Article: Brewer Fanatic 2023 Top 20 Prospects: #11-15

[Smichaelis9]

Continuing our 2023 top prospect rankings, we examine prospects 11-15 in the Milwaukee Brewers system, which again displays the pitching depth within the farm.

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

While the top of the Brewers prospect list heavily features upper minors hitting, the back half of the top 20 shows that the Brewers pitching machine is still something to reckon with. While none of the following prospects are blue chippers, Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff weren't elite prospects for most of their run through the minors, either, especially the lower minors. It was only as they approached the Major Leagues did they emerge as the promising arms they are today.

Let's take a look at prospects 11-15, as compiled by the Brewer Fanatic community.

15. Stiven Cruz
Age: 21
2022 Stats (A/A+): 91.1 IP, 3.74 ERA, 10.75 K/9, 2.36 BB/9

A 2021 IFA signing, Cruz began his 2022 season in Low-A Carolina. He was bitten by the home run ball but still showed a ton of good qualities during his time there, striking out over 11 per 9 and walking only 2.27 per nine innings. He received a late-season promotion to High-A Wisconsin, which couldn’t have gone much better than it did. He struck out over a batter an inning, still limited walks, and also limited the homers (although only in a 19-inning sample). Cruz has a very slight frame that makes him very projectable and should allow him to add some velocity to what is currently a low-90s fastball. He throws a big, slow curve similar to a Zach Greinke type of curveball, which has yielded promising results. Cruz also throws an above-average changeup to go along with a decent slider as well. Cruz will likely begin 2023 back in High-A, where he could move relatively quickly to Double-A Biloxi if he starts 2023 the way he finished 2022.

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14. Robert Moore
Age: 20
2022 Stats (Rook/A): 143 PAs, .248/.343/.392, 3 HR, 16 RBI

Moore was the Brewers' third selection in the 2022 draft. A very young, draft-eligible college player with a lot of big game experience and being the son of long-time MLB executive Dayton Moore, Moore is known to have great makeup. After a very productive sophomore season, Moore was viewed as a likely first-round pick, having shown plenty of power in the bat and an ability to limit strikeouts and draw walks. He took a step back in all three of those departments in his 2022 season. And he ended up having a more mediocre junior season. Despite that, the 2021 campaign shows the ability he has. Moore is a very sound defender that will likely be good enough to handle short and be very good at second base, as his arm is good enough to handle shortstop and is above average at second base. Moore showed a very aggressive baserunning mindset in his pro debut, often attempting to stretch singles into doubles and going first to third on singles. He’s not the fastest guy on the field, but he has above-average speed. He cuts the bases well and shows good instincts, making him an above-average baserunner overall. After a strong offensive showing for the Brisbane Bandits this offseason, Moore has a good chance to begin in High-A with the Timber Rattlers this season, where he could seemingly move quickly if he succeeds.

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13. Abner Uribe
Age: 22
2022 Stats (AA): 3.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 12.00 K/9, 12.00 BB/9 (lol)

Uribe is another former international signee out of the Dominican Republic. Featuring a fastball that has reached 103 MPH, many would assume that the fastball is his best pitch. In reality, his slider is the pitch that has helped him have the most success. Having had some injury issues throughout his career, Uribe’s Arizona Fall League stint was highly encouraging. He limited walks better than before and still showed enormous velocity, often reaching triple digits. As mentioned, the slider was a great pitch for him and was highly effective in the AFL. The fastball doesn’t have the best movement characteristics, which could cause him some issues at the major league level despite the huge velocity. It will be interesting to see if Uribe perhaps goes the Edwin Diaz route and uses his slider as his primary offering. It allows him to use the huge velocity as his “off-speed" offering. It seems likely that a healthy Uribe will see some innings with the big league club this season.

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12. Hendry Mendez
Age: 19
2022 Stats (A): 446 PAs, .244/.357/.318, 5 HR, 39 RBI

Mendez was signed out of Venezuela as part of the Brewers 2021 IFA class. Playing his entire 2022 season in Low-A, Mendez’s surface numbers don’t necessarily jump off the page. However, he played the entire season in full-season ball at 18 and was still essentially a league-average bat, with a nearly even strikeout-to-walk ratio. Mendez rarely appears overmatched and has a very mature approach at the plate. He has decent raw power, but to get to some of it in-game, he will likely require a swing change as his current swing path is considered “choppy.” Mendez was not great as a baserunner last year, having been caught more times than he was successful. He is a good athlete for his 6’2” frame, but base stealing doesn’t appear part of his package moving forward. Mendez is also a solid defender with an above-average arm and will likely remain in the right field. The profile will be carried by the bat, though. If he can tap into his raw strength with a swing adjustment while still maintaining his borderline elite bat-to-ball skills, he could be top of the order type of offensive player. There is a good chance Mendez will be pushed again this year and begin in High-A Wisconsin.

