Milwaukee Brewers Sleeper Prospects: Who Will Make the Jump in 2025?

[CheeseheadInQC]

Every year, some lesser-known or truly unknown prospects put themselves on the map. Here are several Brewers prospects who could do so in 2025.

Image courtesy of © Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With spring training underway, it is time to take a look at some of the Brewers’ prospects who might not be getting top-30 love right now, but seem poised to improve their stock this year.

As in past years, I’m dividing both the hitters and pitchers into tiers, with Tier 1 being guys who are either familiar names, close to the majors or close to the top-30 lists and Tier 3 generally being reserved for guys really off the radar.

So let’s see if we can’t predict some of the minor-league players from each tier to pop this season.

Hitters
Tier 1: Hedbert Perez

There are several interesting options for this spot (see Spencer Michaelis and Joseph Zarr’s minor-league podcast series if you want to get excited about Marco Dinges), but I’m going with a bounceback candidate.

Perez’s prospect arc is pretty well-known. While Luis Medina got the bigger bonus and the higher spot on the rankings, Perez seemed to be the guy most prospect watchers liked most from the Brewers’ 2019 international free-agent signing class (now pretty much known as the Quero class). The hype only built when he spent some time at the Brewers’ alternate site during the COVID season and then proceeded to put up big numbers in Arizona in 2021. However, the red flags during his time in Arizona (higher K rate, lower walk rate) helped lead him to plateau in A ball. Late in 2023, though, it seemed he was finally turning a corner.

Then he got hurt.

Perez missed most of 2024, and was pretty mediocre in high-A upon his return. He fared far better, though, in 88 plate appearances in the Venezuelan Winter League, against players mostly much older than him, including big-leaguers and former big-leaguers (Junior Guerra led the league in wins). I think the ship might have sailed on the potential star power hitter we hoped for during his first couple of seasons in the system. I just can’t see the on-base skills developing to that extent. I could, however, see him becoming a power-centric fourth outfield type. And, as the saying goes, that’s not nothing.

Tier 2: Pedro Ibarguen

It was really tempting to go with Handelfry Encarnacion here, but this list is going to have enough 2024 DSLers as it is (once again, see the minor-league podcast series for more on Encarnacion).

Instead, let’s turn to a second rebound candidate, one whose performance nose-dived in 2024 perhaps even more than Eric Brown Jr.

It is easy to forget now that Yophery Rodriguez wasn’t the best DSL performer among the 2023 international free agent signing class. That honor fell to Pedro Ibarguen. Rodriguez was still seen as a better prospect (and his peripherals were better), but Ibarguen put up a really good year.

And then 2024 happened.

Ibarguen went from one of the best hitters in the DSL to one of the worst hitters in the ACL. He had fewer total extra-base hits in Arizona (2) than he had home runs in the DSL (3). It was, well, not good, to the point where it raised legitimate questions about whether he will even reach full-season ball.

Looking back at the highest-performing 16- and 17-year-old prospects from the DSL in 2021 and 2022, there are several who have either stagnated or washed out in the Complex League, so this is not without precedent. In almost every case, though (and I think possibly every case that didn’t involve a catcher), there was an easily identifiable reason. The player got hurt or suspended or carried huge hit tool red flags even during his good DSL season.

Unless nagging injuries he tried to play through account for some of the struggles, however, that just isn’t the case for Ibarguen. That leads the optimist in me to think that this might not be the end—that Ibarguen won’t become a one-season DSL wonder. Playing time will be more difficult to come by this season (the ACL squad might be the only Brewers Stateside minor-league team with good outfield depth), but I believe Ibarguen has a chance to regain some of his prospect luster.

Tier 3: Juan Martinez

When looking at short-season minor-leaguers, especially the lower-profile ones without a ton of scouting reports, I rely on two things: statistics and organizational signals. Last year, I split up this category with one player who had statistics I thought made him underrated and another whose playing time (and position) indicated the Brewers thought highly of him. I could have done that again with Moises Polanco and Frederi Montero. Instead, this year, I will choose one player who has both, Juan Martinez.

Let’s start with the stats. His .700 OPS might have been among the lower totals for Brewers DSL regulars last season, but his statistical line has some definite bright spots. He had the second-lowest strikeout rate among Brewers DSLers, behind only Luis Pena. His walk rate wasn’t exceptional, but it was solid given his contact skills. He stole 15 bases in 16 tries and tallied five triples. He was one double away from hitting my 15% or less K rate, 10% or higher walk rate and .100 ISO benchmarks. He popped the ball up too much, but so did Tyler Rodriguez in 2023.

