The Farm Report: June 29

Let's start off with the biggest news in the Brewers system, and that is the 100 game suspension of Jeremy Jeffress.

First, this was not a steroid suspension. Jeffress was suspended for using a "drug of abuse", likely marijuana since that is what his first suspension was for.

Second, this very unfortunate. Jeffress has been tantalizing in the minor leagues, showing big strikeout ability and a 100-MPH arm. But his development has been stunted by bad decisions which, after this suspension is up, will have cost him 150 games. That's more than a full season in the minors. His future is still up to him however, one more positive and he will be banned from baseball for life.

So let's take a look at his final stat line for the 2009 minor league season. In 14 games between Huntsville(AA) and Brevard County(High A), Jeremy pitched 60.1 innings, struck out 70 and walked 55. His overall ERA was 4.62, 7.57 for the Huntsville and 2.18 for the Manatees.

On to the players that will keep playing, including the Report's first look at rookie ball.

Nashville Sounds (AAA)

Alcides Escobar (SS)(Left): Escobar's average for the year sits at .302, bolstered by a .319 average in June. His 55 runs scored are good for third in the Pacific Coast League and his 27 steals are second in the league.

Angel Salome (C): To quote NBA Jam... He's on fire. In his last ten games, Salome has hit .400. His 10 doubles in June more than double the number he had through April and May. His season average is now up to a respectable .285.

Brendan Katin (RF): Katin leads Nashville in both home runs (16) and RBI's (64). The RBI's are good enough for second in the PCL. The walk numbers are still impressively low. Katin's only had the base-on-balls 11 in 265 at-bats.

Cole Gillespie (LF): June has been a good month for Gillespie. In his last ten games he's hit .333, for the month he's got four doubles, four triples and three home runs. His plate presence has been consistent all year, with a .335 OBP in spite of a .232 batting average.

Manny Parra (SP)(Right): As if you don't already know, but just in case. Parra has made three starts for the Sounds and they've run the gamut. One good, one average, one awful. What does that tell us? Nothing, which means we won't be seeing him in Milwaukee anytime soon.

Tim Dillard (SP): His 7-3 record is a bit misleading. Dillard went 4-0 in April with a 1.17 ERA. Since then it's been rough. His ERA in May was over five, and his ERA in June is over five. A season ERA of 4.11 would be fine in the big leagues, but he's not in the big leagues.

Chris Cody (SP): Finally had a bad start for the sounds. Cody's last time out he gave up four runs in five innings. He only walked one against three strikeouts though. Overall the body of work has been good for Triple-A. A 2.73 ERA and 11 Strikeouts against 5 walks.

Best of the Rest: John Axford (RP) might be one to watch, the organization has rewarded his performance this year. He started the season with Brevard County, spent some time with Huntsville and is now in the Sounds' bullpen. In his first appearance he pitched two scoreless innings and got the win.

Huntsville Stars (AA)

Taylor Green (3B): He really settled into Double-A in June. Green has hit .329 with four home runs and 16 RBI's. His OBP for the month was a very impressive .407, only two doubles though. If he can hit consistently for power he will see his stock rise quickly.

Jonathan Lucroy (C): June has been Lucroy's best month by far. He's hit .273 with three home runs and 21 driven in. Here's a nice number to see out of Lucroy, on the year with runners in scoring position he's hitting .329.

Josh Butler (SP): Bumped down to Double-A when Parra needed a rotation spot in Nashville, Butler continues to impress. In his three Huntsville starts he's struck out 14 and walked five with a 2.50 ERA.

Zach Braddock (P): Braddock has made two appearances since being bumped up to Huntsville. He's pitched 3.2 scoreless innings and struck out five. Oh, and he hit a grand slam in his first professional at-bat.

Best of the Rest: Donovan Hand (P) has been pitching well as a starter, with a 4-0 record and 2.86 ERA. Robert Wooten (RP) has made two scoreless appearances since his promotion.

