A disappointing 2015 season led to a dismantling of the Brewers' big league roster at the Trade Deadline that continued into the offseason. While those deals have hurt the team's chances of competing in '16, they've enabled the Brewers to put together a farm system ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the ninth-best in baseball -- one teeming both with upper-level players and young, high-ceiling talents.
The Brewers' Top 30 Prospects list for 2016 features 20 homegrown players, including 11 in the top 15. Shortstop Orlando Arcia, MLBPipeline's No. 6 overall prospect, headlines the club's deep system this year, and he's joined in the Top 100 by 2011 second-rounder Jorge Lopez (No. 57) and 2015 first-rounder Trent Clark (83).
• MLB's Top 10 farm systems
The Brewers' other two Top 100 representatives, outfielder Brett Phillips (No. 32) and left-hander Josh Hader (61), were both acquired from Houston in the trade of Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers in July, and the club also netted right-hander Adrian Houser in the same deal. Milwaukee added a solid backend starter last July in Zach Davies, who came over from Baltimore in the Gerardo Parra tade, and then used the offseason to add high-ceiling talents such as catcher Jacob Nottingham and right-hander Bubba Derby (Khris Davis trade), shortstop Isan Diaz (Jean Segura trade) and right-hander Freddy Peralta (Adam Lind trade).
• Brewers' Top 30 Prospects list
Over one-third of the Brewers' Top 30 could see time in the big leagues in 2016, and more impact prospects should debut in the subsequent years. All in all, it's the type of system that should produce a steady influx of talent at the highest level, one that could have the Brewers back in contention ahead of schedule.
Team Top 30 Prospects lists
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2015 preseason list to the 2016 preseason list.
Jump: Lopez (2015: 12 | 2016: 3)
Fall: Jake Gatewood (2015: 5 | 2016: 24)
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average.
Top 10 Farm Systems
Hit: Orlando Arica (60)
Power: Nottingham (55)
Run: Monte Harrison (60)
Arm: Phillips (70)
Defense: Arcia (65)
Fastball: Damien Magnifico (70)
Curveball: Lopez (60)
Slider: Hader (60)
Changeup: Davies (65)
Control: Davies (55)
How they were built
Draft: 17
International: 3
Trade: 10
Breakdown by ETA
2016: 11
2017: 5
2018: 9
2019: 5
Breakdown by position
C: 1
SS: 5
OF: 9
RHP: 12
LHP: 3