The future success of every Major League team lies in its Minor League system. With that in mind, each preseason, MLB.com takes a top-to-bottom look at all 30 organizations, from top prospects to recent draft picks. How another team hasn't swooped in and made Jack Zduriencik a general manager remains a mystery. Take one look at the farm system he's built in Milwaukee and the bevy of talent it has produced, and it's hard to believe he's still "only" a scouting director. That Zduriencik remains in Milwaukee is clearly a boon for the Brewers. Milwaukee continues to boast one of the finest farm systems in baseball, and that's after drafting and producing players like Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, Corey Hart and Yovani Gallardo. The Brew Crew has plenty of young talent on the horizon to complement those players who've already made their mark in Milwaukee, leading to what should be prosperous times in Wisconsin. Much of this promise has to do with what Zduriencik and his staff have accomplished. They took a minor gamble by picking Matt LaPorta with their top pick last June, a selection that could pay huge dividends. Throw in a solid crop of infielders and pitchers and the Brewers are well-stocked, hoarding enough young talent to be used as trade bait or as complementary pieces on the Major League level before long. Here's a closer look at what the Brewers have in their system as the 2008 season approaches.
10 Spot
Ten prospects to watch out for in 2008:
Matt LaPorta, OF LaPorta had a productive first season in the pros and capped it with a nice run in the Arizona Fall League. He's never going to be Barry Bonds in left field -- no jokes please -- but he doesn't have to be. LaPorta has proven to be a competent outfielder who won't embarrass himself while running down a fly ball. He may not have the speed to get to everything, but with time and experience he'll learn a quicker route to the ball.
As for his potential at the plate, it wouldn't be surprising to see him fit in nicely as a 30-homer guy, either in front of or following Braun and Fielder in the Milwaukee lineup. They'll offer protection and ultimately give him a chance to grow once he reaches the big leagues, which may happen sooner rather than later, a la Braun.
Alcides Escobar, SS Escobar's got good range and a strong enough arm to be an everyday shortstop. He committed 21 errors in 552 chances, but most of those came in the Florida State League. He committed only five errors in 266 chances at Huntsville and there are no plans to move him off shortstop. #ques_include {width:300px;float:right;margin-left:5px;} #ques_content {border-top:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;padding-left:5px;} .ques_schedule {margin-top:5px;font-size:11px;} .ques_dates {font-size:11px;font-style:italic;color:#999;} 
"He's a pure shortstop," Zduriencik said. "He can run like heck and throw like heck. There's no question, though, he needs to have more patience at the plate."
Mat Gamel, 3B
What he does in the field, well, that's another matter. Gamel had 53 errors in 305 chances (one miscue every 5.75 chances) and had a 1-to-1 putout-to-error ratio. There's no sugar-coating that stat, but he's headed to Hunstville this season and the work he'll do with Don Money should help drop that error total. Most of Gamel's miscues are throwing errors, the result of occasionally dropping his elbow. Zduriencik said there are no plans right now to move Gamel off third base.
Zach Braddock, LHP
Braddock has recorded 98 strikeouts over 86 professional innings in two seasons. He's held opponents to a .195 average, allowing only four homers in the process. How quickly he bounces back from shoulder issues (tendinitis) will be telling. Considering he came back from Tommy John surgery in high school to pitch as well as he did through the early part of last season indicates that rebounding shouldn't be much of an issue.
Jonathan Lucroy, C
Lucroy was particularly effective against lefties, hitting .383 in 47 at-bats. Overall, he had four homers and 39 RBIs, then followed that up by hitting .299 in Hawaii Winter Baseball. While he's expected to start this season in West Virginia, don't be shocked if he's in Brevard County or Huntsville before season's end.
Caleb Gindl, OF
Gindl hit five homers, drove in 42 runs and struck out only 38 times in 207 at-bats, a nice ratio for an 18-year-old. He made just one error and had six assists in 81 chances in right field. He's got an above-average arm and, though he experienced some elbow problems at the end of the season, there's no cause for alarm.
Cole Gillespie, OF Still, the feeling is that playing in windswept Brevard County had a detrimental effect on Gillespie, much the same way it did with other Brewers prospects who've played at Space Coast Stadium. Gillespie projects to be a gap-power kind of player -- he had 12 homers and 62 RBIs last year -- who has better than average speed, so it will be interesting to see how he fares at Double-A. He remained stellar defensively, tying for the FSL lead with 12 outfield assists.
