Milwaukee Brewers: Troy Stokes, Trey Supak Added To 40 Man Roster

The Milwaukee Brewers have made their initial additions to their 40 man roster today, bringing on outfielder Troy Stokes, Jr. and pitcher Trey Supak.

The deadline for teams to add Rule 5 eligible players to the 40 man roster for protection is at 8 PM on Tuesday night. The Milwaukee Brewers still have one spot open on their 40 man roster to make an addition after selecting Stokes and Supak.

Both Stokes and Supak are on the Brewers Top 30 prospects list, meaning they would’ve been at high risk of being selected if left off the roster.

Troy Stokes, Jr.

Stokes is the Brewers No. 15 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and he followed a strong 2017 season with another strong campaign in 2018.

With the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers, Stokes hit 23 doubles, six triples, and 19 homers to go along with 65 walks, 19 stolen bases, and a .233/.343/.430 slash line.

Stokes is currently playing winter ball in Venezuela and he’s absolutely raking.

While Stokes’ batting average dropped a bit this year, he’s shown a knack for getting on base, as shown by his 65 walks and .343 OBP. Given what we’ve seen the Milwaukee Brewers try to focus on at the big league level in 2018, that on-base ability should help improve his stock in the eyes of the organization.

A former 4th round pick, Stokes’ best tool is his speed, followed closely by his power. Power-speed guys are hard to find, which makes Stokes that much more valuable. He’s close enough to the big leagues another team could take a shot and put him on their 25 man roster, thus warranting the protection.

Trey Supak

Acquired from the Pirates along with Keon Broxton in the Jason Rogers deal, Supak also took a couple steps forward in 2018.  Supak is the Crew’s No. 13 prospect on MLB Pipeline and the 22 year old just put up his best professional season.

In nine starts with the High-A Carolina Mudcats, Supak posted a 1.76 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP. His performance there to start the season quickly earned him a promotion to Double-A Biloxi, where his success continued.

In 16 starts with the Shuckers, Supak had a 2.91 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP.

Overall in 2018, Supak posted a 2.48 ERA in 25 starts covering 137.2 innings, with 123 strikeouts and only six home runs allowed.

Supak is one of many starting pitching prospects coming up through the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system, and he likely vaulted past a couple of other options with his performance this year. He definitely needed to be protected as other teams would’ve jumped at the chance to draft him after the year he had and the potential he possesses.

His three pitch mix can be solid enough to make him a mid-rotation starter in the big leagues one day. He’ll likely start next season in Triple-A San Antonio, but he’ll be in Milwaukee soon enough.

There’s still room for the Brewers to add another prospect to their roster before the deadline. They could also have to clear room on the roster by releasing some of its current members.