Brewers Minor League Hitter of the Month - July 2024

[Seth Stohs]

Minor League Awards are fun to hand out because it gives us the opportunity to see which prospects are finding the most success for that time frame. There are some names on this month's rankings that have been around for a long time, but there are a lot of very interesting names of players in the organization's lowest levels too. 

Image courtesy of Sierra Gatz, Biloxi Shuckers

 

There were quite a few very strong performances throughout the Brewers organization, from Nashville down to the Dominican Summer League. Share your thoughts on these Brewers prospects in the comments below. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• IF Luke Adams - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 21 G, 13-51, .255/.536/.588 (1.124) with 2 doubles, 5 home runs, 15 R, 17 RBI, 21 BB, 15 K. 

• IF Juan Ortuno - DSL Brewers - 18 G, 21-56, .375/.463/.554 (1.016) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, 12 R, 12 RBI, 9 BB, 7 K. 

• OF Lamar Sparks - Biloxi Shuckers - 19 G, 28-75, .373/.392/.560 (.952) with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 9 R, 13 RBI, 3 BB, 19 K. 

• IF Josh Adamczewski - ACL Brewers - 19 G, 27-74, .365/.454/.595 (1.048) with 8 doubles, 3 home runs, 19 R, 14 RBI, 12 BB, 14 K

• OF Brewer Hicklen - Nashville Sounds - 22 G, 15-84, .262/.361/.524 (.885) with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 6 home runs, 15 R, 18 RBI, 12 BB, 27 K

THE TOP FIVE HITTERS
Number 5 - ACL Brewers/Carolina Mudcats - IF Eric Bitonti - 21-68, .309/.449/.515 (.964), 8 doubles, 2 home runs, 15 R, 18 RBI, 18 BB, 25 K.
The Brewers had such an intriguing draft in 2023, particularly their ability to draft and sign some terrific high school talent up and down the draft. That includes Cooper Pratt, Bishop Letson, and Josh Adamczewski, but it certainly includes Eric Bitonti as well. He was the team’s third round pick out of Aquinas High School in San Bernadino. After signing, he played in just 12 games for the ACL Brewers, and that’s where he spent much of this season as well. 

In 51 games in the ACL this year, he hit .320/.451/.580 (1.031) with 17 doubles, three triples, and eight home runs. You can see that his July was just a normal month for him. He has been great all season. He hit for average, took a lot of walks, showed extra base power. 

When the ACL season ended last week, he was promoted to Low-A Carolina. In his fourth Carolina game, he hit two home runs. He will certainly be fun to watch moving forward. 

Number 4 - Nashville Sounds - OF Joey Wiemer - 20-60, .333/.494/.517 (1.010), 5 doubles, 2 home runs, 12 R, 11 RBI, 18 BB, 12 K.
Wiemer has found himself on several of these monthly lists since the start of Brewer Fanatic. He’s been a terrific minor-league player over his full Brewers years. Now, we can acknowledge that his transition to the big league hasn’t gone well, but Wiemer has some of the best tools that you’ll find. 

And now, he’ll bring his tools to the Cincinnati Reds. He was one of two players sent to Cinci in the Frankie Montas deal. This should give Wiemer more opportunities to show what he can do, and for right now, just an opportunity for a new start. 

His final month in the organization was very good. He showed that when he’s on, he can hit for average, he can take walks with quality plate appearances, and he does have power potential. Most months, he won’t walk more than he strikes out, but he plays hard and has a very impressive power-speed tool kit. He played college ball in Cincinnati, so hopefully he’ll have a long, successful career there. 

Number 3 - Carolina Mudcats - OF Luis Castillo - 17-53, .321/.431/.660 (1.091), 6 doubles, 4 home runs, 9 R, 20 RBI, 10 BB, 13 K.
Ten extra bases in a month is pretty impressive. Six doubles and four home runs tells us how he reached a .660 slugging percentage. If we’re being honest, Castillo reached this lofty ranking in July because of three games against the Salem Red Sox. 

7/26: 4-for-4, 2B, 2-HR, 6 RBI
7/27: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
7/28: 3-for-4, 2B, 2-HR, 8 RBI.

That is about as impressive a three-game stretch as a player can have. What it does is shows the high-level of potential that he has. He is capable of three and four hit games, and two-homer games may not be a rarity for him down the line. He’s got room to grow, and he can get stronger. He’s still just 20-years-old and making himself a prospect to watch.  

Number 2 - DSL Brewers 1 - SS Jesus Made - 24-62, .387/.507/.597 (1.103), 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 23 R, 8 RBI, 15 BB, 11 K.
The Brewers signed several very interesting international players this January including Made, who they signed for a $950,000 bonus. He’s already 6-1 and lean, but he’s got the room to grow. Many scouts believe that he will eventually move to third base long-term and develop into a power hitter. 

What’s really exciting is that such a young player not only hit .387, but to walk more than he’s struck out is very impressive for such a young player. But those doubles could turn into home runs and he develops and gets more time. 

And the Brewers Minor League Hitter of the Month is:

Biloxi Shuckers - 1B Ernesto Martinez - 20 G, 27-71, .380/.506/.549 (1.055), 5 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, 13 R, 11 RBI, 13 BB, 11 K.
If you go way back to May of 2017, the Brewers signed a then-17-year-old Ernest Martinez to a sizable $800,000 signing bonus. Martinez is a large man, standing over 6-6 which makes him a great target at first base. He grew up in Cuba and was part of a lot of national teams. As a 16-year-old, he played for France in the 2017 WBC qualifiers (his father spent time playing there).  Did you know that Martinez speaks English, Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole?

At least to this point in his career, Martinez isn’t a big power hitter as his size might suggest. He is a line drive hitter that makes a lot of solid contact and uses the whole field. He does have power that shows from time to time, but it hasn’t been a priority for him to add power. He’s got a really good eye at the plate and is willing to take his walks. He was involved in gymnastics as a kid and is really quite nimble and athletic around first base. He is certainly a very intriguing prospect and one to watch. 

In July, he led the Brewers minor-league system with a .388 batting average and a 1.085 OPS. He also led with 27 hits and two triples. His .506 OBP was second. His slugging percentage ranked third, as did his five doubles. 

Ernesto Martinez is definitely a name that Brewers fans will want to dig a little more deeply into. 

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We want to congratulate Shuckers first baseman Ernesto Martinez, Brewer Fanatic’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for July 2024. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions.

 

 

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[snoogans8056]

Luke Adams is insane.