Top Hitters in Milwaukee Brewers Minor League History: #16 Clint Coulter, 2014 Wisconsin

Three years ago, the Milwaukee Brewers selected catcher Clint Coulter of Union HS (Camas, WA) as the 27th overall pick in the MLB player draft. The 6’3″, 220# Coulter had signed a letter of intent with Arizona State in November 2011, but told reporters during a post-draft conference call that he preferred to turn professional.

Coulter reported to the Brewers Arizona League Rookie team and started his pro career 0-for-11 before hitting a home run to break that drought and since then, Coulter has proven himself as one of the top prospects in the Brewers organization.

In just his third season, Coulter compiled a year that ranked high in the annals of Milwaukee Brewers minor league history.

#16 Clint Coulter, 2014 Wisconsin (A)

Coulter, as a 20-year-old, earned bonus points for being two years younger than league average, but lost some points for playing in a park (Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton) that was somewhat hitter-friendly that season.

The right-handed slugger played at three levels in 2013, finishing in the Midwest League (MWL) for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. In 135 plate appearances for the T-Rats, Coulter struggled to a .207/.299/.345 slash line.

The following season would be a completely different story.

Coulter returned to Appleton and tore up the MWL in April, slashing .324/.457/.608 in 92 trips to the plate, featuring seven doubles and four home runs.

As the weather warmed up, Coulter’s batting average went down, as he hit .255, .243, and .253 in May, June and July, respectively. He was able to draw walks at a prodigious rate, coaxing base-on-balls at a rate of nearly 15% (46 walks in 308 plate appearances). His propensity for banging long balls did not wane, as he smashed 13 HRs during the three-month period.

In the final 30 games of the season, his numbers duplicated his opening month, as he slashed .339/.411/.536 in 129 plate appearances for Wisconsin.

For the year, Coulter stacked up well against the league, killing lefties to the tune of a .347/.455/.564 slash line. He dropped off against right-handers, but still styled an impressive .903 OPS.

The T-Rats finished 72-67 on the year, and lost 2-0 to the Kane County Cougars in the MWL quarterfinals.

Coulter’s name appeared on many stat leaderboards: tied for first in homers (22), first in walks (73) and HBP (21), second in runs batted in (89), third in runs (84), fourth in slugging (.520) and OPS (.930), and fifth in OBP (.410) and total bases (223).

The Washington State native played in the MWL All-Star game, going 0-for-1 with a base on balls in a 7-0 win for his Western Division squad. He also made the post-season All-Star squad as a designated hitter.

The sky is the limit for Coulter, who worked in the Arizona Fall League as an outfielder and is playing right field this year for Brevard County. Brewers fans are looking forward to seeing this star play in Milwaukee in the near future.