Ben Metzinger is a really intriguing infield prospect for the Brewers right now. He can play multiple positions on the dirt and even play a little behind the dish. What makes him really interesting is that he has been playing exceptionally well, and yet you hardly ever hear his name. 

Background

Ben Metzinger hails from Louisville, Kentucky, where he also chose to play ACC College Baseball at the University of Louisville. He’s 23 (DOB: 6/26/1999), stands at 5’11” and weighs 195 lbs. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Brewers in 2022. He also has a nice list of accomplishments in college, including the 2021 All-ACC Tournament Team, 2022 All-ACC Baseball Academic Team, 2022 All-ACC Third Team, and 2022 All-NCAA Louisville Regional Team.

Offense

First, I want to talk about his bat in college. Throughout his college career, he had a slash of .306/.414/.552 for a .966 OPS across 107 games at Louisville. He also cranked out 24 career home runs, 17 doubles, 91 runs batted in, and 13 stolen bases. These numbers are exceptional considering you also have to factor in the 2020 COVID season as a factor for those numbers not being better.

Next, let’s talk about his bat in pro ball. He played three games at ACL Brewers Gold, so his stats don’t speak volumes for that stint. But then he got the call to High A Wisconsin, where I had the opportunity to watch him since I work there. His numbers in 22 games with the Timber Rattlers were a slash of .222/.314/.344 with a .658 OPS. He hit three home runs, had eight runs batted in and two doubles. Personally while watching him, I think his play was better than his numbers may have suggested. So far in 2023, Metzinger has played in eight games for the Rattlers and has a .273/.515/.455 and a .970 OPS. He has one home run, five runs batted in, and a double. What is exciting is that thus far, he has walked 11 times and only stuck out nine times. While watching his first home series against Peoria this past week (4/11-4/16) he had four games with multiple walks and five total games with at least a walk. His eye is definitely something that is a crucial part to his game, however he also hits just as hard as anyone else on this Rattlers team.

Fielding

In his pro career thus far, Metzinger has played 33 games at third base across both the Arizona Complex League and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. He has accrued a .956 fielding percentage where has had 68 chances across 269 innings and has three errors. Again, his glove is something that shows up in person and I truly believe he may have the arm strength to stick at third.

So, Where Does He Rank?

MLB Pipeline: N/A

FanGraphs: 33rd in Brewers System

Ben Metzinger is a really fun prospect because he isn’t hyped up by most Brewer fans. He made a big jump straight out of the draft into High A ball and performed well enough. Playing ACC baseball helped a ton for his development, and I believe that if he can keep walking at a clip similar to what he has been, he is going to move up boards. This will be in due to the fact that Metzinger has a great eye but also hits the ball hard and has an amazing glove/arm combo at the hot corner. Keep an eye on Metzinger for the time being.