Milwaukee Brewers farmhand Kodi Medeiros earned a promotion to a Low-A affiliate in Wisconsin, where the 2014 Waiakea graduate will experience his first full season of pro ball, and endure a six-month, 139-game meat grinder. ADVERTISING Milwaukee Brewers farmhand Kodi
Milwaukee Brewers farmhand Kodi Medeiros earned a promotion to a Low-A affiliate in Wisconsin, where the 2014 Waiakea graduate will experience his first full season of pro ball, and endure a six-month, 139-game meat grinder.
After the Brewers picked the 6-foot-2 left-hander with the 12th overall selection in the first round of the MLB draft last June, Medeiros was assigned to Milwaukee’s rookie league team in Arizona.
Milwaukee’s Arizona rookie league season is just 27 games. Basically, it’s an introduction for the recent draft picks to get their feet wet, and learn their new life as a minor leaguer.
Medeiros went 0-2 with a 7.27 ERA in 17 1/3 innings in just nine games, including four starts. He allowed 24 hits and 13 walks, but struck out 26.
On mlb.com’s top 30 prospect list for the Brewers, Medeiros, who turns 19 years old in May, is ranked at No. 8, ahead of 15 other pitchers, including No. 13 Taylor Jungmann, a 2011 first-round pick from the University of Texas.
The website offered a sunshine report on Medeiros: “The Hawaiian high school product definitely has good stuff and throws virtually nothing straight. His fastball can reach as high as 95 mph, but will more likely sit in the low-90s, and it has a ton of run and sink.
“Medeiros had one of the best breaking balls of any high schooler in his Draft class, a nasty slider with so much lateral break it was tough for prep backstops to catch. His changeup also has good sink and he should be an effective groundball pitcher. A funky low arm slot adds to his deception and helps him miss bats.
“That delivery, along with a relative lack of size, does concern some in terms of his ability to start long-term. But his overall athleticism and surprising strength should allow him to quiet doubters in time.”
The website didn’t mention one of his most reliable pitches: a two-seam cutter that has sharp, downward break. It has late two-plane action, less velocity than his four-seam fastball, but far more movement.
The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers start their season Thursday on the road, and Medeiros will be on a roster with a handful of Milwaukee’s top prospects, including two high picks from last year’s draft.
The Timber Rattlers will have 11 players from the 2014 draft class, including Medeiros, infielder Jake Gatewood (41st overall pick), and outfielder Monte Harrison (second round, 50th overall).
Medeiros has embraced the competitive camaraderie among his teammates, and his independence, both on and off the field.
“I liked being able to live on my own. It really made me grow up as a person,” he said in a phone interview. “I also liked the new lifestyle I have now, and all the new friends I’ve made.”
From his debut season in Arizona, Medeiros gained a valuable lesson about throwing effective strikes: He noticed that pro hitters don’t swing at everything, one reason for his high walk total.
“I need to get ahead early in counts and get that first strike, so I can set up my offspeed pitches,” he said. “I learned that I need to be able to make my own adjustments when something is not right. I need to be able to correct myself right away.
“My goal for this year is to have a good and healthy season, and being able to pound the zone and throw strikes.”
Diamond notes
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Kean Wong (Waiakea, 2013) earned a promotion to an Advanced-A farm club, the Charlotte Stone Crabs in Florida.
Last season at Single-A Bowling Green in Kentucky, the 2013 fourth-round draft pick batted .306 with two homers and 24 RBIs with a .347 on-base and .370 slugging percentage in 106 games and 454 at-bats.
Wong, who turns 20 later in April, was a Midwest League all-star in his first full pro season last year.
On mlb.com’s top 30 prospect list for the Rays, Wong is ranked at No. 30, and the website offered a promising outlook: “Wong has shown he has a knack for making hard contact. He has a compact swing, a good feel for the barrel and an advanced approach at the plate. He’s more of a contact hitter, but his solid build does help him create some power, especially when he can turn on the ball.
“Wong has worked hard to improve defensively since being drafted, especially with his throwing. He’s a capable defender and earns praise for his makeup and instincts. But it’ll remain up to his offensive ability to get him to the Major Leagues.”
Cleveland Indians outfielder Jodd Carter (Hilo, 2014) is ticketed for the Arizona rookie league, where the 24th-round pick batted .291 with a homer and 17 RBIs in 37 games and 127 at-bats last year.