That brings us to organizational signals. The following chart lists every player still with the organization who got at least 10 at-bats in the first three spots in the DSL batting order in 2024

Players	Spot in Batting Order
	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
Jorge Quintana	65	130	5	200
Jesus Made	154	21	0	175
Luis Pena	0	143	20	163
Jose Anderson	61	8	82	151
Juan Martinez	3	5	88	96
Handelfry Encarnacion	21	18	49	88
Frederi Montero	5	7	55	67
Moises Polanco	54	7	3	64
Kevin Ereu	7	38	17	62

What’s more, Martinez played on the same team as Made and Pena (and Encarnacion for that matter), so for much of the season, he was only hitting behind two of the four top prospects in the DSL. He didn’t play a ton of shortstop, but again, Made and Pena. Overall, his playing time and place in the order were those of a player the Brewers believed in.

Pitchers

Tier 1: Wande Torres

More than half the hitters Wande Torres faced last season saw their at-bats end in a short walk back to the dugout, their faces filled with a mix of bewilderment and anger.

OK, the bewilderment and anger parts are just in my imagination, but when a guy strikes out more than half the hitters he faces, chances are he has induced a bit of both.

How good was Torres’ 53.2% K rate? It is the best in the DSL among pitchers with at least 10 innings since 2006. The one caveat is that Torres didn’t crack that 10 inning mark by much, throwing only 15 ⅔ innings as he worked his way back from an injury that cost him his entire 2023 season. It was a successful pseudo-rehab stint, though. Not only was Torres dominant strikeout-wise, but he almost halved his 2022 walk rate of 18% that weighed on the hard-throwing lefty’s peripherals.

Torres was brought stateside practically as soon as the DSL season ended, erasing any remaining doubt he would be in the U.S. next season. The question is, will Torres start in the ACL or will he skip the Complex League entirely and start the season in Carolina. I wouldn’t be at all surprised by the latter.

Tier 2: Melvin Hernandez

On the surface, the 2024 ACL season was a disaster for Brewers pitchers. They had the worst ERA, the worst WHIP and gave up the most hits. If you dig a little deeper, however, there was a different story to be told.

This was a team that had the ACL’s youngest pitching staff (all but three of the other teams’ were older than the Brewers’ low-A Carolina staff). And the youngsters out-performed their peers. Of the 10 teenage pitchers on the Brewers’ ACL roster, six had FIPs less than the league average for teenagers. Five of those six earned promotions to A ball, with only Hayden Robinson’s injury preventing it from being a clean sweep. And once there, they outperformed the league average for pitchers promoted from the Complex League to low-A.

At the center of it was Melvin Hernandez, the third youngest pitcher in either Complex League (and one of the two younger than him logged all of two innings). Like many on the Brewers’ ACL pitching staff, his ERA was uninspiring, logging in at 5.09. Since 2021, however, only one pitcher has had a better Complex League FIP in 30+ innings than his 3.81, the Yankees’ Luis Serna in 2022. If you include 18-year-olds, the list only expands to 13, and only one of those was in the tougher on pitchers ACL.

Part of the reason for the success was that unlike other pitchers who see their DSL K rate fall upon coming stateside, Hernandez’s rose first in the ACL and then again during a brief 6 inning cameo in A ball to close the season. And he did it all without much movement in his walk rate as well. In many ways, of all the recent ACL pitchers, the one whose season this was most reminiscent of statistically was Yujanyer Herrera’s age 18 season.

At 5-11, Hernandez doesn’t have Herrera’s height or frame, but the Brewers have shown a lot of confidence in the teen pitcher thus far, aggressively promoting him at a young age. That and his performance thus far have me thinking that Hernandez could take another step in A ball in 2025 like Manuel Rodriguez and Daniel Corniel did this season.

Tier 3: Enderson Mercado

In 2022, the Brewers had a pitcher who had a decidedly above average FIP among the DSL’s youngest starters but with an ERA that lagged well behind. Despite an ERA of about 5, the Brewers pushed Daniel Corniel up to the ACL in 2023, then Carolina in 2024 and were rewarded by him holding his own against A-ball hitting in his age-19 season.

Now in 2024, the Brewers had a player whose FIP was even better than Corniel and whose ERA was even worse. Like Corniel, he had the best FIP among the 17-and-under pitchers in the Brewers’ DSL complex. He also had the top K/9 of any Brewers DSL pitcher with at least 30 innings.

Now Mercado was a bit on the erratic side, but the number of younger DSL rookie pitchers who put up the type of stats he did (10+K/9, 2.5+K/BB, a substantial number of starts and innings) is pretty limited. While I could see him, assuming he gets brought stateside, struggling a bit at times in the ACL (most pitchers do), I also think that he performs well enough to put himself on the list of lower-level names to watch heading into 2026.

Now It Is Your Turn

Who do you think are the top sleeper prospects? Do you have different DSL favorites? Think Jason Woodward or Ryan Birchard breaks into the top 20? Projecting Quinton Low to make big control strides coming back from injury? Let me know in the comments.

 

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[Joseph Zarr]

May the Hedbert Perez dream never die! Woot woot! 

