Two Minor League Hitters Who Could Help the Brewers in the Second Half

The Brewers have an OPS of .733, the ninth-best in MLB, but they still have weaknesses. Despite being in the top five teams for average and on-base percentage, the .400 slugging percentage is 13th in baseball. Even more concerning is the team’s struggle to hit left-handed pitching, posting a combined .683 OPS, worse than 21 other major league teams. Who are some young(-ish) minor leaguers that could add more pop and pizazz to this already gifted group of guys?

OF Isaac Collins (Nashville Sounds) - .281/.396/.516
As a fellow short king, Collins has been balling in Triple-A this season. He’s been doing a little bit of everything for the Sounds, hitting for average, hitting for power, and even snagging the occasional bag. With 22 doubles, four triples, and ten home runs, it’s clear that he’s one of the better power hitters in the Brewers system this year. Equally as important is his proficiency against left-handed pitchers. As a switch hitter, he slashes; he’s posted a .962 OPS—.936 from the left side, 292/.362/.500 against them.

He hits four-seam fastballs and cutters especially well, with an OPS of 1.000 and 1.387 against those respective pitches. He's alright against breaking balls and off-speed but has struggled the most against sinkers, particularly when it comes to getting hard contact. He's been great at drawing walks off the pitch, walking at an impressive 28.6% clip, but he's slugging just .200 against sinkers so far.

The question is, who would he replace? He’s spent most of this season in left field, but it’s doubtful he’ll replace a red-hot Christian Yelich. He’s also taken some reps at center field and second base this year so that he could be slotted into one of those positions. 

Blake Perkins might be the more likely candidate to platoon out for Collins. The Brewers would end up trading off Perkins's great glove for a little more offense, especially since Perkins is posting just a .632 OPS against lefties.

OF Brewer Hicklen (Nashville Sounds) - .284/.394/.568
Another candidate to call up from Triple-A is Hicklen, who profiles similarly to Collins. He’s got 13 doubles, four triples, and 14 home runs in his 269 plate appearances in Triple-A this year, which is a great number for the 28-year-old. He’s also a baserunning threat, stealing 25 bases while being caught just three times. He hasn’t seen as much left-handed pitching as Isaac Collins this year, but 62 plate appearances is ample enough of a sample size to conclude that he’s, as a fellow Gen Z-er might say, “pretty dece.” He’s slashing .200/.258/.455, so not hitting the ball a ton but hitting it hard.

 He hits four-seam fastballs well but makes his bread against breaking pitches. His OPS against sliders, sweepers, and curveballs is a mind-blowing 1.321 over 68 plate appearances. The pitches he struggles with the most are the sinker (.653 OPS) and changeup (.602 OPS). Like Collins, he's got a decent on-base percentage against the sinker, but his ISO of just .073 indicates that he isn't getting a lot of quality contact against the pitch. He's just plain subpar against the changeup, averaging .167 and slugging .292 over 29 plate appearances.

Most of his season and career have been spent in the corner outfield, specifically in right field this year. This helps his case since Jackson Chourio, despite his resurgence this past month, has suffered against left-handed pitching, posting just a .534 OPS. By itself, Hicklen’s .713 OPS against lefties doesn’t jump off the page, but it’s a big improvement over what Chourio has been able to offer so far.