The common theme with last week’s group of prospects was their sky-high potential. This week, prospects #6-10 boast that same potential, but also have a history of performance that backs it up. All five of this week’s prospects are 21 or younger and in the lower levels of the minor leagues. While some fans may find it discouraging that they will most likely not be in Milwaukee until at least a couple of years down the road, it is important to remember that these prospects have already figured out how to perform professionally at a high level, and with that they still have tons of room for growth in each of their respective skill sets. I find that very exciting, as each of their production thus far could very well only reveal a scratch on the surface of what they may become. Here are top prospects #6-10:

10. Lucas Erceg 3B

The Brewers selected Erceg with the 46^th overall pick in the 2016 draft, and he has done nothing but impress since. Although his performance is pretty clear-cut indicator of his on-field talent, he has an interesting backstory of off-field struggles, which supposedly scared some teams away from taking him as high as the Brewers did in the draft. After a breakout sophomore campaign at the University of California, where he batted .303/.357/.502, Erceg was deemed academically ineligible, forcing him to transfer to Menlo College. Erceg’s transfer worried scouts, as it made them question his work ethic. In many scouting reports, he is noted as having a questionable attitude, making his early selection by the Brewers a gamble in the minds of some.

This week’s group of five prospects all share a common theme: they have sky-high potential. With all of these prospects being from the Doug Melvin era, where he focused on acquiring players with raw talent that could be transformed into major league skills, it makes sense that some have struggled in developing while others have thrived. It is very logical to think that all five of these prospects could be above-average major leaguers, but it is also a likely possibility that they could falter (or in certain cases, keep faltering) in the minor leagues and never make it to Milwaukee. Only time will tell, but I believe that we will soon see at least a couple of these players in Brewers uniforms for years to come. Here are top prospects #11-15:

15. Monte Harrison OF

Monte Harrison was one of three high-risk, high-reward high school prospects (along with unranked prospects Jake Gatewood and Kodi Medeiros) that the Brewers gambled on in the first two rounds of the 2014 MLB draft, as the Crew selected him with the 50^th overall pick. Following the Brewers’ disappointing 2013 season in which the big league club struggled, Ryan Braun’s Biogenisis scandal came to fruition, and the minor league system lacked any meaningful talent, general manager Doug Melvin looked to these three high school prospects to kick-start a rejuvenation of youth in the organization. The Brewers signed Harrison for $1.8 million, a hefty over-slot bonus that was necessary to lure Harrison away from his commitment to play both football and baseball at the University of Nebraska. This investment has not been substantiated thus far, as he has struggled to stay healthy and perform to the level expected of him.

Harrison certainly possesses all the peripherals of a major league player. He is a physical specimen, standing at 6’3” and 220 lbs. with an extremely muscular and athletic build, making his teammates look miniature in comparison. He has elite speed and a cannon for an arm, allowing him to be utilized as a defensive weapon. His strength gives him above-average raw power. While he certainly has the look of a big leaguer, his performance has lagged. After a mediocre professional debut in the Arizona Rookie League in 2014, the Brewers aggressively assigned Harrison to the Class-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, where he significantly struggled on his way to a .148/.246/.247 batting line while striking out in nearly 42% of his plate appearances in 46 games. After being reassigned to the Helena Brewers of the more appropriate rookie-level Pioneer League, Harrison thrived, hitting .299/.410/.474 with 14 stolen bases in 28 games. However, his breakout was halted by an ankle injury that sidelined him for the rest of the year.

Back at Class-A Wisconsin in 2016, Harrison’s struggles resurfaced, as nagging injuries held him to playing in only 80 games, in which he hit .220/.300/.339. Given his performance, Harrison holds his ranking of #15 solely due to his untapped potential and top-notch tools. If he can put in all together, Harrison has the ceiling of being a capable middle of the order threat, and at this point it is reasonable to expect that the 21-year-old will either be a boom or bust prospect.

14. Cody Ponce P

After being drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft out of California Polytechnic State University, Ponce had an excellent professional debut, pitching his way to a 2.29 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP over 14 games for the Helena Brewers and Class-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Ponce is a menace on the mound, as he stands 6’6” and weighs 240 lbs. Given this size, scouts predict that Ponce will have no trouble remaining a starting pitcher. He boasts four pitches that are all at least average, with his fastball and cutter being his go-to offerings. His fastball generally sits from 92-96 MPH, and it looks even faster to hitters given his size. Ponce still has a way to go in his development, especially with his control, but this should not be a problem given that he is only 22 years of age.

