Brewers' weekly minor-league report

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Garrett Cooper, 1B, Colorado Springs: Cooper concluded a fantastic first half with perhaps his best week to date. In six games, Cooper hit .545 with six doubles, two home runs, 11 runs batted in and an OPS of 1.706. In 75 total games, his .366 batting average led the Pacific Coast League as did his 29 doubles while his 82 RBI and OPS of 1.080 ranked second. His 182 bases ranked fourth and his 17 homers tied for 10th. He was named a starter in the PCL All-Star Game, which is scheduled for Wednesday in Tacoma, Wash.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Corbin Burnes, RHP, Biloxi: Burnes made his second straight scoreless start on Sunday, allowing four hits and a walk with six strikeouts over seven innings as the Shuckers were edged by Jacksonville. Burnes has impressed since coming to Biloxi in early June from Advanced-A Carolina. Since being promoted from Carolina, five of Burnes’ seven starts have been scoreless and his ERA of 1.06 accumulated over 17 total starts is tops in all of minor-league baseball. Burnes has also struck out 43 in 42 1/3 innings.

JOURNAL SENTINEL’S TOP FIVE PROSPECTS

1. Lewis Brinson, OF, Colorado Springs: Brinson hit .450 over five games with two doubles, a homer, four RBI and an OPS of 1.200. In 58 games this season, Brinson hit .339 with 19 doubles, 10 homers, 42 RBI and an OPS of .985. He also was the starting centerfielder for the U.S. team in the All-Star Futures Game in Miami on Sunday, going 1 for 3 with a double, RBI and run scored.

2. Corey Ray, OF, Carolina: Ray’s 0-for-12 week at the plate was truncated by his participation in the Futures Game in Miami. He wound up going 0 for 2 as a reserve. Ray is hitting .237 with four homers and 31 RBI for the Mudcats through 64 games this season.

3. Isan Diaz, IF, Carolina: Diaz collected seven singles, scored two runs, walked four times and struck out 12 times in seven games. He’s hitting .234 with 10 homers and 45 RBI on the season.

4. Lucas Erceg, IF, Carolina: Erceg hit .200 over seven games with a pair of doubles and an RBI, and he sits at .242/8/47 for the season. He’s hit in four straight games and 11 of 14 overall.

5. Luis Ortiz, RHP, Biloxi: Ortiz has had a couple tough outings of late. He allowed four hits, four earned runs and two walks with three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings in his lone start last week, a performance that earned him a no-decision against Pensacola. He’s won just one of his last eight starts, and his record is 3-4 with a 4.08 ERA and a WHIP of 1.22 in 14 starts. Ortiz has registered 57 strikeouts in 64 innings.

AFFILIATES UPDATE

Class AAA Colorado Springs: The Sky Sox closed out the first half by going 4-3 for the week and finishing with a 55-34 overall record, tops in the PCL’s American Northern Division. Ivan De Jesus Jr. ranks second on the team and in the PCL in hitting with a .362 average while Brett Phillips tied with Cooper for the team lead with 17 homers to go along with 66 RBI and a .293 average. Brandon Woodruff and Tristan Archer tied for the team lead with six wins while reliever Wei-Chung Wang’s 2.14 ERA was tops on the Sky Sox. Shortstop Mauricio Dubon joined Brinson and Ray in the Futures Game; he went 1 for 3 with a double and scored a run.

Class AA Biloxi: The Shuckers went 3-4 last week, and at 9-9 they sat in a three-way tie for first place in the Southern League’s South Division. Outfielder Michael Choice got himself onto the radar screen on Monday night, recording the organization’s first three-homer game since Brett Phillips last May 7. Choice, a 2010 first-round draft pick of Oakland, was signed as a free agent by the Brewers on May 5. In 51 games with the Shuckers, he’s hitting .244 with seven homers and 27 RBI. Pitcher Aaron Wilkerson also starred in the same game, striking out seven over five innings and also hitting a three-run homer to beat Jacksonville.

Advanced Class A Carolina: It was a tough week for the Mudcats, who went 1-6 and dropped into a tie for third place in the Carolina League’s Southern Division. Despite having a number of highly touted offensive prospects, Carolina ranks ninth in the league with a .243 team batting average while having the second-most strikeouts. The Mudcats also lead in stolen bases and have drawn the second-most walks. Carolina ranks around the middle of the pack in most pitching categories.

Class A Wisconsin: The Timber Rattlers went 2-5 last week and are 7-12 overall in the Midwest League’s Western Division. The offense continues to rank last overall and the pitching staff’s 4.76 ERA is next to last. Right-hander Carlos Herrera was promoted from Helena after starting 2-0 with a 4.29 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 21 total innings (four starts).

Advanced Rookie Helena: The Brewers went 4-3 and stand at 11-11, which ties them for second in the Pioneer League North Division. K.J. Harrison, the Brewers’ third-round pick in last month’s draft, made his professional debut in Helena on Monday. He collected a pair of doubles and scored a run in a 9-5 victory over Missoula.