his belt in three years. The club will look to build up those innings in 2017.

 

Likely 2017 destination: AA Biloxi

 

#4 (+2) Isan Diaz, 2B/SS, Age 20

678 points (1 1st place votes) - 31 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: 59 extra base hits in Appleton last year, including leading the Midwest league in HRs.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: 31 errors in 2016. The Brewers probably need to transition him to 2B full time so he can hone his game there. At the plate, he could be more consistent, and cut down on his strikeouts.

 

Likely 2017 destination: A+ Carolina

 

#5 ( - ) Phil Bickford, RHP, Age 21

617 points - 31 of 31 ballots

 

Why to be excited: Using his outstanding fastball and plus slider, he has cruised through the minors, producing a 2.78 ERA over the last two seasons in Rookie and A ball.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Repeating his mechanics, keep refining his change up, becoming a pitcher and not just a thrower. As he moves up the minor league food chain, his raw skills will be challenged by more experienced and talented hitters.

 

Likely 2017 destination: AA Biloxi

 

#6 (+1) Corey Ray, OF, Age 22

592 points - 31 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Immensely talented young man who started slowly but came on as he got comfortable (.819 OPS in August).

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Not to be overwhelmed due to the pressure of high expectations. Ray will likely never have any one eye-popping statistic, so he just needs to let his overall game and talent do the talking. Defensively, he needs to work on his game in CF, a position he didn’t play much in college.

 

Likely 2017 destination: A+ Carolina

 

#7 (+2) Brett Phillips, OF, Age 22

546 points - 31 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Lots of raw physical tools, including a cannon for an arm and decent power.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Making contact. Adjusting to better pitching. Phillips really just needs to improve his overall hitting approach, getting back to the potential he showed in 2014/15.

 

Likely 2017 destination: AA Biloxi

 

#8 (+5) Brandon Woodruff, RHP, Age 24

537 points - 31 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: The Brewers Minor League Pitcher of the year had 14 wins, a 2.91 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 158 IP between Brevard County and Biloxi in 2016.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Maintain the consistency he showed in 2016. If he can repeat his performance next season, Woodruff’s stock will sky rocket.

 

Likely 2017 destination: AAA Colorado Springs

 

#9 (-1) Trent Clark, OF, Age 20

531 points - 31 of 31 ballots

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Advanced hit tool, excellent patience.

 

What to work on in 2017: Stay healthy. Clark was dogged by leg injuries and his diminished speed and explosiveness really hurt his game. He needs to get back to the player he was in 2015.

 

Likely 2017 destination: A+ Carolina

 

#10 (-1) Marcos Diplan, RHP, Age 20

501 points - 31 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Produced a 3.02 ERA and struck out 129 batters in 113.1 IP in A ball last year.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Control. Diplan has walks too many batters. He has to work on becoming a pitcher and not just a thrower.

 

Likely 2017 destination: A+ Carolina

 

#11 (+1) Lucas Erceg, 3B, Age 21

472 points - 31 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: A .327 BA and solid power (9 HR in 68 games) between Helena and Wisconsin, as well as flashing a good glove.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Stay focused, keep working hard. As a college player, Erceg may be pushed quickly.

 

Likely 2017 destination: A+ Carolina

 

#12 (+2) Jorge Lopez, RHP, Age 24

362 points - 30 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: After a disastrous stint at Colorado Springs, Lopez seemed to find his game in Biloxi, striking out 47 in 45.1 innings and getting his ERA under 4.00.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Consistency. The talent is there, but Lopez needs to regain the form he displayed in 2015.

 

Likely 2017 destination: AAA Colorado Springs (unless the Brewers think the thin air has gotten to much into Lopez’s head)

 

#13 (-2) Cody Ponce, RHP, Age 22

361 points - 30 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Big, hard thrower who doesn’t walk a lot of batters.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Needs to work on his consistency, and build up his workload. Ponce would flash moments of brilliance, then be very hittable.

 

Likely 2017 destination: A+ Carolina

 

#14 (+1) Gilbert Lara, SS, Age 18

292 points - 27 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Very young. Bagfuls of raw tools. Results have been mixed thus far, but ended well last year, hitting .314 in August/September.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Lara needs to refine his game in most ways. He is still very young, and needs to mature as a ballplayer.