I tend to place Perez with Eduardo Garcia in the same confounding verbose spontaneously crafted category of: As each season passes I wonder a wee more loudly if he'll ever get it. What both young men truly lack is day-to-day in-game consistency - on both sides of the ball. They still play like very young professionals and in an org increasingly more talented at the youngest levels, and as aging prospects (a hilarious proposition from my latter half of my 40's opinion post), that is going to be and already is a major obstacle for them. AND, all this being babbled, they both reside in that area of the broader depth of the system (that borderline High-A/Double-A grouping) that lacks any semblance of stacked depth - ie they continue to have a massive opportunity in front of them. Both had solid Winter Leagues but as I've opined before this very winter I don't know if we can invest too heavily there as it very well could be a by-product in playing in a more comfortable environment. Obviously, we'd rather they play healthy and well, but I personally am very much in the camp of I need to see this for a significant portion of a healthy full-season affiliate before I get realistically 'excited'. Both have a wealth of talent. Both have been very flawed players in full-season affiliated ball.

As to Hedbert, specifically, despite the K issues I still absolutely believe in that smooth lefty swing. He absolutely has line drive power in there. I still absolutely know he has mobility and a decent cannon from the corner OF spots (ie this isn't a Tristen Lutz issue). It is the consistency of availability and game output and it is the mental lapses. Gotta shore those up. Still absolutely believe in the talent.

You know how I feel about LHP Wande Torres. And you know Ibarguen was distinctly one of my 'He is not the player his woeful ACL season suggested '.

So great to see you joining us in writing Minor League articles! Man, our greater ✍️squad is stacked.😅

[wiguy94]

Position Players

Hedbert Perez - Coming off a nice stint on the VEWL and the injuries finally behind him (fingers crossed) I think he has a year where you bounced back from being an afterthought by many.

Marco Dinges - Flashed great EV in Carolina last year. Hopefully with an offseason of tutelage from the Brewers he shows he can stick at C where he offers legit offensive upside

Filippo Di Turi - Struggled as an 18 year old in Carolina but had strong swing decisions. Very strong defensively up the middle, I think he bounces back offensively and ends up in Wisconsin by season's end as a 19 year old.

Pitchers

Will Rudy - Very smooth delivery. This is the offseason he finally adds a bit of velo to add to his solid command.

Will Childers - Flashed very solid stuff in the AZFL. I think he becomes a potential late season shuttle option for the bullpen.

Anthony Flores - Doesn't have the flashiest stuff, but has put up very respectable K and BB numbers the last two seasons between the DSL, ACL, and Carolina. Doing it over a full season in Carolina as a 20 year old officially puts him on the map as a name to watch

[Joseph Zarr]

14 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Position Players

Hedbert Perez - Coming off a nice stint on the VEWL and the injuries finally behind him (fingers crossed) I think he has a year where you bounced back from being an afterthought by many.

Marco Dinges - Flashed great EV in Carolina last year. Hopefully with an offseason of tutelage from the Brewers he shows he can stick at C where he offers legit offensive upside

Filippo Di Turi - Struggled as an 18 year old in Carolina but had strong swing decisions. Very strong defensively up the middle, I think he bounces back offensively and ends up in Wisconsin by season's end as a 19 year old.

Pitchers

Will Rudy - Very smooth delivery. This is the offseason he finally adds a bit of velo to add to his solid command.

Will Childers - Flashed very solid stuff in the AZFL. I think he becomes a potential late season shuttle option for the bullpen.

Anthony Flores - Doesn't have the flashiest stuff, but has put up very respectable K and BB numbers the last two seasons between the DSL, ACL, and Carolina. Doing it over a full season in Carolina as a 20 year old officially puts him on the map as a name to watch

Love the pitching names here. As you know I am consistently in awe of how Flores makes it all work. He is savvy savvy savvy. Really underrated hook. I keep hoping he add a few ticks of velo. If he could just get his stuff to that 91-93 mph range. None the less, highly impactful at every level so far. Rudy was phenomenal in that road Game 3 Championship series. Phenomenal. Would be such a boon to the system if he could keep growing into his young pitching career. I think we can pair Childers with Costello as two of the higher upside arms in that strong Biloxi Pen. The fastball growth we've seen in Childers, in particular, since his first days as a Mudcat is nothing short of astounding. Pitching Lab go Brrrrrr.

As to DiTuri, the main thing I'll be watching for in 2025 is has his game sped up to the speed of Low-A. He was making solid swing decisions, yes, but everything (and I personally include his defense) appeared a step slow at Low-A. We know the Brewers think very highly of him - see his PT in the post-season over the red hot (and now ML Rule 5 add for the Twins) Miguel Briceno as a small example - and he had really solid DSL and ACL bodies of work. The first go at Low-A was his first plateau as a professional. He's had an off-season. Let's see how he looks in those first few Low-A months.

All in all, I like your list!

[CheeseheadInQC]

3 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Love the pitching names here. As you know I am consistently in awe of how Flores makes it all work. He is savvy savvy savvy. Really underrated hook. I keep hoping he add a few ticks of velo. If he could just get his stuff to that 91-93 mph range. None the less, highly impactful at every level so far. Rudy was phenomenal in that road Game 3 Championship series. Phenomenal. Would be such a boon to the system if he could keep growing into his young pitching career. I think we can pair Childers with Costello as two of the higher upside arms in that strong Biloxi Pen. The fastball growth we've seen in Childers, in particular, since his first days as a Mudcat is nothing short of astounding. Pitching Lab go Brrrrrr.

