The Milwaukee Brewers are reshaping their franchise with an injection of youth and prospects.
Every Thursday we took a closer look at some specific young players -- as well as noting others who were stepping up -- measuring, highlighting and evaluating their progress.
Orlando Arcia, SS: Milwaukee's top prospect -- and now the Brewers' starting shortstop -- acquitted himself well enough in Triple-A despite turning just 22 in August. In 100 games, he batted 267/320/403 with eight home runs and 15 stolen bases.
Lewis Brinson
Jacob Barnes (14th round, 2011), RHP: Barnes earned his promotion to Milwaukee, posting a 1.21 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 23 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings. He pitched mainly on the road (16 innings) and didn't allow a run.
Keon Broxton, OF: If you're wondering why Broxton kept getting recalled to Milwaukee, in 47 games with the Sky Sox he hit 287/362/562 with eight home runs and 18 stolen bases.
Michael Reed (5th round, 2011), OF: Thought of as a possible call-up before the season, Reed batted 248/366/365 with 20 steals in 121 games. However, he batted just .218 on the road with a .322 slugging percentage.
Brent Suter (31st round, 2012), LHP: Another pitcher who got the call to Milwaukee, Suter was 6-6 with a 3.50 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. He also was one of the most successful Colorado Springs pitchers at home, posting a 3.84 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 14 home games.
Clint Coulter (1st round, 2012), OF: Coulter was hitting just .220 at Single-A Brevard County when he was moved up to Biloxi. The promotion paid off. In 28 games, Coulter hit 337/382/442, perhaps rejuvenating his career.
Garrett Cooper (6th round, 2013), 3B: Cooper was as steady as it comes in Double-A, hitting 299/350/419 in 92 games with 22 doubles. He was moved up to Triple-A and hit 276/331/433 in 36 games at Colorado Springs.
Josh Hader, LHP: Hader was absolutely dominating in Double-A. In 11 starts with Biloxi, he had a 0.95 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 73 strikeouts in 57 innings. Then he got moved up to Triple-A and had to pitch in Colorado Springs (where his ERA was 6.10 and opponent batting average .301 in six home starts).
Taylor Jungmann (1st round, 2011), RHP: After posting an ERA north of 9 in both Milwaukee and Colorado Springs, Jungmann got back on track in Biloxi, posting a 2.51 ERA, .199 OBA and 1.17 WHIP in 13 starts.
Jacob Nottingham, C: Acquired from Oakland in the Khris Davis trade, Nottingham cooled off in the second half (.212) and finished at 235/295/347with 11 home runs and 138 strikeouts. He did steal a career-high nine bases.
Luis Ortiz, RHP: Ortiz made six starts after coming over from the Texas organization in the Jonathan Lucroy trade. He had a 1.93 ERA but 1.54 WHIP in 23 1/3 innings. Ortiz turns just 21 years old on Sept. 22.
Phil Bickford, RHP: Acquired at the trading deadline in the Will Smith deal, Bickford appeared in six games (five starts) for Brevard County and had a 3.67 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 30 K in 27 IP. His overall minor-league numbers in 2016 were a 2.93 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 135 K in 120 IP.
Bubba Derby, RHP: The other player acquired in the Davis trade with the A's was 6-13 with a 5.59 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in 26 games (25 starts).
Kodi Medeiros (1st round, 2014), LHP: In 23 games (22 starts), Medeiros was 4-12 with a 5.93 ERA and 1.94 WHIP.
Jon Olczak (21st round, 2015), RHP: The closer for the Manatees had a 3.04 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 67 K in 56 1/3 IP while recording 10 saves.
Jon Perrin (27th round, 2015): Perrin also played for Wisconsin (2.50 ERA in six starts) and Biloxi (3.1 IP, 9 ER), but he made his mark with Brevard County, posting a 2.60 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 19 games (16 starts).
Trent Clark (1st round, 2015), OF: For various reasons, Clark only appeared in 59 games in 2016, batting 231/346/344 with 15 doubles. He was 5 of 15 in attempted steals after being 25 of 33 last season.
Lucas Erceg (2nd round, 2016), 3b: Erceg moved up quickly after being drafted. He hit 400/452/552 in Helena and was sent to Wisconsin, where he slumped right at the end of the season but still batted 281/328/497 with seven home runs in 42 games. Erceg could move up the system fast.
Jake Gatewood (1st round, 2014), 3b: The 2014 compensatory pick showed good power despite hitting just 241/268/391, as he had 33 doubles and 14 home runs. He also struck out 141 times in 496 AB.
Mitch Ghelfi (28th round, 2015), C/1b: Ghelfi was batting 326/387/439 with 25 doubles in 73 games with Wisconsin when he was moved up to advanced Single-A Wisconsin, where he hit .248 in 30 games with 10 doubles.
Troy Stokes (4th round, 2014), OF: In 86 games, Stokes hit 268/358/395 with 20 steals in 24 attempts. In his three years of pro ball, Stokes has 65 steals in 195 games (712 AB).
Gilbert Lara, SS: Lara hit just 205/286/273 with 15 extra-base hits and no steals, however he did have a slash line of 304/322/384 in 29 games in the second half.
Demi Orimoloye (4th round, 2015), OF: After a successful first year in 2015 with the AZL Brewers (292/319/518), the speedy teenager slumped to 205/293/324 with Helena, but still stole 18 bases in 23 attempts. He turns 20 in January.
A glossary of some of the advanced statistics used:
Statistics courtesy milb.com
Dave Heller is the author of the upcoming book Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow as well as Facing Ted Williams Players from the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns
Isan Diaz
