Milwaukee Brewers: Minor League Camp, Hitters Edition

It is Spring Training time and all eyes are on the Milwaukee Brewers as their players are reporting. There are several spots up for grabs that the players will be fighting to earn.

Minor League Camp is starting too. Several players who are getting ready to show what they can do in the depths of the Milwaukee Brewers organization in 2018. Brewers Player Dev on Twitter released a list of 144 players that will be at this camp.

This camp might not get all the attention on the MLB level, and with good reason, but it is still exciting. There is some real talent at the set to show up, and plenty of opportunity. This list is updated as of February 13th, and it is subject to change.

Positional Breakdown

There are 15 catchers, seven first baseman, seven second baseman, eight third baseman, 10 shortstops, and 21 outfielders. Overall, that is 68 position players slated to start camp when it officially opens.

Big Names

There will be more detail on these players as they come up, but there are some great prospects on this list. Among them are Corey Ray and Lucas Erceg. Other names to look out for are Jake Gatewood, Trent Grisham, and Je’Von Ward.

It is worth noting that recently signed September base running specialist Quintin Berry is among the names on the list as well. He saw time with the Milwaukee Brewers last season, but will be working out with the farm system during Spring.

The Farm

Though the farm system lost top prospect Lewis Brinson in the Christian Yelich trade, it is still in good standing. There is some real hitting talent here, and there is sure more to join. One name who is currently at the MLB camp is Jacob Nottingham. He will not be starting the year in the MLB, but he is on the Milwaukee Brewers 40-Man roster.

First Baseman

There are some physically big guys in this group. With all of the potential first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers, these guys have an uphill battle.

Dustin DeMuth

This 26 year old spent all of last season in Biloxi. Dustin Demuth played in 116 games with a .244 batting average and nine homers to show for it. He has played third and barely in the corner outfield during his career as well.

Gabriel Garcia

For two straight professional seasons Gabriel Garcia has hit exactly .300, which is quite impressive. His homerun numbers went from two in 2016 to nine in 2017, but to be fair he played in double the games. The 20 year old has yet to play above Rookie ball, as he spent all of 2017 with the Helena Brewers.

Jake Gatewood

One of the more exciting names is the 16th ranked prospect 2017, Jake Gatewood. His bat is coming around, but the biggest question mark with him has been defense. Not performance, just where he will play. He was drafted as a shortstop in 2014 and has since moved to third and ultimately first. The 22 year old hit .264 across two levels in 2017.

Ronnie Gideon

The 2016 23rd round pick came out of the gates hot, hitting .321 with 17 homeruns. But in 2017, Ronnie Gideon hit .228 with 14 homers in almost double the games. He strikes out a lot, and that is what kills his batting average. That being said he is showing some good pop from the right side of the plate.

Ernesto Martinez

Size is something that Ernesto Martinez has in spades. The lefty is 6’6″ and 225 pounds…oh yeah, and he is only 18 years old. He could develop into a real slugger, but he is not there quite yet. In 2017 he got 155 at bats and hit .232 with only three homers. But, he is still very young.

Pat McInerney

Yet another big bodied guy is Pat McInerney. The University of Illinois product has 50 games under hit belt as a professional. He did club nine homers to go along with a .243 batting average for the AZL Brewers.

Weston Wilson

Though originally a third baseman, Weston Wilson saw more time at first in 2017. He split time between Carolina and Wisconsin last season, hitting for a combined .254 average with eight home runs.

Second Baseman

There are eight primary second baseman, though there are a lot of players who will play in several positions around the diamond.

Blake Allemand

A perfect example of utility is Blake Allemand. He primarily plays second, but he has plenty of experience at short and third as well. The 2015 fifth rounder hit .256 in 97 games for Double A Biloxi in 2017.

Javier Betancourt

Javier Betancourt tied his career high with six homeruns in 2017 playing for Biloxi with a .243 average. He has played quite a bit of third base during his time in the minors as well, but mostly second. Last season he logged only an inning at shortstop, but has quite a bit of experience there.

Kenny Corey

As a late round pick in 2017, Kenny Corey played a lot better than expected. In 52 games across two teams his batting average sat at .328. His strikeout numbers were a little high though. He saw time all over the field though, logging innings at second, third, shortstop, and in the outfield.

Franly Mallen

This 20 year old was originally a shortstop. After playing there in 2014, Franly Mallen shifted to second base and has not looked back. Offensively he hit .225 last season, but the year before showed a .279 average. Both of those numbers coming with Helena.

Tucker Neuhaus

A former Competitive Balance B pick, Tucker Neuhaus is only 22 and has five seasons under his belt. Last season playing for Wisconsin, he hit .245 while striking out 99 times in 87 games. He played a little third, but primarily is at second.

Wendell Rijo

When Aaron Hill was shipped off in 2016, Wendell Rijo was one of the players the Milwaukee Brewers got in return. After hitting .254 with Carolina, he got called up to Biloxi. Double was not too kind to him, as he found himself hitting .185 through 41 games

Francisco Thomas

After being an eighth round selection in 2016, Francisco Thomas has spent two years playing for the AZL Brewers. Through 40 total games, he shows a career batting average of .184. The switch hitter will turn 20 in August.

Third Baseman

This group is headlined by Lucas Erceg. But there is plenty of other talent to go around between these eight players.

Dallas Carroll

The 2017 ninth round selection put together a solid showing for Helena, hitting over .300. Dallas Carroll found himself playing for Wisconsin after that. In 30 games for them, he hit .261, combining for a .300 average in 2017.

Jose Cuas

Though listed as a first baseman, Jose Cuas spent all of 2017 playing third. In fact, in his three year career he has 212 innings at first and over 1600 at the hot corner. With a bat in his hands, he hit under .200 for both Carolina and Wisconsin last season.

Nick Egnatuk

The man taken four rounds before Carroll is Nick Egnatuk. He only saw time with the AZL Brewers last year. In 33 games he hit .224 with a 33/20 K/BB ratio. Defensively he was not much better, 13 errors and a range factor of 2.33.

Lucas Erceg

Admittedly, I think higher of Lucas Erceg than most. His future just seems so bright. In 2017 he was the number eight prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Through two season the former second round pick has a combined batting average of.283 with 24 homers. He will likely start with Colorado Springs in 2018, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him debut in September.

Aaron Familia

This soon to be 19 year old has two seasons of professional ball under his belt thus far. His first season saw a batting average under .200. However, in 2017 Aaron Familia looked like a completely different player. In more games he hit .289. But his strikeout rate is not good, 70 times in 59 games.

Julian Jarrard

At 25, Julian Jarrard played his first games as a professional. He did pretty well too, hitting .289 for the AZL Brewers. Most of his appearances came at third, however he did play second base and shortstop as well.

Chad McClanahan

The Brewers 2016 11th round pick spent all of 2017 playing for Helena. Chad McClanahan hit .234, which is much better than the .208 he hit the year prior. His strikeout numbers are still high, but he did walk 39 times in 63 games.

Gabriel Noriega

The Milwaukee Brewers signed Gabriel Noriega in January to bring him back to the organization. He is very much a utility player. Overall, he has played more shortstop than third. But in 2017, he played more third than any other position.

Shortstops

With 10 guys, this is a big group. However, as seen with guys like Jake Gatewood, young players at this position are subject to move.

Luis Aviles

This 22 year old has played as high as Carolina, which is where Luis Aviles spent all of 2017. He hit .232. What he does flash is great speed, stealing 38 bases while only getting caught eight times. If he can get on more he will be deadly on the base paths, he just needs to bring his strikeouts down.

Jean Carmona

It was a tale of two seasons for Jean Carmona in 2017. The 18 year old hit over .300 for the DSL Brewers to start. But when was assigned to the ASL team he played in 13 games with a .146 batting average.

Yeison Coca

The Player To Be Named Later in the Tyler Thornburg deal hit .238 for the DSL Brewers in 2017. Yeison Coca will look to regain the swings of his debut year in the Red Sox organization in 2016, where  he hit .308.

Jomar Cortes

Bad luck fell over the Brewers 2016 37th round pick as Jomar Cortes has been injured for the last year. In 2016, he collected 11 at bats and one hit. In September of 2017 he was activated from the DL, so he will have something to prove this season.

Devin Hairston

As the sixth round selection in the most recent draft, Devin Hairston went straight to Wisconsin. The soon to be 22 year old played in 44 games and hit .210. On the defensive side of the ball, he committed 10 errors in 180 chances.

Gilbert Lara

After starting the year with Wisconsin, a sub .200 batting average got Gilbert Lara sent down to Helena. However, in July he was placed on the 60 day DL list. He was finally activated in October. The 20 year old will hope to turn things around from last year.

Trever Morrison

This Oregon State product played for Wisconsin for all of 2017. He hit in the very low .200s, largely due to his 110 strikeouts in 93 games. Trever Morrison totaled 46 games at shortstop and 42 at second, both with a fielding percentage under .970.

Shane Opitz

Shane Opitz is new to the Brewers organization, as he was signed at the end of January. He profiles to start with Colorado Springs after hitting .252 with the Toronto Blue Jays Triple A affiliate in 2017.

Antonio Pinero

The Brewers signed Antonio Pinero out of Venezuela in 2016. He will be 19 in March, and still has some growing to do. His offense is steadily improving, as he hit .236 with Helena last year. But he is shaky with the glove, committing 17 errors at shortstop last season.

Nick Roscetti

For a shortstop, Nick Roscetti has a pretty big frame. He is 6’3″ and 190 pounds. The 24 year old Iowa product spent the whole season with Helena, hitting .264. His fielding percentage sat at .945, and he did see 59 innings at third base.

Outfielders

This group is so big, they need to be split up. Big names from this part include Quintin Berry and Trent Grisham.

Pablo Abreu

This outfielder from the Dominican Republic 18 year old hit .261 across two levels in 2017. Most of Pablo Abreu’s season was spent with the DSL Brewers. He stole seven bases in 59 games, but was also caught six times. The 18 year old still has plenty of time to grow, but his batting average is not in a bad starting place.