Ponce’s 2016 season was divided between success and struggle. He started off dominantly with Class-A Advanced Brevard County, as over his first nine starts he logged a 2.50 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP to go along with a nearly 5-to-1 K/BB rate. In his most commanding start of the year on July 9^th, he struck out 12 hitters in 6 innings while giving up only 3 hits, which was made even more impressive due to the fact that he only threw 73 pitches. However, over his final eight starts, Ponce faltered and finished the season with an inflated 5.25 ERA and .285 batting average against. As we have seen, when Ponce is effective, he can be an elite asset on the mound. He could have simply just worn down as the season progressed, but I think it is more likely that he developed a mechanical issue that needs to be fixed. There really is no other explanation for how his season toppled so quickly. Ponce will likely start 2017 back in Class-A Advanced Brevard County, but I assume he will probably move up to Double-A Biloxi rather quickly given that he can iron out the kinks.

13. Jorge Lopez P

Going into the 2016 season, Jorge Lopez looked like a potential star in the making. He had just come off a dominant 2015 campaign, in which he won the Milwaukee Brewers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year award after dazzling the Double-A Southern League with a 12-5 record, to go along with a 2.26 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. He was ranked as the #57 prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com following this performance, which was good enough for #3 in the Brewers system at the time behind Orlando Arcia and Brett Phillips. Lopez was considered to be the future ace of the big league rotation. However, his journey to the majors has been derailed momentarily by a disastrous 2016 season in which we saw Lopez need to be demoted from Triple-A back down to Double-A.

In Triple-A this season, the 23 year-old got obliterated by the opposition, pitching to a 6.81 ERA over 17 games. He averaged 4.2 innings per start, and hitters teed off on him, leading to a .312 batting average against and a gaudy 1.97 WHIP. His control was the one area in which Lopez took the most significant step backwards, as he walked over three hitters per appearance. Some tried to attribute his collapse to the thin air in Colorado Springs, where the ball seemingly catapults off the bat as the stadium sits over a mile above sea level. The fact of the matter is, Lopez actually pitched better in Colorado Springs (though still not close to being an accomplishment in any regard), as his 6.16 ERA at home trumped his 7.40 ERA on the road. After his demotion to Double-A, Lopez seemed to somewhat right the ship, as he achieved a 2.67 ERA over his last five starts while striking out 27 batters. Hopefully he carries this finish into 2017.

Lopez certainly has the stuff to be a capable big league starter, as he features a mid 90s fastball that he complements with a well shaped 12-6 curveball, as you can see in the video below. The key to future success will be refining his control, as one can assert that his disconcerting walk rate and batting average against are the main causes for his demise in 2016.

12. Brett Phillips OF

When the Brewers acquired Brett Phillips as part of a four-prospect package from Houston in exchange for outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitcher Mike Fiers, he was touted as the centerpiece of the Brewers substantial return, being noted as a potential 5-tool center fielder that could bolster a big league lineup. Up until the trade, Phillips had enjoyed enormous success in the Astros’ minor league system. Drafted out of high school in the 6^th round of the 2012 draft, Phillips experienced a breakout year in 2014, hitting a combined .310/.375/.529 between Class-A and Class-A Advanced. Even more impressive was the distribution of extra base hits he accumulated, as he hit 29 doubles, 14 triples, and 17 home runs. He complemented this display of all around power with 23 stolen bases and exceptional defense, recording 17 outfield assists.

In 2015, Phillips picked up right where he left off, hitting .320/.379/.588 at Class-A Advanced before being promoted by the Astros to their Double-A affiliate. He displayed less power at Double-A, hitting only one home run in 31 games, but he still hit an excellent line of .321/.372/.463. Phillips was then traded to the Brewers, and he seemingly lost his groove over the rest of 2015, hitting only .250 for Double-A Biloxi. His downturn in production was written off as being connected to a nagging thumb injury, and coming into 2016 he was ranked as the #32 prospect in baseball by MLB.com. Phillips enjoyed a surge in popularity during spring training in 2016, when his pterodactyl-esque laugh took over the internet (you can see it in this video).

