Brewers prospect Dubon finding footing at Triple-A
The Milwaukee Brewers are reshaping their franchise with an injection of youth and prospects.
Every Thursday for the rest of the season, FOX Sports Wisconsin will take a closer look at some specific young players in Milwaukee's farm system -- as well as noting others who might be stepping up -- measuring, highlighting and evaluating their progress.
This is the 13th edition of the 2017 Young Brewers Tracker.
Lewis Brinson (Age 23/Triple-A)
Last week: 5 games, 18 AB, 6 H, 3 R, 0 RBI, 2 2B, 1 3B, 0 SB, 2 BB, 4 K, .333 BA.
Season: 68 games, 267 AB, .345 BA, .417 OBP, .569 SLG, .986 OPS, 22 2B, 4 3B, 10 HR, 63 R, 43 RBI, 11 SB, 31 BB, 58 K.
Notable: Brinson had an 18-game hitting streak snapped (he hit .394 with 16 runs and 12 RBI in that span) when he was pulled from Colorado Springs' July 25 game in the first inning. That's OK, it was a preventive measure as he was getting called up to the big leagues. We have a feeling this might be Brinson's last time in the Tracker.
Mauricio Dubon (Age 23/Triple-A)
Last week: 6 games, 26 AB, 11 H, 5 R, 6 RBI, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 SB, 0 BB, 3 K, .423 BA.
Season: 25 games, 112 AB, .286 BA, .310 OBP, .446 SLG, .757 OPS, 9 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 18 R, 20 RBI, 4 SB, 4 BB, 17 K.
Notable: Dubon is finding his footing at the Triple-A level. From July 19-23 he had a streak of five games with multiple hits and has had two or more hits in eight of his last 10 contests. In the Sky Sox's win over Tacoma on July 26, Dubon had two hits (of course) with a home run and four RBI, which tied his career high.
Jake Gatewood (Age 21/Single-A)
Last week: 7 games, 26 AB, 4 H, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, 1 RBI, 0 SB, 3 BB, 11 K, .154 BA.
Season: 100 games, 378 AB, .270 BA, .344 OBP, .447 SLG, .791 OPS, 32 2B, 1 3B, 11 HR, 60 R, 47 RBI, 7 SB, 41 BB, 118 K.
Notable: After a hot stretch, Gatewood cooled off last week, going hitless in four of his last five games. However, he did have two hits on July 23, his 25th multiple-hit game of the season.
Keston Hiura (Age 20/Low-A)
Last week: 5 games, 22 AB, 10 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 R, 4 RBI, 0 SB, 0 BB, 5 K, .455 BA.
Season (Single-A): 6 games, 26 AB, .423 BA, .423 OBP, .615 SLG, 1.038 OPS, 3 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, 0 SB, 0 BB, 5 K.
Notable: Milwaukee's top pick in 2017, who turned 21 on Aug. 2, has played in 21 professional games. He has a hit in 20 of them, including all six he's played since being promoted to Single-A Wisconsin. He's had four straight games with multiple hits, including a 3 for 4 game July 22 vs. West Michigan, giving him 13 games (or 62 percent of all the games he's played) with two or more hits.
Jacob Nottingham (age 22/Double-A)
Last week: 3 games, 11 AB, 1 H, 1 HR, 1 R, 4 RBI, 0 SB, 1 BB, 4 K, .091 BA.
Season: 74 games, 240 AB, .225 BA, .332 OBP, .383 SLG, .715 OPS, 19 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 27 R, 36 RBI, 4 SB, 23 BB, 59 K.
Notable: Nottingham had only one hit last week, but it was a doozy -- a two-out grand slam at Mississippi.
Luis Ortiz (age 21/Double-A)
Last week: 1 game (1 start), 1-0, 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K
Season: 17 games (17 starts), 4-5, 3.57 ERA, 80.2 IP, 60 H, 9 HR, 31 BB, 72 K, .207 OBA, 1.13 WHIP.
Notable: Ortiz went seven innings for the first time this season, throwing a season-high 93 pitches in a win at Pensacola on July 25. For the second straight start, Ortiz walked no batters and had as many strikeouts as innings pitched.
Corey Ray (age 22/Single-A)
Last week: 6 games, 26 AB, 7 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 7 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB, 1 BB, 9 K, .269 BA.
Season: 78 games, 315 AB, .235 BA, .311 OBP, .368 SLG, .679 OPS, 21 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 42 R, 36 RBI, 19 SB, 35 BB, 111 K.
Notable: Ray had a pair of multi-hit games last week, including going 3 for 5 with a double and two runs at Myrtle Beach on July 26.
Others: Veteran infielder Ivan DeJesus has reached base in 42 straight games, which is a Colorado Springs franchise record. DeJesus is batting .365/.423/.503 for the Sky Sox. … RHP Aaron Wilkerson tossed the first nine-inning complete-game shutout of his career and in Biloxi history, throwing a two-hitter with one walk and seven strikeouts at Mississippi on July 23. Wilkerson is third in the Southern League in WHIP (1.04). … RHP Parker Bean (36th round, 2016), 3B Dallas Carroll (9th round, 2017) and RHP Nelson Hernandez of Helena were named to the Pioneer League All-Star Game.
Statistics courtesy milb.com
Dave Heller is the author of the book Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow as well as Facing Ted Williams - Players From the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns
