Milwaukee Brewers Prospects: #27 Jacob Nottingham

Things have not been going well for the Milwaukee Brewers 2018 number 27 prospect Jacob Nottingham.

That being said, things are getting better. Jacob Nottingham slid to 27 from 17 last season on the MLB Pipeline rankings. The lofty expectations of him after he became a Milwaukee Brewers prospect have yet to come true. He was one of the prospects in the package for Khris Davis.

Player Profile

The expectations of him came about because of his hot start in the Astros organization. The A’s saw potential and got him when sending Scott Kazmir to Houston. Early in his prospect life, his raw power created a lot of excitement. Now, his power grade sits at 45. Last year, it was at 50.

It is not just his bat that is being questioned. His defense has been shaky as well, and it is causing him to seemingly stall out at Double A. Despite that, his defensive grades have seen a rise in the 2018 grades. Nottingham’s arm/fielding were 45/50 last season. This year they are at 55/50.

Projections

His profile says he projects as a backup in the MLB, but if the bat comes around he will make a decent starter. That is a giant ‘if’ at this point. Last season Nottingham hit .209. While his strikeout and walk percentages improved from the year before, his batting average dropped.

With all of that, some of his peripherals did improve. His ISO rose from .113 to .160, which shows an improvement of that raw power despite the drop in batting average. One of the better increases is in his wRC+. His low mark of 87 rose to 103, which is not insanely good, but it is improvement.

The thing to remember is that he will be only 23 in April; he is still very young. There is no reason he cannot recapture what he once had. Remember, Manny Pina broke out at 30 years old last season. Nottingham has plenty of time.

Next: Prospects: #28 Je'Von Ward

He is at Spring Training right now, and he has even launched a homer. That could be a positive sign for his development as he one day hopes to make it to the Milwaukee Brewers. There is no reason he will not as long as his bat matures.