Brevard County Manatees (High A)

Eric Farris (2B): The Good? His 34 stolen bases lead the Florida State League. The Bad? He's hitting just .228 in June, including just .190 in his last ten. The league is more friendly to pitchers than hitters but you'd still like to see a higher average (.254) from a guy with his lack of average.

Caleb Gindl (OF)(Left): Fair to call it a solid month of June. He has hit just .253 this month but with four home runs and on OBP of .349. It's just good to see him rebound after a May where he hit .190 with only one long ball.

Logan Schafer (OF): After a brief stint with Huntsville, Schafer is back the the Manatees. In his last ten games, he's hitting .256, but he's walked seven times while striking out only four.

Evan Anundsen (SP): In all four of his June starts Anundsen has gone at least seven innings. In that same span he's 2-1 and his ERA is only 1.84. Good stuff.

Omar Aguilar (RP): He made a splash in spring training, but struggled big time in Double-A, with a 7.71 ERA and a WHIP over two. So far, so good in Brevard, three appearances, no runs and a WHIP of .67.

Best of the Rest: Roque Mercedes(P) continues to dominate. He's struck out 38 in 33.2 innings and has a WHIP of .95.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Low-A)

Brock Kjeldgaard (1B): Not a lot of contact in his last ten games, he hit just .200. He did walk ten times in that stretch but also struck out 13 times. For the month of June he's hitting only .192.

Brett Lawrie (2B)(Right): Law is back, and after a brief foray at the Midwest League All-Star game he is once again swing a hot back. In fact his last four hits have been doubles. With runners in scoring position this season, he's hitting .343. Defense still needs some work, he has 12 errors in 61 games. On a side note, if you want to get a look at Law play and don't want to drive all the way to Appleton (which I'll be doing in two weeks), you can see him in the MLB futures game. He's been selected to play for the "World" team.

Wily Peralta (P): Continues to strike guys out, Peralta has 77 K's in 60.1 innings. That number is good enough for third in the Midwest League and the two guys ahead of him have both pitched nearly 20 innings more.

Cody Scarpetta (P): Despite an 0-3 record in June, Cody has a 1.83 ERA and has struck out 22 batters while walking just six. In his first start after the All-Star break he pitched five scoreless innings.

Best of the Rest: Trey Watten (SP) has had a fantastic month of June. In five starts he has an ERA of 1.63. Steven Braun (2B), Ryan's brother was hitting .265 while filling in for Brett Lawrie, however he fractured his ankle in a game last week and is likely done for the year.

Helena Brewers (Short Season)

Scott Krieger (OF)(Left): This year's 19th round pick has hit four home runs in his first five games in the Pioneer League. He's batting .333 and has 11 runs batted in.

Cutter Dykstra (2B): He's got his first home run for Helena, but that's all. Cutter is batting .091, but don't read too much into that, he's only had 11 at-bats.

Joshua Prince (SS): The third rounder has gotten off to a nice start. He has 10 stolen bases in six games and is hitting .320.

Cameron Garfield (C): And then there's Garfield. The second round draft pick has been white hot to start his professional career. He went 5 for 5 in his first game and is 10 for 21 to start.

AZL Brewers (Rookie)

Maxwell Walla (OF): The Other second round draft pick, Walla hasn't been as scorching as Garfield but he's held his own. He's hitting .308 and has already slugged his first professional home run.

For the Record: It's too early to really get a read on the short season pitchers. I will tell you, 2009 1st round pick Eric Arnett (P) has made his debut and it was terrible. R.J. Seidel (P), is rehabbing back from injury with Arizona and Jake Odorizzi (P), one of last years compensation round picks, is pitching for Helena.

The Farm Report: June 12

Once some of the new draft picks are brought into the fold we'll start looking at rookie ball a bit, although rookie ball stats are very misleading. In the meantime, there has been some movement throughout the minor leagues. A couple of pitchers moved up, as did a hitter.

And don't forget about Lorenzo Cain, he should be returning from his injury sooner than later, and when he does you'll hear about it here. On to the report.

