Ryan Braun showed that the future isn't far away. It could be coming as soon as April for Milwaukee's 2005 first-round draft pick.

The 23-year-old third baseman seems ready to join a young infield that includes Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder after an outstanding Arizona Fall League campaign that saw him hit .326 with six home runs and 25 RBIs for the Scottsdale Scorpions. He led the league in doubles (nine) and extra-base hits (16) while finishing second in homers and slugging percentage (.641) and third in RBIs.

Braun is one of many Brewers who played this offseason in Arizona, Hawaii, Venezuela, Mexico or the Dominican Republic. Here's how they fared:

Venezuelan Winter League

SS Alcides Escobar -- Escobar didn't play much for Cardenales de Lara, but got at-bats in three consecutive games late in the season. It didn't help much, as he finished with a .174 batting average and four runs scored in 23 at-bats.

CF Freddy Parejo -- Parejo saw action in only one game, when he was used as a pinch-runner on Oct. 24.

C Nestor Corredor -- Corredor played sparingly for Pastora de los Llanos. He appeared in 18 games and batted .222 with one home run and four RBIs in 36 at-bats.

2B Hernan Iribarren -- Iribarren had just two at-bats in the final week of the season and batted .185 overall in 27 at-bats for Cardenales de Lara. He scored three runs and had two RBIs.

SS Guilder Rodriguez -- Rodriguez was used mostly as a pinch-runner. He got only two at-bats, but got a hit and scored two runs in seven games for Cardenales de Lara.

RHP Luis Pena -- Pena picked up his first win in his final appearance of the season, going 2 2/3 scoreless innings on Dec. 28. The right-hander finished 1-3 with a 5.28 ERA and 19 walks in 29 innings.

RHP Corey Thurman -- Thurman pitched well in most of his 10 starts, going 3-2 with a sparkling 2.84 ERA.

Mexican Pacific League

RHP Joe Valentine -- Valentine finished with a 1-4 record and 10 saves. He gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning in his last outing, which made his ERA rise a full point, from 3.38 to 4.38. He struck out 24 and allowed five home runs in 24 2/3 innings.

RHP Luther Hackman -- Hackman was 3-4 with a 4.85 ERA as a reliever and spot starter for Naranjeros de Hermosillo. He was outstanding in the playoffs, throwing 7 1/3 scoreless innings in seven appearances to help his team to the LMP championship series.

RHP Mike Jones -- Jones struggled mightily with his control. He was 0-3 with a 14.04 ERA in three starts and had 12 walks in 8 1/3 innings.

Dominican Winter League

SS Ozzie Chavez -- Chavez helped Azucareros Del Este get to the playoffs by batting .313 with four RBIs in 13 games. He also stole two bases.

RHP Jose Capellan -- The hard-throwing right-hander made two late-season starts for Gigantes Del Cibao and was 0-0 with a 4.26 ERA. Capellan went 2-0 with a 3.52 ERA in three starts during the postseason.

Hawaii Winter Baseball
North Shore Honu

LHP Joe Thatcher -- Thatcher dominated batters in Hawaii Winter Baseball, just as he did for Class A West Virginia, Class A Advanced Brevard County and Double-A Huntsville during the regular season. The left-hander appeared in 14 games for the North Shore Honu and finished with a 0.73 ERA, holding opposing hitters to a .189 average while walking just five and striking out 27 in 24 2/3 innings.

RHP Robert Hinton -- Hinton was outstanding as well. The 22-year-old right-hander finished with a 2-1 record and a 2.14 ERA. He struck out 25 and walked three in 21 2/3 innings with an average against of just .181.

OF Lorenzo Cain -- Cain finished with a .231 batting average, one home run and 11 RBIs in 29 games. He had his biggest game on Nov. 19, when he went 3-for-5 with a walk and a run scored.

OF Darren Ford -- Ford had a six-game hitting streak down the stretch. He went 3-for-11 in his final three games to end the season with a .208 batting average. He used his speed well, stealing 14 bases.

Arizona Fall League
Scottsdale Scorpions

RHP Alec Zumwalt -- Zumwalt struggled in two leagues, going 0-0 with a 7.62 ERA in the AFL before posting an 0-2 record with a 5.87 ERA for Tiburones de La Guaira.

C Vinny Rottino -- Rottino started the season with promise, including a five-RBI game on Oct. 11, but wound up batting .213 with one home run and nine RBIs in 23 games.

CF Steve Moss -- Moss went 1-for-16 in his last five games, which gave him a .190 batting average when the season ended. He scored 13 runs and stole five bases in 22 games.

RHP Dennis Sarfate -- After going 1-0 with three saves and a 4.20 ERA in the AFL, Sarfate went to the Naranjeros de Hermosillo and didn't allow a run in 12 1/3 innings. The right-hander totaled 42 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings between the two clubs.

RHP Stephen Bray -- Bray finished the season with a 1-1 record and a 4.38 ERA in 13 games. The right-hander finished five games, but did not get any saves.

LHP Manny Parra -- Parra pitched well in his final start, allowing just one run in four innings, but finished with an 0-1 record and a 6.14 ERA in five appearances. He struck out 13 and walked nine in 14 2/3 innings.