Milwaukee Brewers: David Stearns’ 5 best moves in first year
By Tim Muma
Trading a fan favorite isn’t easy, but Stearns knew he would get the greatest value for Jonathan Lucroy if he made a deal in 2016. He did, and loaded the top of Milwaukee Brewers’ already stocked system.
Getting a maximum return in a trade for Lucroy, an All-Star catcher on both sides with a year-and-a-half of control, was vital.
All Stearns did was collect the Texas Rangers’ second, third and eighth prospects.
Lewis Brinson is the top prize of the trio. With Arcia’s promotion to the MLB club, Brinson slides into the top spot on Milwaukee’s prospect list. The 22-year-old center fielder played 22 games with the Brewers’ triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Sky Sox.
In that time he hit .382 with an other-worldly .618 slugging percentage and 1.005 OPS.
In that time he hit .382 with an other-wordly .618 slugging percentage and 1.005 OPS. Brinson’s time included nine doubles, four home runs and a 20 RBI in a fantastic finish.
The Rangers’ third-best prospect, starting pitcher Luis Ortiz, is now slated at number five in the Brewers’ rankings. That goes to show you how stacked Milwaukee’s organization is now.
Ortiz is just 21 years old and owns a career 2.52 ERA in the minor leagues. He’s racked up 143 strikeouts with just 38 walks in 161 career frames. He looks like a near-lock as a mid-rotation starter, and even higher if he things break right.
Of course, with Stearns’ vision on the future, Lucroy’s accomplishments in Texas matter little in terms of the trade’s outcome.
If Brinson becomes an All-Star as I project, and Ortiz becomes a strong starter in the rotation, there’s no doubting Stearns received tremendous value in the deal.