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Milwaukee building an infield to envy 03/04/2007 10:00 AM ETBy Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com
The future success of every Major League team lies in its Minor League system. With that in mind, each preseason, MLB.com takes a top-to-bottom look at all 30 organizations, from top prospects to recent draft picks.
The prospect of having an infield stay together for years is something most Major League clubs would love to have. That notion should make Milwaukee the envy of almost every club in the big leagues because once Ryan Braun hits town, the infield quartet at Miller Park should be together for years to come. The Brewers' system has produced J.J. Hardy, Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder in recent seasons, and Braun has been steamrolling his way toward Milwaukee since he was drafted. Though he'll probably begin the season at Triple-A Nashville, don't expect him to remain there the entire season. And once he arrives, the Brewers could be drawing comparisons to the Dodgers of the late '70s -- a team that featured Ron Cey, Bill Russell, Davey Lopes and Steve Garvey. There's plenty more to be excited about with the Brew Crew, though. The system is chock full of shortstops who can step in for the oft-injured Hardy. The pitching, led by Yovani Gallardo, is also top notch. The young right-handed star and Will Inman are two of the most coveted hurlers in the Minor Leagues. Climbing the Ladder
Triple-A Nashville
Yovani Gallardo, RHP "He should be in the big leagues by the end of the year," Milwaukee director of player development Reid Nichols said. "He's got command with average to above-average stuff. And he's mature well beyond his years. He's already got a family and he's very responsible with his wife and child."
Ryan Braun, 3B "Ryan's only had one full season and he played better in Huntsville than he did in Brevard," Nichols said. "And he did better than that in the Arizona Fall League. He's getting better as the leagues get tougher. The potential with him is really unlimited. He definitely has confidence. His defense has also gotten better. He's made it a priority, and that's something he needed to do."
Others to watch: RHP Carlos Villanueva was 2-2 with a 3.69 ERA in 10 games (six starts) in spot duty with Milwaukee. But Jeff Suppan's arrival means Villanueva likely will be spending at least part of the season in Nashville, where he was 7-1 with a 2.71 ERA in 11 games (nine starts) last year. ... RHP Tim Dillard is 22-17 with a 2.79 ERA in 57 games (53 starts) over his last two seasons. ... LHP Zach Jackson came over in the Lyle Overbay trade and made his Major League debut last year, appearing in eight games for the Brewers and going 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA. He spent much of the season at Nashville and likely will be headed back there if he can't crack the Milwaukee rotation.
Double-A Huntsville
Joe Thatcher, LHP "He pretty much dominates lefties," Nichols said. "He's got a bigger body type. He throws across his body and he's got a sweeping action on his breaking ball. He gave us a lot more than we expected coming in and he's done well wherever he has gone."
Yohannis Perez, SS "He's been here in our winter program," Nichols said. "He's good defensively and offensively, he's gap-to-gap." Others to watch: LHP Steve Hammond, a 2005 sixth-round pick, split last season between Class-A Brevard and Hunstville, going 11-11 with a 2.72 ERA in 27 starts. ... 2B Hernan Iribarren continues his steady climb, having hit .319 in 108 games last year at Brevard County. ... RHP Robert Hinton was 5-4 with a 3.31 ERA in 36 games (six starts) last year for Brevard. He struck out 95 in 89 2/3 innings. Class A Advanced Brevard County
Steve Garrison, LHP "He's a command guy who's a [Tom] Glavine type," Nichols said. "I don't want to put a Glavine label on him, but he's that type of pitcher. I think he needs to be in Brevard all year. He needs to benefit from that park and the league, learning how to set up and read hitters."
Lorenzo Cain, OF "He's done everything. He can do it all," Nichols said. "The power will come with him, but he's already a good defender and a hard worker. He's got the heart of a warrior. I like him. I think he's an All-Star in that league." Others to watch: RHP Will Inman, who turned 20 last month, was 10-2 in 23 games (20 starts) while posting one of the lowest ERAs (1.71) in the Minors. He's 16-2 with a 1.77 ERA in 32 Minor League games and successfully dealt with a sore shoulder last summer. ... 1B/OF Chris Errecart hit .316, was second in home runs (13) and hits (86) and topped the Pioneer League with 61 RBIs last year. ... SS Alcides Escobar will be back in the FSL after missing time last season with a broken finger. He appeared in only 87 games but is considered by many to be Milwaukee's top middle infield prospect. Class A West Virginia
Brae Wright, LHP "He's a bigger guy, not stout but taller," Nichols said. "And he's mature and has good stuff. I think he learned a lot over a half-season in Helena and in our winter program. He learned how to focus and get the job done. He's always around the plate and he has good command with his pitches."
Darren Ford, OF "He was probably one of the fastest players in that league, but we want him to work on his offense and bunting," Nichols said. "He's a good defender now, but for what we need him to do at Brevard, he just didn't play well enough to push Cain, Gillespie or Charlie Fermaint. We have three guys we'd like to start there, so Ford will have to perform. But I think he will. He stole bases last year, but he didn't bunt enough and just didn't use his tools the way he could have." Others to watch: RHP Shawn Ferguson, a ninth-round pick last season, was 2-5 with a 5.86 ERA in 14 games (12 starts) at Helena and West Virginia. ... RHP Roque Mercedes was 5-5 in 15 games (nine starts) with a 4.92 ERA in Helena. ... OF Mike Brantley hit .300 in 360 Sally League at-bats last year, stole 24 bases and had a .402 on-base percentage. But he had only 12 extra-base hits and needs to do more to crack a strong Brevard outfield. Under the Radar
Mat Gamel, 3B "He's had a history of errors, but we're expecting that to get better," Nichols said. He just needs confidence. He has the tools and he can do the job on any given day. He just needs consistency, but he's a natural hitter."
Mike Ramlow, LHP "He's got a good breaking ball, throws his fastball for strikes and keeps hitters off-balance," Nichols said. "He's a tall and lanky left-hander. We expect him to have a good year starting in the lower levels." 2006 Draft Recap
OF Cole Gillespie (third round) finished second in the Pioneer League in hitting (.344) and first in on-base percentage (.464). ... High school RHP Jeremy Jeffress, the top pick, signed for a $1.5 million bonus, then went 2-5 with a 5.88 ERA in the AZL. He pitched to a 9.86 ERA over his final 17 1/3 innings, though for the season he held right-handers to a .185 average (15-for-81). ... Ninth-round RHP Shawn Ferguson was one of only two Brewer draft picks (SS Hector Bernal) to reach low-A ball last year. The Texas Christian product went 2-3 with a 6.69 ERA in nine starts once he got to West Virginia. ... OF Mike Goetz, a 25th-rounder from Wisconsin, led the AZL with 31 stolen bases in 50 games. ... Second-round INF Brent Brewer not only has the perfect name for Milwaukee, he made a nice transition to pro ball, hitting .264 with 22 RBIs in 45 AZL games. ... Fifth-round OF Chris Errecart finished the Pioneer League season with 21 hits in his final 56 at-bats (.375) with five homers and 16 RBIs. Predictions
Organizational Player of the Year - Ryan Braun
Organizational Pitcher of the Year - Will Inman Quotable "I think we're doing a good job, a real good job," Nichols said. "You always want more players, but we have to give the staff credit. We have all guys who we're fairly confident can play in the big leagues." This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
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