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Turning now to position players.
The catching position should be well-manned for some years going forward by team captain, Sam Rogers, who at 27 is entering the prime of his career. Rogers is no hall-of-famer in the making but he is a great leader of men and a very solid contributor on the field with both his glove and his bat. It is quite probable that 3-5 years in the future he will still be leading the team as the veteran captain.
It is unclear whether his 1967 backup will be the defensive-minded Tony Silmon, who shows very little major league batting ability and unfortunately also has a sub-par throwing arm, or Franklin Jimenez, who is also a solid firstbaseman and a slightly better hitter. Neither are thought to be long-term starter material.
There are a few solid defensive catchers in the pipeline who could emerge as solid backups but with mediocre (at best) offensive skills. (Jonathan Viramontes and Justin Lesslie to name the two most likely to make it, based upon performance thus far and their great character traits.) But the most intriguing minor league prospects at this position are youngsters drafted in the 1966 new player draft who have great offensive upside but questionable defensive skills. If there was such a thing as a designated hitter in the WPK, 18-year old Johnny Samson would have potential to become a pretty good one. Samson is expected to develop into a pretty fine hitter, especially if he develops a bit better plate discipline, but is expected to be a mediocre defensive catcher at best and this may curtail his future career.
19-year old Tomas Lara profiles as at least a slightly above average defensive catcher and displays a good eye at the plate but not as much overall offensive upside as Samson.
In summation, this is Sam Rogers position to lose. And he's not likely to lose it anytime soon. The Brewers have a plethora of mediocre catching prospects in the minor league system, a number of whom have some major league potential, but not a single prospect who looks likely to wrest the job away from The Captain.
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