Farming the Brew

Luis Lara is the next Jackson Chourio. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but the truth of that statement is the fact that Lara is the next young international outfield prospect that you should keep an eye on this summer as he starts playing stateside for the first time in his young career. Background Luis Lara is an 18-year-old (DOB: 11/17/2004) outfield prospect that played in the Dominican Summer League last season. He’s 5’9”, 155 lbs and is from San Felipe, Venezuela. He signed for $1.1 million and was apart of the Brewers touted 2022 International group that included Johan Berrios and Jhonny Severino. MLB Pipeline has Lara graded as follows: Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45 Offense Lara, a switch hitter, who as a 17-year-old was almost a full year younger than the average player in the Dominican Summer League, slashed a respectable .260/.341/.385 with 2 HR, 21 RBI, 11 2B, and 4 3B all across 58 games and 229 PA. He also walked almost as much as he struckout (21 BB/28 K). I think that is where Lara is going to make his name early in his career as he continues to develop both and baseball and physically, as a player of his age showing off a 12.2% K rate is extremely promising, and as he puts on more muscle he may start to add power as well to his advanced vision at the plate. He also shows a promising FB% of 44.2%. However, his GB% is at 41.1% and his LD% is only sitting at 14.7%. My personal preference is to have a higher line drive percent compared to ground ball percent, but if a player has the speed to play that way, then more power to him. Only time will tell if Lara is that kind of player or not. Here are his offensive stats from last season (via Baseball Reference): Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 2022 17 -0.8 Brewers 1 DOSL FRk MIL 58 229 200 39 52 11 4 2 21 7 7 21 28 .260 .341 .385 .726 Defense Luis Lara mainly played centerfield last season. He played 48 games out of 53 total games in center and excelled. He had 108 chances, had 104 putouts, 3 assists, and 1 error in center field alone over 360.1 innings. That’s good enough for a .991 fielding%. His range factor/9 innings was also at 2.67, which is exceptional for anyone. Lara seemed to patrol center with an outstanding. While there aren’t many stats to look at here, the amount of stats we do have paint enough of a picture to tell us who he is as a player on that side of the field. Stats (via Baseball Reference): Year Age Tm Lg Lev Aff G GS CG Inn Ch PO A E DP Fld% RF/9 RF/G 2022 17 Brewers 1 DOSL FRk MIL CF 48 48 360.1 108 104 3 1 1 .991 2.67 2.23 2022 17 Brewers 1 DOSL FRk MIL LF 1 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 2022 17 Brewers 1 DOSL FRk MIL RF 4 3 23.0 5 5 0 0 0 1.000 1.96 1.25 So, Where Does He Rank? FanGraphs: 11th in Brewers System MLB Pipeline: 15th in Brewers System Luis Lara is an exciting name to keep an eye on. I would not expect him to ever put up gaudy power numbers as it’s hard to fill out a 5’9” frame without sacrificing too much speed, but similar to Jadher Areinamo, I believe Lara could make his living in this game by having an advanced eye at the plate, being a defensive stud in center, and having speed where he could steal 20 plus bases. There’s a reason he is ranked as highly as he is as one of the youngest players in the system, and I think we will all be witnesses to the talent in his first summer in the US. MLB Pipeline says it best, when they say “He’ll head to The States at the same age as many high school seniors, a sign of how advanced he is and how far along he still has to go in his baseball development”. He has potential and the aspect of youth on his side, and I think that will play a huge part in how the Brewers play him along in his Minor League career.

I had them on my radar! Adams may be a name for this coming week!

Yeah for sure! Lara is an interesting name because he is by far the youngest player inside the Brewers top 39 on FanGraphs, so I would maybe look into diving into him a bit more.

Not a cop out at all! I have a few names in mind that I think could make very interesting posts. I appreciate you checking out my blog though! Hopefully you come back for more of them!

Oh okay! Yeah I agree, that's why I wanted to create this blog so that we could highlight the talent that is around outside the top 10. I thought Jadher was a fun topic because he isn't the typical mold that most people look for these days with low power numbers, but I like those guys personally. IS there anyone you would like to see in another post? Trying to build a following and would like to get other people's perspectives!

Agreed! I liked his LD numbers a lot in the ACL. And sorry. Is there anyone else you would want me to talk about? Avina was just a random guy that I liked last year and someone else mentioned they wanted something on Areinamo.

