Milwaukee Brewers Call up Mat Gamel

Slowly but surely, the Brewers are starting to become the model franchise for all small- to mid-market teams. They have a state-of-the-art new stadium, which enables them to draw fans, they have an owner willing to invest money into the team, they draft well, and most importantly, they know how to handle their top prospects. The most recent example of the Brewers knowing how to handle their top prospects: Mat Gamel.

The Brewers latest masher

On Wednesday night the Brewers called up called up Gamel, who is one of the best prospects in the Brewers’ farm system. Now before I get too far ahead of myself, I should let you know that Gamel plays third base and is a butcher in the field. It’s not pretty. Clearly knowing Gamel’s faults, the Brewers called up Gamel and will put him in a position to succeed.

Gamel will start off as a pinch hitter, and then when the Brewers start their interleague schedule, Gamel will be a designated hitter during road games. It’s a really smart plan and it will allow Gamel to do what he does best, which is mash the baseball. The Brewers did this with Prince Fielder four years ago and I think it worked out pretty well.

Here are some other facts about Gamel:

Age

23

College

Chipola Junior College

Drafted

Round Four of the 2005 draft

Minor League Stats

2006

Single A: .288 avg with 17 HR, 88 RBI, 9 SB and a .374 OBP in 129 games.

2007

Single A+: .300 avg with 9 HR, 60 RBI, 14 SB and a .379 OBP in 128 games.

2008

Double A: .329 avg with 19 HR, 96 RBI with 6 SB and a .409 OBP in 127 games.

Triple A: .238 avg with 1 HR and 3 RBI in five games.

2009

Triple A: .335 avg with 8 HR, 31 RBI and a .448 OBP in 33 games.

Keith Law Ranking and Analysis

Ranking: No. 86 out of the top 100 best prospects in baseball.

Analysis: “Gamel should hit, but like his Huntsville teammate Angel Salome, he has a serious position question. In fact, his question is more of a statement—he can’t play third, any more than Ryan Braun could and in reality a good bit less than Braun could. Gamel’s best attribute is power; he’s very strong, particularly in his upper body, although he strides early and bars his front arm and may have trouble making contact when he reaches the majors. This hasn’t been a problem to date, and he’s strong enough to power through balls even if his timing is a little off.

He’s a mediocre athlete with a below-average arm and no speed, so he’s not likely to be average defensively in left and could end up at first base, where he’s going to have to hit for average as well as power to play.”