The First BrewerFan Prospect Poll, Revisited 10 Years Later

The first poll asked users to submit their top 20 prospects (this was expanded after the first poll - from 20 to 25 players). Twenty-two people responded. Voting was pretty simple: a community member ranked their top players and sent me the list. The top player received 20 points, the second player received 19 points, and so forth.

Here are the results of that first BrewerFan prospect poll in 2014.

#1 - Jimmy Nelson, RHP
#2 - Tyrone Taylor, OF
#3 - Clint Coulter, C
#4 - Orlando Arcia, SS
#5 - Devin Williams, RHP
#6 - Mitch Haniger, OF
#7 - Taylor Jungmann, RHP
#8 - Victor Roache, OF
#9 - Jed Bradley, LHP
#10 - Michael Reed, OF
#11 - Hunter Morris, 1B
#12 - Tucker Neuhaus, 3B
#13 - Nick Delmonico, 3B
#14 - David Denson, 1B
#15 - Tyler Cravy, RPH
#16 - Jorge Lopez, RPH
#17 - David Goforth, RPH
#18 - Tyler Wagner, RPH
#19 - Chris McFarland, 2B
#20 - Brent Suter, LHP

So, looking back - how’d we do? 
Honestly, I’d say the first top 20 prospect poll went as well as expected. Nelson handily landed the top spot and the results were not that different from other prospect polls at the time. Five of the first six players have become productive major leaguers. Nelson appeared to be the best of the lot until injuries derailed his career. The ‘best’ player mantle now goes to Devin Williams, who has become one of the game's top closers. 

If we could go back and redo the vote, five of the top six players (Coulter being the exception) would end up at the top of the list - along with Brent Suter and Garrett Cooper. 

Here are some other observations:

Stars are lacking.
Coming into the 2014 season, the Brewers were seen as having a weak farm system - and the results have played out as such.

The players receiving votes have combined for four All-Star appearances (Williams twice, Haniger, Arcia), one Rookie of the Year award (Williams), Cy Young award votes (Williams, Nelson), and MVP votes (Haniger and Williams each twice). 

This is respectable but disappointing, as a club needs to develop quality players to succeed in baseball, especially a small market club such as Milwaukee. 

It doesn’t help that a couple of players from this poll went on and thrived once they left the Brewers organization. Haniger was dealt as a minor leaguer, while Milwaukee gave up on Arcia after five seasons due to his weak bat. He was an All-Star with Atlanta in 2023. 

All that said, Devin Williams has developed into one of the top closers in baseball. 

One-trick power ponies struggle.
We have learned over the years, and this is especially true in this poll, that power hitters with little else in their arsenal will flame out. Coulter, Roache, Denson, and Morris failed to reach the majors. 

First-round picks swing and miss.
Draft picks are always a risk. But to see so many first-round selections that have failed on this list is disheartening. Jungmann, Bradley, Coulter, and Roache were all first-rounders who failed to reach the majors or had fleeting success. 

Be wary of older, right-handed arms.
It’s easy to get seduced by some pretty numbers. One red flag to watch for is older, right-handed pitchers who rack up nice numbers - often against players with less experience. Wagner, Cravy, and Goforth are examples of this - guys without exceptional ability don’t have what it takes to make it beyond AAA. Baseball is littered with these guys. It doesn’t mean they aren’t prospects or worth having - not to overvalue them when assessing their prospect status.

Who’d we miss out on?
Baseball is filled with stories of guys who overcome all odds to make it to the majors. Garrett Cooper is the guy who stands out for NOT being on our list or even receiving a single vote. Cooper has gone from an afterthought (heck, not even an afterthought) to a solid career for parts of seven big league seasons.

Other players have had some success in the majors - but nothing big. Jorge Lopez and Jacob Barnes are still kicking around baseball. So is Nick Ramirez - just not as a 1B - but instead as a pitcher. Jason Rogers, Taylor Williams, Yadiel Rivera, Nicky Delmonico, and others all had a moment or two - but not much else.

Best story from the 2014 prospect poll.
This one is pretty easy. You could argue Devin Williams due to his success. He was a talented teenager and has developed into one of baseball’s best relievers. 

But I would argue that the best ‘story’ from the 2014 prospect poll is the guy at the bottom of the list, left-hander Brent Suter. 

Suter was initially picked in the 31st round of the draft. He didn’t throw hard and didn’t put up big numbers. But he did whatever he was asked, snuck up on the world, and he kept improving as he moved up the minor league ladder. Kudos to the community who put Suter this high on our poll. Virtually no other polls at this time held Suter in such regard.

Suter was legendarily championed by community member clancyphile, often getting a #1 prospect vote - which annoyed some and skewed our results. But that was okay because people cheered for a guy like Suter. 

He would go on to have a solid career in Milwaukee (and beyond) and endear himself to the community with his geeky personality and pranks.