Tagged: Prospects

Top 30 MLB Pipeline Brewers Prospects Pre- And Post-Refresh

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For the sake of comparison, here are the side-by-side pre- and post-refresh Top 30 Brewers prospect rankings as rated by MLBPipeline.com.

2015 2016
1. Orlando Arcia 1. Orlando Arcia
2. Brett Phillips 2. Corey Ray
3. Jorge Lopez 3. Josh Hader
4. Josh Hader 4. Trent Clark
5. Trent Clark 5. Brett Phillips
6. Gilbert Lara 6. Gilbert Lara
7. Kodi Medeiros 7. Isan Diaz
8. Cody Ponce 8. Cody Ponce
9. Devin Williams 9. Marcos Diplan
10. Jacob Nottingham 10. Kodi Medeiros
11. Isan Diaz 11. Jorge Lopez
12. Tyrone Taylor 12. Jacob Nottingham
13. Clint Coulter 13. Monte Harrison
14. Demi Orimoloye 14. Lucas Erceg
15. Monte Harrison 15. Devin Williams
16. Nathan Kirby 16. Corbin Burnes
17. Adrian Houser 17. Miguel Diaz
18. Michael Reed 18. Freddy Peralta
19. Marcos Diplan 19. Nathan Kirby
20. Wendell Rijo 20. Demi Orimoloye
21. Bubby Derby 21. Jake Gatewood
22. Taylor Williams 22. Brandon Woodruff
23. Jake Gatewood 23. Tyrone Taylor
24. Rymer Liriano 24. Michael Reed
25. Victor Roache 25. Mario Feliciano
26. Freddy Peralta 26. Chad McClanahan
27. Miguel Diaz 27. Braden Webb
28. Damien Magnifico 28. Wendell Rijo
29. Brandon Woodruff 29. Clint Coulter
30. Trey Supak 30. Taylor Williams

Five Milwaukee Brewers prospects also made the refreshed Top 100 prospects over all.

  • Orlando Arcia (#13)
  • Corey Ray (#37)
  • Josh Hader (#45)
  • Trent Clark (#76)
  • Brett Phillips (#78)

The names who fell off the Top 30: Adrian Houser, Bubba Derby, Rymer Liriano, Victor Roache, Damien Magnifico, Trey Supak.

There was some shuffling of the other 24 names, but six members of the 2016 draft class made the Top 30 so six guys had to be dropped below #30.

Brewers Will Send Taylor, Ramirez, others to 2014 Arizona Fall League

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30 groups of prospects, six teams, ~5.5 weeks. This is the Arizona Fall League.

As a premier showcase for talent on the cusp of breaking through to the upper levels of the minors and ultimately The Show, the Arizona Fall League plays host to some of baseball’s best and brightest of who you’ve likely never heard. This year the AFL runs from October 7 through the league championship game on November 15. The annual All-Star Game, appropriately dubbed the “Fall Stars Game” will be held on November 1.

Brewers prospects will be a part of a different, yet somewhat familiar, team this year. After competing last year as a part of the Saguaros of Surprise, the Brewers will be returning to the monicker under which they played in 2012, that of the Desert Dogs. In 2012, the Desert Dogs were referred to as the Phoenix Desert Dogs. In 2014, however, they’re known as the Glendale Desert Dogs. They play their home games at Camelback Ranch, which is the Spring Training home of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox.

Farmhands from the Dodgers, White Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers will work alongside those of the Brewers as members of the Desert Dogs.