Nashville Sounds (AAA)

Alcides Escobar (SS)(Right): May was good for Escobar, June has been even better. In his last ten games he is hitting .400 with eight extra base-hits. The second base experiment did not work, Escobar committed five errors in the roughly two weeks worth of games there. The only reason he isn't in the bigs is because you don't throw a rookie into a playoff race.

Joe Koshansky (1B): Over his last ten games, Koshansky is hitting .265. Only one home run in that stretch but it'd be nice to see that average go up, he's hitting .227 on the year.

Angel Salome (C): Still struggling, at this point Salome looks like he's destined for another year at triple-A. He's hitting .233 this month which is bad, but only slightly worse than his season average (.242). He's driven in 19 on the year.

Brendan Katin (RF)(Left): I debated putting Katin into the last edition, but elected against it. This time his production has been too good to ignore. Over his last ten games he's driven in 16 and had a pair of two home run games. He now leads Nashville in homers (13) and RBI's (51).

Cole Gillespie (LF): He's still hanging around .200 with his batting average. Gillespie does have 18 extra base hits and his OBP is .323, so there's that. If there will be any Corey Hart trade talk, it won't be until Gillespie gets his bat going.

Josh Butler (SP): Between injuries and callups, a couple of spots have opened up in the triple-A rotation. Butler got the call for one of those spots, jumping from Brevard County. He's made three starts for the Sounds and been pretty impressive. His ERA sits at 3.60, but he's struck out 15 against just one walk.

Tim Dillard (SP): Not impressive. Dillard hasn't given up less than four runs in a start since May 15. His last time out he gave up seven runs and walked three while striking out none.

Chris Cody (SP): Cody took the other spot in Nashville, he's made just one start for the Sounds thus far but it was a good one. The lefty gave up one run in 6.1 innings, walking one while striking out one.

Best of the Rest: Hernan Iribarren(2B) has pushed his average up to .328. Adam Heether (3B) is hitting .328. And to complete the impressive play by the utility players, Michael Garciaparra(SS), Nomar's brother, is hitting .317.

Huntsville Stars (AA)

Taylor Green (3B): He's been solid so far for the Stars. Green is hitting .288 and driven in 17 runs. He's hit two home runs for the Stars but what is most impressive is his plate presence. He has as many walks as strikeouts (10) which puts his OBP at .366.

Logan Schafer (OF): Schafer has really put himself on the map as an Outfield prospect this season. Bumped up to Double-A after his strong start to the season at High-A, he's hitting just .217 for Huntsville but he's walked (4) more than he's struck out (3).

Jonathan Lucroy (C): In his last ten games, Lucroy is hitting .286. He's had three multi-hit games in that stretch and drove in nine. He continues to impress with his eye at the plate, Lucroy's OBP is .357, over .100 points higher than his season average (.254).

Mike Jones (SP): It's been hit or miss at the Double-A level for Jones so far. In his two June starts he's given up 11 runs in 9.1 innings, I expect he is in Double-A to stay though.

Best of the Rest: Donovan Hand (P)(Left) has been outstanding, he's 4-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 44 innings. Mike McClendon (P) has been solid too, with a 2.64 ERA and 30 strikouts against just five walks.

Brevard County Manatees (High A)

Eric Farris (2B): The streaky hitting continues for Farris, after batting .330 in May, he's hitting just .186 in June. His 27 stolen bases are good enough for second in the Florida State League though.

Caleb Gindl (OF)(Right): He's hitting just .242 over his last ten games but he did his fifth home run of the year. What's impressive is a .361 OBP against a .274 average. 51 strikeouts in 53 games is not good.

Evan Anundsen (SP)(Left): To put Anundsen into perspective, most Brewers prospect lists at the start of the year didn't even include him. After a no-hitter and fantastic start, he has to be considered one of the system's top pitchers. Anundsen's 1.95 ERA is second in the FSL, and his 60 strikeouts are third. Most impressive is the 1.03 WHIP and the fact that he has yet to give up a long ball.

