Article: 2023 Brewers Farm System Positional Preview: Shortstop

[Harold Hutchison]

One position where the Brewers farm system is very deep happens to be shortstop, where the Brewers seem to be overflowing with good, and great, options. Let's look at the positional farm depth.

Image courtesy of © Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Seven of the MLB Pipeline Top 30 Prospects for the Brewers are listed at that position, which should have Brewers fans breathing somewhat easier, even if a Willy Adames extension is not in the works for the Crew.

AAA Nashville
Will the primary shortstop be Brice Turang? Will it be Cam Devanney? Will Andruw Monasterio hold it down? Those three would be solid at the plate or in the field. Turang, a first-round pick in 2018, brings speed, on-base skills, and an excellent glove. Devanney has a power bat, can draw his share of walks, and has split time between shortstop and third. Monasterio has been at second, third, and short and probably has the weakest bat of the three. Turang’s eventual permanent rise to Milwaukee will sort things out.

AA Biloxi
Freddy Zamora spent more time on the DL than the field in 2022, but he showed a lot of promise in 2021. Ethan Murray has been solid, posting better numbers in Biloxi than Wisconsin in 2022, while Antonio Pinero appears to be on the outside looking in for time at the position in Biloxi.

A+ Wisconsin
Eduardo Garcia was once a hyped prospect and looked to repeat at Wisconsin. The defense is there; he has flashed some power over his career. But OBP is the big question – he drew no walks while at Wisconsin in 2022. Eric Brown Jr. could force his way into the conversation for the Timber Rattlers as well, given his performance offensively and the fact he was a first-round pick out of college in 2022. If he isn't at second base, Robert Moore could also be a factor.

A Carolina
Brown could be sent back to the Mudcats, given the desire to give Garcia and Brown regular playing time at shortstop. Jadher Areinamo also saw time at short with Carolina in 2022. However, OBP machine Daniel Guilarte, number 18 on MLB Pipeline’s top 30, Gregory Barrios, who flashed speed and on-base skills in the ACL, and Jose Caballero will also be making solid cases for playing time.

Rookie Leagues
The ACL and DSL teams could see a mix of players. Third-round pick Dylan O’Rae could get a start here. Barrios and Caballero could return to the ACL, given Brown’s presence in Carolina. Still, Jhonny Severino and Juan Baez also could force their way to some playing time with their solid DSL performances. Then there are the international signees, which could make things interesting in the Dominican Republic.

Overview
Could the Brewers have too many shortstops? In one sense, yes. There is going to be some difficulty getting them on the field at the premium position. On the other hand, solid shortstops can move easily to second base or third base and fill holes there. They have two solid options to replace Willy Adames in AAA in Turang and Devanney, while Zamora, Moore, Garcia, O’Rae, Brown, and Guilarte all seem highly regarded. Areinamo also is in the mix, even though he’s spent time at second and third. The Brewers may not just be set at shortstop – this glut of talent will help them at second and third base for years to come.

View full article

[Ro Mueller]

Thanks for this. Sooooo much depends on the progress of Turang, Zamora, Brown and Garcia. I’m actually assuming that Brown is the High-A starter already and even knocking on the AA door (depending on how Zamora’s looking).

If Turang struggles when he gets his MLB opportunity and ends up spending half the season in AAA, the Brewers will have to decide whether he should principally play shortstop or second base there.

[Farming the Brew]

I worked for the Trats in the press box last year and plan on continuing this year, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Murray at SS. He was so smooth over there. Pinero was another guy that was a great fielder too. Excited for a full summer of watching Brown Jr and Robert Moore hopefully.

[Harold Hutchison]

1 hour ago, damuelle said:

Thanks for this. Sooooo much depends on the progress of Turang, Zamora, Brown and Garcia. I’m actually assuming that Brown is the High-A starter already and even knocking on the AA door (depending on how Zamora’s looking).

If Turang struggles when he gets his MLB opportunity and ends up spending half the season in AAA, the Brewers will have to decide whether he should principally play shortstop or second base there.

Turang's floor is an Arcia-ish OPS in the .700-.730 range, but the OBP will be pretty high, he'll provide excellent defense, and he'll steal 25-30 bases. Not bad for the bottom half of the order or even as a utility player on the bench at or near MLB minimum. Probably good for about 2 WAR as an every day player.

His ceiling, with an OPS like he posted in Nashville (.772), might be 3 WAR as a solid everyday SS.

At this point, I think unless Adames and the Brewers line up an extension, Turang's at worst competing with Devanny to be the opening day SS.