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banner courtesy of CamelbackRanchBaseball.com

The Brewers originally were set to send six players to Surprise in 2013. They were pitchers David Goforth, Taylor Jungmann, and Kevin Shackelford, infielder Jason Rogers, outfielder Mitch Haniger, and catcher Adam Weisenburger. For 2014, Milwaukee will be sending ### players (and pitching coach Chris Hook) to Glendale. By position, here are those players and some supplemental information:

Pitchers

  • Brooks Hall – RHP – (Highest Minor League level played at in 2014: Double-A)
  • Ariel Peña – RHP – (Triple-A) (***9/3 UPDATE*** Peña was announced as no longer participating on September 3.)
  • Mike Strong – LHP – Twitter: @Strong_Mike1188 (***9/7 UPDATE*** Strong was announced as a participant.)
  • Tyler Wagner – RHP – Twitter: @_TylerWagner_ (Class-A Advanced)
  • Wei-Chung Wang – LHP – Twitter: @LeftyWang51 (MLB – As a Rule 5 pick)

Infielders

  • Nick Ramirez – 1B – Twitter: @N_Ramirez33 – (Highest Minor League level played at in 2014: Double-A)
  • Hector Gomez – SS – (Triple-A)

Outfielders (Brewers’ Priority Position)

  • Tyrone Taylor – Twitter: @Ty_roneTaylor – (Highest Minor League level played at in 2014: Class A-Advanced)
    • Taylor is currently ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the Brewers’ Top Prospect

Catchers

  • Shawn Zarraga – (Highest Minor League level played at in 2014: Triple-A)

Brewer Nation Interview Series: Mitch Haniger

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As you all know, I like to interview players shortly after they’re drafted in an effort to help the fan base get to know them as well and learning more about them than just the numbers from college or high school say or what’s in a scouting report. I interviewed the Brewers’ 2013 11th round draft pick Andy Hillis back in June this year, for example.

I also like to follow up with the players every now and then, and that’s what I had the pleasure of doing yesterday with 2012 1st Round draft pick Mitch Haniger.

(If you missed my original interview with Haniger in 2012, you can find a link to it here.)

In the conversation we talk about his 2013 season which was split between Class-A Wisconsin and Class-A Advanced Brevard County, his being selected as the Brewers priority exception to the 2013 edition of the Arizona Fall League, and what his off-season plans are.

Please take a listen, learn a little bit more about an up and coming outfield prospect in the Brewers system, and get to know Mitch Haniger a bit better.

Thanks again to Mitch for his time. Be sure to follow him on Twitter: @M_Hanny19

Prospect Pilgrimage Audio – Taylor, Roache, McFarland

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As you’re aware if you follow me on Twitter (@BrewerNation), I was up at the Timber Rattlers game on Saturday evening for my annual prospect pilgrimage. I want to get up there more often, but it didn’t happen last year. Hopefully I’ll be able to accomplish that goal here in 2013.

Regardless, when I have gone up I’ve been fortunate enough to get a media credential and have access for some one-on-one time with the players. Last year I chatted with three guys who I had interviewed before on the phone in Mitch Haniger, Nick Ramirez and Chad Pierce. I also got the single greatest quote out of Timber Rattlers’ manager Matt Erickson when it comes to player development vs. trying to win a game on a given night.

This year, with some talented individuals on the roster, I had to limit myself to just three players quite frankly because there is only so much time between batting practice and first pitch. I think I did alright with the choices.

Here you can listen to my interviews with Tyrone Taylor, Victor Roache and Chris McFarland.

Enjoy!

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Interview with Brewers prospect Logan Schafer

By: Big Rygg 

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I had the good fortune of connecting with the Milwaukee Brewers 2009 Minor League Player of the Year: Logan Schafer and asked if he would have time for a quick interview. He didn’t at the time but we agreed to connect somewhere around the beginning to middle of Spring Training.
We had originally thought that we could do a phone interview but that had been discussed just prior to Schafer’s thumb injury which he suffered during a Spring Training game.
Instead, we decided that I would email him some questions and he would respond in kind.
Below are the results of that exchange.
Enjoy!
—
Big Rygg: Thanks for doing the interview. I really appreciate your time. The first question I like to ask a professional athlete is always the same basic one and that is: When did you first realize that you were better than everybody else at baseball? Most pros tend to be the best on every team they’re on growing up. From that feeling, when did you decide to pursue baseball as a career?

