Brewers: 5 Prospects That Should Be Untouchable This Offseason

LHP Aaron Ashby

The Milwaukee Brewers selected Aaron Ashby in the 4th round of the 2018 Draft and he’s done nothing but dominate since then.

In seven starts at Low-A Wisconsin in 2018, Ashby posted a 2.17 ERA in 37.1 innings, striking out 47 while walking only nine. That was just the first glimpse of the Crowder JC product could do as he was already looking like a big piece from that 2018 draft class that also had shortstop Brice Turang in it.

Then, in 2019, Ashby started again in Low-A Wisconsin and pitched well, posting a 3.54 ERA in 11 appearances, including a complete game. Ashby struck out 80 batters in just 60.1 innings pitched and opponents were hitting just .216 against him.

His performance with the Timber Rattlers earned him a mid-season promotion to the High-A Carolina Mudcats.

In Carolina, Ashby continued to put up strong numbers, with a 3.46 ERA in 13 starts covering 65 innings. His strikeout numbers took a little dip though, with only 55 K’s in a similar amount of innings to what he had in Wisconsin.

Ashby is a good strikeout pitcher, but when he does allow contact, for the most part he keeps it on the ground, which is very important when considering he’ll be pitching in Miller Park one day.

His best pitch is his curveball, which he can throw a couple of different ways, and pairs it with his fastball that can touch 96 MPH. But the key to Ashby’s success will be his changeup, and it’s developed nicely and has turned into a solid third pitch, which makes him a viable starting pitcher at the big league level instead of just being a reliever.

Ashby fits the profile of a lot of the left-handed pitchers the Brewers currently have, operating with a deceptive, funky delivery, that gets by more on craftiness than pure power. That’s the same style as Brent Suter and Alex Claudio. Josh Hader also possesses that deceptive delivery, but can pair it with pure power, which is what makes him so dominant.

Once again, left handed pitching is something the Brewers mostly lack in their system, especially when it comes to lefties who can start. Trading away guys like that is not the best way to build a strong, deep rotation. The Brewers should turn down any requests for Ashby this winter and make him untouchable.

LHP Antoine Kelly

Are you sensing a theme here? Three straight left handed pitchers are on our untouchable prospects list, and all with good reason, beyond the general lack of left handed depth throughout the organization.

During the 2019 MLB Draft, it was clear the Brewers made a priority out of adding left handed pitching, selecting seven lefties in the first 17 rounds. The first selection was Ethan Small, a lefty also appearing on this list, and the second selection was Antoine Kelly, who also should be staying put within the organization.

Kelly was drafted out of Wabash Valley CC in Illinois where he had 19.1 K/9 his freshman year. His fastball is electric, sitting 94-97 MPH while topping out around 98 MPH, for now. With a big frame to fill out, (6’6″ tall) and an easy, smooth delivery, he could easily reach triple digits in the future.

According to reports, a lot of scouts have compared him to a young David Price, who had a similar physical build and big time stuff.

After being drafted, Kelly went to the Arizona Rookie League and dominated. In nine starts covering 28.2 innings, he had a 1.26 ERA with 41 strikeouts and only five walks.

While his secondary pitches will need some work, if they can get his slider to be respectable, he can be a dominant reliever. If he can get both his slider and his changeup to become quality pitches, he can be a dominant starter. If he can’t get his secondary stuff to be much better, he’ll be a reliever with a lot of potential that he just can’t reach.

Kelly is practically the definition of a “boom-or-bust” prospect. If he booms, he can be a dominant force for years to come and the Brewers will look like geniuses. If he busts, it was a worthy gamble that just didn’t pay off.

After his first few outings in pro ball, everything’s still looking like he’s trending towards the “boom” category, so there’s zero reason to give him away now. The Brewers need to make him untouchable and continue to develop him.

C Mario Feliciano

Ok, so the trend of left handed starting pitchers is over. After all, there really aren’t that many in the system, but those three are the big ones to protect. One of their potential future batterymates is Mario Feliciano, who also should be untouchable this offseason.

With Yasmani Grandal heading into free agency once again this winter, the Brewers will have question marks about the future at the catcher position once again. Manny Pina is a good player and is serviceable, but his offensive shortcomings are well known.

Jacob Nottingham was once thought of as the catcher of the future, but his bat has inexplicably gone missing since joining the Brewers organization and he’s now an afterthought. With no immediate known “catcher of the future” or even “catcher for 2020”, it’s time to look further down in the minor leagues for what the Brewers have, and you’ll quickly find Feliciano.

With the Carolina Mudcats in 2019, Feliciano hit .273 with 25 doubles, 19 home runs, 81 RBIs, and a .801 OPS. He has a strong bat, can hit to all fields, and is finally tapping into his power.

While he’s known as a bat-first catcher, he’s made great strides defensively behind the plate and is a great pitch framer and will be solid defensively by the time he reaches the big leagues. He’s ranked as the Crew’s 8th best prospect.

By receiving positive marks both offensively and defensively, Feliciano is a rare breed of catcher in today’s game. There are very few catchers that are successful at both offense and defense. Most are either one or the other, and more often than not, it’s the defensive ability that takes priority.

Catcher and shortstop are the two positions where teams are willing to sacrifice offense for defense. But if teams can get both out of those positions, they don’t take that opportunity lightly. That’s why the Brewers pursued Yasmani Grandal last winter and will try to re-sign him again this offseason.

Should Grandal leave, or even if Grandal should stay, the Brewers need to keep Feliciano around. He could be their best homegrown catcher since Jonathan Lucroy and once he reaches the big leagues, anything can happen. Feliciano will be in Double-A in 2020 and from there, you’re a phone call away from the big leagues.

It’s very important the Brewers don’t trade away Feliciano this offseason and make him untouchable.

RHP Drew Rasmussen

It’s another pitcher, but this time, he’s right handed. Drew Rasmussen was the Crew’s 6th round pick in 2018 but he’s been pitching more like a first round pick. Oh wait, that’s because he was a first round pick. In 2017, the Rays selected Rasmussen 31st overall out of Oregon State but didn’t sign him due to concerns over his elbow.

Those concerns proved true as Rasmussen needed his second Tommy John surgery that fall. That next June, the Brewers selected Rasmussen in the 6th round as a buy-low target with a ton of upside. They essentially got a first round talent in the sixth round, for sixth round money. That’s too good a deal to pass up.

Rasmussen made his professional debut in 2019 and was on pitch count and workload restrictions, due to having multiple TJ surgeries on his arm at such a young age, but he pitched beautifully in his appearances.

He lasted just one outing in Low-A Wisconsin, where he threw two shutout innings. He was immediately promoted to High-A Carolina, where he hung around for just four starts, posting a 1.59 ERA over 11.1 innings.

Then he was promoted to Double-A Biloxi, where he remained the rest of the season, finishing with a 3.54 ERA in 18 starts and 22 total appearances covering 61 IP. He struck out 77 batters in those 61 innings.

Each team gets only one first round pick each year, and it’s important to make them count. The Brewers essentially got an extra first rounder in 2018 by selecting Rasmussen when they did. It was a low-risk, high-reward pick and it’s paying off so far.

Rasmussen has moved up the ladder quickly and could easily help out the 2020 Brewers pitching staff in some capacity. A talented pitcher like this is one that should be untouchable in trade conversations. He’s not going anywhere.

These prospects should be untouchable for the Brewers. None of the Crew’s top 4 prospects are included on this list and that’s because they’re either the best trade bait options or are coming off bad seasons.