Jeremy Jeffress (SP): A-ball was apparently just what the doctor ordered. In his last two starts he's pitched 14 innings, given up four hits, no runs, struckout 15 and walked just three. A couple more good starts and he'll head back to double-A.

Zach Braddock (P): The key to Braddock has been health so far. This year he has stayed on the field and the results have been impressive. Braddock has struckout 30 batters in just 18.2 innings and his ERA is .96.

Best of the Rest: Robert Wooten(RP) continues to pitch well, his ERA is 1.00. John Axford(P) has struck out 43 in 27.2 innings. Roque Mercedes(P) has an ERA of 1.05 and Mark Rogers(SP) has pitched 18.2 innings and has his ERA at .96.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Low A)

Brock Kjeldgaard (1B): Only seven hits in his last 10 games is not good. Six of those seven hits went for extra bases though, including one home run, one triple and four doubles. Brock is hitting .241 in June.

Brett Lawrie (2B): No numbers for Law this edition. He's getting some time off to get that broken nose taken care of. Lawrie is hitting .264 on the season and has eight homeruns.

Wily Peralta (P): 55 strikeouts in 46.1 innings. As a starter Peralta has an ERA of 3.26, out of the bullpen however, his ERA is 5.06.

Daniel Meadows (P)(Right): He pitches and he wins, theres not much more to say. Meadows has pitched in 16 games and has 10 wins. His WHIP is 1.12, good enough for second on the team and he has yet to give up a home run.

Cody Scarpetta (P): He's been up and down this year, much like many of his teammates at Wisconsin. June has been good to him though, in his two appearances he's pitched eight innings, struckout nine and has an ERA of 1.13.

Best of the Rest: Corey Kemp (C) is hitting .370 in his last ten games, his OBP in the year is an impressive .390. Chris Dennis (OF) is hitting .315 after taking Cutter Dysktra spot with the Timber Rattlers.

For the Record:

Steve Braun (2B): Ryan's brother is filling in for Brett Lawrie for the time being. He's played in two games so far and is 1-for-7 with a walk, he'll likely head to rookie ball once Lawrie is back.

Eric Arnett (SP): I already like this kid, he let us know a deal is in place via twitter. It's not official as Arnett has yet to sign the contract, but both sides have agreed to terms. He'll head to rookie ball this year after throwing a ton of pitches for the Hoosiers.

Matt LaPorta (1B/OF): Back in Triple-A, and still hitting. LaPorta is batting .366 for the Indians affiliate.

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.

Down on the Farm: May 1

Stealing the show in this edition of the Farm Report was High-A pitcher Evan Anundsen, who struck out 10 batters in a no-hitter on tuesday morning, more on him later.
However with the ankle injury to backup catcher Mike Rivera we will get a look at one of the deepest positions in the system.
So we'll start with the new call-up.

Carlos Corporan (C): Widely considered the best defensive catcher in the minors, Corporan has swung the bat fairly well in backup duty for Nashville, he's hit .333 in eight games and has more walks(7) than strikeouts(6).

Nashville Sounds (AAA)

Matt Gamel (3B): Over his last ten games Gamel is hitting .343 with four homers and 12 driven in. Only three more errors since the last report, giving him seven on the season.

Alcides Escobar (SS): Alcides is hitting .276 so far, his on base is still over .330 which is a good sign. He also has 11 steals in 13 attempts.

Angel Salome (C): Struggling, Salome is hitting .191 with only two extra base hits. A light at the end of the tunnel? Angel is 3 for 7 in his last two outings.


Tony Gwynn Jr. (CF)(left): Whether he's trade bait or Cameron's replacement Gwynn is doing well to re-establish himself. A .286 average and OBP nearly .100 points higher (.382) looks good. He had a 15-game hit streak snapped last sunday.

Cole Gillespie (OF): Fully rehabbed, Gillespie is up to Triple-A now. In six games he's only hitting .118.

Tim Dillard (SP): The best starter in Triple-A so far, he's won all four of his starts and has an ERA under two. However he has as many walks as strikeouts (10).

Best of the Rest:
Chris Smith(P) has 19 K's and no walks to go with 1.15 ERA. Hernan Iribarren(UTIL) is hitting over .300 on the year as well.

Huntsville Stars (AA)

Jonathon Lucroy (C): Lucroy is settling in at the dish, in his last ten he's hitting .344 with six RBI's. Even more impressive is his .360 OBP on the year. I maintain that he is a better catching prospect than Salome.

Chris Cody (SP): He's been great through the first month. In four starts Cody has struck out 20 and walked only four, his ERA sits at 1.29.

Jeremy Jeffress (SP): The flamethrowing Jeffress has been inconsistent thus far. He's been very good at times, and not so good at other times. The numbers to watch, 26 K's and 17 Walks, his ERA is sitting at 4.91.

Best of the Rest:
Mike McClendon(P) has been solid in relief with a 1.45 ERA in 18.2 relief innings, as has Donovan Hand(P) whose ERA is hovering around 2.00.

Brevard County Manatees (High-A)

Eric Farris (2B)(Right): In his last ten games Farris hit .231, his season average still isn't above the Mendoza line (.194).

Caleb Gindl (OF): Only five extra base hits for Gindl but he is hitting .380 with 19 driven in.

Logan Schafer (OF): The Manatees outfielder is hitting .299 on the year. He's also driven in 13 but has on OBP of just .322.

Evan Anundsen (SP): Anundsen's no-hitter is the big story. On the year his ERA is 1.44 and he's struck out 25.

Mike Jones (SP): Cross your fingers on this one folks, Jones is pitching well. He's thrown 22 innings and struck out 15 against 6 walks.

Mark Rogers (SP): **Sigh** Rogers was going to make his third start since rebuilding his shoulder, but instead he banged his shoulder into the outfield wall shagging balls before a game. He hasn't pitched since April 16.

Best of the Rest:
Amaury Rivas(P) has pitched well, his ERA is 1.13. Zealous Wheeler(3B) and Steffan Wilson(1B) have been good. Wheeler has driven in 16 and Wilson is hitting .323.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Low-A)

Brock Kjeldgaard (1B)(Left): In Thursday's game the big Canadian went 3-3 with a home run and two doubles, his average is a bit low (.222) but he has driven in 13, second on the team.

Brett Lawrie (2B): What's with the Canadians? In the last 10 games Law is hitting .333 with five extra base hits and 11 driven in.

Cutter Dykstra (OF): Dykstra has struggled a bit with the stick but is improving, he's hit .242 in the last ten and drove in his first three runs of the year.

Cody Scarpetta (SP): After striking out 10 in an April 22nd start, Cody gave up five runs in just 2/3 of an inning five days later. 20 K's to 6 BB is good, and ERA over five is not.

Wily Peralta (P): Peralta has been good to start the year, in 16 IP his ERA is under two and he has 10 K's against 5 walks.

Trey Watten (P): Trey's command has been excellent, with 18 strikeout and only 3 walks, hie ERA isn't bad either at 3.45.

Best of the Rest:
Corey Kemp(C) hit his first homer of the year, he's batting .294. Cody Adams(P) might be one to watch too, his ERA is 3.38 in 16 IP.

For the Record:

Greg Reinhard (P)(Former UW-Whitewater Athlete): Here's one for my fellow Warhawks. Reinhard, the ace of the 2005 National Championship team, has pitched his way to Triple-A for the Iowa Cubs. He hasn't given up a run and has 18 K's in 12.1 innings.

Matt LaPorta (OF)(Traded for C.C. Sabathia, 2008): The quintessential slugger is batting .352 with 5 homers and 14 RBI's (All less than Gamel). Interestingly enough he was not called-up when Travis Hafner landed on the DL.