Sleepers: Milwaukee Brewers
By Adam Forsyth
The Shallow
Manny Parra – Starting Pitcher
Expectations are high for this 26-year old California native, as the Brewers rotation lost a pair of aces in the off-season , when Ben Sheets was not tendered a contract offer, and CC Sabathia hit the trails with stacks of cash falling out of his pockets en route to YankeeVille.
With a starting five that has many question marks, Ned Yost and the Brew-Crew will be expecting Parra to build on his decent rookie campaign, which saw him go 10-8 through 29 starts. Parra has a good mix of pitches to depend on, but must become more accountable in hitting the strike zone, as his walks can be a concern in his growth.
It’s unfortunate that he doesn’t pitch in a dome, because Parra, in a controlled environment, has a solid line of 4-0, 2.80-45-21-1.28 with a BAA of .228. This may be a bizarre test of number crunching, but the best outings from the lefty came wedged in the middle of a slow start and a dreary finish of the season. I wouldn’t expect monster numbers, but a K per inning after the All-Star break, has me intrigued at what another year of development may render for Prince Fielder's favorite clubhouse pal.
The Deep
Mat Gamel - 3B
Milwaukee has done a nice job in developing this prime 3B prospect, and adjusted their own line-up by placing the error-prone Ryan Braun into a more natural position for his glove.
Gamel has spent four seasons abusing pitchers, and they haven’t rushed him through the system which has given him the ability to adjust at a proper pace. Gamel may not have the abrupt power that many of the blue-chip prospects and hot names have; however, he definitely has four-tool upside that many others don’t necessarily have.
What may keep him from making or staying in the bigs, is his glove. Comparable to that of the Brewers previous 3B experiment with their other phenom Ryan Braun, part of the reason that made them shift Braun to the LF was his inability to go error free. Gamel displays similar issues, as exposed by his minor league career .878 fielding percentage and could be destined to shift positions as well. Where do you put him though?
They could shift Corey Hart to CF when Mike Cameron becomes expendable and allow Gamel the other corner spot? It is hard to ignore a bat like Gamels’ waiting in the wings, when he is raking at a .329 clip at AA-Huntsville (.329-19-96-6 with a .932 OPS) it is apparent that he will either start the season surprising many and making the big club, or shift gears to AAA for the full season where he can ply his trade and work on his fielding skills. One way or the other, this somewhat controversial prospect has “Future Stars of The Cage” written all over him.
Even Deeper
Brett Lawrie - 2B
Before our faithful Brew Crew fans email us nastier comments than Bernie Brewer's breath; claiming Brett Lawrie is a Catcher - not a Second Basemen, here's the scoop!
At the Brewers #1 2008 draft picks request, Brett Lawrie will be moving up the diamond, and a little to the right. Clearly, his road to the Major Leagues is still some years away - but that path could become the Autobahn if Rickie Weeks doesn't get it in gear this year! In addition to being an incredible athlete - the Langley BC native, is one smart cookie to realize that the Milwaukee Brewers back stop future likely lies with Angel Salome - so a switch to the world of "Chase and Peds" seemed both imminant, and potentially advantageous in getting his duffle bag to the bigs.
Editor's Note: It appears Bill Hall will miss the 2009 MLB seasons opening month. This could be opportunity knocking for Mat Gamel, but unfortunately he is battling a shoulder impingement, which may inhibit his status for the beginning of the year as well.
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