Top 10 Prospects

Alright...I know Gagne is a big deal, but I think it's time to look at the Brewers farm system a little bit. I'll report on this every once in a while, but here is who I believe to be the 10 ten prospects in the Brewers system:

1) LHP Manny Parra (MLB) - Yes, I know it looks like LaPorta should be the #1 prospect, but Manny Parra has a chance to be something special a lot earlier than LaPorta. He has above average stuff for a lefty and has way above average control. Look for Parra to be in the starting rotation come April. Yost says that it's his job to lose, and I don't expect him to lose it.

2) LF Matt LaPorta (A) - The reason I believe LaPorta to be behind Parra is his drop-off in the Arizona Fall League. In the minors this year, LaPorta put up a .304 BA with 12 HR and 31 RBI. Very impressive. Even more impressive was his move to LF, where he only had 1 error the entire season. Who says he cannot play LF? In the AFL, LaPorta's average dropped to .241, but he still had 6 HR and 22 RBI. The power is clearly there. Now we just have to work on the consistency part of the battle.

3) RHP Jeremy Jeffress (A) - Jeremy can flat out throw gas. He is reported to hit the upper-90s, even 100mph with relative ease. His fastball has a lot of sink on it, as well. Power pitchers who get groundballs move very quickly through the system. If he can develop another pitch, he'll be fast-tracked for sure. He is facing a 50 game suspension for violating the League Substance Abuse Policy, but he's only 21 years old. And on the bright side, the suspension should keep his innings down this year.

4) SS Alcides Escobar (AAA) - This kid is a defensive stalwart. He's got the footwork, the range, and the arm. He also can hit a little bit, which is shown in his .306 BA last year in the minors with 53 RBI. He had an abysmal winter league showing, however, only hitting .100 in 20 AB. That scares me a little bit, but he was pinch hitting all the time. That's a tough thing to get used to. I'm looking forward to seeing what Alcides can do in 08.

5) 3B Mat Gamel (AA) - Mat hits with good power to all fields. He had a .300 BA with 9 HR in the FSL and a .333 BA with 8 HR in the Hawaii Winter League. The potential with the bat is not the question. It's his fielding (which is worse than Braun's) that everyone is concerned about. He had 53 errors in 128 games. That's plain awful.

6) C Angel Salome (A) - He is currently serving his 50 game suspension for performance enhancing drugs, but he's still young (21) and a power hitting catcher with above average defensive skills. He hit .318 with 6 HR and 53 RBI in the Florida State League last year. That's legit for a catcher. We'll see how he comes back after the suspension, but he could be fast-tracked when he gets back.

7) LF Cole Gillespie (A) - Cole is somewhat of a work in progress still, but he has the tools to be a MLB player someday. He is a good hitter, and his power is still developing (12 HR and 62 RBI in Brevard last year). The question is where the Brewers will put him. LaPorta has taken over as the top LF prospect, and Cole does not have the quickness or arm strength to play CF or RF.

8) OF Lorenzo Cain (AA) - This rating is on pure potential. Lorenzo is a defensive standout with great speed, but his offense is starting to catch up now. He only hit .276 last year, but I expect it to be higher next year. The Brewers coaches compare him to Corey Hart. That's saying a lot.

9) SS Brent Brewer (A) - Brent has good speed, a good arm, and good range at SS, but it has yet to come all together for him. He has great power for a SS (11 HR at West Virginia last year), but his plate discipline needs to improve. Yet, he's only 19. He's going to be a top prospect for a few years.

10) 3B Tyler Green (A) - I have a tough time not putting the Brewers' Minor League Player of the Year in my top 10, so here he is. Tyler's only 21, and he put up ridiculous numbers in Class A West Virginia. He batted .327 with 14 HR and 86 RBI. What is also impressive is his BB/K ratio (51/65). That shows a lot of maturity for a young hitter. I expect to hear about Tyler a lot in the coming years.