While he enjoyed this initial “success” off the field in early 2016, Phillips performance on the field was significantly less than expected. Phillips hit for a subpar line of .229/.332/.397, and his strikeout rate rose dramatically, as he whiffed in nearly 30% of his plate appearances. Although many are discouraged about Phillips’ future after his rough 2016 showing, he still has all the tools necessary to turn himself into a starting major league outfielder. If he fulfills his potential, we could see him atop the Brewers batting order as soon as 2018. However, in order to achieve this, he needs to rediscover the level of ability that made him such a threat in 2014 and 2015.

11. Brandon Woodruff P

Brandon Woodruff has come out of nowhere to take the Brewers’ minor league system by storm in 2016. Drafted by the Brewers in the 11^th round of the 2014 MLB draft, the Mississippi State product has been the hallmark of consistency since his initial arrival to Rookie-Level Helena in 2014. Woodruff pitched to a 3.28 ERA with Helena, and then finished with a 3.45 ERA in a year-long stint with Class-A Advanced Brevard County in 2015. In 2016, Woodruff elevated his game to a whole new level.

Woodruff started out the season in Class-A Advanced Brevard County. Back for a second time in the Florida State League, the 23-year-old was lights out, pitching to a 4-1 record with a 1.83 ERA in eight starts. This earned Woodruff a promotion to Double-A Biloxi. After initially struggling in his first eight starts, Woodruff turned the corner and excelled, finishing with a 1.67 ERA over his final 12 starts. Even with the hiccup at the start of his stint in Double-A, Woodruff ended the season with a combined 14-9 record and 1.02 WHIP over the two minor league levels at which he pitched. Even more impressively, he led all of minor league baseball with 173 strikeouts.

Woodruff looks to have everything necessary to succeed as a starting pitcher in the future. He has a well-built frame, standing 6’4” and weighing 215 lbs. His fastball sits in the low to mid 90s, and he locates it well. He also offers a slider with good bite and a changeup that moves away from lefties, giving him a solid three pitch mix. Both of his off-speed pitches are about average at this point, but I expect for him to refine at least one of them to an above average level going forward. Woodruff’s greatest strength may be his command. He achieved a 4.33-to-1 K/BB rate, and only walked 2.3 batters per nine innings. His walk rate would place second amongst the Brewers current major league pitching staff, as he would trail only Zach Davies’ 2.2 mark. Woodruff’s excellent command can be seen further in the video below, as he precisely locates his fastball. Woodruff will likely start 2017 in Triple-A, and if he succeeds, it could force the Brewers to insert him into the rotation as soon as July of next year if the opportunity presents itself.

The Packers came out of week one victorious after just hanging on by a thread to get the win against the Jaguars in a highly competitive game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Packers struggled after scoring on their opening drive of the season which came on a short field. They were able to put together some nice drives in the second half, but they missed out on a lot of opportunities to potentially put this game away.

With the Brewers valiantly fighting to win games in September with several replacement-level players and no playoff aspirations, fans can look to the Brewers farm system for a glimmer of hope. The Brewers recently were lauded as owning the top ranked and deepest farm system in all of baseball, containing 8 top-100 ranked prospects after the trade deadline. While recently promoted Orlando Arcia and newly acquired Lewis Brinson are often looked at as the future cornerstones for the big league club, there are many pieces throughout the Brewers minor league system that offer great future potential. In this four-piece series, I will give my personal rankings of the Brewers Top 20 prospects. It is worth noting that the Brewers do have some players in the minor leagues that one could reasonably consider prospects but are ineligible for true prospect status due to major league service time or age, such as former rule 5 draft pick Wei-Chung Wang and pitcher Aaron Wilkerson. While they could have possibly found a place in these rankings, they will not be considered. Without further adieu, here are prospects 16-20.

20. Devin Williams P

A second-round pick out of high school, Devin Williams signed with the Brewers for $1.35 million after they selected him with the 54^th overall pick in 2013. While high school prospects can sometimes take a few years to get out of rookie ball, the soon-to-be 22 year old has steadily progressed his way through the lower levels of the Brewers system, finishing the 2016 season at Class-A Advanced Brevard County. Coming into the organization, many thought of Williams as a project with a high ceiling, as he possesses a considerably projectable body with his lean frame and an electric fastball. However, everyone knew he had a ways to go with refining several areas of his skillset, especially his secondary pitches and command. Standing 6’3” and weighing in at 165 lbs., he still has plenty of room to add more muscle and grow into his body.

While he has not been overwhelming with his performance, he certainly has shown upside and consistency. After recording a 3.38 ERA in the Arizona League in 2013, he was hit around in the uber-hitter friendly Pioneer League in 2014, pitching to a 1.42 WHIP and 4.48 ERA. He rebounded in 2015 at Class-A Wisconsin, finishing with a 3.44 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and an impressive 9.0 K/9. He spent most of 2016 having a successful year with Wisconsin, earning a late season call-up to Class-A Advanced County. He was hit around a bit after his promotion, but finished the season with a cumulative 3.79 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 97.1 innings.

While Williams arrival to Milwaukee is still faraway, he shows the potential to be a middle to back of the rotation starter. His calling card will always be his high strikeout rate, and we will have to watch if he maintains that as he ascends through the system.

19. Corbin Burnes P

Burnes is a 2016 draft pick of the Brewers, selected in the 4^th round out of St. Mary’s College. Burnes dominated this past spring as a junior at St. Mary’s, achieving a 9-2 record with a 2.42 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched. At 6’3” and 205 lbs., scouts have no concerns at all with Burnes’ makeup, as they profile him as a backend starter that can eat up innings, which was evident through the high number of innings he pitched for St. Mary’s. Burnes has a good fastball that sits comfortably at 92-95 MPH, and has three secondary offerings that at this time are about average: a slider, curveball, and changeup. If Burnes can develop one of these pitches to be above average, he could heighten his ceiling quite a bit.

Burnes excelled in his introduction to professional baseball, pitching to a 3-0 record in 12 games between the Arizona League Brewers and the Class-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. He recorded an excellent 2.00 ERA, while striking out 41 batters in 33 innings pitched. While we may not have seen much of Burnes yet, what he has shown us has been nothing but promising, and he hopefully can move through the system quickly. He will likely spend the beginning portion of next season at Class-A Wisconsin, but expect him to be moved up to Class-A Advanced rather quickly if he continues pitching at the level he did in his brief professional debut this year.

18. Jacob Nottingham C/1B

A former standout high school tight end, Nottingham was drafted in the 6^th round out of high school by Houston in 2013. Nottingham’s body type certainly shows his football past, as he stands at 6’2” and weighs 230 pounds, making him a wall behind the plate. Nottingham has spent time in three organizations, as Houston traded him to Oakland at the deadline in 2015, which was followed subsequently in the winter by the A’s flipping him and pitcher Bubba Derby to the Brewers for slugger Khris Davis. Although he was drafted and developed as a catcher, Nottingham has split time between catcher and first base this season. Never regarded as anything above a fringy-average catcher at best, it will be interesting to see where the Brewers organization will deploy him in the coming years.

After struggling to start his professional career in 2013 and 2014, Nottingham found his groove in 2015, hitting .326/.368/.543 at Single-A and .306/.357/.416 at Class-A Advanced. Nottingham has often been noted for his power, and between the two levels he hit 17 home runs and 82 RBIs. Unfortunately, he regressed a bit this season, hitting .234/.295/.347 at Double-A Biloxi. This season has been more on track with his 2013-2014 seasons, as in those years he hit a combined .238/.325/.375. The Brewers are hoping that the real Jacob Nottingham is his 2015 self.

Despite his struggles in 2016, Nottingham still holds great potential due to his powerful swing and knack for finding the barrel. He played the past year in Double-A being three years younger than the average player, and still has plenty of time to figure things out. He almost certainly will start 2017 back in Biloxi, where he hopefully will have more success in his second go at the Southern League.

