Underrated Milwaukee Brewers Prospects in 2024: The Outfield

[Harold Hutchison]

The Milwaukee Brewers farm system boasts extraordinary depth in the outfield. How much talent is down on the farm? Some of the players who were reviewed at around this time last year are no longer in the system.

Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Tristen Lutz and Thomas Dillard were released at various points in 2023. Joe Gray Jr. was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Other prospects who looked good at times, like Brian Sanchez and Jace Avina, became trade fodder this winter. It’s substantial attrition, but the Brewers still have a lot of underrated outfield prospects in their system. Let’s look them over.

Left Field
Noah Campbell (Double-A Biloxi/Triple-A Nashville)
.244/.361/.391, 10 doubles, 8 home runs, 40 RBI, 46 walks, 77 strikeouts in 271 at-bats
In 2023, Campbell stood out by performing well in Biloxi when other players struggled with an experimental ball, and in doing so, he earned a promotion to Nashville. After splitting time between the middle infield and the outfield at the very beginning of his professional career, he's now confined to the corner outfield spots, but his on-base skills and the ability to switch-hit make him a potentially useful big-league bench piece.

Isaac Collins (Double-A Biloxi/Triple-A Nashville)
.263/.419/.421, 13 doubles, 10 home runs, 44 RBI, 77 walks, 56 strikeouts in 297 at-bats
Plucked in the 2022-2023 offseason via the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft from the Rockies, Collins was an OBP god in 2023, drawing 77 walks in half a season's worth of at-bats. Collins displayed some legitimate power and speed with the Shuckers and Sounds, notching 25 extra-base hits and 29 stolen bases. While he mostly spent time in left field, he also played two dozen games at second base.

Hedbert Perez (Single-A Carolina)
.216/.288/.345, 10 doubles, 6 home runs, 29 RBI, 22 walks, 68 strikeouts in 232 at-bats
Pérez, perhaps, shows just how deep the outfield has become in recent years. When signed in 2019, he was a highly-touted prospect. Now, he fights for playing time and a chance to climb the ladder. That's obviously a product of his massive struggles at the plate, but it's also about the number of good alternatives the Brewers have accumulated. Pérez spent most of his time in left field in 2023. He’s still 21, and could build on his improvement in 2023, but 2024 looks like a make-or-break season for him.

Center Field
Dylan O’Rae (Rookie ACL Brewers/Single-A Carolina)
.349/.491/.395, 8 doubles, 23 RBI, 57 walks, 37 strikeouts in 218 at-bats
O’Rae, a third-round pick in 2022, mostly spent 2023 at second base, with some time in center field and a spare few appearances at shortstop. The Crew appears to be making the outfield a permanent home for O’Rae, although it would seem more logical to have him keep his hand in the middle infield at least. While some might view his lack of power as a red flag, he’s shown that he can get hits and get on base. Plus, he stole 44 bases in just 218 at-bats. His defense was also superb, with only two errors in 33 games at second base.

Chris Roller (Triple-A Columbus/Triple-A Nashville)
.247/.394/.449, 16 doubles, 15 home runs, 67 RBI, 68 walks, 109 strikeouts in 312 at-bats
Roller got a 40-man roster spot after a very hot sample in Nashville, and developed more of a power stroke in 2023, making his bat a legitimate three-true outcome threat. He also adds speed to his offensive arsenal (19 stolen bases). While the Brewers have a lot of young talent in the outfield (Sal Frelick, Joey Wiemer, Garrett Mitchell, Jackson Chourio) alongside Christian Yelich and defensive specialist Blake Perkins, Roller is valuable depth in the event of trades or injuries.

Right Field
Kay-Lan Nicasia (Single-A Carolina)
.216/.327/.352, 13 doubles, 6 home runs, 37 RBI, 47 walks, 105 strikeouts in 287 at-bats
The switch-hitting Nicasia moved to the outfield to find playing time and ended up in right field in 2023. His OBP skills and pop are impressive, and he also stole 27 bases. His contributions are not just on offense – he has snuffed out 16 baserunners in 114 games in the outfield during his professional career. This intriguing combo could give him a Keon Broxton-esque career in the majors, albeit with much more favorable platoon splits.

Luis Castillo (Rookie ACL Brewers/Single-A Carolina)
.252/.339/.356, 8 doubles, 3 home runs, 30 RBI, 22 walks, 50 strikeouts in 163 at-bats
Castillo is a left-handed power-hitting prospect who signed as an international free agent in 2021. He had a promising 2022, but fell off a little in 2023. While he hasn’t been a factor on the basepaths, his arm has been a factor in the outfield, with 10 outfield assists in 87 games across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. At 19, Castillo could still break out, but he faces very stiff competition from Yophery Rodriguez and others.

