Milwaukee Brewers land zero prospects on Baseball America top-100 list

Comparably, the Milwaukee Brewers do not have a good farm system. Graduations and trades have depleted much of the reserves on the minor league side of things, leaving behind a collection of talent that is lacking for much upside in close proximity to the big leagues and teeming with risk down on the lower levels of the org.

The authors at Baseball Prospectus recently stated “every year, somebody has to be the worst system in baseball. At least the big league team is good,” in their recent write-up of Milwaukee’s top prospect list. Yesterday, Baseball America released their updated top-100 prospect ranking, and...

This year, the Rays once again lead all teams with eight Top 100 prospects. The Dodgers (7 players), Twins (6 players) and Padres (6 players) are also well represented in 2020, while the Brewers are the only squad without a Top 100 prospect.

For what it is worth, though, the Brewers did have two (!!!) minor leaguers among the next 98 prospects who were considered for the Baseball America top-100. Brice Turang and Tristen Lutz, who most outlets consider to the the org’s two best prospects, were at least given passing thoughts by some of the writers for Baseball America.

Turang, 20, is a slick-fielding middle infield prospect who should be able to stick at shortstop. He’s known for hit patient approach at the plate accompanied by a strong hit tool and bat-to-ball skills, though he’s currently lacking in the power department. He hit .287/.384/.376 in 82 games for the Timber Rattlers last season, but his line fell to .200/.338/.276 after a midseason promotion to Carolina. If Turang doesn’t develop more of an extra-base ability, he might have a tough time hitting at the higher levels against more advanced pitching.

Lutz, 21, is a tooled-up outfield prospect who has yet to hit his stride for a full season. His two full-season batting lines have nearly mirrored each other — .245/.321/.421 with 13 homers in 119 games for Wisconsin in 2018, then .255/.335/.419 with 13 dingers in 112 games in Carolina last season. Lutz has plus raw power potential, but his hit tool is limited by his tendency to punch out — 28% over the past two seasons. That level of swing-and-miss generally present a significant challenge for players as they climb the minor league ladder; Lutz will have to make some adjustments to get the most out of his offensive profile, or he will likely be exploited by advanced pitching.

Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs