Milwaukee added some potential high-impact talent to a minor league system that is now rated as the best in baseball according to at least one outlet. Here are Baseball Prospectus scouting reports on the newest future Brewers.

Rangers Trade Return:

CF Lewis Brinson
6’3″ || 195 lb || B/T: R/R || Age: 22

Hit: 55 || Power: 55 || Speed: 60 || Arm: 60 || Glove: 70 ||

Future Role: 60 – first division starting center fielder

Report: There’s the potential for five above-average tools, which wasn’t the case in 2014. He now shows a shorter stroke capable of hard contact to all parts of the field, along with a more advanced approach. There’s always been plus raw power, and that pop shows up in games thanks to his strong wrists and his ability to use the lower half to create leverage. If there’s a concern offensively it’s that he still gets pull-happy, and while the strikeout rates have dropped each year, this is still the type of player who is going to swing and miss. A lot.

Brinson’s offense hasn’t caught up to the defense, but that’s a compliment to the glove rather than an insult to the bat. His plus speed helps him get to pretty much everything in center field. He has the type of arm strength you’d love to see in your right fielder, and swoon for when you see that it plays in center.

There were only a handful of players more impressive than Brinson in the Arizona Fall League, and it helped confirm what those who saw him all year had been saying. Even with the strikeouts, this is player who can impact the game in essentially every realistic way you could ask for.  – Chris Crawford

2016 Statistics:

AA Frisco – 326 PA, .236 TAv || .237/.280/.431 || 11 HR || 11 SB || 19.6 percent K || 5.2 percent BB
AAA Colorado Springs – 13 PA, .585 TAv || .615/.615/.923 || 1 HR || 2 SB|| 15.4 percent K || 0 percent BB

RHP Luis Ortiz
6’3″ || 230 lbs || B/T: R/R || Age: 20

Fastball: 65 || Slider: 60 || Changeup: 45 || Command: 55

Future Role: 60 – #3 starting pitcher

Report: Not only do some prefer Ortiz over (Dillon) Tate, but there are those who believe Ortiz has the highest ceiling of any prospect in the (Rangers’) system. He gets his fastball into the mid 90s consistently from an easy arm action, sitting 93-95. The slider is his go-to out pitch. It doesn’t have as much depth as Tate’s, but it has more deception because the tilt comes so late. The only thing keeping him from projecting as a frontline starter right now is the lack of a quality third pitch, as both his curveball and change are closer to 40 than 50. Even without an average third offering, he has a chance to start because the command is so advanced. He repeats his delivery as well as you can expect a teenager to repeat things, and he not only throws strikes with all four pitches, he locates them to any part of the plate.

The concerns with Ortiz don’t come from stuff or an inability to throw strikes, but whether or not he’ll be able to hold up during a season. He’s burly—to put it nicely—and he’s missed time in each of the past two years, ending his 2015 season with elbow tendinitis. If he can stay healthy and keep the weight in check, he could be an innings-eater who misses bats, but there’s more volatility here than the stuff might suggest.  – Chris Crawford

2016 Statistics:

A+ High Desert – 27.2 IP, .216 TAv || 2.60 ERA || 4.20 FIP || 25.5 percent K || 5.5 percent BB || 51 percent GB
AA Frisco – 39.2 IP, .256 TAv || 4.08 ERA || 3.32 FIP || 19.5 percent K || 4.0 percent  BB || 47 percent GB

(Note: Player to be named later won’t be announced until after the completion of the minor league season.)

Giants trade:

RHP Phil Bickford
6’4″ || 200 lbs || B/T: R/R || Age: 20

Fastball: 65/70 || Slider: 50 || Changeup: 40 || Command: 50

Future Role: 45 – back end starter/high-leverage reliever

Report: Bickford’s stuff profiles best in a late-innings relief role. He has the body and arm to work multiple times through a lineup, and he features a deceptive fastball with late life up that generates swings and misses, but he lacks a third pitch and struggles commanding within the zone. His slider can change multiple grades from one start to the next but is something that can be masked in short stints. Bickford’s best-case scenario is a two-pitch starter with a back-end rotation spot. A high-leverage reliever is the safe bet.  -David Lee