17. Ryan Cordell OF/3B

Welcome to the Brewers, Ryan! Ryan Cordell was acquired this past week as the PTBNL in the deadline deal that sent our beloved Jonathan Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress to the Rangers. Cordell is an advanced prospect, as he is 24 years old and just completed a successful season at Double-A. Drafted out of Liberty University in the 11^th round by the Rangers in 2013, Cordell is an all-around prospect that is at least average in all five tools. Standing at 6’4” and 195 lbs., Cordell profiles as a prototypical corner outfielder, yet has also seen time at third base, first base, and center field over his time in the minors.

The area where Cordell offers the most value is his bat. He is a player that once he reaches the majors could hit .260 and have 20-25 home runs per year. As you can see in the video below, he assuredly possesses some big pop in his bat. Cordell’s average has dipped as he has ascended through the minors, as he hit over .300 in both Class-A and Class-A Advanced, but he still hit a respectable .264 at Double-A this year. With an overall batting line of .264/.319/.484, Cordell certainly has the offensive tools necessary to warrant enough production for a corner outfield spot. He also offers plus speed, which has helped him steal 72 bases over 384 games in 4 seasons in the minors, which over the course of a 162 game season averages out to just over 30 stolen bases. While facing major league catchers would likely lead to a decrease in his base stealing capabilities, he still could plausibly steal over 20 bases at the MLB level, which would make him a 20-20 threat. This speed, combined with his power, makes Cordell an intriguing third piece of the Rangers trade that could be with the Brewers as soon as late-2017. As an older prospect, Cordell needs to produce at the level of which he is capable next year, as the Brewers house a bevy of highly ranked outfield prospects in the lower minor league levels, which could certainly cloud his future as a potential regular in Milwaukee’s outfield of the future.

16. Freddy Peralta P

Acquired by the Brewers along with two other young pitching prospects from the Seattle Mariners in the Adam Lind trade in December of 2015, Freddy Peralta has been a pleasant surprise in 2016. Originally signed by the Mariners out of the Dominican Republic in 2013, Peralta mostly struggled in his stateside debut for the Mariners’ Arizona League affiliate in 2014 and 2015. Following the trade, Peralta started out 2016 at Class-A Wisconsin and dominated, pitching his way to a 2.85 ERA with 12.8 K/9 and a 1.15 WHIP, while also holding batters to a lowly .202 batting average. This success earned Peralta a promotion to Class-A Advanced Brevard County during the second half of the season.

For the most part, Peralta struggled in Brevard County. An interesting note is that in Brevard County, Peralta was utilized mostly out of the bullpen. In the two games he started, he pitched a combined 10 innings with 3 earned runs, while coming out of the bullpen he gave up 11 earned runs in 12 innings. Peralta worked largely as a starter earlier in the year at Wisconsin, a role in which he had outstanding success. Moving forward, to get the most out of Peralta, one can only hope that they proceed to develop him as a starter. He certainly has a deep enough mix of pitches to make this happen, as he currently boasts an above average fastball that can reach into the 94-95 mph range, along with three solid secondary pitches.

Peralta’s high strikeout rate is an outstanding achievement given the age deficit he has played at. At Class-A Wisconsin, he was nearly two years under the average age, and was more than three years younger than the average player in Class-A Advanced when he finished the season with Brevard County. Peralta’s age is one of the main factors that places him ahead of Devin Williams and Corbin Burnes in these rankings, as he is nearly two years younger than both. Like those two, it may take a few years for Peralta to reach Milwaukee, but hopefully he continues to develop as the dominant starter we saw in Wisconsin.

Photo courtesy of USA today

Much to the chagrin of some Packer fans Ted Thompson prefers to build his team almost exclusively through the draft. This team building philosophy means that young players will fill prominent roles throughout the course of a season. This year is no different as Blake Martinez, Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry and possibly Kyler Fackrell will get a chance to contribute on defense this season.

