Way Too Early 2019 Minor League Roster Forecast

[And That]

With two of the three short-season leagues wrapping up and the rest of the minor leagues soon to follow, I thought it would be an opportune time to look into how the full season affiliates could be shaping up for next spring. Obviously, there are a ton of moving parts here. Players will be signed, released, traded for, traded away, DFA'd, will retire, etc. This is not meant as a roster prediction so much as a general idea of who might fit in where.

 

The upper minor league teams will likely need to bring in more reinforcements than usual. Due to the composition of the 40-man roster and trades thinning out upper minor league talent, there are just gaps that need to be filled in. Look for at least few new catchers, a few new infielders, and a few new outfielders to play prominent roles in AAA and AA next season. The Brewers do have better pitching depth in the upper minors, though there invariably are a few outside guys brought in there as well.

 

Looking at all of the offenses, it's pretty clear the Brewers are not where they were talent-wise a few years ago. Still more than a few interesting names in there, though.

 

The Brewers have a ton of pitching depth. Let's hope the developmental staff can turn some of that depth into MLB-caliber talent.

 

There are a number of players who could slide up or down a level. I just picked a level for every player and went with it. The "other considerations" guys tend to be lower-priority prospects than the players listed on the team roster forecasts. Except for the A-ball roster, where there are just more guys than space.

 

* is for left-handed hitters and ^ is for switch hitters.

 

Anyone who is a MiLB FA after the season ends is not included below. No one with no 2019 options remaining is included below.

 

There are a number of players who are currently injured included below, but for the most part, they were included in the "other considerations" parts. I went with the Brewers-standard 13 pitcher roster alignment.

 

AAA

C: Jacob Nottingham, MiLB FA

INF: Mauricio Dubon, Lucas Erceg*, Jake Gatewood, Keston Hiura, Nate Orf, Tyler Saladino

OF: Corey Ray*, Troy Stokes Jr., MiLB FA, MiLB FA

Other offensive considerations: Orlando Arcia (INF), MiLB FAs

 

SP: Zack Brown, Bubba Derby, Cody Ponce, Aaron Wilkerson, Trey Supak

RP: Tristan Archer, Nate Griep, Ariel Hernandez, Jon Olczak, Miguel Sanchez, Jake Thompson, Quintin Torres-Costa*, MiLB FA

Other pitching considerations: Jacob Barnes (RP), Corbin Burnes (SP), Zach Davies (SP), Freddy Peralta (SP), Taylor Williams (RP), Brandon Woodruff (SP), MiLB FAs

 

AA

C: Max McDowell, MiLB FA

INF: Blake Allemand^, Luis Aviles Jr., Tucker Neuhaus*, Weston Wilson, MiLB FA, MiLB FA

OF: Ryan Aguilar*, Trent Grisham*, Cooper Hummel^, MiLB FA

Other offensive considerations: Robie Rojas ©, MiLB FAs

 

SP: Marcos Diplan, Conor Harber, Tom Jankins, Nate Kirby*, Cam Roegner*, Braden Webb

RP: Luke Barker, Rodrigo Benoit, Phil Bickford, Alec Kenilvort, Brad Kuntz*, Christian Meister, Devin Williams

Other pitching considerations: Alec Bettinger (SP), Nattino Diplan (RP), Jorge Ortega (SP), Danny Reynolds (RP), Wuilder Rodriguez (RP), Tyler Spurlin (RP), Josh Uhen (RP), MiLB FAs

 

A+

C: Mario Feliciano, KJ Harrison, Payton Henry

INF: Dallas Carroll, Devin Hairston, Gilbert Lara, Trever Morrison*, Eddie Silva

OF: Zach Clark, Tristen Lutz, Demi Orimoloye, Joantgel Segovia

Other offensive considerations: Nate Rodriguez ©, Pat McInerney (1B), Rob Henry (OF), Nick Roscetti (INF)

 

SP: Aaron Ashby*, Dylan File, Bowden Francis, Nelson Hernandez, Scott Sunitsch*, Christian Taugner