 

Likely 2017 destination: A- Wisconsin

 

#15 (+2) Jacob Nottingham, C, Age 22

287 points - 29 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: The man mashed in 2015, hitting .316 with 17 HR. It’s a matter of finding that hitting stroke again.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Can he stick at catcher? Nottingham has seen mixed results behind the plate, and the Crew needs to figure out if he can stay behind the dish.

 

Likely 2017 destination: AA Biloxi

 

#16 (-1) Freddy Peralta, RHP, Age 20

276 points - 30 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Shined at Wisconsin, producing a 2.85 ERA striking out 77 in 60 innings.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Peralta’s struggled with his command at times, especially after being promoted to Brevard County.

 

Likely 2017 destination: A+ Carolina

 

#17 (New) Ryan Cordell, OF, Age 25

235 points - 27 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Athletic and versatile outfielder with a good glove and solid power.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Cordell needs to control the strike zone a little better if he wants to become more than a 4th outfielder. He doesn’t have any single standout tool, but his overall game makes him intriguing.

 

Likely 2017 destination: AAA Colorado Springs

 

#18 (+1) Kodi Medeiros, LHP, Age 20

187 points - 26 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Probably the nastiest slider in the system.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Control. Followed by control. And then some more control. Medeiros walked way too many batters last year (63 in 85 innings).

 

Likely 2017 destination: A+ Carolina

 

#19 (+3) Corbin Burnes, RHP, Age 22

163 points - 24 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Advanced college pitcher with a plus fastball.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Burnes has dominated younger hitters. His big challenge will be when he moves up the minor league ladder and faces more advanced hitters.

 

Likely 2017 destination: A+ Carolina

 

#20 ( - ) Monte Harrison, OF, Age 21

152 points - 22 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Harrison has flashed speed, power and a strong eye at the plate in the past - now it’s about putting it all together.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Stay healthy and continue to hone his baseball skills.

 

Likely 2017 destination: A- Wisconsin

 

#21 (+3) Nathan Kirby, LHP, Age 23

134 points - 22 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Kirby returns to the mound for the first time since a brief 2015 stint.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Just stay healthy and show the arm is ready to come back.

 

Likely 2017 destination: Your guess is as good as mine

 

#22 (-3) Devin Williams, RHP, Age 22

131 points - 21 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Electric fastball that can dominate a game.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Refine his game, develop better control (this seems like what we say about him every year).

 

Likely 2017 destination: A+ Carolina

 

#23 (-2) Jake Gatewood, 3B/1B, Age 21

102 points - 19 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: His 33 doubles and 14 HR at Wisconsin are a hint of his extra base potential.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Keep refining his hitting approach to tap into his tremendous raw power. Gatewood only walked 18 times last season, which needs to improve.

 

Likely 2017 destination: A+ Carolina

 

#24 (+3) Brent Suter, LHP, Age 27

89 points (1 1st place vote) - 9 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Nice debut with Milwaukee, tossing a 3.32 ERA in 21.2 innings of work. As a reliever, he didn’t give up any runs in 12 innings.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: Find a niche in Milwaukee, likely as a lefty reliever who can spot start or work multiple innings if necessary.

 

Likely 2017 destination: Milwaukee

 

#25 ( - ) Wei-Chung Wang, LHP, Age 24

81 points - 10 of 31 ballots

 

Why be excited: Left-handed starter who has shown steady improvement in just about every phase of his game over the last few years.

 

What to work on/watch in 2017: As the past couple of years, Wang just needs to keep improving. He seems to take a little time to adjust with each new club.

 

Likely 2017 destination: AAA Colorado Springs

 

The Rest

 

Demi Orimoloye - 72 points

Jacob Barnes - 59

Jon Perrin - 49

Miguel Diaz - 48

Clint Coulter - 41

Jordan Yamamoto - 36

Braden Webb - 31

Troy Stokes - 27

Taylor Williams - 24

Ronnie Gideon - 22

Michael Reed - 22

Mario Feliciano - 19

Garrett Cooper - 18

Trey Supek - 17

Joantgel Segovia - 14

Chad McClanahan - 13

Angel Ventura - 11

Zack Brown - 8

Mitch Ghelfi - 7

Damien Magnifico - 6

Rymer Liriano - 4

Tyrone Taylor - 4

Aaron Wilkerson - 4

Wes Wilson - 2

Kyle Wren - 2

Trey York - 2

Jorge Ortega - 1

Adrian Houser - 1

Franley Mallen - 1

 

All ages are listed as of April 3, 2017, the start of next season.