Blake Martinez has already been named a starter at inside linebacker to start the 2016 season and will be an important part of a unit that looks to be a possible top ten defense in the NFL. Martinez ran 4.71 (4.62 at his pro day) forty yard dash at the combine and had a vertical leap of 28.5 inches. When asked about Martinez Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf said “I love everything about him. Athletic, productive, played big-time football he can blitz, he can cover, he can change directions. I don’t see coverage as an issue at all.” The Packers coaching staff sure hopes Wolf is right as Martinez will need to be able to cover athletic tight ends and fast running backs out of the backfield. The scouting report on Martinez is that he is a downhill tackler who does a good job of maintaining his gap responsibility while showing creativity slipping blocks and is considered to be a solid open field tackler. He was able to lead the Pac-12 in tackling two years in a row. Despite his tackling numbers some scouts question his overall athletic ability. According to his NFL.com scouting report Martinez only has borderline speed and will need quicker hands to separate from NFL lineman. The report also mentions his lack of lateral quickness and that he has “little margin for error with his angles.” Despite his athletic limitations the Packers clearly have confidence in Martinez as he will see a lot of playing time considering they only kept three inside linebackers. Also, they seem to have great confidence in his ability to understand the defensive scheme as he will be wearing the headset for the defense in the opening game against Jacksonville.  The Packers are putting a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of a rookie. If he can hold up in coverage and continue to pile up production in the run game like he did in college Martinez could be a solid three down linebacker for the Packers this season. His ability to hold down the fort at middle linebacker would also have the added benefit of keeping Matthews firmly entrenched on the outside.

Kenny Clark sat out the final two preseason games with a back injury but seems to be on track to get some playing time in week 1 against Jacksonville. Clark won’t have quite the same amount of pressure on him to perform as fellow rookie Martinez but he will still be expected to play a significant role on defense, especially with Mike Pennel being suspended the first four games. Kenny Clark is a very young guy and won’t turn 21 until October so scouts believe that his frame will fill out more as he grows older. Clark has a low center of gravity and will benefit from his time as a high school wrestler. Some of Clarks other strengths are a high football I.Q. and a strong bull rush when being blocked by a single lineman. He is also given high marks for his ability to read and react to screens. The Packers will be looking for Clark to fill more of a run stuffing role as opposed to a pass rushing one. He was drafted in hopes that he could replace B.J. Raji but from the small sample size of the preseason he doesn’t seem to be quite up to that task as of right now. One of the knocks on Clark was his arm length, he allowed four broken tackles in his last season at UCLA, a number which is high for an interior lineman. Like many rookies Clark will take time to adjust to the NFL game but if he can be a part of the defensive line rotation while helping stop the run on first and second down he could become a key contributor on defense this season.

Dean Lowry was a fourth round draft pick this last April and according to the Packers latest depth chart he will join fellow fourth round pick Blake Martinez in the starting lineup come Sunday. With Clark’s back issues and Pennel’s suspension Lowry has defaulted into the starting defensive end spot against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Lowry’s scouting report ticks off all the clichéd positives of a guy who tries hard but is not an outstanding athlete or particularly skilled in one area. His frame is ideal for a 3-4 defensive end and he comes off the snap with burst and good pad level. He is a classic “high motor” guy who works hard and will give the utmost effort on every play. He is a tackle “finisher” who does not let ball carriers out of his grasp once he has a hold. Some of his more glaring weaknesses come when opposing teams decide to throw the ball. Despite his ideal frame he has small hands and short arms which makes it difficult for him to get off blockers. Lowry doesn’t have much bull rush power and doesn’t have the speed to get around blockers on the edge. Lowry was projected as a guy who is adequate in the run game and a player who would be a solid NFL back up. Despite this projection Lowry is going to get a chance to showcase his abilities as a starter until more depth returns to the defensive line. The Packers don’t need Lowry to be a pass rush monster as they will look to generate their pass rush from their outside linebackers. If Lowry is to be a major factor on the Packers defense this season he will get the first month of the season to prove his worth.

Kyler Fackrell the Packers third round draft pick will likely have to make his impact on special teams unless the Packers are hit with a slew of injuries to their outside linebacking core. Fackrell’s positives are his length and athleticism. Scouts like his long arms and tackle radius along with his ability to punch and control the point of attack with those long arms. He also has the ability to convert speed to power and has a good up the field burst for his first three steps. Lastly, scouts mentioned an ability to cover in space and an ability to slip under tackle’s blocks. His weaknesses include the fact he is very reliant on his speed and lacks a counter move when rushing the passer. He also plays with a high center of gravity which makes him easier to block. Fackrell has a lot of competition for playing time at outside linebacker and would have to leap over high draft picks and star players to receive significant playing time. If Fackrell can make himself a valuable special team’s player and develop the rest of his game he has a chance to be a starter later in his career.

