May 30th game, Minor League Bullpen Pt.1

Quick note: according to JSonline, top prospect Alcides Escobar will return to Shortstop after a brief experiment at 2B, Escobar committed 5 errors in 7 games at 2nd, and is considered one of the best defensive shortstops in all of the minors. Article also talks about Gamel at 3B in the bigs, and Hart's adjustments. http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/46557787.html

Last Nights Game:
Not too shabby, disappointed with how Bush pitched, but then again he is known for giving up homers. The hitting was good to see, especially against Harang who has been throwing the ball well for the Reds this season. I hope the home runs we've seen the last two nights are signs of a run to come, Brewers have some of the most streaky hitters around, and any one of them can carry the team for a time, when 3 or 4 get hot at once, that's when we win 10 in a row... Counsell continues to produce, I'm still uneasy with him up in the one spot and at 2b day in and day out but it's going fine so far...

Minor League Bullpen:
All right, I've said before (and other sources will back me up) that the Brewers are lacking in Minor League pitching depth. Not to say that there are no good pitchers in the minors, there just isn't any high round, highly touted prospects except for Parra/Gallardo, and Jeremy Jeffress (16th overall 2006 draft). Looking through the numbers just real quick point out some real interesting kids. Especially in Low A there are some real great numbers, which don't necessarily mean a lot, but are nice to see. I'm not going to talk starters today, I'll leave that for later, but I will run through level by level and point out some of the great numbers these guys are putting up and their history. You can look into all this at milb.com. This will be part one in a series I do over the next couple days. Today features High A ball, with AA and AAA to follow.

High A, Brevard County Manatees
The Manatees have 5 different bullpen pitchers with 10+ip and eras under 2.

Jeremy Jeffress--First round draft pick with a fast ball that hits 100mph regularly and a nasty power breaking pitch. Jeffress finds himself here after a demotion following a poor start at AA. The organization has plans for him in the rotation and probably won't give up on that dream any time soon. However, due to his lack of command and his only really having two pitches (albeit they are sick pitches) he very well may end up in the 'pen, so I'm putting him here. Brewers #1 pitching prospect and last years minor league pitcher of the year. Has been suspended for substance abuse in the past, really struggling in the ERA and BB columns this season.
2008 Numbers:
94ip 82h 52bb 115so .238avg
2009 Numbers:
35.1ip 32h 42bb 49so .244avg era 5.63 (at A)

Zach Braddock
A twenty one year old left hander. Last year split time between Low and High A ball, and started 11 games. ERA wasn't fabulous, and he's found himself back in high A again. This season he has solely come out of the bullpen and put up some sick numbers. Walks and baa have gone done significantly, and already high K/9 has gone up in a small sampling this season.
2008 stats:
71.1h 57h 45bb 93so .216 avd
2009 stats:
12ip 6h 2bb 22so .150avg era 1.50

Brandon Rapoza
A twenty three year old righty who split time between Arizona league and Pioneer league last season with some good numbers. This year: phenomenal out of the 'pen.
2008 stats:
36.2ip 24h 15bb 25so .185avg
2009 stats:
17.1ip 10h 2bb 10so era 0.00

Robert Wooton
Another 23 year old right who threw for Pioneer and Low A last season. Was a 13th rounder in the 2008 draft. Was nothing but solid last season, and already this season has taken home a Florida State League pitcher of the week award, and has set the franchise record for saves in a season (yes, the season isn't yet half over) He leads the FSL in saves at 16 with the closest competitor at 7. Has strung together a series of 16 consecutive scoreless appearances.
2008 numbers:
31.2ip 24h 6bb 44so .207avg
2009 numbers:
20ip 13h 7bb 27so .178avg era 0.45

John Axford
This 26 year old right-handed Canuck might be a little old for A ball, but his numbers this season warrant a look. Spent all of last season at Brevard and bounced between the rotation and bullpen with mixed results. Has some issues with walks, but a minuscule BAA make up for it.
2008 stats:
96ip 86h 73bb 89so .246avg
2009 stats:
20ip 6h 8bb 29so .094 avg era 1.35

Roque Mercedes
This 22 year old Dominican righty has had a solid minor league career. Was a pioneer league all-star in 2007. Last year pitched for Low-A and had another nice season.
2008 numbers:
113ip 112h 27bb 111so .252avg
2009 numbers:
21ip 13h 8bb 24so .178avg era 1.29

There are some good starters down here too. Remember Mike Jones? No? First rounder from 2001, made 7 starts for Brevard County and has since made 2 for Huntsville with some decent numbers. Another former first rounder Mark Rodgers (2004) has a low ERA despite some mediocre peripheral numbers in 14ip this season. Mark is on a strict pitch count after losing the last 2 seasons to injury.

I had intended to do all of the Minors in one fell swoop but this turned out to be much longer than I had originally intended. Oh well, hopefully this is informative for some of you out there and I can turn it into a nice little series. After this is all done I'd like to tackle "The Brewers in 3 years" a what if scenario using prospects to build our future team. Also discussing some of our top guys like Brett Lawrie, Escobar, and Lorezo Cain.

Peace in the Middle East.
Brew Up.