RP: Clayton Andrews*, Cody Beckman*, Sal Biasi, Dan Brown*, J.T. Hintzen, Robbie Hitt, Michael Petersen

Other pitching considerations: Jake Drossner* (SP), Drake Owenby* (SP)

 

A

C: Brent Diaz, David Fry

INF: Yeison Coca^, Gabriel Garcia, Korry Howell, Chad McClanahan*, Connor McVey, Brice Turang*

OF: Pablo Abreu, Jesus Lujano*, Nic Pierre, Je'Von Ward*

Other offensive considerations: LG Castillo (OF), Bryan Connell (OF), Kenny Corey* (INF), Jay Feliciano (OF), Kekai Rios ©, Carlos Rodriguez* (OF), Bryan Torres (C/INF)

 

SP: Justin Bullock, Max Lazar, Caden Lemons, Carlos Luna, Joey Matulovich, Wilfred Salaman*

RP: Jesus Brea, Johan Dominguez, Logan Gillaspie, Carlos Herrera, Michael Mediavilla*, Drew Rasmussen, Chad Whitmer

Other starting pitcher considerations: Freisis Adames, Victor Castaneda, Jolon Lun, Daniel Missaki, Joel Pinto, Jayson Rose, Christian Trent*

Other relief pitcher considerations: Tate Budnick, Roberto Delgado, Blake Fox*, Gabe Friese, Matt Hardy, Mitch McIntyre, Brandon Presley*, Peter Strzelecki, Tyler Tungate

[KeithStone53151]

It's relatively safe to say our new AAA affiliate will be welcomed by a majority of our very best prospects, and will likely be very good in 2019. I'm so curious how that shuffle plays out...

[clancyphile]

Any chance Hummel catches at AA instead of plays the OF?

[CheeseheadInQC]

Any chance Hummel catches at AA instead of plays the OF?

 

I doubt it. He's caught eight times this year and not, if I saw correctly, for a couple of months. Given the importance of the position, you'd think if there was any chance that they thought he could stick there he would have gotten more looks this year.

 

On the other projections, I kind of wonder if Harber might not start in the AAA rotation. He hasn't spent much time in AA, but he has been good and repeated A+, so he's kind of still a year behind if he starts off again in AA. Given the aggressiveness with which they have promoted pitchers lately, I could see it.

[monkeyman343434]

I thought I read somewhere they're hoping to have Braun become a catcher over the offseason.

[clancyphile]

Any chance Hummel catches at AA instead of plays the OF?

 

I doubt it. He's caught eight times this year and not, if I saw correctly, for a couple of months. Given the importance of the position, you'd think if there was any chance that they thought he could stick there he would have gotten more looks this year.

 

On the other projections, I kind of wonder if Harber might not start in the AAA rotation. He hasn't spent much time in AA, but he has been good and repeated A+, so he's kind of still a year behind if he starts off again in AA. Given the aggressiveness with which they have promoted pitchers lately, I could see it.

 

They kept his hand in behind the plate... I think he could at least be a 3rd catcher who also helps out in the corner OF or 1B. The bat's profiling quite well, though.

 

I do worry about overvaluing defense. If Hummel is a passable catcher, why not keep him there?

 

On another projection: I see Kirby as a reliever after multiple surgeries. I see him in the pen at AA and Ashby jumping to AA. I wonder what Drake Owenby's deal was this year... he looked intriguing in 2017.

[And That]

If Hummel is a passable catcher, why not keep him there?

If Hummel is a passable catcher, they would keep him there. You'd think. That he's not playing there might tell you something.

[clancyphile]

If Hummel is a passable catcher, why not keep him there?

If Hummel is a passable catcher, they would keep him there. You'd think. That he's not playing there might tell you something.

 

With what looks like a plus bat, it just sees foolish NOT to get another good catcher prospect behind Nottingham. Honestly, I think Hummel's bat profiles much better than Nottingham's.