Photo via the Associated Press/John Minchillo

As the 2016 Brewers season winds down amongst tumbleweeds at Miller Park (except when the hated Cubs invade)  and the Packers take over the Wisconsin sports spotlight there are still several reasons to tune into the Young Brew Crew. Since the hire of David Stearns almost 1-year ago (9/21/15) the Brewers 40-man roster and farm system have undergone a dramatic change, all for the betterment of the franchise’s future. While the Brewers provided us with some competitive play during the first few months of this season of low expectations. The bottom has fallen out since the departures of Jonathan Lucroy, Jeremy Jeffress and Will Smith and the team has been swimming upstream trying to avoid the bottom of the National League cellar. However there are several key, young current players along with top prospects who could make their MLB debut and other minor leaguers trying to make a mark in Milwaukee this September that are still worth tuning in as the Crew finishes up the 2016 campaign with 23 of their 29 games against Central Division foes. As you sift through your Fantasy Football lineup, I encourage you to at least flip on FSN because even though the present may be bleak the future is definitely bright:

SS- Orlando Arcia (22 years old) headlines the reason to watch as he has shown flashes of the gold glove potential he possesses and continues to get used to Major League pitching and prepare to become the everyday Shortstop of the future. His bat struggled out of the gate but  Arcia has been on fire over the last few weeks raising his Batting Average from well under the Mendoza Line to now batting .221  to go along with his first 2 Home Runs and 12  RBI’s. The sky’s the limit, the bat just needs to continue to make more consistent contact.

3B/SS- Jonathan Villar (25) has enjoyed a breakout season and gets the month to work out the kinks over at Third base and refine his base running skills and improve his very respectable slash line of .297/.376/830. The Carlos Gomez-eske base running blunders continue to follow Villar throughout the summer. None the less, Villar has still has found himself with 52 steals and behind only Tommy Harper (73 steals in 1969 as the Pilots), Scott Podsednik (70 in 2004) and Pat Listach (54 in 1992) for the single season club record.

CF- Keon Broxton (26) spent most of the year riding the elevator between Milwaukee and Colorado Springs and was never able to settle into a groove. However, since being recalled on July 26th Broxton has shown that he has the talent and physical attributes to stay in the Majors and a slight change in his batting stance has led to a surge in OPS to .769 which, if he can keep it up, would signal that he will be the likely leading candidate to start the 2017 campaign in centerfield. The complexing part about Broxton is there is a large contingent of outfield talent waiting in the minor leagues, but he has shown he is more reliable and durable than Domingo Santana at this point.

SP-Junior Guerra- (31) was David Stearns first signing as GM of the Brewers and has enjoyed an excellent “rookie” season. A recent stint on the DL halted any of the ROY chances Junior had but a 2.93 ERA and 7-3 record to go along with 90 K’s and 37 BB’s over 107 IP has given Guerra a great shot to either slot into the upper half of the rotation in 2017 or be dealt to a contending team looking for back end of the rotation help.

1B- Chris “Sleepy” Carter (29) playing on a 1-year contract, Carter has been of the feast or famine variety this year, whacking 33 majestic Home Run shots while also Striking out 174 times. He has been able to help fill in the First base hole that has plagued the Brewers since the departure of Prince Fielder in 2012 and has also become a fan favorite because fans still and will always, love the long ball. September will be an interesting month as Carter will look to end on a high note as he goes into the offseason as a Free Agent.

LHP- Brent Suter (27) the Harvard alum made his MLB debut in August and became the first LH Starting Pitcher for the Crew since August 28th, 2013 (474 games for those who are curious). Suter has done an admirable job filling in thus far and will continue to get a role out of the bullpen in September.

RHP Jacob Barnes (26) displayed some nastiness out of the Brewers bullpen in 16 appearances before landing on the DL with elbow soreness is slated to be recalled this week to add depth to a surprisingly solid bullpen.

Beginning September 1st, MLB teams were allowed to expand from 25 to 40 players on their active game day roster. While the Minor League Season won’t wrap up until next week don’t expect the Brewers to go hog wild on bringing in young prospects up quite yet as, but keep an eye on these guys as they try and raise their stock going into the offseason:

RHP Taylor Jungmann (26) made the opening day roster only to falter early and often before being sent down to Colorado Springs. Struggled mightily in AAA and found himself in Biloxi where he was able to turn things around and post a 9.6 K/9. Jungmann may gets a call back up to prove he has righted the ship.

