Russell Branyan and Bill Hall are just holding the 3B spot for the Brewers until Mat Gamel is ready for action and it won’t be long. The 22-year old lefty swinging Gamel has played in 92 games in AA-Ball this season and he is 143 for 381 (.375 avg, 1.045 OPS) with 77 runs scored, 15 homers, 81 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. A lot of teams were asking for Gamel in trade but the Brewers’ smartly resisted as he looks like he will be a very good player for them in the very near future.

The Indians really wanted 21-year old righty swinging shortstop Alcides Escobar from the Brewers in the Sabathia trade but they said no and it was a smart thing to say. Escobar was the #3 prospect in the Brewers’ entire minor league system coming into this season according to Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook. Escobar has played in 89 games in AA ball this season and he is 125 for 382 (.327 avg, .797 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 7 homers, 55 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. He is the shortstop of the future for the Brewers and they were darn smart to keep him.

25-year old lefty swinging Brad Nelson is off to a good start for the Brewers’ AAA team but he will have a hard time making it to the big leagues with the Brewers. That’s because they have Prince Fielder at the major league level and a lot of good prospects behind Nelson with higher upsides. If Nelson keeps swinging a good bat in AAA the Brewers might be able to get something for him close to the trade deadline as he is a talented player. Nelson has played in 63 games in AAA ball this season and he is 70 for 227 (.308 avg, .932 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 9 homers, 38 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.

23-year old righty swinging outfielder Matt LaPorta is on the fast track to the major leagues with the Brewers. He has converted from 1B to the outfield and that will get him to the big leagues much quicker. He is the #1 prospect in the entire minor league system of the Brewers according to Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook. LaPorta has played in 31 games in AA-ball this season and he is 38 for 111 (.342 avg, 1.157 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 10 homers and 36 RBIs. Another impressive thing about LaPorta is that he has only whiffed 19 times this season which is solid for a power hitter. He will be on the Brewers before September, book it!

26 year old righty Steve Bray is pitching well in AAA for the Brewers this season. He has pitched in 34 games (2 starts) and he is 5-2 with 1 save, a 1.72 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP so far this season. He has thrown 57.2 innings this season and he has allowed only 42 hits, walked 22 batters and whiffed 55. Look for Bray to get a chance in September when rosters expand.