Lamar Sparks (Double-A Biloxi)
.253/.364/.421, 16 doubles, 9 home runs, 47 RBI, 48 walks, 120 strikeouts in 292 at-bats
Sparks gave the Shuckers a sparkplug in the lineup, delivering power, OBP skills, and speed after signing as a minor-league free agent. The one negative was a high strikeout rate, but Sparks covered all three outfield positions, notching seven outfield assists in 2023. He could be a key piece for the Shuckers or Sounds, depending on trades and injuries, if his strikeout rate can be addressed.

Carlos D. Rodriguez (Double-A Biloxi)
.291/.359/.367, 21 doubles, 1 home run, 43 RBI, 40 walks, 50 strikeouts in 392 at-bats
The other Carlos Rodriguez has patrolled the outfield for Brewers farm clubs since 2017, and lately, he has been much like Brewers cult hero Andruw Monasterio, in that his offensive strength has been in an area in which the major-league club is weak: Hitting for average. Of all the players with 200 or more at-bats, Rodríguez led the Shuckers in batting average, and added 14 steals. He also posted nine outfield assists in 112 games in the outfield.

Overview
There are farm systems that would be very happy to call the players here top prospects in the outfield. Three years ago, Brewers fans would be excited about them. They’re now scrapping for playing time in a farm studded with Yophery Rodríguez and Luis Lara, not to mention the major-league depth of Yelich, Mitchell, Chourio, Wiemer, Frelick, and Perkins.

These players could end up on the Brewers roster, but as the 2023-2024 offseason showed, it might be just as likely that they help the team in the trade market.

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[SF70]

Lara-YRod-O’Rae and that’s it, for me. Once Chourio graduates, the farm doesn’t have the depth of OF they’ve had the last few years.

Fortunately, they have a large group at the big-league level plus Black who they could move to the OF. This gives the team a couple of drafts and possible trade returns to get that depth depth back to levels accustomed to.

 

[CheeseheadInQC]

It is weird after recent years that you could make a case that the Brewers’ fourth and fifth best outfield prospects (O’Rae and Ibarguen) were considered infielders until late last year.

Of the guys mentioned, Collins’ stats should be catnip for me. He takes walks, rarely strikes out and displayed at least some extra base pop. I just can’t get past how the Brewers haven’t exactly been treating him like a prospect.

Also, Perez seemed to be putting it together before his injury. Now he has to prove it is for real and not just a random hot streak.

[Kripes - Brewers]

55 minutes ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

It is weird after recent years that you could make a case that the Brewers’ fourth and fifth best outfield prospects (O’Rae and Ibarguen) were considered infielders until late last year.

Of the guys mentioned, Collins’ stats should be catnip for me. He takes walks, rarely strikes out and displayed at least some extra base pop. I just can’t get past how the Brewers haven’t exactly been treating him like a prospect.

Also, Perez seemed to be putting it together before his injury. Now he has to prove it is for real and not just a random hot streak.

No kidding! Collins with that OBP and tidy 18% strikeout rate. Arm must be a little iffy, but boy would that be nice batting leadoff...

[Trax]

It is a nice group no doubt in our farm clubs, and we have both a CB pick after Round 1 and Round 2.

I actually have as much fun following the farm clubs as the big club.  

[jay87shot]

Collins is super interesting, I like Carlos Rodriguez but am kind of done waiting on any sort of power. O'Rae might be a guy I am rooting for harder than anyone (is he a future 2B or CF or both). I would say Luis Lara is still underrated even as a top 10 in the org.. I want to see him up his 2B count this year really more than HR. If he can hit 30 2B and keep K's done he is going to be a Frelick style prospect soon.

[Joseph Zarr]

Biloxi's 2023 season ended in September. Let's get even more recent:

In a Venezuelan Winter League averaging 5-6 years years older than OF Carlos D. Rodriguez (23), he raked a .348/.891 across 35 games. He controversially finished one single point off the 'Rookie of the Year' voting ballot.

Like Collins (who I continue to politely opine is a much more natural 2B but is flexible enough to play LF despite an arm befitting 2B), Cargo is a fantastic baseball player. I expect big things in 2024.

 

[Infield Fly]

Nice piece, but for perspective it would have been helpful in this series to include players' ages and level. At 27, it's hard to consider Roller (or Collins, who will turn 27) underrated. Maybe under the radar. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

5 hours ago, Infield Fly said:

Nice piece, but for perspective it would have been helpful in this series to include players' ages and level. At 27, it's hard to consider Roller (or Collins, who will turn 27) underrated. Maybe under the radar. 

Welcome to Brewer Fanatic!

[Rick Daltons Flamethrower]

The perspective regarding our minor league system has really changed in the last couple of years. Hats off to Matt Arnold and the scouting crew!

[Joseph Zarr]

5 hours ago, Rick Daltons Flamethrower said:

The perspective regarding our minor league system has really changed in the last couple of years. Hats off to Matt Arnold and the scouting crew!

Don't tell the fine folks at Fangraphs!🫢