Milwaukee Brewers 2015 Top 10 Fantasy Prospects

Just like last year, the prospect staff here at Fake Teams will be taking an in-depth look at each major league organization, including our top 10 fantasy prospects, an overview of the organization's minor league system as a whole and potential opportunities for playing time in 2015. Our goal is to provide you with more information as you prepare for minor league drafts for dynasty and keeper leagues, as well as look at players that could potentially be worth watching during the spring, as they could be in line to potentially help your fantasy team. We will be reviewing two teams per week until we are through all 30 teams, and you can see the schedule of when your favorite team will be reviewed below. if we have already reviewed the team, a link to the post, along with the team's top prospect is noted.

System Schedule

Taylor is capable of providing value across all five categories, although none are likely to be at an above-average rate. He won't hit for a ton of power, but should provide 10-15 home runs a season, and a bunch of doubles as well. His batting average should be solid as well, as he makes a ton of contact and has shown the ability to draw walks on a consistent basis as well. He should be good for 10-15 stolen bases per year as a baseline, with 20 steal seasons a definite possibility. Defensively, he is more than capable of staying in center field long-term, although he also could play right with his arm strength.

Taylor is trending right now to be the potential long-term replacement for Carlos Gomez should the current centerfielder leave after the 2016 season as a free agent. He'll return to AA to start the 2015 campaign, and we could see him for a cup-of-coffee by the end of the 2016 season.

Harrison is considered a potential five category contributor, with the potential to provide double-digit production in both power and speed categories in the future. The steals totals jump off the page, and with it the potential for a large impact if his speed can hold up as he grows and matures physically. He could provide at least average production for batting average, which coupled with the counting stats could lead him to be a top 40 outfield option in the future.

Harrison has a long way to go from where he is now to playing for the Brewers in Milwaukee, and there is an open question about whether that will be in center field or if a move to a corner spot will be needed as he grows. He should get a full season assignment in 2015, and could give us a better idea if the performance he showed in the AZL matches up with his long-term potential.

Williams gets rave reviews about his potential as a starting pitcher, capable of providing good ratios to go along with a high strikeout total. He features a three-pitch mix with a fastball, changeup, and slider, all three of which have the potential to be at least average or better offerings. There are some questions right now about his ability to command all his pitches, but this seems like something that can be worked out with more innings thrown. The other interesting part regarding Williams is the fact that he still has a projectable frame, as he is 6'3" but just 165 lbs. The potential to add more muscle to his frame could lead to a stronger possibility that he will be able to provide 200+ innings on a regular basis when he reaches the majors.

There is risk with any player, especially a pitching prospect, that has not pitched a full season yet, but Williams remains one of the most interesting ones. He appears ready for that assignment to Low-A Wisconsin, and could rocket up prospect lists with a strong performance there as well.

	4. Kodi Medeiros (LHP)
Photo Credit: Rich Schultz - Getty Images

2014 FANTASY STATISTICS
W	SV	ERA	WHIP	K
0	1	7.13	2.094	26
2014 SECONDARY STATISTICS
IP	HR/9	GO/AO	BB%	K%
17.2	1.00	1.90	13.98%	27.96%
OTHER INFORMATION
AGE	Bats	Throws	2014 Levels
18	R	R	Rk
Roster Status: Protect After 2018 Season
ETA to Majors: 2019

The range of outcomes for Medeiros is a lot wider than you'd normally expect from a player taken in the top half of the first round. He features a three pitch mix of a fastball, slider, and changeup, which all have the potential to be average or better offerings. His fastball and slider both have the potential to be strikeout offerings, although his command of all three pitches will continue to need work as he moves up toward the majors.

There are a lot of questions regarding his long-term role on the pitching staff, which seem to stem from both his current repertoire (third pitch, command) and continues onward with his arm slot. He throws from an extremely low arm slot, and reports on him note that he can be inconsistent with his delivery and release point. The Brewers will likely need to continue to work on that, but it is not considered something that cannot be fixed.

Long term, Medeiros is looking at either a short-season assignment, or potentially a move to full-season Low-A in 2015 if the Brewers want to push the Hawaiian lefty. Another year will give us a better idea of his potential to stick in the rotation, and he could move way up these rankings in a year's time. He has the potential to be a mid-rotation starting pitcher if it all clicks for Medeiros.

Lara's calling card prior to signing was his potentially elite raw power, which could be capable of providing 25-30 home runs a season if it all comes together. Signed as a shortstop, Lara is not expected to stay at the position long-term, but rather move to third base. He is already 6'3", 205 lbs despite just turning 17 last month, and as such is considered essentially physically mature.

It's a long way from where Lara is to the bigs, but the potential for a high impact offensive contributor is there. He could be a very interesting option at third base down the line, but it's not even clear yet whether he will play stateside in 2015, let alone in a full-season league.

