Brewer Prospect Countdown

Bernie's Crew and Between the Green Pillars are continuing their countdown of Brewer Prospects.

I'll just take excerpts from the prospects who may be in Appleton this season.

Starting with Jim at Bernie's Crew and his #18:

OF Erik Komatsu

With 11 home runs, 19 doubles, and 4 triples, there is little doubting that the young man can swing the bat. If his power and average numbers are not enough for you, Brewers fans will love Erik's plate discipline. In those same 277 at-bats, the outfielder coaxed out 30 walks compared to 42 strikeouts. That 10.8% walk rate is quite encouraging for a young hitter. He also plays decent, although not spectacular, defense in the field, featuring an average arm covering all three outfield positions.

There is a lot to like about Erik, but scouts all over are wondering if the young man can repeat his success next season with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. His slight stature is concerning, even if he did still produce with Helena in 2008. Will he be able to sustain his power numbers against better pitching in the higher levels? Erik will have to prove he can handle more offspeed pitches as he climbs the organizational ladder.

Over at BTG, here are the prospects from Ryan:

#18 RHP Seth Lintz

This Volunteer State high school product was drafted by the Brewers with the 53^rd pick in the 2008 draft, a pick they acquired as compensation for losing Francisco Cordero to the Reds for those keeping track of those things. He is a classic Jack Zduriencik high school pitcher with high upside pick, which also means that he has a considerable way to go to reach that potential.

Lintz’s fastball sits in the high 80’s to low 90’s with good movement. He throws an above average curveball along with a changeup that is a work in progress. While his stuff is good enough to miss a lot of bats, he has some mechanical issues to sort through (click here for a link that details those issues). Until he deals with those, he’s likely to have trouble with his command. Last year in his limited action in rookie-ball, all of that was in evidence. On the plus side, Lintz struck out 26 batters in 18 1/3 innings. But those mechanical issues manifested themselves clearly in the 16 batters he walked in that time. He also gave up too many hits (22), HR (3) and runs (20, 14 earned).

#17 LHP Efrain Nieves

Nieves throws a fastball that tops out in the low 90’s at this point, though there is some room for him to add to that as he grows. He compliments the fastball with a good curve and a work-in-progress changeup. Brewer fans should get a chance to see Nieves pitch up close and personal this for the Brewers new low-A ball affiliate in Appleton. If all goes well there, he could land in the pitcher friendly FSL with the Brewers High A affiliate before the end of the year. Nieves is still a ways away from the major leagues, but his mix of lot’s of strikeouts and few walks at a young age and from the left side of the mound make him as intriguing a “sleeper” for the top ranks of the system as you can find.

That should catch you up on this today.