Brewers' minor-league report

Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Monte Harrison of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers bats during the home opener against the Quad Cities River Bandits Saturday, April 8, 2017, at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis.
Ron Page/USA TODAY NETWORK- Wisconsin

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Monte Harrison, OF, Wisconsin: In a week in which several Brewers prospects tore it up offensively, Harrison finished atop the heap by hitting .423 with three home runs, 11 runs batted in and 23 total bases in seven games. Harrison posted an on-base percentage of .483 and a ridiculous OPS of 1.367. Through 17 games, Harrison is hitting .333 with five homers and 14 RBI with an OBP of .391 and an OPS of 1.026. Carolina’s Troy Stokes (.474 average) and Colorado Springs’ Ryan Cordell (.409), Yadiel Rivera (.409) and Lewis Brinson (.407, two homers) were also top performers.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Paolo Espino, RHP, Colorado Springs: It was a competitive week in the pitching department as well, and Espino gets the nod after winning both his starts in Colorado Springs. His second was the best, as he went 6 2/3 shutout innings while allowing four hits and one walk with five strikeouts. Espino is 3-0 with a 3.42 ERA, 23 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.18 after four starts (23 2/3 innings). Carolina’s Corbin Burnes (0.82 ERA in two starts), Biloxi’s Jorge Lopez (1.13 ERA in two starts) and Colorado Springs’ Brandon Woodruff (3.27 ERA in two starts) also performed well.

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JOURNAL SENTINEL’S TOP FIVE PROSPECTS

1. Lewis Brinson, OF, Colorado Springs: Brinson has rebounded in a big way from the dislocated finger he suffered early on. He hit .407 with a .452 on-base percentage and OPS of 1.155 in seven games last week while homering twice and driving in seven runs. Brinson is hitting .388 with a 1.079 OPS with three homers and eight RBI overall.

2. Josh Hader, LHP, Colorado Springs: Hader dropped his only outing last week against Nashville, allowing seven hits, four runs (three earned) and three walks to go with four strikeouts over six innings. In four starts (20 innings), Hader is 2-2 with a 3.15 ERA. He has struck out 15, but his control has been an issue with 14 walks.

3. Isan Diaz, INF, Carolina: Diaz is off to a slow start and hit .190 in six games last week, but he did get on the board with his first two homers. Through 16 games Diaz is hitting just .217, but if there’s any consolation he also started 2016 slowly before eventually coming around and being named the Brewers’ minor-league player of the year.

4. Corey Ray, OF, Carolina: It was a quiet first full week for Ray, who hit .238 and drove in three runs in six games. He’s hitting .269 through seven total games with his recovery from off-season knee surgery now fully behind him.

5. Lucas Erceg, 3B, Carolina: Like Diaz, Erceg also went deep for the first time. He hit .300 with an .800 OPS in five games and has his average up to .302. Erceg was the Brewers’ second-round pick in 2016, with Ray their top choice.

AFFILIATES UPDATE

Class AAA Colorado Springs: The Sky Sox went 5-2 for the week and are 2-5 overall, best in the Pacific Coast League. Brinson, Rivera, Ivan De Jesus Jr., Brett Phillips and Garrett Cooper are all hitting over .300, and Cordell isn’t far off at .290. Phillips has hit a team-leading five homers in what’s been a bounce-back season so far. Right-hander Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee’s minor-league pitcher of the year in 2016, has won all four of his starts and has a 1.61 ERA and 0.99 WHIP.

Class AA Biloxi: A 2-5 week left the Shuckers at 7-11 and tied for last place in the South Division of the Southern League. The offense has been slow to get going, with shortstop Mauricio Dubon’s .264 average leading the team. Former big-leaguer Michael Reed has four homers but is hitting just .235, and top catching prospect Jacob Nottingham’s average sat at just .159 after 14 games. Starting pitchers Jorge Lopez and Aaron Wilkerson have performed well, while Jon Perrin has 24 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings.

Advanced Class A Carolina: The Mudcats went 2-4 and are 8-8 overall, good for third place in the Southern Division of the Carolina League. Jake Gatewood (.333) and Stokes (.314) have been the team’s best hitters so far, while Burnes, Cody Ponce and Freddy Peralta have formed the nucleus of a solid rotation. Left-hander Kodi Medeiros, the Brewers’ first-round pick in 2014, is off to a shaky start with an 0-3 record and 6.35 ERA in three appearances (two starts).

Class A Wisconsin: The Timber Rattlers went 4-3 and were 9-9 overall in the Western Division of the Midwest League. The weather hasn’t affected Wisconsin’s bats so far, as Harrison, Mario Feliciano (.321), Demi Orimoloye (.271, 5 homers, 10 RBI) and Tucker Neuhaus (.269, 5 homers, 12 RBI) are off to great starts. Trey Supak has been the star on the mound. Despite an 0-2 record, the right-hander has posted a 2.79 ERA and a sparkling 0.78 WHIP while striking out 22 in 19 1/3 innings (four games, three starts).