Pirates No. 4 on list of baseball’s best farm systems

Thanks to a strong Draft and a commitment to rebuilding, the Brewers improved their farm system more than any other organization did from the beginning to the end of 2015. First-year general manager David Stearns has continued to build for tomorrow throughout 2016, including a pair of dazzling deals at Monday’s non-waiver Trade Deadline.

Stearns sent Will Smith to the Giants for hard-throwing right-hander Phil Bickford (No. 65 on MLBPipeline.com’s recently revamped Top 100 Prospects list) and young big leaguer Andrew Susac. Then he shipped Jonathan Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress to the Rangers for five-tool center fielder Lewis Brinson (No. 21), precocious righty Luis Ortiz (No. 63) and a player to be named.

The additions of Bickford, Brinson and Ortiz, all former first-round picks, pushed Milwaukee’s system from good to the best in baseball. Only the Astros can match the Brewers’ total of eight Top 100 Prospects: shortstop Orlando Arcia (No. 13), Brinson, outfielder Corey Ray (No. 35), left-hander Josh Hader (No. 43), Ortiz, Bickford and outfielders Trent Clark (No. 74) and Brett Phillips (No. 76). They have a nice balance of hitting and pitching talent, as well as depth at the top and bottom levels of the Minors.

The Brewers, whose system placed ninth in MLBPipeline’s preseason rankings, have amassed this talent in a variety of ways. Arcia is a product of a revitalized international program that also has landed youngsters such as shortstop Gilbert Lara and right-hander Miguel Diaz. Ray was the fifth overall pick this year in the Draft, an avenue that also has produced Clark, righty Cody Ponce and lefty Kodi Medeiros.

MLB’s Top 10 farm systems Rank Preseason Midseason 1 Dodgers Brewers 2 Braves Yankees 3 Rangers Astros 4 Rockies Pirates 5 Twins Dodgers 6 Red Sox Nationals 7 Phillies Red Sox 8 Pirates Phillies 9 Brewers Braves 10 Astros Rockies

In one of his last acts as GM before giving way to Stearns, Doug Melvin dealt Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers to the Astros last July for a four-player package that included Hader and Phillips. Stearns has been busy on the trade front as well, acquiring prospects such as infielder Isan Diaz and catcher Jacob Nottingham well in advance of Monday’s big splash.

The rebuilding process is far from over in Milwaukee, which will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year, but there’s definite cause to be optimistic about the future. Here’s how other teams with talented systems line up behind the Brewers:

2. New York Yankees Preseason Top 10 rank: unranked Prospects on Top 100: 7 If not for the Brewers’ Monday moves, the Yankees’ Trade Deadline activity would have given them the best farm system in baseball. They maximized the value received for Aroldis Chapman (shortstop Gleyber Torres, No. 24 on the Top 100, among four players), Andrew Miller (outfielder Clint Frazier, No. 22, and left-hander Justus Sheffield, No. 93, among four players) and Carlos Beltran (right-hander Dillon Tate, the fourth overall pick in the 2015 Draft, among three players). …

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