Isan Diaz Found His Power Stroke

Best Player: Shortstop Isan Diaz was just 19 when he began play at low Class A Wisconsin of the Midwest League, so it was not surprising when he struggled a bit to get going. As the season progressed, Diaz settled in at the plate and, in particular, found his power stroke, leading the league in homers with 20. After posting a .679 OPS in the first half, the lefthanded hitter boosted it to .973 in the second half.

The key to the late January trade that sent shortstop Jean Segura to Arizona, Diaz saw most of his action at shortstop in the first half but started playing more at second base, his likely position in the majors. You don’t see many middle infielders his size (5-foot-10, 190) with that kind of pop, so he has a chance to be a special offensive player at second base.

“Isan made tremendous strides, offensively and defensively, and is an great spot heading into next season,” farm director Tom Flanagan said.

Best Pitcher: Lefthander Josh Hader was Exhibit A for the Brewers in how difficult it is to pitch at Triple-A Colorado Springs. The 22-year-old lefty dominated hitters with Double-A Biloxi, compiling a 2-1, 0.95 mark and 1.19 WHIP in 11 starts, with 73 strikeouts in 57 innings. Then came the promotion to the challenging environment at Colorado Springs, where Hader was 1-7, 5.22.

Even with those stats, Hader had a 3.29 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 126 innings, with a .223 opponent average and 1.24 WHIP.

“He continued to make strides with his changeup and slider, which will be key for Josh at the next level,” Flanagan said.

Keep An Eye On: No player made a bigger leap in the organization in 2016 than righthander Brandon Woodruff. As a prospect barely on the fringe of the Top 30 at the outset of the season, Woodruff increased his profile by going 14-9, 2.68 though 28 starts with high Class A Brevard County and Biloxi, including a minor league-best 173 strikeouts in 158 innings and .209 opponent average.

The Brewers knew the 23-year-old workhorse had the stuff to succeed and he put it all together in dramatic fashion in 2016. Woodruff sharpened his command considerably (40 walks) and improved his secondary pitches, a slider and changeup.

“When he has them both and adds them to his fastball, he has a lot of weapons,” Flanagan said.