[And That]

With what looks like a plus bat, it just sees foolish NOT to get another good catcher prospect behind Nottingham. Honestly, I think Hummel's bat profiles much better than Nottingham's.

So does Hiura's, but that doesn't mean he should catch either.

[JohnBriggs12]

If Hummel is a passable catcher, why not keep him there?

If Hummel is a passable catcher, they would keep him there. You'd think. That he's not playing there might tell you something.

 

With what looks like a plus bat, it just sees foolish NOT to get another good catcher prospect behind Nottingham. Honestly, I think Hummel's bat profiles much better than Nottingham's.

 

Payton Henry is a good catching prospect. If KJ Harrison can develop defensively, he's another to watch.

[brewmann04]

Any thoughts on Max McDowell

[And That]

Any thoughts on Max McDowell

I've been high on McDowell since he was drafted. He's turned himself into a really good defensive catcher because he's athletic and intelligent behind the plate. Honestly, his athleticism would probably play anywhere on the field beside SS and CF. He hit well in the AZL and Wisconsin in '15/'16 before struggling in Carolina. To his credit, as his offense got worse, his defense got that much better. And now the worm is starting to turn a little bit at the plate in Biloxi. I do believe he has untapped offensive potential in him, and as long as his defense doesn't regress, he easily has second-division starting catcher upside.

[brewmann04]

Thank you for your thoughts appreciated

[zagski6]

 

Payton Henry is a good catching prospect. If KJ Harrison can develop defensively, he's another to watch.

 

Harrison is a looooong way off from being a legitimate catching prospect. With the emergence of Payton Henry, I think Harrison holds more value being brought up as a 1B.

[And That]

Harrison made very limited progress behind the dish this year. He’ll be a 1B, perhaps LF bat going forward.

[angel peña]

I HAVE SEEN SEGOVIA TO PLAY, IT FACILS ME THE WAY AS THE BALL BEATS, IT IS DISCIPLINED IN THE PLATE.

MY QUESTION IF HE DEVELOPS POWER THAT PROJECTION WOULD HAVE?

[clancyphile]

 

Payton Henry is a good catching prospect. If KJ Harrison can develop defensively, he's another to watch.

 

Harrison is a looooong way off from being a legitimate catching prospect. With the emergence of Payton Henry, I think Harrison holds more value being brought up as a 1B.

 

The Crew found Thames/Aguilar at first base from Korea and a waiver claim. When Yelich came up, he was a first baseman.

 

I don't see the logic of giving up on KJ Harrison or Cooper Hummel as catchers at all. Honestly, Hummel, Harrison, Henry, and Fry could give th eBrewers some outstanding depth at catcher.

[CheeseheadInQC]

 

The Crew found Thames/Aguilar at first base from Korea and a waiver claim. When Yelich came up, he was a first baseman.

 

I don't see the logic of giving up on KJ Harrison or Cooper Hummel as catchers at all. Honestly, Hummel, Harrison, Henry, and Fry could give th eBrewers some outstanding depth at catcher.

 

I imagine it is a combination of things. First is opportunity cost. If you give more time to someone like Hummel (and you’d have to if they are that far away on defense) that is less time for others who have a better chance to stick at catcher like McDonald or Feliciano. Also it seems like the more time is spent focusing on defense for catching the more the offense stalls (see Nottingham’s down year or two or Harrison this year). If you think the chance of the defense coming around is slim, do you want to stall the offensive progress as well?

[clancyphile]

 

The Crew found Thames/Aguilar at first base from Korea and a waiver claim. When Yelich came up, he was a first baseman.

 

I don't see the logic of giving up on KJ Harrison or Cooper Hummel as catchers at all. Honestly, Hummel, Harrison, Henry, and Fry could give th eBrewers some outstanding depth at catcher.

