Brew Crew Ball Community Top Prospects #1-10

We did it! By we, I mostly mean you. You voted in the Brew Crew Ball Community Top Prospects poll and weeded out our top 10. But no top 10 is official until we officially put it into list form. So, here we are, the Brew Crew Ball Community Top 10!

#1 Brice Turang, SS
Age: 20
2019 Season (A & A+): 564 PA || .256/.367/.340 || 3 HR || 30 SB || 101 K || 83 BB

Turang is the universal #1 prospect for the Brewers. When you watch him play, he already looks like a solid shortstop. He also had plus speed, which opens the door to him becoming an even better defender as he moves up the ladder. Those two skills make Turang a likely MLB contributor, but his ceiling will be dictated on his power. If Turang can develop even ten homer power, and he continues to show good control of the strike zone, he’ll be a quality contributor. If the power isn’t there, he’s probably a utility player.

#2 Ethan Small, LHP
Age: 23
2019 Season (Rk & A): 21 IP || 0.86 ERA || 36 K || 4 BB || 0 HR || 0.714 WHIP
2019 (Collegiate): 107 IP || 1.93 ERA || 176 K || 32 BB || 8 HR || 0.869 WHIP

The Brewers’ first round pick in 2019 debuts high on the 2020 top 10. Small is an advanced pitcher who utilizes deception and location to compensate for his high-80s/low-90s fastball. He’s exceptional at changing his timing, but he needs to continue developing his secondary pitches. The changeup is his second-best option and the curveball flashes average.

#3 Tristen Lutz, OF
Age: 21
2019 Season: 477 PA || .255/.335/.419 || 13 HR || 3 SB || 137 K || 46 BB

Lutz has one of the more exciting all around profiles in the Brewers’ farm. He profiles as a corner outfielder due to the powerful outfield arm, but his average speed gives him just enough skill to cover center in a pinch. We’d like to see his raw power transition to in-game power, but the Carolina League is known to suck strength out of bats. Although it feels like he’s been in the farm forever, he is still just 21 and continues to steadily progress through the farm.

As I always like to point out, his post-adjustment numbers for every level are usually better than the season line. In April, he hit .182/.250/.299 over 84 PAs. After that, he went .271/.354/.446 in 393 PAs.

#4 Aaron Ashby, LHP
Age: 21
2019 Season (A & A+): 126 IP || 3.50 ERA || 135 K || 60 BB || 5 HR || 1.278 WHIP

Here’s a biased write up from a guy who really, really likes Ashby. He has a mid-90s fastball from the left side of the mound, a plus to plus-plus breaking ball, and a potentially okay third pitch. His control really needs to improve if he’s going to stick in the rotation, but what I like about him is that he has the profile for a really good reliever if that doesn’t happen.

#5 Mario Feliciano, C
Age: 21
2019 Season (A+ & AA): 496 PA || .270/.323/.473 || 19 HR || 2 SB || 143 K || 29 BB

Feliciano really came a long way with the bat in his rebound season. He lost his 2018 due to injuries, but he established himself as the primo catching prospect in the system, going toe-to-toe with top competitor Payton Henry at A+. He continues to improve defensively, but still needs to grow as a framer and receiver. Strikeouts are an issue, but that’s a pretty common flaw for a 21-year-old at a level that’s pretty high for his age.

#6 Drew Rasmussen, RHP
Age: 23
2019 Season (A, A+ & AA): 74.1 IP || 3.15 ERA || 96 K || 31 BB || 4 HR || 1.184 WHIP

Rasmussen is pretty exciting. In his first season pitching since 2017, he came back onto the mound and showed a lot of what made him a first round pick for the Rays a few years ago. Tampa Bay didn’t sign him and that could benefit the Brewers greatly. Milwaukee may see if they could stretch him out and give him a try as a starter, but it’s much more likely that they continue to progress him as a multi-inning reliever to ensure he stays healthy. Either way, a triple-digit fastball, plus slider, and average changeup would make him a dangerous force in the back end of the pen.

#7 Corey Ray, OF
Age: 25
2019 Season (Rk, AA & AAA): 292 PA || .218/.291/.363 || 8 HR || 6 SB || 106 K || 27 BB

So, 106 Ks in 292 plate appearances is really bad. Really, really bad. But Ray was legitimately unhealthy almost all of last season. He spent the offseason working on his strength and form at the Arizona facility. It might be the last chance for the #5 overall pick. If things go right, he kind of seems like Keon Broxton.

#8 Carlos Rodriguez, OF
Age: 19
2019 Season (AZL & Rk): 179 PA || .329/.346/.416 || 3 HR || 5 SB || 22 K || 4 BB

Rodriguez has great bat to ball skills, a good understanding of the zone, and no power. You might see the .416 slugging percentage and think, “That’s not bad.” That’s the fantastically thin air of Arizona and Colorado Springs that makes power come from nowhere. Rodriguez is young, can add a bit of muscle and looks pretty good in the outfield. He still has a way to go, but he looks like the ideal old school leadoff hitter.

#9 Antoine Kelly, LHP
Age: 20
2019 Season (AZL & A): 31.2 IP || 2.84 ERA || 45 K || 9 BB || 2 HR || 1.105 WHIP

Do you like amazing fastballs from the left-hand side? I know you do. That’s Antoine Kelly. But right now, that’s all you get from Kelly. At Arizona, he destroyed immature hitters with a fastball that could already be one of the best in the minors. He can’t control his pitches well and needs to add at least one more pitch. The slider looks okay, but is incredibly inconsistent. The thing about Kelly that should give you hope: he’s coachable. After being drafted in the later rounds in 2018, he went to JuCo to improve his stock. With hard work on top of his talent, he became worthy of a second round pick. He’s also really fun because his fastball is just devastating.

#10 Eduardo Garcia, SS
Age: 17
2019 Season (DSL): 40 PA || .313/.450/.469 || 1 HR || 1 SB || 9 K || 6 BB

Here is our “hopeful superstar who is only 17” pick of the farm! Garcia shows great defensive tools and his bat looks pretty good. But Garcia is just 17 and injured his ankle at the DSL last season. Excitement needs to be reigned in for the time being, but maybe a healthy season can add justification to our excitement.

Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference