MLB Pipeline releases updated Brewers top-30 prospect list

The mid-season top-30 prospects lists are out! MLB Pipeline’s new lists have been dropped just before the trade deadline and there are some big swings on the Milwaukee Brewers’ top-30 prospects.

1. Brice Turang, SS
Scouting Grades — Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55

2. Tristen Lutz, OF
Scouting Grades — Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

3. Mauricio Dubon, SS/2B
Scouting Grades — Hit: 55 | Power: 35 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

4. Zack Brown, RHP
Scouting Grades — Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

5. Corey Ray, OF
Scouting Grades — Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 55 | Overall: 50

6. Ethan Small, LHP
Scouting Grades — Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

7. Trent Grisham, OF
Scouting Grades — Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 45 | Field: 55 | Overall: 50

8. Eduardo Garcia, SS
Scouting Grades — Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 50

9. Aaron Ashby, LHP
Scouting Grades — Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 65 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 50

10. Mario Feliciano, C
Scouting Grades — Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

11. Joe Gray, OF
Scouting Grades — Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

12. Antoine Kelly, LHP
Scouting Grades — Fastball: 70 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

13. Trey Supak, RHP
Scouting Grades — Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55 | Overall: 45

14. Drew Rasmussen, RHP
Scouting Grades — Fastball: 70 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

15. Devin Williams, RHP
Scouting Grades — Fastball: 65 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

16. Lucas Erceg, 3B/1B
Scouting Grades — Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 70 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

17. Payton Henry, C
Scouting Grades — Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 35 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

18. Micah Bello, OF
Scouting Grades — Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

19. Pablo Abreu, OF
Scouting Grades — Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

20. Braden Webb, RHP
Scouting Grades — Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 40 | Overall: 45

21. Marcos Diplan, RHP
Scouting Grades — Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 35 | Overall: 45

22. Troy Stokes Jr., OF
Scouting Grades — Hit: 40 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 40 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

23. Carlos Rodriguez, OF
Scouting Grades — Hit: 50 | Power: 30 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 60 | Overall: 45

24. Luis Medina, OF
Scouting Grades — Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 45 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

25. Larry Ernesto, OF
Scouting Grades — Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

26. Eduarqui Fernandez, OF
Scouting Grades — Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

27. Thomas Dillard, OF
Scouting Grades — Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 45

28. Adam Hill, RHP
Scouting Grades — Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

29. Tyrone Taylor, OF
Scouting Grades — Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Arm: 50 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40

30. Korry Howell, SS
Scouting Grades — Hit: 45 | Power: 30 | Run: 70 | Arm: 45 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

Newly added: Drew Rasmussen (added during season), Devin Williams (added during season), Ethan Small, Antoine Kelly, Luis Medina, Thomas Dillard, Korry Howell

Removed: Keston Hiura (Graduated), Adrian Houser (Graduated), Jake Gatewood, Caden Lemons, Bobby Wahl, Je’Von Ward, Jacob Nottingham

Top riser: Trent Grisham. Preseason: 30, mid-season 7

Biggest fall: Jacob Nottingham. Preseason: 16, mid-season: not listed

Only One on Top

The Brewers’ lone top-100 prospect is Brice Truang. In the preseason list, Keston Hiura was the only Brewer to come out on top, but since he graduated it belongs to Turang. The heir to the top prospect in the org, Turang sits at #81 in all of baseball.

Questionable Movements

The mid-season release seems some very justified drops. Nottingham, Stokes and Erceg have all had sub-par performances at best in the first half of the season. While those moves make sense, some Brewers prospects held pat despite bad performances of their own. Zack Brown actually moved up a spot, from 5 to 4. Braden Webb only dropped eight spots despite a demotion to Carolina. Add on a huge rise in Eduardo Garcia’s ranking despite Garcia missing most of the season with an injury and it’s hard not to question the new list’s organization.

New Prospects

The new list sees three 2019 Brewers draftees being added. The Brewers’ first pick, Ethan Small, slots into the top-10, second pick Antoine Kelly comes in at 12, and fourth pick Thomas Dillard barely makes the top-30 at 27. Nick Kahle missed the list, despite being drafted before Dillard. Finally, the Crew’s top international signing, Luis Medina, jumped in front of Larry Ernesto and Eduarqui Fernandez, former top international signings in their own right.

Solid in the Front, Light in the Back

Milwaukee has just one prospect with an above-average overall grade and it’s Brice Truang. But the other nine players in the top 10 are graded with average overall grades. Unfortunately, the rest of the group is ranked as below average. That means they carry bench player ceilings or worse. Overall grades aren’t the end all be all when it comes to a prospect’s future, but considering Pipeline is pretty generous when grading, it’s less than ideal to have an farm system’s top players have very low expectations.