8. Trent Grisham, OF
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 11/1/1996 (21)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Carolina Mudcats
2017 Stats: .223/.360/.348, 569 PA, 8 HR, 37 SB, 98/141 BB/K
Info: For those who are not aware, Grisham went by Trent Clark before a name change in 2017. He was one of the most elite athletes in the 2015 draft, drafted out of high school by the Milwaukee Brewers as the 15th overall selection.
Grisham has struggled to stay on the field as a pro, but had his first ever full season on the field in 2017. While his overly patient approach in the box leads to some bad swings and a rough batting average, he did show an excellent walk rate and was able to flash both power and speed.
Once on the field, his incredible athleticism shone through, though he’s likely going to end up in left or center due to average arm strength. On the bases, hamstring injuries have taken away some of his raw speed, but his instincts on the bases were incredible, stealing 37 in 42 attempts, and he had numerous examples of elite base running moments.
Grisham is still young enough to develop his skills into a starting-level outfielder. The Milwaukee Brewers will hope for another healthy season in AA in 2018.
7. Corey Ray, OF
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 9/22/1994 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Carolina Mudcats
2017 Stats: .238/.311/.367, 503 PA, 7 HR, 24 SB, 48/156 BB/K
Info: Many felt that Corey Ray was the best collegiate athlete available in the 2016 draft. The Milwaukee Brewers agreed, giving him the largest draft signing bonus in franchise history after selecting him 5th overall.
Ray could not seem to find a comfortable set up in the box, a comfortable swing, and seemed to be seeing many pitches for the first time
After a mediocre performance in his pro debut, many expected Ray to show out in his full-season debut. That did not happen in the least. Ray could not seem to find a comfortable set up in the box, a comfortable swing, and seemed to be seeing many pitches for the first time in his life over the course of the season.
Even when he was highly-regarded, many worried about the length in Ray’s swing, worried he might end up striking out too much to be a top-of-the-order hitter yet not having the type of power to be a middle order hitter. He does have some power that could play to 10-20 home runs as he develops.
Ray’s speed still showed up well, stealing bases well when he’s on base and making up for any bad jumps in center field. He does have an average arm in center, but the range is such that the arm will play.
The Milwaukee Brewers will essentially have a complete rebuild to do with Ray this season, and he very well could end up repeating high-A to get his feet under him, but the raw tools underneath are so impressive that it’s hard to drop Ray much more than this.
Next: #5 and #6