 

Here's the link to the voting thread: viewtopic.php?f=64&t=34705

[reillymcshane]

The 2016 Post-Season BF.net Community Top 25 is complete. We had 31 ballots. Thanks very much for everyone’s input.

 

Lewis Brinson took the top spot on 25 of the 31 ballots. Josh Hader had four #1 votes, while Isan Diaz and Brett Suter each had one.

 

Newcomers: Cordell

Exited the Top 25: Arcia (graduate), M. Diaz (dropped to #29)

Number of ballots: 31

Number of players on ballots: 54

Mr. Irrelevant (1 point): J. Ortega, Mallen and Houser

Risers: Woodruff (5 spots), Burnes and Suter (3 spots)

Fallers: Demi Orimoloye (4 spots), D. Williams (3 spots)

 

If you see any mistakes, please let me know. I will update as needed.

 

We'll plan on doing a new list at the start of the 2017 season.

[reillymcshane]

Notes from the post-season poll:

 

- All opinions in the write ups are my own.

- There was not a lot of movement in the poll - not a shocker since things haven't changed that much since early August. The movement was mostly guys moving up or down a slot or two.

- The ages listed are for how old a player will be at the start of the 2017 season.

- Brett Suter is only 29 innings away from graduating from our list!

[CheezWizHed]

Burnes and Super (3 spots)

 

Super Suter?

 

Thanks for compiling it all!

[reillymcshane]

Burnes and Super (3 spots)

 

Super Suter?

 

Thanks for compiling it all!

I'm guessing autocorrect. For all it's wonderfulness, it can be a pain in the butt.

 

Thanks.

[Crash2303]

great list- our composite wisdom will prevail!

 

however, I do not see Rymer Liriano listed anywhere, but should be listed with Mallen & Houser as "mr. irrelevant" as he was #22 on my list. unless I missed somewhere that he is no longer with Milwaukee or ineligible for the list

[reillymcshane]

great list- our composite wisdom will prevail!

 

however, I do not see Rymer Liriano listed anywhere, but should be listed with Mallen & Houser as "mr. irrelevant" as he was #22 on my list. unless I missed somewhere that he is no longer with Milwaukee or ineligible for the list

I figured this one out.

 

I made an error entering the results on the spreadsheet. I gave Jorge Ortega your #22 vote, and skipped Lirano altogether.

 

This does cause Ortega to get just one single vote - which gets him on the Mr. Irrelevant listing.

 

Sorry for the error - and thanks for the catch.

[1992casey]

Thanks for compiling this, reilly.

 

I see Demi Orimoloye with 81 points. Shouldn't that tie him for 25th, or am I missing something?

[reillymcshane]

Thanks for compiling this, reilly.

 

I see Demi Orimoloye with 81 points. Shouldn't that tie him for 25th, or am I missing something?

Man, I'm getting sloppy. Demi had 72 points.

[Jose Cardenal1]

Just want to point out that 7 of the top 10, including all of the top 5 were acquired via a trade.

[clancyphile]

Notes from the post-season poll:

 

- All opinions in the write ups are my own.

- There was not a lot of movement in the poll - not a shocker since things haven't changed that much since early August. The movement was mostly guys moving up or down a slot or two.

- The ages listed are for how old a player will be at the start of the 2017 season.

- Brett Suter is only 29 innings away from graduating from our list!

 

I thought rookie status only ended with 130 ABs or 50 IP in a season...

[reillymcshane]

Notes from the post-season poll:

 

- All opinions in the write ups are my own.

- There was not a lot of movement in the poll - not a shocker since things haven't changed that much since early August. The movement was mostly guys moving up or down a slot or two.

- The ages listed are for how old a player will be at the start of the 2017 season.

- Brett Suter is only 29 innings away from graduating from our list!

 

I thought rookie status only ended with 130 ABs or 50 IP in a season...

The numbers are cumulative. Suter has 21.2 innings pitched thus far. Add in another 29, and he'll hit 50+ IPs, and he's no longer a rookie.

 

Tyler Cravy had this same thing happen last year - 42.2 IP in 2015, 28.1 IP in 2016. He graduated off the list once he cracked the 50 total innings pitched mark.

 

Same goes for hitters. 130 ABs is a cumulative number.

[clancyphile]

Just want to point out that 7 of the top 10, including all of the top 5 were acquired via a trade.