As to DiTuri, the main thing I'll be watching for in 2025 is has his game sped up to the speed of Low-A. He was making solid swing decisions, yes, but everything (and I personally include his defense) appeared a step slow at Low-A. We know the Brewers think very highly of him - see his PT in the post-season over the red hot (and now ML Rule 5 add for the Twins) Miguel Briceno as a small example - and he had really solid DSL and ACL bodies of work. The first go at Low-A was his first plateau as a professional. He's had an off-season. Let's see how he looks in those first few Low-A months.

All in all, I like your list!

I will say this for Di Turi, he is far from alone in struggling after the in-season Complex League to A ball promotion. After doing the teen prospect series, I would say a comfortable majority struggled, especially those like Di Turi, IFA prospects in their second pro season. I can’t say the reason for most, but it made me appreciate the fact that Yophery Rodriguez handled a full season at low A as well as he did even more.

[Joseph Zarr]

1 hour ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

I will say this for Di Turi, he is far from alone in struggling after the in-season Complex League to A ball promotion. After doing the teen prospect series, I would say a comfortable majority struggled, especially those like Di Turi, IFA prospects in their second pro season. I can’t say the reason for most, but it made me appreciate the fact that Yophery Rodriguez handled a full season at low A as well as he did even more.

Having watched how players like Yophery, O'Rae, Guilarte (in his debut promotion), Baez (for the most part), Adams, Pratt, Adamczewski, Bitonti, Payne and Areinamo handled their initial Low-A work as young players, it was a significant regression in terms of what I expected given his previous body of work. Does it mean all that much in the grand scheme of things? Hard to tell today. That 2024 season is long gone. BUT, if Di Turi picks up where he left off those last two months through the playoffs...that is extremely noticeable from my vantage point with the number of players nipping at his heels. 

All I can truthfully say from my POV in terms of watching the vast majority of Mudcats games is I was unimpressed with 2024 Di Turi. I know he has the prospect pedigree. I know he makes very sound swing decisions. It's very fair to simply state through observation: the game moved too fast for him in his initial Low-A introduction. That means something. It certainly doesn't mean everything. And, 2025 is a new season. I sure as heck hope he attacks it and we see a player who learned from his previous exposure. The tools are there.

[Joseph Zarr]

Now that I've responded above, I'll give it my own go off the cuff here. As you know, I love this type of exercise.

Position Players:

Josh Adamczewski: The Brewers invited him down to ST earlier than most of the Minor League ST'ers. He was asked down by the 17th from what I heard - early by those ML standards. His bat is an absolute weapon. I said it last season. I am a big believer in that swing path and that type of contact. It has that sound, that trajectory, and that pop that jumps off the screen for me. Is he positionally limited? Likely. BUT, I personally see such an upside in the bat this is a young man who will fill in adequately enough at a few positions to warrant more serious consideration as he ages, fills out, and matures. So much to like here.

Tyler Rodriguez: I'm a bit ride-or-die with Rodriguez 😅. I've kind of jumped on this train quite awhile back and it's like 'Snowpiercer' - I can't find my way off! And, why is that? The movement profile. Every Brewers PD clip I've seen and every small piece of film I've seen outside that realm via various Complex contacts I've spoken to shows a young man with the type of athletic profile I absolutely love in the middle infield. He's agile. He has good hands. He only just turned 19 years old in early February. What's more? He's carried over a very solid K:BB ratio through the DSL and an entire ACL season. He had measurably better BABIP in 2024 than he did in 2023 so I do have reservations at the dish. BUT, this is just a player I've grown to quite like in nearly every viewing I've been afforded. He's definitely my guy 'on the outside', so to speak, who is knocking on the door.

Tayden Hall: I'm going to go ahead and give Tayden Hall a High-A pass for his struggles upon promotion. He's too good an athlete with too pretty a swing to let his lesser work in his first exposure to High-A to carry into an entire season in 2025. I still saw the same fluidity of movement everywhere - at 1B and in the batters box. I still saw the same consistent form and habits. I still believe there is an even better overall player in here beyond what we've seen to date - and, for the most part, we've seen a very solid player. I continue to have a hard time seeing a broader baseball future where Hall doesn't access more power. This is a young man who nearly every season to date I've left room for a precipitous leap in the power department.