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11. Carlos F. Rodriguez
Age: 21
2022 Stats (A/A+): 107.2 IP, 3.01 ERA, 10.78 K/9, 3.34 BB/9

Rodriguez was the Brewers' sixth-round selection in the 2021 draft. After a slow start in Low-A, Rodriguez got himself going and earned a mid-season promotion to High-A. What he did at Wisconsin was extremely impressive, posting an ERA of 1.98 and a K/9 of 11.1 to only 3.2 BB/9, including his penultimate start of the season, where he threw six perfect innings with nine strikeouts. Rodriguez features three above-average or better pitches in his fastball, which sits in the 92-94 range but has touched 96, his sharp slider, and much slower changeup. He also throws a curve, which is more of a “get me over” offering when he tosses that in, but it is a fringe-average offering as well, with time to develop. He commands all of the off-speed pitches pretty well, able to land all of them for strikes and generate chases when the opportunity is right. Brewers fans hoping to get a look at Rodriguez will be happy to hear that he will be taking part in the World Baseball Classic this spring (playing for team Nicaragua). Assuming he does get an opportunity to see some innings, it will be great for a young pitcher to face experienced offensive players. A Double-A assignment to start the 2023 season doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibilities for Rodriguez.

What do you think, Brewer Fanatics? Who are your 11-15 prospects? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Previous Installments
Brewers Top 16-20 Prospects

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[Brock Beauchamp]

Another outstanding write-up by @Smichaelis9!

[sveumrules]

Hard not to be excited about the state of the farm right now.

Chourio as the possible superstar at the top. Mitchell already got his first taste of MLB with Frelick, Turang, Wiemer, Gasser not far behind.

Quero, Black, Brown Jr. & Misiorowski as the next wave of intrigue rounding out the Top 10.

Then you’ve got the 11-20 guys posted the last couple days plus I think I counted at least a dozen more who received votes in that range on the voting thread but didn’t make the final list.

Shaping up to be a fun summer for Link Report followers.

[Joseph Zarr]

Even tho it's still the off-season, @Smichaelis9is on the hill slinging heat. 

I would definitely add with Mendez: even though his swing is considered 'choppy' (as you adeptly point out), his approach is anything but (let's also not forget this 6'3" height is still relatively new and shows some in his swing plane - he was 5'11" when first signed). He is extremely poised in the box and more often than not works the count and is very capable of extending his AB's with  savvy foul balls. His BB:K ratio speaks to this (62:70, respectively). AND, just as Cargo was red hot before his untimely ACL shelved him for the remainder of 2022, let's not forget Mendez was playing his best ball of his 2022 season before he literally ran full bore into the right field wall in late July. I was watching that game. I sincerely hope to never see something like that again.  He was batting 0.215 entering July and left the month (albeit injured) batting 0.260. Batting 0,356 in 90 AB's is nothing to sniff at - especially from another bat that flashes as a true lead-off. Let's also not forget: the same Baseball America people who were lauding Jackson Chourio early in 2022, are the same who were bringing up Mendez unprovoked.

[Brock Beauchamp]

29 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

Hard not to be excited about the state of the farm right now.

For sure, and I think it's still trending upward. The Brewers will likely lose the likes of Small, Turang, and Frelick from the list but I see those losses more than filled by the 11-25 prospects as they rise through the system.

[Joseph Zarr]

44 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

 

Shaping up to be a fun summer for Link Report followers.

And authors 😊

 I've been hitting the gym and running trails and taking BP.

 

[Joseph Zarr]

Given my remarks on Mendez re: 'true lead-off', one of my obscure asks of the 2023 Minor League season is, oddly, more lead-off opportunities for Darrien Miller. He filled in there for a spell when Ayrault and his staff were dealing with another bout of injuries throughout the roster and he really showed his worth. I personally don't know if he ever sticks behind the dish as he continues to mature - I definitely have my own doubts - but he can add value on a roster in other ways if that falls off. It's not often you see a catcher more than fill the role of a competent lead-off. Can he tap into more power? These next 2-3 years are going to be huge for his career and I am eager to watch from afar.

[Smichaelis9]

57 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Given my remarks on Mendez re: 'true lead-off', one of my obscure asks of the 2023 Minor League season is, oddly, more lead-off opportunities for Darrien Miller. He filled in there for a spell when Ayrault and his staff were dealing with another bout of injuries throughout the roster and he really showed his worth. I personally don't know if he ever sticks behind the dish as he continues to mature - I definitely have my own doubts - but he can add value on a roster in other ways if that falls off. It's not often you see a catcher more than fill the role of a competent lead-off. Can he tap into more power? These next 2-3 years are going to be huge for his career and I am eager to watch from afar.

I definitely agree on Miller. I have him ranked 27th in my own rankings. He'd probably be up in the teens if I held out any hope of him sticking behind the plate. I just can't see his arm being strong enough to do it. The bat is extremely interesting, though it does lose some of its muster if he isn't a catcher. He has gone deep to some of the biggest parts of the ballpark which shows he does have the raw power in him, and as you mentioned he has a lot of leadoff hitter qualities already. If he is forced to move to first base though, for example, he would definitely need a power uptick to give him a good shot at an MLB role. 

[Brewcrew82]

3 hours ago, sveumrules said:

Hard not to be excited about the state of the farm right now.

Chourio as the possible superstar at the top. Mitchell already got his first taste of MLB with Frelick, Turang, Wiemer, Gasser not far behind.

Quero, Black, Brown Jr. & Misiorowski as the next wave of intrigue rounding out the Top 10.

Then you’ve got the 11-20 guys posted the last couple days plus I think I counted at least a dozen more who received votes in that range on the voting thread but didn’t make the final list.

Shaping up to be a fun summer for Link Report followers.

And then we’ll be adding the eventual Burnes return on top of that. Hopefully this winter after he’s won his 2nd Cy Young and carried us deep into the postseason….