Crew’s blueprint unfolding with Timber Rattlers

APPLETON, Wis. — In the Milwaukee Brewers’ media guide, the rebuilding process is written out. Down on the farm, it’s lived out.

Throughout the organization, as evident with the Brewers’ Class A affiliate, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the club has been open in accepting the gradual rebuilding mode that general manager David Stearns officially enacted during the offseason.

The media guide’s official wording puts it deftly: The Brewers have “implemented an approach to acquire, develop and retain young, controllable talent across all levels of the organization with the goal of making an impact at the Major League level.”

The objective is undisguised: the rebuild is on in Milwaukee.

This transparency has integrated its way down the Brewers’ organization, arriving at the ballparks where much of that young and controllable talent hopes to develop into the core of future contending Milwaukee clubs. If there were any uncertainty that the entire organization was embracing this cycle, allow the Timber Rattlers to remove that.

“There’s no doubt that at this stage, the organization is going younger,” Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson said. “They’re acquiring as much controllable young talent as possible, is what David [Stearns] likes to use.”

Erickson, in his sixth season as manager of the Timber Rattlers, has kept the topic from becoming a proverbial elephant in the room.

“It’s something we’ve talked about as a coaching staff with them,” Erickson said. “It’s an exciting time to be in the Brewers organization if you’re a young, developing player. You’re going to get an opportunity if you deserve it.

“If you earn it, you’re going to get a shot. From that standpoint, it’s a great …

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