Report: Bickford’s arm strength is elite, and when he’s working in short spurts, he’ll touch the high 90s with a four-seam fastball that has late life. His slider is maddeningly inconsistent; he struggles to repeat his three-quarters arm slot, and it will vary from a 40 pitch that he can’t locate to a 60 with hard tilt. The change is very much a work in progress, and like the slider its grade varies wildly from appearance to appearance. The control is ahead of the command, but he does a good enough job filling the strike zone that he should be able to start. However, because the stuff is so much better in shorter outings, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he ends up making his living as a reliever.  – Chris Crawford

2016 Statistics:

A Augusta – 60.0 IP, .233 TAv || 2.70 ERA || 2.44 FIP || 28.3 percent K || 6.1 percent  BB || 34 percent GB
A+ San Jose – 33.0 IP, .214 TAv || 2.73 ERA || 3.97 FIP || 27.9 percent K || 9.3 percent BB || 35 percent GB

C Andrew Susac
6’1″ || 215 lbs || B/T: R/R || Age: 26

Hit: 50 || Power: 60 || Speed: 30 || Arm: 55 || Glove: 50

Future Role: 55 – above-average MLB starting catcher

Report: Advanced approach with good feel for zone; solid plus power plays in game at present; good strength; balanced swing stays on plane and allows for hard contact pole to pole; natural backspin and carry; improving actions behind the plate; capable defender who could refine to average overall producer with glove; above-average arm with solid release and accuracy. Average bat speed and coverage holes; can be beat by sequencing and elevated heat; danger that overexposure at big-league level will eat into contact and power utility once book gets out; well below-average runner; likely tops out as average defender.  – Nick J. Faleris

Fantasy Impact: Given a full complement of at-bats, Susac could hit .260 with 20 homers, making him a potential top-10 catcher.  – Bret Sayre

MLB Career Statistics (2014-15):

San Francisco – 243 PA, .268 TAv, -1.3 FRAA || .240/.309/.407 || 6 HR || 0 SB || 29.2 percent K || 8.6 percent BB

2016 Statistics:

AAA Sacramento – 239 PA, .302 TAv || .273/.343/.455 || 8 HR || 0 SB || 18.8 percent  K || 10 percent BB
AAA Colorado Springs – 9 PA, .030 TAv || .111/.111/.111 || 0 HR || 0 SB || 33.3 percent  K || 0 percent BB

Recent Podcasts:
Deadline Recap
Dan Szymborski on Deadline

It has been worth retelling this story over the last year, since the franchise is clearly changing their vision from the short term to the long term. But in this story, there is a clear difference between the talent landed by Melvin, and the talent that incoming GM David Stearns acquired from fall 2015 onward. The GMs worked the rebuild on several different fronts, which arguably has strengthened Milwaukee’s current position.

• Doug Melvin acquired prospects that could immediately begin playing in the MLB with a strong “floor” (or base skillset. See Barrios, Domingo Santana, and Zach Davies, for instance).
• Melvin bolstered his trades with advanced minors prospects that basically could and should arrive in the MLB around the 2017 trade deadline (Brett Phillips and Josh Hader).
• Outfielder Malik Collymore, previously a potential Top 30 member for the St. Louis Cardinals, is Melvin’s largest future play (along with January trade return, righty Marcos Diplan, which makes the Yovani Gallardo trade look more like a rebuilding effort).
• Stearns countered with low minor acquisitions that began filling out the system behind Melvin’s advanced acquisitions (this list includes roughly six players).
• The new GM also spurred several counterbuilding efforts, including trades involving Brewers’ prospect depth Cy Sneed, Trevor Seidenberger, and 40-man reserve asset Jason Rogers. This added significant “high floor” talent to the system, in the form of the “second-chance prospect.” It is crucial to keep mentioning this because this talent now largely escapes prospect lists (see Garin Cecchini or Keon Broxton, for instance).

With this development as a backdrop, Stearns’s 2016 deadline moves appear shrewd. The GM received a sizable amount of social media backlash for failing to demand the “hype” prospects, but what these prospects lack in name recognition they counter with tools. Previous top five Rangers prospects Lewis Brinson and Luis Ortiz could arguably top the system immediately, as Baseball Prospectus graded both players with strong 60 future roles. Giants prospect Phil Bickford received less stunning grades from the BP team, but even if Bickford ends up in the bullpen his role could grade out into the high leverage camp. Catcher Andrew Susac may be the best deadline acquisition, adding to the clear “second chance” prospect theme of 2016. Susac previously received future grades as a starting backstop, and, freed from Buster Posey, he will now receive the plate appearances to prove it.

