Farm Report: May 15

Well, It's happened. The Brew Crew officially called up Mat Gamel to DH next week and pinch-hit until then. So here is the skinny on the next in a long line of Brewers hitting prospects.

Mat Gamel (3B): He can hit, a .336 average and 20 extra base hits in 33 minor league games can attest to that so we move on to the defense where there are sure signs of improvement. Gamel had four errors in the first seven games. In the 26 since then he's had four more. He'll get a chance at third base because of that left-handed swing.

Nashville Sounds (AAA)

Alcides Escobar (SS): Escobar has been just O.K. so far this season. He's 18-22 on stolen bases but his average sits at .257. The OBP is better (.311) but could stand to improve.

Angel Salome (C): The bad, he still finds himself mired in a season long slump. For a guy who has been a .322 hitter in the minors coming into this season, the .200 average is not acceptable. The good, since we last checked in Salome launched his first two homers and his OBP is .079 higher than his average (.279 OBP).


Tony Gwynn Jr. (CF)(Right): Gwynn has been raking of late, a .359 over his last ten games he also launched his first long ball of the year, a lead-off shot against Omaha on Monday. Also Tony has more walks than strikeouts and still hasn't been caught stealing.

Cole Gillespie (OF): The former third round pick is starting to find his way at the plate, in his last ten games he is hitting .296. His plate presence continues to impress, his OBP is .333 compared to a .204 average.


Tim Dillard (P)(Left): ERA is good (2.31), Win loss is good (5-1), and no home-runs allowed in 35 IP. Still his strikeout to walk numbers aren't very good (15:12). That said he is the number one option to step in in case of an injury, he may also be a candidate for the rotation next season depending how things shake up.

Best of the Rest:
Mike Burns (P) is 5-0 with an ERA of 2.27 in seven starts, Hernan Iribarren (2B) is hitting .321.

Huntsville Stars (AA)

Jonathon Lucroy (C): His average has dipped, he's now hitting .250, but his OBP is still impressive at .368. He did jack his second homer of the year earlier this month though.



Chris Cody (SP)(Right with Brevard County): Cody continues to impress, his ERA is under 2.00 and he has only walked seven in 32.2 IP. I doubt he'd get a call-up to Nashville however, he'll probably spend the whole season at Huntsville.

Jeremy Jeffress (P): Not Good, he's walked five in each of his last three starts and seen his ERA skyrocket to 7.04. Is a move to the bullpen coming soon?

Best of the Rest:
Remember Drew Anderson (OF), well he's back with the Brewers and hitting .368 for the Huntsville outfield. Mike McClendon (P) and Casey Baron (P) have been solid in relief, with ERA's around 1.50.

Brevard County Manatees (High-A)

Eric Farris (2B): He's raking in his last ten. Farris hit his first two homers of the year and is batting .357 to raise his season average to .267. He's also 16-16 in stolen base attempts.


Caleb Gindl (OF) (Left): Gindl has driven in 27 runs and is hitting .325. He's scuffling lately though, hitting only .231 in his last ten.

Evan Anundsen (SP): He put himself on the map with the no-hitter, he's won both starts since than and struck out seven against two walks.

Mike Jones (SP): A first round pick in 2001, Jones has been solid this year. He's 4-0 and tossed 33 innings. His era is 3.21 and he has 22 K's.

Mark Rogers (SP): Nothing worth mentioning, he pitched again but unless he does something I'm gonna leave him be for a month or so.

Best of the Rest:
There's a bunch of good relief performances for Brevard County, Roque Mercedes (P), John Axford (P), Brandon Rapoza (P), Robert Wooten (P), Rafael Lluberes (P) and Zach Braddock (P) all have ERA's around or below 1.00.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Low A)

Brock Kjeldgaard (1B): Need to see the average (.228) head north, but the other numbers are good. Five home runs and 21 driven in, OBP is .352 though.

Brett Lawrie (2B): Five doubles, four triples, four homers and 21 driven in. The offense is solid, seven errors though.

Cutter Dykstra (OF): Struggling mightily, Dykstra has .172 in his last ten games and his average has dropped to .212 on the year.

Cody Scarpetta (SP): Scarpetta has struck out 32 in 22 IP but is winless against two losses.

Wily Peralta (SP): An undrafted free agent signing, Peralta has been solid. He's got 23 K's against 8 walks but the ERA is a bit high (4.33).


Daniel Meadows (P)(Right): His 5-0 record is outstanding, even better is his WHIP, which leads the team at .92.

Best of the Rest:
Corey Kemp (C) is hitting .333 in his last ten games, he's driven in 12 on the year.

For the Record (Injured Edition):
Don't forget about these guys, they'll be back and play an important role.

Chris Capuano (SP): He should be pitching soon, it's a bad sign that he hasn't yet. But May was the expected return so we'll keep you updated as to his status when it becomes available.

Sam Narron (SP): Hasn't pitched for Nashville for a while, hopefully he'll return to the Sounds rotation soon.

Lorenzo Cain (CF): Widely considered the Brewers top Centerfield prospect, Cain is out until June with a torn ligament in his knee. He'll return to Huntsville when he is healed.



Taylor Green (3B): Minor League player of the year in 2007, Green had wrist surgery back in January and was slated to be ready to play in May. It's May and he hasn't played yet, so much like Capuano we'll let you know what happens (Hopefully soon). I would expect him to head to Huntsville when healthy.