Rickie Weeks strikes out (AP). Hard to argue with his numbers so far: .282/.393/.465. He's fanning once a game but otherwise is more than holding his own.
Brewers Top 20 In Review
1) Prince Fielder, 1B
.253/.366/.507 in Triple-A, then .333/.333/.556 in 12 Major League games. He will slump at some point unless he controls the strike zone better, but overall he's doing just fine considering his age.
2) Rickie Weeks, 2B
.320/.435/.655 with 12 homers and 10 steals at Nashville, then .282/.393/.465 in the Majors. He's doing great. Outstanding player.
3) Jose Capellan, RHP
4-2, 4.35 at Nashville, with 54/32 K/BB in 70 innings, 71 hits allowed. Mediocre numbers overall. K/IP is disappointing.
4) Hernan Iribarren, 2B
.320/.377/.423 with 27 steals at Class A West Virginia. Doing well, no major complaints here.
5) Corey Hart, OF
.310/.374/.510 at Nashville, just 7 homers, but 26 doubles and 15 steals. Not in the Weeks/Fielder category, but a solid prospect.
6) Ben Hendrickson, RHP
4-6, 4.39 in 16 starts for Nashville, 72/39 K/BB in 92 innings, 98 hits. Erratic, but has pitched better lately. Seems to be stagnating to some extent, still trying to put the finishing touches on his command.
7) Manny Parra, LHP
5-6, 3.96 in 16 starts at Double-A Huntsville. Solid 86/21 K/BB in 91 innings, but has given up 111 hits. Doing OK, best news is that he has stayed healthy.
8) Dana Eveland, LHP
8-4, 2.94 in 16 starts at Huntsville, nice combination with PArra. 81/35 K/BB in 95 innings. Solid lefty prospect having a good year.
9) Nelson Cruz, OF
Hit .306/.388/.577 at Huntsville, with 16 homers, earning promotion to Nashville last week. Outstanding power with speed as well (10 steals), but he strikes out more than once per game. Wait and see but lots of potential.
10) J.J. Hardy, SS
Struggling in the majors, just .181/.284/.259 in 60 games for the Brewers. Doubts about his bat appear well-founded.
11) Mark Rogers, RHP
0-6, with 4.62 ERA in 14 games, 9 starts for West Virginia. 49/28 K/BB in 49 innings. Showing good stuff but command remains erratic.
12) Dennis Sarfate, RHP
7-4, 3.76 in 16 starts for Huntsville, with 82/39 K/BB in 91 innings, 78 hits allowed. Holding his own, overpowering at times, still needs better control.
13) Brad Nelson, OF
Hit .253/.354/.394 at Nashville, just demoted to Huntsville a few days ago. Disappointing, particularly in the power department.
14) Dave Krynzel, OF
.252/.326/.410 with 13 steals at Nashville. I still think he will slot in best as a reserve outfielder, his bat is too erratic to start regularly.
15) Yovani Gallardo, RHP
3.67 ERA in 16 games, 8 starts for West Virginia, 60/28 K/BB in 61 innings. Doing fine one year out of high school. I like him.
16) Lou Palmisano, C
Not a good year. Hitting .245/.306/.358 at Class A Brevard County. Power production disappointing, batting average and OBP are low. Looks like a case of Young Catcher Stagnation Syndrome.
17) Josh Baker, RHP
Getting killed at West Virginia: 6.98 ERA in 49 innings, 57 hits allowed, 11 homers. Very discouraging for a guy I thought was a sleeper.
18) Carlos Villanueva, RHP
5-0, 1.54 in 13 starts for Brevard County, with 84/17 K/BB in 70 innings, just 39 hits allowed. Outstanding performance in all categories.
19) Josh Habel, LHP
Pitched well at Huntsville (2.93 ERA) but was sent down to Brevard County anyway, and has continued to perform, with a 2.81 ERA in 8 starts, combined 66/20 K/BB in 67 innings. Finesse lefty sleeper.
20) Steve Sollmann, 2B
.262/.358/.306 at Brevard County. Decent on-base skills, but lack of power will be a serious issue at higher levels.
Overall I would say that Brewers fans should be happy. Most of the top guys are performing quite well. Biggest concerns are Hardy's weak bat, Nelson's power outage, and Capellan's lack of dominance.