Jadher Areinamo is a young shortstop prospect in the Brewers system that is someone I believe the Brewers have an eye on. I spent last summer working for the Timber Rattlers, and when they had some injuries in the middle of the infield, instead of turning towards a guy at Carolina or a guy like Eduardo Garcia, they chose to bring up Jadher instead, who was almost a full 5 years younger than the average High A player. Let’s dive deeper into who Jadher Areinamo is. Background Jadher Areinamo was signed unofficially in 2018 with the Brewers and then signed for real on January 15th, 2021 for $150,000. He is from Maracay, Venezuela and is 19 years old (DOB: 11/28/2003) and is 5’10, 160 lbs. Areinamo is a primary shortstop but got some time in at second and third along his three stops during the ‘22 season at the Complex League, Carolina, and Wisconsin. He also played the 2021 season in the Dominican Summer League. Here are his stats from that league for 2021: Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 2021 17 -0.9 Brewers 2 DOSL FRk MIL 44 175 152 32 42 7 2 0 10 5 4 17 22 .276 .366 .349 .714 Offense Jadher Areinamo is not a power guy by any means. Throughout his two years in the minors, he has only hit 1 homerun. However, he has slashed a .284/.367/.366 across 113 games, having amassed 20 2B, 5 3B, and has stolen 11 bases (albeit being caught stealing 9 times). Those numbers are not eye-popping whatsoever, so why is he a guy that not only the Brewers look at highly enough to send him to High A last year for a few games, but also why is MLB Pipeline ranking him in the Brewers Top 30 (more on that later)? Well, for being only 17 and 18 years old, he only strikes out 13.7% of the time (63 K’s over 460 PA). That is an impressive clip for someone that is just making his start in Pro Ball. Oh, and he is consistently much younger than his fellow players at each level, being almost a year younger in the Dominican Summer League, 2 years younger at the ACL, 3 years younger at A Ball, and 4.3 years younger at A+. His time at Wisconsin was not very good however, accruing a .077 average with 8 K’s, but he went there for 7 games and never really caught his footing, so I would not lean on that too much. Overall, he will never wow anyone with power numbers or speed numbers, but he will get on base and hit the ball in play. I would also expect him to eventually put on some muscle at some point, so maybe even expect to see more doubles in Areinamo’s future. Here are his stats from last season: AgeDif Tm Lg Lev G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 3 Teams 3 Lgs Rk-A-A+ 69 285 250 47 72 13 3 1 33 6 5 28 41 .288 .368 .376 .744 -4.3 Wisconsin MIDW A+ 7 26 26 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 8 .077 .077 .115 .192 -2.8 Carolina CARL A 28 110 97 16 29 2 0 0 11 2 1 9 14 .299 .373 .320 .692 -1.9 Brewers Gold ACL Rk 34 149 127 31 41 10 3 1 21 4 4 19 19 .323 .416 .472 .889 Defense Areinamo will probably look to be a defense minded player if he wants to make the Majors, and he has potential to be just that. Last season he played 2B and SS for all three levels (ACL, A, A+) and played some 3B at ACL and A. Throughout the season, he had 225 chances and had 10 errors across all three positions, including 6 at 2B. That’s a .956 Fld%, which is pretty good for a kid that young playing above his age. Overall, I see Areinamo sliding over to 2B, as that is where he has the most experience and his best range factor, as well as his size. Though, it would not hurt him to continue getting reps at all three positions so as to show that he is versatile, something the Brewers love and do often with minor league guys. Areinamo has potential to be solid in the field, and I think with more experience he will only show more of his promise on that side of the ball. Here are his defensive stats from last season: Lg Lev Aff G GS CG Inn Ch PO A E DP Fld% RF/9 RF/G 3 Lgs Rk-A-A+ MIL 2B 25 24 210.0 105 49 50 6 16 .943 4.24 3.96 3 Lgs Rk-A-A+ MIL SS 17 17 126.0 59 19 38 2 8 .966 4.07 3.35 2 Lgs A-Rk MIL 3B 22 22 186.1 61 19 40 2 3 .967 2.85 2.68 So, Where Does He Rank? FanGraphs: 16th in Brewers System MLB Pipeline: 22nd in Brewers System Jadher Areinamo is a name that I think Brewers fans should keep an eye on. Teams do not just throw anyone from the Dominican Summer League to High A for no reason. They want to see if he has what it takes to play at that level, no matter if he was an injury replacement or not. While he did not succeed there by any means, the team still sees something in him, and so do MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs. MLB Pipeline states “Listed at 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, Areinamo isn’t going to pop in a workout, or to anyone giving a quick look at the field, but he finds meaningful ways to contribute, starting with his work at the dish. The right-handed hitter is mature in his approach at the plate with a willingness to fight pitches off and go the other way when needed. He’ll flash some quick hands in his pre-swing setup but manages to control the bat well enough to find barrels and limit strikeouts. There isn’t much power in that frame, calling into question just how valuable he can be offensively”. Be on the lookout for the young infielder this season to make some valuable strides forward. All stats and info found from FanGraphs, Baseball Reference, and MLB Pipeline

