1.30.2012

Farm Report: Shortstop

Time for some light Monday morning reading in the form of yet another Farm Report, finishing out the infield.  This is a, well, interesting group and I'm not entirely sure what to make of it.  What I can tell you is that you shouldn't expect to see any of these players in the majors anytime soon.

Here's a look back at last weeks prospect rankings:

Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Third Base 

1. Yadiel Rivera - You'll hear a player described as "toolsy" and that fits the bill for Rivera.  Potential is the word for him.  Only 19 years old, Rivera split time between Low-A Wisconsin and rookie Helena with his most success coming in rookie ball.  For the season he had nine home runs and 43 RBIs with a .236 batting average.  He's got some work to do, but more on that later.  The organization will probably give him another chance at Low-A Wisconsin but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him at Helena for another year of seasoning.

2. Josh Prince - A third round pick in the 2009 draft, Prince is a slap hitter who has hit for decent average but a low OBP.  Last season with a Brevard County he played in 75 games and hit .281 with a career high five home runs.  In three professional seasons he has a .254 career batting average but he's stolen 106 bases in his career. He would seem destined for Double-A in 2012.

3. Mike Brownstein - Brownstein has struggled to stay on the field and so far has been more of a utility player than anything else.  That said, the positions he saw the most amount of playing time at were second base and shortstop, so for our purposes we are putting him at shortstop.  In the 85 games Brownstein played between Wisconsin and Brevard County he hit .261 with a .350 OBP.  So there's that.

4. Hainley Statia - I don't know if we can even call Statia a prospect since he's only spent one year in the Brewers system after spending his first six minor league seasons with the Los Angeles Angels organization.  But, he's still only 25 and has yet to make an appearance in the big leagues.  He also had a solid first season with Double-A Huntsville.  Statia played in 95 games and hit .279 with a .355 OBP and 22 extra-base hits.  It would seem he would get a look at Triple-A Nashville next season.

5. Brandon Macias - Another utility player, Macias was undrafted and signed by the Brewers.  He played in 52 games at two different levels, Arizona Rookie League and Low-A Wisconsin.  He saw time at second base, third base, shortstop and even played a game in left field.  Macias hit .249 with a .335 OBP and 17 extra-base hits.

Final Thoughts - Let's take a look at this group, two utility players, one seven year minor league veteran and two actual shortstops.  Rivera is the only high potential player in this group, showing a decent pop for a shortstop.  But Rivera is very unrefined, he struck out 125 times in 106 games and committed 34 errors.  So while he may have high potential he is a long way from reaching it.

Prince is an interesting prospect, although at his best he would seem to be a place holder for someone with a bigger stick.  That said, if he can consistently hit .270-.280 with 30-40 stolen bases he would be an acceptable starter at shortstop.  Double-A will be a big test for him in 2012.

As for the rest of this group, it's tough to say much.  Brownstein and Macias haven't played enough to get a good read on and they aren't true shortstops.  As for Statia... he would appear the most solid all around prospect in the system.  That said he's been in the minors for seven seasons, that's a long time.

Overall this group is better than it was a year or two ago but it's still not good.  There isn't anyone in this group that seems like they will be helping the major league club anytime soon.  We'll be back tomorrow with the outfield.

4 comments:

  1. Good name that deserves a mention but I won't be ranking just yet. Arcia has only seen time in the Dominican Summer League and while he looked good for a 16-year-old I'm just not one to get excited by DSL stats. Check back when he makes it to the states.

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