Pitchers:

Yerlin Rodriguez: I am ready to be hurt again 🤭. Anyone who has seen Rodriguez pitch when he is right (yes, oh my so sadly, in those 3-4 outing per year), knows the raw tools are absolutely MLB-caliber. I see it. Opposing announcers see it. BUT, boy oh boy, talk about zero consistency or control over any prolonged stretch. This is the season I'm going to guesstimate Rodriguez starts putting together longer stretches of impact with shorter-term struggles and regressions. This is the year he makes the Double-A leap and starts entering the conversation. (At least I'm going to say that to try and speak it into existence)

Jesus Rivero: Let's double down on the wildly inconsistent with tools category. I'm going to opine Rivero fine-tunes the aspects of his delivery that become erratic and lead to stretches of inefficiency and too many men on base. We all know he has a very deep toolkit of pitches and savvy. We have not seen any prolonged consistency here either. I'm going to try and speak into existence a consistent season that carries into High-A ball. Nobody has really hit Rivero at any level. His strikeout abilities are very plus. It's all about controlling the tools consistently.

Chase Costello: I'm just going to give Costello some shine here because, well, I love Chase Costello. He's a bulldog. He has that classic marriage of size; build; and rip I absolutely love in high-leverage relievers. He's got that long hair and IDGAF my stuff is better than yours appearance on the mound to piggy-back off my personal fave in RHP KC Hunt. He has incredible ride and run on his heaters. He is distinctly (and has been) in my 'knocking on the door for actual MLB conversations' down the line. Everything is there. I really am looking forward to further solidifying his place on the Brewers pitching map in 2025.

 

[CheeseheadInQC]

5 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Now that I've responded above, I'll give it my own go off the cuff here. As you know, I love this type of exercise.

Position Players:

Josh Adamczewski: The Brewers invited him down to ST earlier than most of the Minor League ST'ers. He was asked down by the 17th from what I heard - early by those ML standards. His bat is an absolute weapon. I said it last season. I am a big believer in that swing path and that type of contact. It has that sound, that trajectory, and that pop that jumps off the screen for me. Is he positionally limited? Likely. BUT, I personally see such an upside in the bat this is a young man who will fill in adequately enough at a few positions to warrant more serious consideration as he ages, fills out, and matures. So much to like here.

Tyler Rodriguez: I'm a bit ride-or-die with Rodriguez 😅. I've kind of jumped on this train quite awhile back and it's like 'Snowpiercer' - I can't find my way off! And, why is that? The movement profile. Every Brewers PD clip I've seen and every small piece of film I've seen outside that realm via various Complex contacts I've spoken to shows a young man with the type of athletic profile I absolutely love in the middle infield. He's agile. He has good hands. He only just turned 19 years old in early February. What's more? He's carried over a very solid K:BB ratio through the DSL and an entire ACL season. He had measurably better BABIP in 2024 than he did in 2023 so I do have reservations at the dish. BUT, this is just a player I've grown to quite like in nearly every viewing I've been afforded. He's definitely my guy 'on the outside', so to speak, who is knocking on the door.

Tayden Hall: I'm going to go ahead and give Tayden Hall a High-A pass for his struggles upon promotion. He's too good an athlete with too pretty a swing to let his lesser work in his first exposure to High-A to carry into an entire season in 2025. I still saw the same fluidity of movement everywhere - at 1B and in the batters box. I still saw the same consistent form and habits. I still believe there is an even better overall player in here beyond what we've seen to date - and, for the most part, we've seen a very solid player. I continue to have a hard time seeing a broader baseball future where Hall doesn't access more power. This is a young man who nearly every season to date I've left room for a precipitous leap in the power department.

Pitchers:

Yerlin Rodriguez: I am ready to be hurt again 🤭. Anyone who has seen Rodriguez pitch when he is right (yes, in those 3-4 outing per year, know the raw tools are absolutely MLB-caliber. I see it. Opposing announcers see it. BUT, boy oh boy, talk about zero consistency or control over any prolonged stretch. This is the season I'm going to guesstimate Rodriguez starts putting together longer stretches of impact with shorter-term struggles and regressions. This is the year he makes the Double-A leap and starts entering the conversation. (At least I'm going to say that to try and speak it into existence)

Jesus Rivero: Let's double down on the wildly inconsistent with tools category. I'm going to opine Rivero fine-tunes the aspects of his delivery that become erratic and lead to stretches of inefficiency and too many men on base. We all know he has a very deep toolkit of pitches and savvy. We have not seen any prolonged consistency here either. I'm going to try and speak into existence a consistent season that carries into High-A ball. Nobody has really hit Rivero at any level. His strikeout abilities are very plus. It's all about controlling the tools consistently.

Chase Costello: I'm just going to give Costello some shine here because, well, I love Chase Costello. He's a bulldog. He has that classic marriage of size; build; and rip I absolutely love in high-leverage relievers. He's got that long hair and IDGAF my stuff is better than yours appearance on the mound to piggy-back off my personal fave in RHP KC Hunt. He has incredible ride and run on his heaters. He is distinctly (and has been) in my 'knocking on the door for actual MLB conversations' down the line. Everything is there. I really am looking forward to further solidifying his place on the Brewers pitching map in 2025.

 

I generally pay attention to organizational signals like playing time, but there is something so easy to respect about players like Tyler Rodriguez who seem to always start the year buried a bit on the depth chart but simply play too well when they get an opportunity to stay that way. He is probably going to be facing the same situation in A ball with the infield depth, but I am with you. I think he finds a way to impress again.