Jadher was a guy that I was looking at. Watched him during his brief stint with the Trats and have been intrigued. Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment! I appreciate it!

What type of player should I spotlight next?

Thanks for the feedback! I am hoping he can cut down on the K's this year. He is so young with potential, so hopefully he is working on it. And will do. The lower levels are exciting and filled with some intriguing players so I want to give them the looks they deserve!

Thanks! I want to mainly focus on MiLB guys that don't get a ton of love, but I may look at the Major League club too! And thanks for the tip!

Jace Avina is only a name that Brewers fans will notice if you are a diehard fan and watch the minors consistently or you are a fan that heard about his power surge in Rookie Ball in the summer of ‘22. If you don’t know his name yet I suggest you learn it. Background Jace Avina was a 14th round pick by the Brewers in the 2021 Amateur Draft out of Spanish Springs High School in Sparks, Nevada. He’s 19 years old (DOB: 6/6/2003). Avina originally committed to the University of Nevada, but chose to sign with the Brewers instead of attending college. He is a primary center fielder who also logged time at left and right field throughout his season in the Arizona Complex League and Carolina in his first professional season. Here is his official Perfect Game profile: Offense Avina thrived in 36 games in the Arizona Complex League playing for Brewers Blue. In those games, he slashed a .294/.436/.630 with 10 HR, 29 RBI, 1.067 OPS and a 183 WRC+. His advanced stats looked just as exciting, as he had a .336 ISO, a wOBA of .479, and had a .431 BABIP. He then got the promotion to Carolina at the A Level and struggled a little bit more but still hit well for someone who was 1.7 years younger than the average A Ball player. He slashed .245/.336/.471 with 5 HR, 25 RBI, .807 OPS and a 120 WRC+, all in 28 games. What I think is the most interesting aspect of Avina’s offense is how hard he can hit the ball, and that shows up in his stats. Strictly looking at how he hits the ball, we can notice some interesting stats: He hit 17 of his 60 batted balls as a line drive at Carolina and had an exceptional HR/FB rate as an 18 year old in the Complex League. What I think is a great look for his improvement is how he increased his rate of hitting up the middle once he got to a higher level in Carolina, improving from just 25% up the middle to 37.1%. I think something else to point out is his GB/FB rate at both stops last summer. His .56 and .34 ground ball to fly ball rates offer the look that he is obviously intending to hit the ball hard, high, and far, which is exciting to see that a hitter at an age like his already has that mindset. Avina’s offense has the potential to become something to pay attention to, but that does not mean his defense is not an aspect to marvel at as well. Defense Avina played all three outfield spots throughout the summer spending most of those months in center field. Avina’s defense in the outfield was nothing short of spectacular. In his 359 innings in center field, he had 86 opportunities and had 4 errors. However, all 4 errors came in the Complex League when he had 51 opportunities, whereas he went 35/35 on opportunities at the higher level of A Ball. He might be better suited to play a corner outfield spot, where his range factors are both heavily favorable compared to his range factor up the middle, although it is a bit diluted due to him playing exceptionally more innings in center. Overall, Avina’s defense is something that could be a huge player as he progresses. So, Where Does He Rank? FanGraphs: N/A MLB Pipeline: 28th in Brewers System Avina, by no means, is a top prospect in the frame of the entirety of the Minor Leagues. He’s still so young with lots of room to grow. FanGraphs however did mention that he is a “Toolsy Youngster”, and Eric Longenhagen had this to say about him, “Avina, a 2021 14th rounder out of Sparks, Nevada, hit for huge power on the complex and in Low-A, with 15 homers in 64 games. The track record for hitters who strike out as much as he has early on isn’t great, but he already has above-average pull power at age 19 and still has room to grow”. Avina, while being a 14th round pick, has already caught the eye of people in the baseball world, and we should expect to see him only go up from here.