 

I imagine it is a combination of things. First is opportunity cost. If you give more time to someone like Hummel (and you’d have to if they are that far away on defense) that is less time for others who have a better chance to stick at catcher like McDonald or Feliciano. Also it seems like the more time is spent focusing on defense for catching the more the offense stalls (see Nottingham’s down year or two or Harrison this year). If you think the chance of the defense coming around is slim, do you want to stall the offensive progress as well?

 

Well, maybe if you have a good bat (a Cooper Hummel, a David Fry, or the since-traded KJ Harrison) maybe you don't sweat the defense so much.

 

Henry Blanco was a black hole at catcher when he was with the Brewers, and they had a better option in Raul Casanova. Dave Nilsson was a good option behind the plate, but they went with Mike Matheny - and gave up about 150 points of OPS for at least three years.

 

I've seen Jason Kendall, Johnny Estrada, Damian Miller, and Chad Moeller, among others, just be offensive black holes.

 

I liked having an offensive threat like Lucroy there. I want Lucroy back, or the next Lucroy.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

 

The Crew found Thames/Aguilar at first base from Korea and a waiver claim. When Yelich came up, he was a first baseman.

 

I don't see the logic of giving up on KJ Harrison or Cooper Hummel as catchers at all. Honestly, Hummel, Harrison, Henry, and Fry could give th eBrewers some outstanding depth at catcher.

 

I imagine it is a combination of things. First is opportunity cost. If you give more time to someone like Hummel (and you’d have to if they are that far away on defense) that is less time for others who have a better chance to stick at catcher like McDonald or Feliciano. Also it seems like the more time is spent focusing on defense for catching the more the offense stalls (see Nottingham’s down year or two or Harrison this year). If you think the chance of the defense coming around is slim, do you want to stall the offensive progress as well?

 

Well, maybe if you have a good bat (a Cooper Hummel, a David Fry, or the since-traded KJ Harrison) maybe you don't sweat the defense so much.

 

Henry Blanco was a black hole at catcher when he was with the Brewers, and they had a better option in Raul Casanova. Dave Nilsson was a good option behind the plate, but they went with Mike Matheny - and gave up about 150 points of OPS for at least three years.

 

I've seen Jason Kendall, Johnny Estrada, Damian Miller, and Chad Moeller, among others, just be offensive black holes.

 

I liked having an offensive threat like Lucroy there. I want Lucroy back, or the next Lucroy.

 

If there is one position on the field where you can't really cheat defensively, it's catcher. Lucroy was also a terrific defensive catcher, which is part of what made him so valuable. Casanova and Nillson were crap defenders, hence why they were replaced. You can play around with bad defense in the corner infield and outfield, but you don't really want to mess with that up the middle of the field.

[clancyphile]

To add to my point - five players who have seen time in the system at catcher still with the Crew aside from Jake Nottingham (DL) and KJ Harrison (traded):

 

A: .213/.291/.331 - .622 OPS

B: .235/.325/.382 - .707 OPS

C: .229/.329/.313 - .642 OPS

D: .255/.391/.395 - .786 OPS

E: .319/.413/.573 - .986 OPS

 

A is Mario Feliciano

B is Payton Henry

C is Max McDowell

D is Cooper Hummel

E is David Fry

 

Right now, I don't want to see Feliciano and McDowell getting ABs... they're black holes. Henry looks promising with the OBP skills and power to be a 3TO bat.

 

Hummel and Fry, thoughm, are on a different level offensively. I'd rather give them the playing time.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

To add to my point - five players who have seen time in the system at catcher still with the Crew aside from Jake Nottingham (DL) and KJ Harrison (traded):

 

A: .213/.291/.331 - .622 OPS

B: .235/.325/.382 - .707 OPS

C: .229/.329/.313 - .642 OPS

D: .255/.391/.395 - .786 OPS

E: .319/.413/.573 - .986 OPS

 

A is Mario Feliciano

B is Payton Henry

C is Max McDowell

D is Cooper Hummel

E is David Fry

 

Right now, I don't want to see Feliciano and McDowell getting ABs... they're black holes. Henry looks promising with the OBP skills and power to be a 3TO bat.

