The Offseason State Of The Brewers Farm – Shortstop

Some very anemic slug % in there…

The farm is devoid of power at the SS position. Pratt should develop power over time, so there’s hope with him but that’s about it.

Devanney-Bitonti-Baez are 3B. The rest are singles hitters with some gap power.

Next years draft, I’m hoping for a real SS with power potential gets added. I prefer a college bat but if it’s HS, so be it.

To be fair, if you are likely to stick at short and have demonstrated above average power in the minors, chances are you either come with a lot of swing and miss or are a top 100 prospect.

5 hours ago, SF70 said:

The farm is devoid of power at the SS position. Pratt should develop power over time, so there’s hope with him but that’s about it.

Devanney-Bitonti-Baez are 3B. The rest are singles hitters with some gap power.

Next years draft, I’m hoping for a real SS with power potential gets added. I prefer a college bat but if it’s HS, so be it.

Bitonti is likely going to end up at 3B, but that's largely an assumption due to his size at this point. I think Devanney has proven he can play SS. Not that he projects to be a big-time power hitter, but as you said, Pratt does. 

Baez is...not a SS from EVERY account and the fact that Clancy compared it to the "mistake" we made by moving Braun off 3B is telling. 

47 minutes ago, clancyphile said:

Baez would definitely be a bat-first SS, but if he is posting a .900-.950 OPS at the position while not being completely atrocious... why not take the OPS and say thank you to the baseball gods?

Because 1. Defense matters, especially at short. And 2. Hypotheticals based on stats in the absurd hitting environment of the ACL are inherently flawed (in retrospect, Galindez’s stats improving upon his promotion shouldn’t have been surprising).

He still might play some short based upon other roster decisions (Is O’Rae an outfielder now? Does Bitonti have less of a chance of sticking at short than Baez?). Overall, though, Pratt will likely get the lion’s share of the work there. Based on the scouting reports I’ve read, it sounds like best case, if he cuts down on the errors, would be the role Urias held, where he is a shortstop once a week to give the starter a day off.

It seems like prospect wise in full season ball next year you’ve got a few categories:

Shortstops: Zamora, Brown, Guilarte, Barrios

Profile better at second, but can play short well enough for a utility role: Areinamo, Moore

3rd basemen with shortstop experience: Baez, Bitonti

The coin flip: Pratt

8 hours ago, clancyphile said:

I'm assuming the SS picture looks like this:

AAA: Zamora/Devanney

AA: Brown/Murray

A+: Guilarte/O'Rae/Areinamo

A: Baez/Pratt

Devanney could force his way to the majors in spring training - he's sneaky good, kind of a home-grown Monasterio with power. Zamora, of course, is the 2nd-round pick from 2020.

Brown and Murray duke it out for time at short in Biloxi.

Guilarte, O'Rae, and Areinamo would probably be competing for the time at short in Appleton.

That puts Pratt and Baez at short for the Mudcats, with an outside chance of Josh Adamczewski forcing his way into the mix the way Luke Adams did at the corner infield in 2023. Both Baez and Pratt are very exciting. Pratt could be a devastating bat if he develops power. Baez... his ability to hit for contact went up big time. He had an 11.98 strikeout percentage in the ACL and a 12.16 strikeout percentage overall. That's very good, to put it mildly. Even in his 30-at-bat sample at Carolina, it climbed to 13.3%.

He didn't draw walks, but he made contact, and it was effective contact that punished anything in the strike zone. And that low strikeout percentage tells me he ain't chasing or getting fooled. I don't doubt that Pratt makes things interesting and can be exciting in his own right, but I think Baez's just as good, and his bat seems more proven as a professional.

This is the weakest position in our entire farm system. Brown-Pratt, that’s it for real SS prospects. The rest are no power, gap hitters at best or 2B/3B/CF. 

Hoping the team can add another SS prospect with pop thru this years draft and or add one by trade. 

7 minutes ago, SF70 said:

This is the weakest position in our entire farm system. Brown-Pratt, that’s it for real SS prospects. The rest are no power, gap hitters at best or 2B/3B/CF. 

Hoping the team can add another SS prospect with pop thru this years draft and or add one by trade. 

I would love to pick off Joey Ortiz from the Orioles in a trade. He’s completely blocked by Holliday and Henderson. Elite glove and some decent gap power.