RHP Damien Magnifico (25) made his MLB debut on August 16th and will add another arm to the bullpen. Magnifico had a successful MiLB season posting a 4.02 ERA in very hitter friendly Colorado Springs to go along with only allowing 2 Home Runs in 62 innings.

C Andrew Susac (26) C Andrew Susac (26) the backstop received in the Will Smith trade looks to give himself some momentum heading into the offseason following an oblique strain which has caused him to miss a the majority of his minor league time in the Brewers organization. Susac was selected in the Second Round of  the 2011 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants and made his Major League debut with the Giants in 2014.

A crazy stat in a game filled with them is that Susac got his “first” major league hit, a single, on July 30th, 2014. However, when Susac played in a September 1st continuation game from May 22nd against the Rockies, which was originally suspended by heavy rains, Susac collected a single and later scored. Because the game was a continuation, and due to MLB’s record-keeping rules, May 22nd is the official date of Susac’s first hit and run scored. Susac also wound up with a spot on the Giants Postseason roster in 2014 and was the backup catcher to Buster Posey. He posted a .250 BA (1-4) in the Postseason and collected a World Series Championship ring as the Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals in an epic 7-game series.

Two notables  who didn’t get the September call up:

OF- Lewis Brinson (22) has been tearing the cover off the ball (.397/.403/1.065)for Colorado Springs since coming over from the Texas Rangers in the Jonathan Lucroy/Jeremy Jeffress trade and has vaulted into the #2 prospect in the System, behind Arcia. With 33 players on the roster currently it would have been very difficult to find regular playing time for Brinson so he will get a chance to rest and prepare to arrive in Maryvale next Spring with a chance to make the MLB ballclub.

LHP- Josh Hader (22)  has been the best pitching prospect in the Brewers pipeline, but has had some struggles in the mile-high Colorado Springs air. He has displayed the skills to receive the call up, but as expected, due to the fact he has already set a career high for Innings Pitched he will be watching the Brewers on TV as he prepares for 2017. Read Alexander Juneau’s Spotlight on Hader .

It is my pleasure to welcome to the very first installment of our newest weekly piece, “The Cheesehead” Every Wednesday we will go through a number of fun tidbits, tweets, and plays from the previous game, and fantasy previews, plus much more for the upcoming game.

Final cuts in the NFL never fail to surprise, and Ted Thompson certainly delivered in that regard. Many moves left fans scratching their heads, and a few left the entire NFL scratching wondering what happened. Some moves seem brilliant and some seem certifiably insane, but let’s try to hold off judgement until we see how the season begins to pan out. For now, let’s delve into the most interesting moves made by Green Bay as they went from 75 players to the final 53.

Tight end is a position with the ability to change the Packers’ offense from good (even great) to unstoppable. The wide receiving corps, when healthy, has proven a force to be reckoned with, the running game, with an in-shape Eddie Lacy, is one of the better attacks in the league, and the team is quarterbacked by the All-World player that is Aaron Rodgers. What the team has lacked for several years, ever since Jermichael Finley saw his career ended with a neck injury in 2013, is an athletic tight end that was a mismatch for linebackers, corners, and safeties alike. The size, strength, and speed of a quality tight end makes coverage a nightmare for defenses, especially when they have to worry about so much else on offense. For the first time in years, Green Bay has the potential of a tight end corps that can be exactly that.

Over the past nine season, John Kuhn has started all but five games for the Packers at fullback. He played in coach Mike McCarthy’s offense for that entire span and knew the playbook better than anybody else on the field (save for Aaron Rodgers). He didn’t contribute much in the way of yards (averaged 67 rushing yards and 62 receiving yards per season), but his blocking was key in numerous plays, such as his block on Julius Peppers that allowed Aaron Rodgers to throw a touchdown to Cobb in Week 17 in Chicago in 2012, winning the game and the NFC north. Entering 2016, Green Bay will have to adjust slightly as new faces take over the fullback responsibilities. Now, let’s delve into who those faces will be.