Brewers prospect Gatewood racking up extra-base hits at Biloxi
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 17th edition of the 2017 Young Brewers Tracker.
Lewis Brinson (Age 23/Triple-A)
Last week: DNP
Season: 76 games, 299 AB, .331 BA, .400 OBP, .562 SLG, .962 OPS, 22 2B, 4 3B, 13 HR, 66 R, 48 RBI, 11 SB, 32 BB, 62 K.
Notable: Brinson was placed on the disabled list Aug. 16 after straining his left hamstring. He’s expected to be out four-to-six weeks, meaning he might not even make it back to Milwaukee for a September call-up.
Mauricio Dubon (Age 23/Triple-A)
Last week: 5 games, 19 AB, 4 H, 2 2B, 3 R, 0 RBI, 0 SB, 1 BB, 4 K, .211 BA.
Season: 48 games, 198 AB, .276 BA, .338 OBP, .419 SLG, .737 OPS, 14 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 33 R, 27 RBI, 7 SB, 11 BB, 31 K.
Notable: Dubon had his best game of the week Aug. 21, collecting two hits and two runs scored for the Sky Sox.
Jake Gatewood (Age 21/Double-A)
Last week: 6 games, 28 AB, 11 H, 3 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 0 SB, 2 BB, 8 K, .393 BA.
Season (Double-A): 13 games, 51 AB, .314 BA, .352 OBP, .529 SLG, .881 OPS, 4 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 4 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB, 3 BB, 13 K.
Notable: Gatewood has found his swing after being promoted to Double-A on Aug. 7. The 21-year-old third baseman recorded four multi-hit games and pummeled his first homer at Biloxi. He tallied 11 dingers in 111 games for Single-A Carolina.
Keston Hiura (Age 21/Low-A)
Last week: DNP
Season (Single-A): 24 games, 95 AB, .347 BA, .385 OBP, .484 SLG, .869 OPS, 9 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 13 R, 15 RBI, 2 SB, 6 BB, 22 K.
Notable: Hiura was placed on the 7-day disabled list on Aug. 18 with a hamstring strain, reported as a minor issue. In 39 games split between Single-A and Rookie ball this season, Hiura owns a .382/.432/.624 slash line. Whoa.
Luis Ortiz (age 21/Double-A)
Last week: 2 games (0 starts), 0-1, 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Season: 18 games (18 starts), 4-7, 3.96 ERA, 86 1/3 IP, 71 H, 11 HR, 32 BB, 77 K, .224 OBA, 1.19 WHIP.
Notable: Ortiz came out of the bullpen in two games on Aug. 18 and Aug. 23, fanning five hitters in five innings. The former first-round pick looks to regain his early-season form for Biloxi as the year winds down.
Brett Phillips (age 23/Triple-A)
Last week: 6 games, 22 AB, 5 H, 1 2B, 2 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2 SB, 2 BB, 8 K, .227 BA.
Season: 100 games, 366 AB, .309 BA, .379 OBP, .582 SLG, .961 OPS, 23 2B, 10 3B, 19 HR, 78 R, 76 RBI, 9 SB, 42 BB, 120 K.
Notable: “Maverick” hammered his 18th and 19th taters of the year on Aug. 19, driving in four runs for the Sky Sox and re-claiming the team lead for home runs at Triple-A. He also made a nice grab in center field. Not a bad game!
Corey Ray (age 22/Single-A)
Last week: 6 games, 26 AB, 4 H, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 R, 4 RBI, 2 SB, 4 BB, 9 K, .154 BA.
Season: 102 games, 410 AB, .237 BA, .312 OBP, .366 SLG, .677 OPS, 26 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 51 R, 46 RBI, 23 SB, 45 BB, 144 K.
Notable: Ray struggled getting hits again last week, but four walks kept his season on-base percentage at a healthy .312. In the last 10 games, Ray has a slash line of .163/.250/.279. He did, however, steal two bases on Aug. 19 and ranks third on the Mudcats with 23 swipes on the year.
Others: Helena catcher KJ Harrison (Round 3, 2017) was a triple short of the cycle on Aug. 23. … Carolina shortstop Isan Diaz, traded to Milwaukee in the Jean Segura deal, homered for his first hit since returning from the disabled list on Aug. 22. … Biloxi right-hander Corbin Burnes (Round 4, 2016) shut out Mobile in eight innings to lower his Double-A ERA to 1.97 (77 2/3 innings).
Statistics courtesy milb.com
