Today, Kevin Goldstein checks in at Baseball Prospectus with his Milwaukee Brewers Top 11 prospects. It's behind the paywall, but I know many of you are subscribers, and for those of you who aren't, well...I'll share some of the good parts.
Goldstein rates both Matt LaPorta and Manny Parra five-star prospects, with LaPorta on top. After that, the system thins out fast (as we know). #11 is Brent Brewer, who is young, but still nearly all potential and little performance.
In case anyone was doubting Jeremy Jeffress's promise, Goldstein says:
About Alcides Escobar, #6 on this list, there plenty of good, but among the negatives:
Now, the really good part. There has been some angst around here lately about the thinning of the system, as we've traded some prospects and graduated far more. But, of course, graduating a prospect isn't a bad thing: that's what you want to happen.
Goldstein ends all of these Top 11 articles with a "Top 10 under age 25," including big-leaguers. LaPorta's a big-time prospect, and while he's tops among minor leaguers, he's only fourth among under-25's, behind Fielder, Gallardo, and Braun. With those guys making the minimum, and around for the next four or more years, you can afford to lose a little depth on the farm.