Logan Schafer: I have never been better than everybody else at baseball. In fact, I was rarely the best player on my team. Baseball has been a passion of mine since i was a little kid playing wiffle ball with my brothers and friends in my backyard. My love for the game has never changed or diminished. What set me apart from other players at a young age was my ability to focus and learn how to play the game the right way. I am so thankful to have had such great coaches from a young age up through the present. I was able to put a lot of time and energy into learning the intangables of the game that have given me this incredible opportunity to be where I am today.

BR: How did you feel when you were drafted by a professional baseball franchise?


LS:  I was drafted three times out of college, and there was no feeling like it. I was drafted in the 31st round of the 2006 draft by the Boston Red Sox, the 47th round of the 2007 draft by the Colorado Rockies, and the 3rd round of the 2008 draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. My first draft was incredible. It is such an unbelievable thrill to see your name pop up on that screen in front of a Major League Baseball team. I held out however, because I was physically small and felt I had more to learn before I get into pro ball and try and have success. I continued to have two good years at Cal Poly after attending Cuesta College, and had the happiest day of my life to this point in June of 2008 when the Brew Crew selected me in the 3rd round.

BR: To be drafted that many times, no doubt plenty of scouts had seen you over the years, but I’d like to get your opinion on you. Give me a scouting report on Logan Schafer. What is/are your best tool(s)?

LS: A scouting report of Logan Schafer would have to start with the glove. I take great pride in taking hits away from people, holding runners from taking the extra base, and being able to determine where the ball should be thrown before the pitch. I spend a lot of time working on positioning and getting jumps to give me the best chance to be in on every play. Offensively I hit more for average than power, but will have occasional power to the gaps. The small game is also a big part of who I am, so controlling the bat is also something I concentrate on quite a bit.

BR: Let’s talk about the injury bug for you these past couple of years, starting with the thumb and then the groin and foot last year and whatever update you could give us after surgery including a projection for when you think you’ll be back on the field.

LS: The injury bug is a very frustrating one, in every facet of life. Typing this is tough with a broken thumb for instance, haha. I had surgery on my thumb yesterday and everything turned out well. The doctor is sticking with 4-6 weeks, but they buried the pins so I can do some workouts and keep my arm in baseball shape after a week. My groin tear turned hernia was the worst last year, since the pain and actual injury were so hard to diagnose. It was very humbling and dissapointing to find out that I broke my navicular bone in my foot in late May (last year) coming back from the other injuries. I just had to keep my head up, and that was tough to do when that light at the end of the tunnel seemed to be running away from me at the time. I played a few games in the Arizona Fall League and started off getting back into the groove in Spring Training, and then I break my thumb breaking up a double play. I have learned the value of patience, and as frustrating as this might be, I got to spend a few weeks of incredible baseball at big league camp. Learning from the big leaguers and seeing how they go about their business is something special. It has helped me great amount and it gives me more fire to get there again, this year.

BR: To that end, I have to ask what you think about manager Ron Roenicke’s comment that you’ve earned his call-up confidence should the need arise?


LS: Ron has been outstanding towards me since I arrived in camp. He has been such a personable and outgoing skipper and has treated all of us with the (utmost) respect. I never once felt out of place or as if i didn’t belong in that clubhouse. I have so much respect for the way he keeps the game of baseball fun and encourages guys to test themselves by taking chances. In a short few weeks, I have learned so much that I will take with me into this year. The comment he made about me earning his “call-up confidence” is undoubtedly a very high honor. My goal has always been to get to the big leagues and have a long career. I will continue to play the game hard and see where it takes me.


BR: So, finally, whether it happens at some point in 2011 or whenever it finally does happen for you, what will it mean to you the first time you step out on a major league field as a big leaguer?


LS: The first time I step out onto a major league field wearing a major league uniform is going to be a humbling dream come true. Every year, month, week, day, week, hour and minute I have spent playing this wonderful game of baseball has been to become a Major League Baseball Player. I see that day all the time; I am a very big visualizer. It will be the greatest day of my life without a doubt.

—

Again, I wanted to make sure that I mention how much I appreciate Logan’s time for this interview. I’ve had a fun time doing prospect interviews and I plan on continuing the tradition going forward.
Thanks again to Logan Schafer and here’s to a quick call up to Miller Park!