The hard part with Arcia is reconciling his fantasy value with his real-life value. The top prospect in the system on a number of lists, his value to fantasy owners is depressed based on his skill set. He's not expected to provide very much power in the future, mostly a token few home runs per year, if that. He should provide batting average, but it may not come with a ton of speed.

The key to remember with him is that if he only provides average value in those two categories, that he may only be a fringe starting option in more shallow leagues. He is a prospect that I would move up a couple spots if you're looking at deeper formats, as he is extremely likely to be a starting shortstop in the majors, and provide at least reasonable value in two to three categories as a MI option.

The Brewers had hoped that Coulter would develop into at least an average backstop defensively, as his bat would play well above-average if he could stick there. However, the team made the move to shift him to the outfield after the season, with right field likely to be his long-term home in the field. While that does put a little more pressure on his bat, it should still play well there.

He has above-average power potential, with 20 home runs a season a definite possibility. There are some questions about whether he can provide batting average to go with it, although his approach at the plate this year portrays the potential that he could provide value both in that category and in on-base percentage leagues as well. With the additional tasks of learning to play behind the dish removed, we could see him move quickly if he hits well and takes to the outfield. He gets rave reviews about his makeup and work ethic, which should only help him as he moves through the minors.

	8. Jake Gatewood (SS)
Photo Credit: Mike Ehrmann - Getty Images

2014 FANTASY STATISTICS
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.206	19	3	32	7
2014 SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
222	0.249	0.279	5.86%	31.98%
OTHER INFORMATION
AGE	Bats	Throws	2014 Levels
18	R	R	Rk
Roster Status: Protect After 2014 Season
ETA to Majors: 2019

A shortstop out of high school, Gatewood could stay at the position for a few years but long-term is expected to move to third base due to his size (6'5", 190 lbs currently). His calling card in the draft was raw power, which is considered above-average to potentially elite. However, there are a lot of questions about how well he will be able to translate that power in game based on his current contact issues (71 K in 222 PA).

Gatewood is an extremely raw prospect that has the potential to be an elite fantasy option if it all comes together, but right now the range of outcomes are so wide that it's hard to move him up too much more on this list.

Roache's future will be determined by his ability to make consistent contact and improve his pitch recognition. He has not posted a batting average about .246 in either season, and while he has shown solid walk rates around 8% each year, the strikeouts may be too much to overcome. He has potentially 30+ home run potential in terms of raw power, but is more likely to be limited to around 15-20+ if these contact issues cannot be resolved. He did finish the season with his best month of the year (.282/.357/.515, 6 HR) so we did get a glimpse of what could be possible with him if it does all click.

Roache could return to High-A for a second go-around, but more likely seems headed to AA as the team looks to move him towards the majors. He's worth keeping an eye on because of the power potential, but I wouldn't hold him in dynasty formats except for the deepest ones.

Kyle Wren (OF) - It's probably a reasonably good bet that if you're the son of the general manager and he loses his job, you could get traded. This is exactly what happened with outfielder Kyle Wren, whom the Brewers picked up in a prospect-for-prospect trade last week. While he may get some of his publicity for being Frank Wren's son, Kyle is still a decent prospect in his own right. Wren has a leadoff-type profile, capable of providing a solid batting average to go with excellent speed and good contact skills. He's not going to provide value at all in terms of power, but is an interesting name for deeper formats where a lot of players are rostered, as he should provide decent value in three categories if given a starting job.

Hunter Morris (1B) - Morris repeated AAA in 2014, which is a bit telling of his long-term potential given that they struggled to find production at his position in the majors. He'll be 26 for the upcoming season, and is a name only if you think Lind will struggle and want a flier in a deep NL-only league.

Taylor Jungmann (SP) - The top draft pick of the Brewers in the 2011 class, Jungmann has plugged away in the minors and spent most of the season at AAA Nashville. He will likely be called upon should the Brewers need a starting pitcher during the season, and seems likely to profile as a streaming option in shallow formats and a back-end option in deeper ones.

Taylor Williams (SP) - The potential that Williams, a starter currently, ends up in the bullpen, keeps him off this top 10 for me. He continues to work on a changeup that would strengthen his case for a long-term starting spot, but if that does not develop he could still provide value to his team as a reliever providing a solid amount of strikeouts.

About the Authors

Jason Hunt is a contributing writer for Fake Teams, specializing in the minor leagues and prospects. 
Follow him on Twitter @jasonsbaseball

Brian Creagh is a contributing writer for Fake Teams, specializing in fantasy baseball and the minor leagues.
Follow him on Twitter @BrianCreagh

David Spracale is a contributing writer for Fake Teams, specializing in fantasy baseball and the minor leagues.
Follow him on Twitter @dspracale