Projecting The Brewers Prospects: Jimmy Nelson

Mandatory Credit- Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

In December, the staff of Reviewing the Brew will be looking at the Top 10 Milwaukee Brewers’ prospects as ranked by Baseball America. When the Brewers look toward the future, they’ll do so with these top 10 players in mind.

Although the cupboard is bare when it comes to prospects in the Brewers organization, RHP Jimmy Nelson is one to be excited about. Baseball America awarded Nelson with No. 1 spot in their rankings.

Nelson, who stands at 6’5″ and weighs in at 245, has a strong and durable frame. He throws a four-seam fastball that sits around 94 MPH and a two-seamer that can reach 92 MPH. He hurls a powerful slider in the high 80’s that breaks away late from right-handed hitters.

He  started the 2013 season in Double-A Huntsville where he boasted a 2.74 ERA. Among his impressive stat line was his 9.39 K/9 and 1.96 BB/9. After only 12 starts for the Stars, the 24-year-old was promoted to Nashville where he continued his exceptional season.

With the Nashville Sounds, Nelson saw his ERA rise in his 15 starts but by no means did he struggle. At the end of the season, he had a 3.67 ERA – not bad for his first time around against stiffer competition. One issue that was concerning was his command when he made the jump to Triple-A. He walked 50 batters in 83.1 innings, which equated to 5.40 BB/9. But, to counter that, his strikeouts increased as well.

Nelson made his MLB debut with the Brewers on September 6. He appeared in four games (one start) and proved dominant as he finished with a 0.90 ERA.

In all likelihood, Nelson will begin the 2014 season in Nashville. Another season in the minors will give him time to improve his command and work on his changeup which he is very hesitant about throwing. He tends to rely on his two fastballs and slider and completely forget about his changeup.

If Nelson continues his success in the minors, it’s only a matter of time before we see him in the Brewers rotation.