Milwaukee Brewers 2019 Top 30 MLB Prospects Midseason Update

Image credit: Keston Hiura (Photo by John Williamson)

UPDATE: The Brewers Top 30 now includes moves made through the July 31 trade deadline.

Milwaukee is in the midst of a tightly packed National League Central, sitting just a couple of games out of first place. Christian Yelich has once again carried the team, and it makes sense that they would look to add pieces to supplement a postseason run.

The Brewers are stacked with quality bats at the big league level, so look for Milwaukee to engage teams on relief pitching and even rotation help if the price makes sense. Another late-inning reliever would be an appropriate target to complement relief ace Josh Hader. And while a front-line starter would be a great addition, the prospect cost could potentially be too steep for Milwaukee’s taste.

The Brewers’ system has more positional talent than pitching, with a number of their most impactful pieces in the lower minors. With Keston Hiura set to take over second base, a viable trade chip would be infielder Mauricio Dubon, who made his big league debut this season. Lefthander Aaron Ashby is trending in the right direction and his mid-rotation upside could be an attractive piece of a package deal.

1. Brice Turang, SS

Turang has been excellent in his first taste of full-season pro ball, showing off his plus on-base skills and foot speed to wreak havoc on the bases while earning a promotion to high Class A Carolina.

2. Corey Ray, OF

Ray has struggled in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, although he has only accrued just over 100 at-bats due to multiple injury list stints.

3. Zack Brown, RHP

Brown has struggled in the offensively molded Pacific Coast League, having difficulty with his control while allowing plenty of contact.

4. Tristen Lutz, OF

While strikeouts are still a concern, Lutz has shown off his power bat against high Class A Carolina League pitching.

5. Jacob Nottingham, C

Nottingham’s on-base skills and maturity have helped him earn reps at the big league level.

6. Ethan Small, LHP

Small’s college pedigree, extreme deception and plus control should help him make an easy transition to pro ball.

7. Trent Grisham, OF

Grisham’s power is trending up as the former first-rounder has hit 18 home runs across the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

8. Aaron Ashby, LHP

The lefty is seeing success for high Class A Carolina by attacking hitters more with his fastball before working to his secondary offerings. Ashby relies on some deception and varying his delivery to mess with hitter’s timing. It might not work as well at higher levels, but it’s been effective so far.

9. Joe Gray, OF

10. Lucas Erceg, 3B

11. Trey Supak, RHP

12. Drew Rasmussen, RHP

13. Mario Feliciano, C

14. Payton Henry, C

15. Braden Webb, RHP

16. Antoine Kelly, LHP

17. Eduardo Garcia, SS

18. Troy Stokes Jr., LF

19. Carlos Rodriguez, OF

20. Adam Hill, RHP

21. Marcos Diplan, RHP

22. Eduarqui Fernandez, OF

23. Caden Lemons, RHP

24. Micah Bello, CF

25. Larry Ernesto, OF

26. Je’Von Ward, OF

27. Devin Williams, RHP

28. Dylan File. RHP

29. Thomas Dillard, OF

30. Carlos Herrera, RHP

Rising

LHP Aaron Ashby pitched well at low Class A Wisconsin and is off to an excellent start for high Class A Carolina, not allowing a run through his first 14.1 innings.

C Mario Feliciano is seeing his power play up for high Class A Carolina, reaching double digits in home runs for the first time in his professional career.

OF Trent Grisham hit better in his return to Double-A Biloxi before being promoted to Triple-A. Grisham has already set a career-high with 13 home runs and 46 RBIs this season.

Falling

3B Jake Gatewood isn’t showing his usual power at Double-A Biloxi, and he hasn’t been able to get on-base with any consistency. He is playing third base again, but a .173/.237/.306 slash line in a return to Double-A doesn’t play at any position.

3B Lucas Erceg hasn’t fared well against pitching in the Pacific Coast League as his plate discipline has hindered his ability to get on-base.

Hurting

OF Corey Ray has had multiple stints on the injured list this season due to a finger injury. After blasting 27 home runs last season, he has hit just three homers through 25 games for Triple-A San Antonio.

Graduated

RHP Adrian Houser has done a nice job filling in for Milwaukee in a swingman role. The righthander has had a few cups of coffee in the big leagues over the past few seasons and is seeing more success this season, striking out more than one batter per inning while allowing less than one hit per inning.