Also, I saw an absolute blowup outing from Yerlin when they were in the QC, and even then he had some pitches that made me say, “What was that?” in a good way. If he can cut down the number of times you have to say it negatively, he could be special.

[Joseph Zarr]

22 minutes ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

Also, I saw an absolute blowup outing from Yerlin when they were in the QC, and even then he had some pitches that made me say, “What was that?” in a good way. If he can cut down the number of times you have to say it negatively, he could be special.

Precisely. The 7/24 outing @ Beloit was the pinnacle.. I watched the game and wrote the report:

Quote

2) I've been a notorious RHP Yerlin Rodriguez fan for the past two years. Even when the results feel off the track due to walks and location concerns, I insisted (and I still insist) the raw tools are too good to brush over. I've said on numerous occasions: absolutely high-leverage late-inning reliever stuff. Tonight, well, he reached an entirely new level. Five pitches of his 12 pitch three strikeout ninth inning hit 100 mph or more. He ended the game on a 101 mph swing and miss with a young batter entirely overmatched. Typically, Rodriguez might touch 98 mph a handful of times in an outing. Eclipsing 100 at will? Well, that changes everything. You pair this with an accurate 91-92 mph slider? Well, we're looking at what I've envisioned for some time. We didn't see a single breaking ball in this outing but he he has it and didn't need it. Do not sleep on this young man. Despite the walk issues in 2024, I will convey to you once more: the stuff is just too good. This is his age 22 season. 

 

[wiguy94]

1 hour ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Having watched how players like Yophery, O'Rae, Guilarte (in his debut promotion), Baez (for the most part), Adams, Pratt, Adamczewski, Bitonti, Payne and Areinamo handled their initial Low-A work as young players, it was a significant regression in terms of what I expected given his previous body of work. Does it mean all that much in the grand scheme of things? Hard to tell today. That 2024 season is long gone. BUT, if Di Turi picks up where he left off those last two months through the playoffs...that is extremely noticeable from my vantage point with the number of players nipping at his heels. 

All I can truthfully say from my POV in terms of watching the vast majority of Mudcats games is I was unimpressed with 2024 Di Turi. I know he has the prospect pedigree. I know he makes very sound swing decisions. It's very fair to simply state through observation: the game moved too fast for him in his initial Low-A introduction. That means something. It certainly doesn't mean everything. And, 2025 is a new season. I sure as heck hope he attacks it and we see a player who learned from his previous exposure. The tools are there.

Most of those players you listed were older than Di Turi was last year when they were in Carolina. O'Rae, Guilarte, Adams, Pratt, Adamczewski were all 19. Baez in his short A ball stint as an 18 year old had a 65 wRC+. Yophery, Bitonti, Payne are different tier of prospect than Di Turi is. Think you're being incredibly dismissive of someone who was 2.5 years younger than the average player in the Carolina League. He was one of the youngest players in the entire league.

[Joseph Zarr]

23 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Most of those players you listed were older than Di Turi was last year when they were in Carolina. O'Rae, Guilarte, Adams, Pratt, Adamczewski were all 19. Baez in his short A ball stint as an 18 year old had a 65 wRC+. Yophery, Bitonti, Payne are different tier of prospect than Di Turi is. Think you're being incredibly dismissive of someone who was 2.5 years younger than the average player in the Carolina League. He was one of the youngest players in the entire league.

I'm really not being dismissive. I'm actually just sharing my observations and how those formulated my opinion. I know he was younger and that's always a valid point when discussing full-season players. My observations were and are (until the 2025 season kicks off, as I said): the Low-A Level speed of play in pretty much every facet was a step too fast for him in 2024. There is nothing dismissive in this statement based on his output and what we observed. It's as easy as: that is what I saw. Counter that with Braylon Payne (granted shades of talent and pedigree differential here) who met the level and absolutely impressed and excelled and imparted his speed of play into games and who will be 18 years of age until mid summer. AND, as I stated above: 2025 is a different season. I love the swing decisions.  Incredibly sound. He has a smoothness in his game. I did not enjoy the contact quality. And, it's absolutely more than fair to share: he was behind the ball and behind the speed of play nearly his entire time at Low-A in 2024. I just don't think this is a contentious thing to say whatsoever. And, again, I hope he hits the ground running in 2025. Just as I hope Dylan O'Rae learned from his considerable struggles in his first exposure at Double-A. Which also isn't dismissive but rather based in what I saw: Dylan O'Rae really struggled to meet the strength and speed of Double-A ball his first go around.