So, the rebuild comprises approximately three clear fronts at the moment:

• Continue acquiring low minors talent to create solid pipelines of talent at each position (approx. 8 prospects).
• Grab as much advanced minors potential impact talent as possible (approx. 9 prospects).
• Acquire “second chance” or blocked prospects that have either “outlived” their welcome or do not have an impact role in their previous organization.

In terms of timeline, the rebuild has now added another notch. If you don’t believe that the system is quite far along, consider a three year window beginning with last year’s opening shot for rebuilding:

• 2015 (July, Offseason)
• 2016 (July, Offseason)
• 2017 (July, Offseason)
• 2018 (July, Offseason)

Milwaukee is now through approximately half of their midseason trading windows, and a quarter of their offseason trading windows. Of course, it is worth mentioning that if the club continues to land second chance prospects (like Jonathan Villar) and successfully develop them into regular MLB players (like “future third baseman”), that shortens the rebuilding window in terms of answering MLB question marks (“who will be the third baseman of the future?” Jonathan Villar).

In terms of result, one cannot necessarily call the rebuild a success until one defines the desired outcome (Championship? LCS? Consecutive division titles? Sustained 1525 Elo Rating? 900 wins between 2019 and 2028?). In terms of process, however, it is difficult not to praise the systems building efforts of both Doug Melvin and David Stearns. Melvin effectively ensured that the rebuilding years could sustain a high floor by adding near-ready prospects; Stearns could then continually look for talent across various levels without as much concern for immediate MLB graduations. Adding in various player development successes (from Michael Reed, Jorge Lopez, and Orlando Arcia in 2015, to Jake Gatewood, Jon Perrin, or Brandon Woodruff (among others) in 2016), Stearns can soon turn his future efforts to both acquiring depth and dealing from depth. The rebuilding process now becomes one of consistent velocity, where each player development success becomes an answer to a particular question. It is now up to Stearns to know the questions.

Perhaps the arguments are not what Brewers fans need any longer. So, to grade the progress of the rebuild, let’s visualize the system through three routes (the draft, the trades, and international signings).

Related Reading:
Three Up Three Down: Gatewood, Nottingham, Phillips
Three Up Three Down: Mallen, Orf, Perrin
Three Up Three Down: Diaz, Ponce, Yamamoto

If the 2015 season belonged largely to the 2011 draft (Reed, Lopez, and Jacob Barnes), the 2016 season belongs to the 2014 draft. Jake Gatewood is using mechanical adjustments to spur his most successful professional campaign, and a step into multiple positions to accommodate other prospects will only hasten Gatewood’s MLB opportunities (consider Gatewood the “true corner depth player” or “the 1B” or “the 3B;” that’s at least three potential MLB roles now). Brandon Woodruff is surging at AA Biloxi, thanks to his hard upper-90s fastball and strike zone dominance (78 K / 22 BB / 3 HR / 49 percent GB against 282 AA batters).

But, this is only two examples. If one seeks to construct a potential “Top 30″ list based on roles, floors, ceilings, and MLB proximity, the drafts are looking quite strong.

• KEY:
• Top Ten considerations in bold and italics, top 30 considerations in bold, [just interesting depth or MLB grads in brackets].

The drafts have provided a steady set of strong tools for the Brewers system, especially from 2014-2016. By contrast, the Brewers front office has revolutionized the system through trade. This is not to knock the draft, but to note that it features an entirely different purpose than the trades; via trade, Milwaukee has largely acquired players with better defined future roles / ceilings and tools than via the draft (which seems logical):

Finally, a revitalized International Complex has allowed the Brewers to more aggressively sign some top talent (like Gilbert Lara), and graduate more talent into the low minors. The international prospects are quite intriguing, if far from defining their MLB potential roles and tools.

SS Orlando Arcia will be recalled from Triple-A @skysox tomorrow. He will be making his Major League debut.

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) August 2, 2016

It is easier to dream, however, as Orlando Arcia makes the leap to the MLB:

If you’ve lost count, that’s approximately 23 MLB graduates, 16 prospects worthy of Top Ten consideration, more than 40 prospects worthy of Top 30 consideration, and at least another dozen “just interesting” prospects. This visualization should underscore the extent to which the Brewers system will soon bear MLB impact development and sustain “win now” trades (when necessary).