"He's played all three outfield positions and the guy can hit," Zduriencik said. "And he's got really good strike-zone discipline. He's a good, steady, all-around player. As long as he draws walks, he'll be fine."
Jeremy Jeffress, RHP When Jeffress is on the mound, there's no denying his talent as he consistently hits triple digits on the gun. He was 9-5 with a 3.13 ERA in 18 starts for West Virginia last year before sitting out. Opponents were hitting .201 against him, but all that won't matter if he doesn't straighten himself out.
Zduriencik and his staff have no worries, however. They view Jeffress as a youngster who simply made some mistakes and is working to correct them. He's been throwing in Arizona for several weeks to prepare for his season, whenever that may start.
R.J. Seidel, RHP A bout with tendinitis limited his effectiveness over the second half of the season, but he pitched well enough in the instructional league that it isn't considered a long-term issue. His father, Dick, pitched for a while in the Minors two decades ago, so he has the pedigree. He may begin the year in extended spring or head right to West Virginia.
Brent Brewer, SS
He may need some help anyway, considering the obstacles he's confronting. J.J. Hardy and Alcides Escobar are ahead of him on the depth chart, which will keep Brewer in the background for a while. And that's not necessarily a bad situation, considering he struck out once every 3.05 at-bats last year in the Sally League. He made 48 errors in '07, so teaming him and Gamel on the left side of the infield probably wouldn't be a prudent idea. But he's young (20), has a decent arm and certainly has room for growth.
Under the Radar
Lorenzo Cain, OF
What Cain doesn't have much of now is patience at the plate. He's fanned 201 times over the last two seasons (once every five at-bats) while drawing 95 walks. His OBP was sluggish (it dropped from .384 to .338 last season at Brevard County) as well. If he can fine-tune his approach at the plate -- he doesn't turn 22 until April -- there's no reason to believe he can't be a productive fourth outfielder or even step in eventually as a starter in the big leagues.
Mark Rogers, RHP "When he's healthy, his fastball hits 98 and he has a yellow-hammer breaking ball," Zduriencik said. "He just has to be healthy, and he is. He's throwing well right now. He has plenty of time, so we're not just going to run him out there."
2007 Draft Recap
LaPorta (first round) had a splendid debut, hitting .304 with 12 homers and 31 RBIs in 115 at-bats in the Pioneer and South Atlantic leagues while making the switch from first base to the outfield. ... Lucroy (third round) hit .342 with four homers and 39 RBIs to earn a spot on the Pioneer League's All-Star team. ... 2B Eric Farris (fourth round) batted .326 with a homer and 34 RBIs at Helena. He fanned only 22 times in 239 at-bats while stealing 21 bases. He hit .432 over his final 10 games, closing the season with an eight-game hitting streak. ... Gindl (fifth round) led the Pioneer League with a .372 batting average. He also had five homers and 42 RBIs. ... LHP Dan Merklinger (sixth round) was 1-0 with one save and a 3.95 ERA in 13 games for Helena. He struck out 40 over 27 1/3 innings. ... LHP Efrain Nieves (seventh round) spent the bulk of his time in the Arizona League, though he made a pair of appearances in Helena. Overall, he was 3-4 with a 4.76 ERA in 15 games (seven starts), striking out 49 over 45 1/3 innings. ... SS David Fonseca (eighth round) hit .213 with 25 strikeouts in 127 at-bats in Helena. ... LHP Kristian Bueno (ninth round) was 0-6 with a 7.75 ERA in 13 games (six starts) in the Arizona League. ... C Eric Fryer (10th round) hit .209 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 139 at-bats for Helena.
Predictions
Organizational Player of the Year -- OF Matt LaPorta
Cy on the farm -- RHP Rob Bryson
The time has come -- RHP Luis Pena
He'll fit in -- RHP Cody Scarpetta
Quotable "He has a big ceiling. Here's a guy who was going to play football at Florida State but passed it up. He has size, he can run and throw and he has power. It's just a matter of working on his strike-zone discipline. He's a positive kid with a great work ethic, so it's going to be interesting to see how he develops." -- Zduriencik on Brent Brewer. Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs. | ||||||||||||||||
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