[wiguy94]

3 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

I'm really not being dismissive. I'm actually just sharing my observations and how those formulated my opinion. I know he was younger and that's always a valid point when discussing full-season players. My observations were and are (until the 2025 season kicks off, as I said): the Low-A Level speed of play in pretty much every facet was a step too fast for him in 2024. There is nothing dismissive in this statement based on his output and what we observed. It's as easy as: that is what I saw. Counter that with Braylon Payne (granted shades of talent and pedigree differential here) who met the level and absolutely impressed and excelled and imparted his speed of play into games and who will be 18 years of age until mid summer. AND, as I stated above: 2025 is a different season. I love the swing decisions.  Incredibly sound. He has a smoothness in his game. I did not enjoy the contact quality. And, it's absolutely more than fair to share: he was behind the ball and behind the speed of play nearly his entire time at Low-A in 2024. I just don't think this is a contentious thing to say whatsoever. And, again, I hope he hits the ground running in 2025. Just as I hope Dylan O'Rae learned from his considerable struggles in his first exposure at Double-A. Which also isn't dismissive but rather based in what I saw: Dylan O'Rae really struggled to meet the strength and speed of Double-A ball his first go around.

I think the idea of comparing him to a bunch of players who hit the level a year older than he did as an example of how he was "poor" by your standards is the dismissive part. Especially when one of those names was Juan Baez a guy who looked completely out of place in Carolina in his very brief sample as an 18 year old.

[Joseph Zarr]

1 minute ago, wiguy94 said:

I think the idea of comparing him to a bunch of players who hit the level a year older than he did as an example of how he was "poor" by your standards is the dismissive part. Especially when one of those names was Juan Baez a guy who looked completely out of place in Carolina in his very brief sample as an 18 year old.

I know you love doing this when you are really trying to prove your point with me. If you're going to tout your Baez assertion here you are comparing an original late season 9 Game sample size to a mid-season 66 Game sample size. This just isn't apples to apples. It isn't. Baez was also 18 years old quite a bit of last season when he was very much a lifeblood spark plug of a playoff contending team before his unfortunate shoulder injury. And then further solidified what I saw with a very solid AFL even making Propsects Worldwide's Top 20 list (above Durbin, no less😅).  These two players are only five months apart in age. And, their development curves are in different stages. And, as you know, I watch these games. I am discussing the players and their output. And, that's really it. Obviously, age is a factor. Plenty of runway left for both players. I don't know why you are overly harping on this. 

Here's another way of saying this: I don't care if we disagree on what we're saying and how we're saying it. I hope both players have fantastic 2025's. 

[wiguy94]

2 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

I know you love doing this when you are really trying to prove your point with me. If you're going to tout your Baez assertion here you are comparing an original late season 9 Game sample size to a mid-season 66 Game sample size. This just isn't apples to apples. It isn't. Baez was also 18 years old quite a bit of last season when he was very much a lifeblood spark plug of a playoff contending team before his unfortunate shoulder injury. And then further solidified what I saw with a very solid AFL even making Propsects Worldwide's Top 20 list (above Durbin, no less😅).  These two players are only five months apart in age. And, their development curves are in different stages. And, as you know, I watch these games. I am discussing the players and their output. And, that's really it. Obviously, age is a factor. Plenty of runway left for both players. I don't know why you are overly harping on this. 

Here's another way of saying this: I don't care if we disagree on what we're saying and how we're saying it. I hope both players have fantastic 2025's. 

Of course they are strikingly different samples and normally I wouldn't bother referencing that small of a sample but you used Payne's 6 game A ball sample as an example of someone who looked the part so I thought it was fair game to do the same with Baez.

I also watch the games. That's not something unique to you.

[Joseph Zarr]

10 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Of course they are strikingly different samples and normally I wouldn't bother referencing that small of a sample but you used Payne's 6 game A ball sample as an example of someone who looked the part so I thought it was fair game to do the same with Baez.

I also watch the games. That's not something unique to you.

I know you do my friend. Do you think I also don't know who I'm talking to in addition to not knowing what I'm saying? LOL. Riddle me this: Did you see anything remotely close to Payne's impact in Di Turi's 66 game sample? I think we both know the answer. Again, this isn't an apples-to-apples thing you are trying to get across here. As I said: completely fine to disagree with you on what you are attempting to assert I'm saying. Despite what you seem to think, oddly, as I've state numerous times: I actually just want all the players to achieve the best versions of themselves. It still won't change my opinion of what I saw at Low-A Carolina in Di Turi's 2024 output. This isn't rocket science.

( @CheeseheadInQC: At this point in time I'm simply adding to your comments to try and attract you more views 😜)

[CheeseheadInQC]

With Di Turi, I know I overreacted to his ACL stats, forgetting that the ACL can be wacky. I guess. I am trying to modulate that with my usual thought that A ball success at that age for me typically means more than A ball struggles.

While guys like Francisca (Guardians), Tait (Phillies), and Arias (Red Sox) made the transition smoothly, Eduardo Quintero (Dodgers), Starlyn Caba (Marlins), Pablo Guerrero (Rangers) and pretty much a whole lineup’s worth of Braves prospects all struggled.

[Joseph Zarr]

7 minutes ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

With Di Turi, I know I overreacted to his ACL stats, forgetting that the ACL can be wacky. I guess. I am trying to modulate that with my usual thought that A ball success at that age for me typically means more than A ball struggles.