 

Hummel and Fry, thoughm, are on a different level offensively. I'd rather give them the playing time.

 

Defense matters, though, especially at the catcher position. Feliciano is 19, and playing at High A. Might want to tap the brakes on benching him. I have a feeling there might be some development left in him. McDowell is 24, so its possible he might be more of a finished product. Hummel is 23, and at a level below McDowell, so age really isn't on his side either.

[clancyphile]

To add to my point - five players who have seen time in the system at catcher still with the Crew aside from Jake Nottingham (DL) and KJ Harrison (traded):

 

A: .213/.291/.331 - .622 OPS

B: .235/.325/.382 - .707 OPS

C: .229/.329/.313 - .642 OPS

D: .255/.391/.395 - .786 OPS

E: .319/.413/.573 - .986 OPS

 

A is Mario Feliciano

B is Payton Henry

C is Max McDowell

D is Cooper Hummel

E is David Fry

 

Right now, I don't want to see Feliciano and McDowell getting ABs... they're black holes. Henry looks promising with the OBP skills and power to be a 3TO bat.

 

Hummel and Fry, thoughm, are on a different level offensively. I'd rather give them the playing time.

 

Defense matters, though, especially at the catcher position. Feliciano is 19, and playing at High A. Might want to tap the brakes on benching him. I have a feeling there might be some development left in him. McDowell is 24, so its possible he might be more of a finished product. Hummel is 23, and at a level below McDowell, so age really isn't on his side either.

 

Hummel, made the adjustment from rookie-ball (short-season) to full-season pro ball at Carolina last season, and improved his OPS by 116 points. We have a slightly smaller climb this season, but I'm feeling confident Hummel could make the jump to AAA. I think he's got a good approach. Maybe he needs to tweak his swing a little, the way Troy Stokes did.

[Jenkins5]

To add to my point - five players who have seen time in the system at catcher still with the Crew aside from Jake Nottingham (DL) and KJ Harrison (traded):

 

A: .213/.291/.331 - .622 OPS

B: .235/.325/.382 - .707 OPS

C: .229/.329/.313 - .642 OPS

D: .255/.391/.395 - .786 OPS

E: .319/.413/.573 - .986 OPS

 

A is Mario Feliciano

B is Payton Henry

C is Max McDowell

D is Cooper Hummel

E is David Fry

 

Right now, I don't want to see Feliciano and McDowell getting ABs... they're black holes. Henry looks promising with the OBP skills and power to be a 3TO bat.

 

Hummel and Fry, thoughm, are on a different level offensively. I'd rather give them the playing time.

 

Mario has been banged up all season & hitting in a league where the vast majority of hitters struggle. Not to mention he was only 19 there all season. Brewers are not going to give up a 19 year old, who battled injuries all year, in a pitchers league, and has a promising bat. To call him a blackhole is laughable. He was one of the few bats in Wisconsin (at 18) who was fairly consistent and showed a lot of promise. Fry was a 23 year old in offense driven league. I’ll take his results with grain of salt. Harrison looked amazing in Helena & was pretty useless most of the season in Wisconsin.

 

Henry hit a major wall in first full season in July but think he is a promising prospect.

1. Nottingham

2. Feliciano/Henry

3. McDowell

4. The rest

 

would be my rankings. Super Mario & Henry are neck & neck to me.

 

Have a feeling Ashby will be moved fast. Pretty electric kid.

 

Helena kids produced way than I thought they would. Guys like Ward, Coco, Castillo, Abreu, Turang and such all make Wisconsin intriguing. My

Guess is there will be plenty of growing pains but like Lutz, you hope they grow all season. Even the pitchers like Lazar & Bullock. Many pitchers struggle in Helena before pitching great after. Look at Brown & Ashby to start.

[phnxcrew]

Are Bickford and Kirby eligible for the Rule 5? I have to think with the injuries they've had it's too early to give up on those guys. This season seems essentially like rehab