Two Cents From the Nose Bleeds: Alcides Escobar

I'll be completely honest, I've only seen a handful of the Brewers prospects play in person, so it isn't my place to be putting a ranking on them myself. That being said, I'm going to reference one of my favorite Brewers sites, Brewerfan.net, and their Power 50 when going through the Brewers top 20 prospects.

1. Alcides Escobar: The Brewers starting shortstop this year is a defensive whiz and will be with the Brewers for many years to come.

2. Mat Gamel: The 3rd baseman struggled in his call up last season, but he's rejuvinated and ready to prove his worth to make the team. He's already in Maryvale and working on his defense every day.

3. Brett Lawrie: I saw Lawrie play in Appleton with the Timber Rattlers and the first pitch he saw, he cranked over the left field wall. That left quite an impression on me. He'll be moving towards Milwaukee sooner than many think and he's only 20 year old.

4. Jonathan Lucroy: Many think he's the catcher of the future, as he's very polished defensively. He has a chance to win the backup catcher job this season.

5. Eric Arnett: The Brewers #1 draft pick (26th overall) last summer, Arnett logged a lot of innings at Indiana last summer. The Brewers limited him to throwing mostly fastballs after signing, but he also has a good curveball and slider.

6. Zach Braddock: This lefty has dominated hitters when healthy. Last season he was sent to the bullpen to ease him back from injury and he's a darkhorse to make the Brewers bullpen this year. It's still yet to be seen if he will be a starter or reliever in the future.

7. Angel Salome: Has been considered the top catching prospect for years, but may have been passed by Lucroy this past year. He needs to stay healthy and improve on his defense to catch back up with Lucroy. Though he is a bit unorthodox, his offense is very good.

8. Kentrail Davis: Davis is an outfielder drafted in the supplemental 1st round (39th overall) in 2009. He is only 21 years old and was drafted as a sophomore out of Tennessee. He brings a powerful lefty bat that will most likely start with the Timber Rattlers and hopefully move up quickly.

9. Taylor Green: Green was almost the player to be named later in the CC Sabathia deal (that honor went to Michael Brantley) and he struggled through injuries last season. The third baseman looks to rebound this season at either AA-Hunstville or AAA-Nashville.

10. Lorenzo Cain: After a strong Spring Training last year, many thought Cain would be ready to be the Brewers starting center fielder this season. He got hurt and never was the same and now finds himself stuck behind Carlos Gomez. With a good spring he will start the season at AAA and with a good season, could be called upon if Gomez struggles.

11. Logan Schafer: The Brewers Organizational Player of the Year in 2009, he is very close to be catching up to Cain as the best center field prospect in the system. He hit .316 with 6 home runs, 58 RBIs and 16 stolen bases at Single-A Brevard County. The 22 year old should start the season at Huntsville.

12. Amaury Rivas: The Brewers Organizational Pitcher of the year in 2009 will be part of a great rotation at AA. Rivas dominated at Brevard County last season, posting a 13-6 record, 2.98 ERA abd 123 strikeouts in 133 innings. With a good year, he could become one of the Brewers next elite prospects.

13. Jake Odorizzi: Odorizzi was a 1st round, supplemental draft pick (32nd overall) in 2008 out of high school. Only 19 years of age, he could project as a top of the rotation pitcher if he continues to progress. Coming out of high school, he was also considered a top hitter. This year, he should start in what should be a talented rotation for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

14. Wily Peralta: The 20 year old righty has a great arm, as evidenced by his 118 strikouts last year, but also needs to work on his control, walking about one batter every two innings. If he doesn't make it as a starter, he projects as a late-inning reliever.

15. Caleb Gindl: Deemed by many as too small at only 5' 9", Gindl continues to put up great numbers. At Brevard County, he hit .277 with 17 home runs and 71 RBIs. It should be interesting to see how he progresses as he moves up the organizational chain.

16. Kyle Heckathorn: Another 1st round supplemental pick from 2009, Heckathorn is a very hard thrower with the stature to hold up in the long run. He is 6'6", 235 pounds. Like Arnett, he was held back after a long college season, but should be ready to show his stuff right away out of spring training. Many project him to be a closer in the future. Expect him as a starter first at Wisconsin.

17. Mark Rogers: Rogers was the Brewers 1st round (5th overall) pick all the way back in 2004. After not even pitching in 2007 or 2008 because of injuries, he was finally able to stay healthy last season, Trying to progress him along slowly, the Brewers limited him to only 65 innings. The results were fantastic, as he posted a 1.67 ERA. Look for the Brewers to let him loose this year in AA. It should be interesting to see how he reacts to higher competition. He could really jump up the prospect charts if he puts together a good season.

18. Cody Scarpetta: Scarpetta is actually on the Brewers 40 man roster because of a contract technicality, so the Brewers should look to challenge him to move up the depth charts fast. But he is still a ways away. Last year at Wisconsin, he posted a 3.43 ERA. Look for him to push up to AA sometime this summer, but he'll most likely start out at Brevard.

19. Josh Butler: Butler was the player the Brewers got in return for Gabe Gross in 2008. He was horrible after being traded but really emerged last year in the Brewers system. He got a brief cup of coffee with the Crew after posting a 2.97 ERA across 4 minor league levels. He should start off the year at AAA Nashville but could be in the mix for the big team should anyone get hurt.

20. John Axford: Axford is a hard throwing reliever who also got a brief cup of coffee last September in Milwaukee. With a strong spring, he has a legitimate shot at making the bullpen.

Sleepers: Maverick Lasker is one guy I'm watching this summer, as he was very impressive in rookie ball as a 19 yr old. Also, if Jeremy Jeffress ever get off of marijuana, he could be a great pitcher, while Nick Bucci has already surprised many scouts. 2009 picks Del Howell, Scooter Gennett, and Brooks Hall are all worth taking a look at too.

Second Base: The Brewers are counting on Rickie Weeks to bounce back from yet another injury this year. They took the chance of letting Felipe Lopez walk via free agency (he still doesn’t have a job), who was brilliant after coming over from Arizona in July. Weeks was on his way to a breakout season last year before getting hurt hitting .272 with 9 home runs and 24 RBIs in 37 games. Even though he may fit more as a 5^th or 6^th hole hitter, he will most likely be back in the leadoff spot this spring. He will undoubtedly get many chances to prove himself once again since the Brewers don’t have any legitimate replacement, but the Brewers brought back Craig Counsell to help out at all infield positions. In a year or two, top prospect Brett Lawrie could force himself into the mix at second base.

Shortstop: Perhaps the player I’m most excited is top prospect Alcides Escobar, the Brewers new 22 yr-old shortstop. Gone is J.J. Hardy (traded to the Twins), so Escobar is the default starter. Escobar brings gold glove caliber defense (yes, even better than Hardy’s D) and great baserunning ability and speed. He doesn’t have a lot of power at this point, yet he is still growing into his body and 10-15 homeruns in a few years is very realistic. The Brewers will probably have him hit 2^nd or in the bottom of the lineup (Macha is contemplating batting the pitcher eighth and Escobar ninth), but he projects as a leadoff hitter, perhaps even by next year. He is definitely the shortstop of the future and will be around for awhile. Get to know his name, everyone.