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Four Brewers in Hardball Times Top 50

By Jeff Sackmann

Aaron Gleeman has finished his Top 50 Prospects and he included a heck of a lot of Brewers.  Gleeman appears to lean toward "proven" prospects at the AA and AAA level--guys ready to break in this year or next over high-ceiling guys a few years away.  This is good news for the Crew, as all four of these guys are at most, a year away from contributing in Milwaukee.

Jose Capellan appears just above Cole Hamels and Edwin Jackson at #44.  Amidst his struggles last September and his inconsistent spring, it's easy to forget that he was an unknown quantity just a year ago, and he started the 2004 season in single-A.  Gleeman reminds us he's still a premiere prospect, even if he doesn't make an impact in Milwaukee this year.

J.J. Hardy checks in at #42.  Gleeman says:

Hardy doesn't look like a future star, but he should be a solid everyday shortstop for quite a while. He plays good defense, hits for decent batting averages with a little bit of power, and does an excellent job controlling the strike zone.

He may not be the next A-Rod, or even the next Khalil Greene, but at least the Brewers won't have to spend money on somebody like Counsell or Clayton for several years.

Moving up quite a bit, we find Rickie Weeks at #16.  Rarefied company for someone who hit .259 in AA last year, but we all know Rickie's going to be great, it's just a question of how soon.

And, of course, in the top ten, we find Prince Fielder at #8, where Gleeman indulges in a comparison of Prince and his dad:

But is Prince a better prospect than Cecil was? I think there is reason to believe that he is. For one, Prince has put up those similar numbers while being consistently younger than his dad at every stop along the way, which is significant. In addition to that, Prince has shown better plate discipline and better strike zone control, which are both good indicators for the future. Prince is also a relatively decent athlete who isn't horrible at first base defensively and somehow managed to steal 11 bases last year, while Cecil ... well, Cecil could hit the ball really far.

Lyle Overbay must be wondering how soon he'll be shagging flies.

I've added a poll question below: who's the best Brewers prospect not on this list?

Poll

BEST OF THE POLLS, March 2005: Who's the best Brewers prospect not in Gleeman's Top 50?

This poll is closed

  • 25%
    Corey Hart
    (47 votes)
  • 3%
    Dave Krynzel
    (6 votes)
  • 0%
    Brad Nelson
    (1 vote)
  • 3%
    Nelson Cruz
    (7 votes)
  • 2%
    Mark Rogers
    (4 votes)
  • 61%
    Yovani Gollardo
    (112 votes)
  • 1%
    Manny Parra
    (3 votes)
  • 1%
    Lou Palmisano
    (3 votes)
183 votes total Vote Now

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