As you get set for the first spring training game, I thought you might like a quick rundown of what prospect analyst John Sickels, who writes at minorleagueball.com thinks about some of the Brewer prospects. His annual book is a must read for me, and something that I would highly recommend to anyone who wants another perspective on prospects. Here are some highlights....

• In his top 50 hitters, he ranks Mat Gamel 16th and former Brewer Prospect Matt LaPorta 29th. No one else is ranked, which is notable considering just about every other outlet has shortstop Alcides Escobar in their top 50 overall prospects. Jeremy Jeffress checked in 27th on the top 50 pitchers list.
• Sickels was one of the few outlets out there to note RHP Blakeney Billings, the Brewers 19th round pick in the 2008 draft as a guy to keep an eye on. Baseball America didn't even mention him anywhere in their depth chart at all, even beyond the top 30. Sickels gave him a "C" grade and talked about him as being a good projection pick.
• He's backed off of his praise for Michael Brantley, who was the final piece sent to Cleveland in the CC Sabathia trade, just a bit. Last year, he was talking him up as a big breakout cannidate, and he really did have a fantasitc year with the bat. At the very end of his writeup this year, though, he's talking about him as a potential 4th outfielder. That makes a lot of sense considering his inability to start at a defensive position where his lack of power wouldn't be a problem.
  
• Sickels is more positive than most on Lorenzo Cain's ability in the field, calling him a "fine defensive outfielder" and saying that he can play center until he starts to slow down. If that is the case, and he continues to improve at the plate, he believes Cain is on track to start in center for the Brewers next year.
• He's not as bullish as some on Cutter Dykstra, using the same sort of line that was often used about Tony Gwynn Jr. when he was drafted that if it weren't for the last name, he probably would have gone later.
• As for Escobar, Sickels is still questioning whether or not he'll hit enough to be an everyday starter at the big league level. After last year, his (and my) opinion on his ability to do so has improved a lot, and he cites his youth, but the "B" grade is on the low end of what others who rate prospects would give him if they used the system.
• Cole Gillespie gets a Jason Bay comp, which doesn't jive all that well with the "C+" grade, though it appears the point was more that he gets the most out of the tools he has than an actual ceiling projection.
• Sickels believes that newly aquired RHP Nick Green would be better off in relief, says that his changeup is one of the best he's seen in the minors "in the last 5 years" and his writeup generally suggests to me a Carlos Villanueva type, which would be outstanding.
• Jeremy Jeffress gets a "B" this year, though he is open to moving that grade up as high as an A- if he can improve his control and changeup. He's also pretty conservative with the timetable, projecting 2010 or 2011 barring a "sudden leap forward"
• Jon LuCroy gets a solid "B" grade and Sickels believes that "his remaining defensive flaws can be fixed with experience" which is good news for those worried about how his arm will play at the major league level.
• Though Eduardo Morlan's health is a concern, he gets a C+ "with higher potential if healthy"
• Sickels really likes Jake Odorizzi, calling him "one of my favorite prep prospects." He makes a body comparison to Zach Greinke at the same age, but does hedge a bit when talking about the secondary offerings.
• Judging by the comments about Wily Peralta, Sickels seems to think that he's more likely to end up a reliever in the long run than in the rotation, though he says "his ceiling is intriguing either way.
  
• LHP Josh Romanski gets a somewhat surprising "C+" grade, considering that guys like Efrain Nieves, Seth Linz and Zach Braddock all graded out as "C" type guys, so it would be a good idea to pay close attention to him this season.
• RHP Cody Scarpetta gets an official "Sleeper Alert!!" marking this year, along with a "C+" grade, so you can add another to the long list of people who think that Scarpetta has a chance to be special.
• Baseball America doesn't even list Catcher Shawn Zarraga as being among the Brewers top 7 prospects behind the dish, but that doesn't stop Sickels from giving him a "C" grade and rating him as "worth watching"