Ryan Aguilar

Even though he is listed as a first baseman, he logged more time in the outfield. Ryan Aguilar showed some pop and speed out of the left handed batters box by hitting four triples. Though he did only hit .206 for Wisconsin.

Carlos Belonis

In another example of a shortstop who changed positions, Carlos Belonis transitioned after his first year. It is a move that made a lot of sense considering his 15 errors. In recent years he has been a speed threat, however he only stole eight bases in 2017.

Quintin Berry

One of the few players who has MLB experience is Quintin Berry. He is mostly known for being one of the best pinch runners coming off the bench. In fact, he did that for the Milwaukee Brewers last season.

Leugim Castillo

As with several hitters on this list, Leugim Castillo has a pretty small sample size. He played in only 12 games in 2017 after the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the 17th round. It did not go all too well, as he hit .178 and struck out 19 times.

Zach Clark

After a fairly solid debut at the plate in 2016, Zach Clark saw a drop in his numbers last season. He did hit .263 for Helena, which is better than his 2016 mark, but upon promotion to Wisconsin his average fell under .200.

Clint Coulter

The Milwaukee Brewers 2012 first round pick is coming along slowly. In 2017 Clint Coulter spent the whole year with Biloxi hitting .234with 14 homers. It is not the quickest development in history, but he is showing signs of why he was worth a first round pick.

Johnny Davis

If speed is the need, then look no further than Johnny Davis. In 2017, he stole 52 bases. At 27 years old, he might turn into a Quintin Berry type. His .263 batting average last season for Biloxi makes his steal numbers even more impressive.

Jay Feliciano

Opposite of Davis, Jay Feliciano provides more pop at the plate. Last season playing for Helena, the 22 year old hit .279 with 13 homeruns. He will likely get a chance to play above Rookie level in 2018.

Trent Grisham

One of the big names to fill out this first group of outfielders is Trent Grisham. He exploded on the scene causing him to be ranked 11 on the 2017 Brewers prospect list. Unfortunately, he did not live up to that by hitting .223. However, he did walk an astounding 98 times.

Rob Henry

As the 39th round pick in 2017, there were very little expectations for Rob Henry. Despite that, he hit .261 through 43 games as a member of AZL Brewers. He also added 17 steals with more walks than steals.

Outfielders Part Two

This second, and final, group is headlined by names like Tristen Lutz and Corey Ray.

Jesus Lujano

Lefty hitters are always nice to have, and Jesus Lujano falls under that category. He showed some great speed, and improvement with the bat in 2017 by hitting .255 with 29 steals. The 19 year old out of Venezuela spent last season playing for the AZL Brewers.

Tristen Lutz

After being drafted out of high school, Tristen Lutz required very little adjustment time. During his first season in professional baseball he hit a combined .311 across two rookie level teams. His bat is a very good one thus far. Defensively, he could profile as a first baseman due to his 6’3″ and 210 pound frame.

Nicolas Pierre

This 21 year old has been playing professionally since 2014. However, last season Nicolas Pierre looked like his bat is maturing for the first time. As a member of the Helena Brewers, he hit .286. He likely is still growing into his 6’3″ frame, so he might develop more power in the coming years.

Demi Orimoloye

Keeping along with the theme of giant outfielders is Demi Orimoloye. The 2015 fourth rounder stands 6’4″ tall and 225 pounds. He spent all of 2017 in Wisconsin where he hit .217 with 11 homers. If he can bring down his 139 strikeouts in 125 games, he might become a great power hitter.

Corey Ray

Disappointment is the theme of Corey Ray’s career thus far. After being a first round pick in 2016, he has accumulated a minors batting average of .238. His upside is undeniable, and he is getting better. 2018 will be very telling for him

Joantgel Segovia

Following a string of solid seasons starting in 2014, Joantgel Segovia underperformed in 2017. Despite his .220 batting average, he did post a career high in steals. At 21 years of age, he will certainly be looking to bounce back in 2018.

Troy Stokes

Troy Stokes is a unique combination of power and speed. In 2017 he proved that with 30 steals and 20 homers. It was really the first season he showed the power, however the speed has been there during his whole career.

Tyrone Taylor

Not all top prospects make it, and Tyrone Taylor is one that hasn’t yet. He is pretty far removed from when he sat as number one in the organization, but he has yet to play above Double A. Last season in 25 games for Biloxi, he hit .247.

Je’Von Ward

Another player I am very high on is Je’Von Ward. This 18 year old stands at 6’5″, and hit better than expected in 2017. He was the number 29 prospect in the organization last season, and he hit .276 for the AZL Brewers.

Luis Valdez

The first professional season for Luis Valdez did not go well. Over the course of his first 36 professional games, he hit a meager .178. At only 18 years old, he will grow into being more comfortable at the plate.

Next: Jeff Bandy Is Above Of Stephen Vogt

There you have it. Every hitter on the original list released by Brewers Player Dev!