 

On my ballot, five players were via trade (Cordell, Brinson, Hader, Isan Diaz, and Ortiz), one was a Rule V (Wang), and four were drafted (Suter, Erceg, Ronnie Gideon, and Perrin).

[WV Brew]

Personally, I would move Harrison to A+ and let Clark stay at Wisconsin at the start of the year. The simple reason being that they will need to make a decision on Harrison sooner.

[clancyphile]

Personally, I would move Harrison to A+ and let Clark stay at Wisconsin at the start of the year. The simple reason being that they will need to make a decision on Harrison sooner.

 

I'd move Clark to A+ (given his proven OBP skills), and keep Harrison at Wisconsin.

[reillymcshane]

Personally, I would move Harrison to A+ and let Clark stay at Wisconsin at the start of the year. The simple reason being that they will need to make a decision on Harrison sooner.

That was a hard one. I just looked at Monte's production. It just hasn't been there. Not that Clark was great or anything. It just seems Harrison has more to learn.

 

There are always these kinds of decisions. I didn't let myself get too caught up in it.

[And That]

The Brewers have put themselves in an awkward spot with Harrison and Gatewood. On its face, their production doesn't really merit a promotion to Carolina to begin the season, but do they really want to put them both back in Wisconsin for a third year? I would think not, but we'll see.

[MrTPlush]

The Brewers have put themselves in an awkward spot with Harrison and Gatewood. On its face, their production doesn't really merit a promotion to Carolina to begin the season, but do they really want to put them both back in Wisconsin for a third year? I would think not, but we'll see.

 

Keep in mind injuries have limited Harrison to 450ish ABs in Wisconsin. Gatewood on the other hand has 650is ABs. Another thing to consider is the fact they have only had on full season at Wisconsin and the first appearance there they were awfully over matched and I am not sure it did them any good.

 

I could see them both returning to Wisconsin with Harrison almost a sure bet to return and Gatewood possibly a 50/50 call. I just can't envision them pushing Harrison to A+ to start the season.

[CheeseheadInQC]

I'd guess Gatewood gets bumped up to A+, especially after apparently looking good in instructs. Harrison has seemed to get injured every time he looked like he might be getting close to turning a corner, so I think they might keep him in Wisconsin to start the season just to try to build up a little momentum. Personally, though, I don't know that it's an "or" with Harrison and Clark. It wouldn't shock me if the opening day outfield for the Rattlers is entirely composed of returners (Harrison, Clark and Belonis). There's really no need to push them to free up outfield spots. Orimoloye and Zach Clark both seem likely to start in short season ball, and while Segovia's on base percentage is intriguing, I could see them giving him more time to try to develop at least doubles power.

[And That]

I know Harrison has had limited time actually at the plate in Wisconsin, but from the player's point of view, how many times can the team send you back to the same level before you start doubting yourself? I bet it feels like a lot more than 450 ABs to him. So from that angle, I think it makes sense to promote both of them to Carolina, which is a much, much better offensive environment than Brevard was.

 

I can also see the reasoning behind keeping them both at Wisconsin.

[CheezWizHed]

Not to mention that Ray will probably be at A+ next year. Given Clark seems the least likely of our CF high draft picks to actually remain in CF, he shouldn't be taking CF reps from Harrison or Ray.

 

Trent is also the more likely of the two to be promoted to A+ ball. Unfortunately Harrison still needs time there.

[LouisEly]

2 of the top 3, 5 of the top 10, and 14 of the top 25 are pitchers. Considering where the organization was just a few years ago, and considering that some feel this is the top organization in MLB in terms of prospects, that's a pretty good change.

[logan82]

Maybe. Pitchers flame out a an extremely high rate so I guess it is good to have a lot.

[Jose Cardenal1]

Agreed that given the flame out rate on Pitchers you never have enough good prospects. That said, have the Brewers ever had more than 1 Pitching prospect ranked in the top 100 at any one time (we have 3 now)?

 

Would love to add 1 more top 100 Pitcher in a Braun trade to add to the mix and then the strength of the top of the '17 draft is pitching too. At some point we are going to whine about not having any bats in the system.

[sveumrules]

Banda & Haniger checked in at #1 & #3 on Fangraphs Diamondbacks list. Where would they have slotted in on this list? 10-15ish range?

 

Also, thanks to all who voted and of course to Reilly for putting it all together. It's always interesting to see how the forums list compares to the "experts" as they eventually come out over the winter.