Brinson, Gatewood scorching hot down on Brewers' farm
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 1st edition of the 2017 Young Brewers Tracker.
Lewis Brinson (age 22/Triple-A)
Season: 17 games, 71 AB, .338 BA, .388 OBP, .577 SLG, .965 OPS, 5 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 15 R, 12 RBI, 3 SB, 6 BB, 20 K.
Notable: Brinson, who turns 23 on May 8, has cooled off a bit since a hot start but still has a six-game hitting streak (7 for 25, .280). Overall, Brinson has had a hit in all but one of his 17 games played. On the downside, he has more caught stealings (4) than steals (3). Brinson has played center field in 14 of his 17 games.
Ryan Cordell (Age 25/Triple-A)
Season: 21 games, 85 AB, .282 BA, .354 OBP, .529 SLG, .884 OPS, 7 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 17 R, 14 RBI, 3 SB, 8 BB, 20 K.
Notable: Cordell is in his first year in the Brewers' system after being the player to be named later in the Jonathan Lucroy trade. Mainly has played left field (10 games) and right field (9) with one appearance in center. Cordell is hitting .368/.405/.711 in Colorado Springs and .213/.315/.383 on the road.
Isan Diaz (age 20/Single-A)
Season: 26 games, 101 AB, .287 BA, .345 OBP, .495 SLG, .840 OPS, 6 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 14 R, 20 RBI, 3 SB, 10 BB, 26 K.
Notable: Has been splitting time evenly between second base and shortstop, with 12 appearances at each position thus far. Diaz has homered in three of his last four games and is tied for third in the Carolina League in home runs.
Mauricio Dubon (Age 22/Double-A)
Season: 25 games, 98 AB, .265 BA, .314 OBP, .327 SLG, .641 OPS, 3 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 8 R, 7 RBI, 11 SB, 7 BB, 16 K.
Notable: Dubon is in his first year in the Brewers' system after acquired in the offseason in the Tyler Thornburg trade. Has Southern League-leading 11 steals -- including four against Pensacola on April 15 -- in 13 attempts. Has played 20 games at shortstop with eight errors (.897 fielding percentage) and six at second base with no errors.
Lucas Erceg (age 22/Single-A)
Season: 23 games, 95 AB, .232 BA, .270 OBP, .347 SLG, .617 OPS, 5 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 13 R, 10 RBI, 2 SB, 5 BB, 17 K.
Notable: Milwaukee's second-round pick in 2016 moved up quickly last year, playing in Helena and Wisconsin. Coming off three games vs. Buies Creek in which he went 4 for 13 with a double and a home run and pulled off a hidden-ball trick.
ICYMI: No. 7 @Brewers prospect @LucasErceg17 gets @CarolinaMudcats out of a jam with hidden-ball trick. Story: https://t.co/yb1qIQ6Bvz pic.twitter.com/gntZDV3JvV
— MiLB.com (@MiLB) May 4, 2017
Jake Gatewood (Age 21/Single-A)
Season: 26 games, 93 AB, .333 BA, .436 OBP, .591 SLG, 1.028 OPS, 9 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 20 R, 11 RBI, 2 SB, 17 BB, 30 K.
Notable: After mainly playing shortstop in 2015 and third base in 2016, Gatewood is Carolina's primary first baseman. Gatewood has a home run in four of his last six games. Gatewood is second in the Carolina League in runs, second in on-base percentage, tied for second in doubles, tied for third in home runs and third in OPS.
Josh Hader (age 23/Triple-A)
Season: 6 games (6 starts), 3-2, 4.40 ERA, 30.2 IP, 23 H, 8 HR, 19 BB, 24 K, .215 OBA, 1.37 WHIP.
Notable: Hader has been bitten by the gopher ball this season with seven of the eight homer he's allowed coming on the road. In two home starts in Colorado Springs, Hader has allowed four runs (three earned) in 11 innings on eight hits with eight walks and 11 strikeouts.
Jacob Nottingham (age 22/Double-A)
Season: 20 games, 63 AB, .143 BA, .270 OBP, .222 SLG, .492 OPS, 3 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI, 3 SB, 5 BB, 14 K.
Notable: Nottingham is just 2 for his last 27 (.074). Three of his four RBI came in a game at Charlotte on April 19.
Luis Ortiz (age 21/Double-A)
Season: 4 games (4 starts), 0-3, 3.72 ERA, 19.1 IP, 13 H, 4 HR, 5 BB, 20 K, .186 OBA, 0.93 WHIP.
Notable: In his last three starts, Ortiz has allowed three runs on six hits with 14 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings, including no hits in a five-inning effort against Pensacola on April 15.
Brett Phillips (Age 22/Triple-A)
Season: 20 games, 74 AB, .311 BA, .370 OBP, .581 SLG, .951 OPS, 5 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 13 R, 19 RBI, 0 SB, 7 BB, 26 K.
Notable: Has split his time between right field (12 games), center (6) and left (1). Phillips is batting .324 on the road, but has all five of his home runs (and a .757 slugging percentage) at home.
Corey Ray (age 21/Single-A)
Season: 15 games, 66 AB, .242 BA, .282 OBP, .409 SLG, .691 OPS, 9 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 8 R, 9 RBI, 6 SB, 4 BB, 22 K.
Notable: Milwaukee's 2016 first-round pick got off to a late start this year following knee surgery, aking his debut April 16. In his last five games, Ray is 7 for 25 (.280) with three steals.
Others: RHP Brandon Woodruff (11th round, 2014) is picking up where he left off last season (14-9, 2.68 ERA with Brevard County and Biloxi), going 4-0 with a 2.22 ERA, .221 opponent batting average and 1.02 WHIP in his first five starts. … 1B Garrett Cooper (6th round, 2013) is batting .326/.358/.528 and it isn't because of playing in Colorado Springs. Cooper is batting .367/.385/.592 in 11 road games. … C Andrew Susac is batting just .118 in his first 10 games at Colorado Springs. … With no room in the outfield in Triple-A, Michael Reed (5th round, 2011) has a .382 on-base percentage and four of the team's eight homers for Double-A Biloxi, although he's batting just .232. … RHP Jorge Lopez (2nd round, 2011) has allowed just five runs in 26 innings (1.73 ERA) with 30 strikeouts for Biloxi. … RHP Corbin Burnes (4th round, 2016) has a 1.65 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 27 K in 27 1/3 IP for Carolina in five starts. … RHP Phil Bickford, acquired from San Francisco last season, is suspended for the first 50 games of the season for using a drug of abuse. Bickford pitched in Single-A last season. … Wisconsin OF Monte Harrison (2nd round, 2014) is off to a .296/.352/.593 with 6 HR, second in the Midwest League. … 18-year-old C Mario Feliciano is batting .279/.342/.412 at Wisconsin. … RHP Trey Supak, acquired from Pittsburgh with Keon Broxton for Jason Rodgers, has a .169 OBA, 0.78 WHIP and 22 K in 19.1 IP for Low-A Wisconsin. … RHP Josh Pennington, who came over in the offseason traded with Boston, began the season began the season and remains on the 7-day DL at Wisconsin.
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
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