While guys like Francisca (Guardians), Tait (Phillies), and Arias (Red Sox) made the transition smoothly, Eduardo Quintero (Dodgers), Starlyn Caba (Marlins), Pablo Guerrero (Rangers) and pretty much a whole lineup’s worth of Braves prospects all struggled.

Indeed. ACL can be wacky. AND, every player has a different path and a different timing in their careers. The Jackson Chourio path is not normal as we know. Heck, the KC Hunt and Craig Yoho paths aren't normal - even for Minor League players in their age group. There are very plus attributes to Di Turi's game that likely endeared him to the broader organization - his overall discipline, his zone recognition and swing decisions, his general fluidity, and I would opine the way he carries himself. He seems like a very level-headed young man and player. His first stint was mired in one long slow-to-adjust Low-A slump for the most part. Even tho, and I obviously saw this and 'contend' this, the first exposure speed of play was a tick too fast for where he was in his development arc, I appreciated he didn't change who he was. His swing path and his swing, by and large, remained the same. This does give me hope that with an off-season of strength and conditioning work he can have a bounce back season where he re-establishes himself. A worthy add to anyone else's 'Sleeper' list. 😉 

[wiguy94]

44 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

I know you do my friend. Do you think I also don't know who I'm talking to in addition to not knowing what I'm saying? LOL. Riddle me this: Did you see anything remotely close to Payne's impact in Di Turi's 66 game sample? I think we both know the answer. Again, this isn't an apples-to-apples thing you are trying to get across here. As I said: completely fine to disagree with you on what you are attempting to assert I'm saying. Despite what you seem to think, oddly, as I've state numerous times: I actually just want all the players to achieve the best versions of themselves. It still won't change my opinion of what I saw at Low-A Carolina in Di Turi's 2024 output. This isn't rocket science.

( @CheeseheadInQC: At this point in time I'm simply adding to your comments to try and attract you more views 😜)

Ha no of course not. There's a reason why I have Payne as my 7th ranked prospect and Di Turi 38th. Hence Di Turi as a pick for a sleeper prospect. Honestly your push back against Di Turi actually makes it an even better pick because clearly you don't think he has it in him to take a step and I do push back against some of your evaluations on Di Turi especially at the plate. He's a guy who had a 92 wRC+ through July 31st in Carolina then just really fell off a cliff the last 5 weeks to the tune of a 53 wRC+. Fellow 18 year old Yophery saw a late season drop off as well. He was sitting at a 130 wRC+ at the end of July then had an 82 wRC+ the rest of the way. I think there's a good chance that both he and Yophery hit a late season wall in their first season in full season ball. Di Turi showed some intriguing characteristics at the plate especially for an 18 year old in his swing decisions and his ability to pull/lift the ball.

[CheeseheadInQC]

Just to add context with stats, which is my thing, since 2021, 39 players in their 17- or 18-year-old season have put up a 100+ wRC+ in at least 100 A ball plate appearances. Only three teams had more than two, and only the Mariners (6) had more than the Brewers' 5. Take out the Padres' 3 and the other 27 teams combined for 25.

[snoogans8056]

26 minutes ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

Just to add context with stats, which is my thing, since 2021, 39 players in their 17- or 18-year-old season have put up a 100+ wRC+ in at least 100 A ball plate appearances. Only three teams had more than two, and only the Mariners (6) had more than the Brewers' 5. Take out the Padres' 3 and the other 27 teams combined for 25.

We gonna double that 5 this year (kidding, but not really).

[Michael Trzinski]

8 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

May the Hedbert Perez dream never die! Woot woot! 

I tend to place Perez with Eduardo Garcia in the same confounding verbose spontaneously crafted category of: As each season passes I wonder a wee more loudly if he'll ever get it. What both young men truly lack is day-to-day in-game consistency - on both sides of the ball. They still play like very young professionals and in an org increasingly more talented at the youngest levels, and as aging prospects (a hilarious proposition from my latter half of my 40's opinion post), that is going to be and already is a major obstacle for them. AND, all this being babbled, they both reside in that area of the broader depth of the system (that borderline High-A/Double-A grouping) that lacks any semblance of stacked depth - ie they continue to have a massive opportunity in front of them. Both had solid Winter Leagues but as I've opined before this very winter I don't know if we can invest too heavily there as it very well could be a by-product in playing in a more comfortable environment. Obviously, we'd rather they play healthy and well, but I personally am very much in the camp of I need to see this for a significant portion of a healthy full-season affiliate before I get realistically 'excited'. Both have a wealth of talent. Both have been very flawed players in full-season affiliated ball.

As to Hedbert, specifically, despite the K issues I still absolutely believe in that smooth lefty swing. He absolutely has line drive power in there. I still absolutely know he has mobility and a decent cannon from the corner OF spots (ie this isn't a Tristen Lutz issue). It is the consistency of availability and game output and it is the mental lapses. Gotta shore those up. Still absolutely believe in the talent.

You know how I feel about LHP Wande Torres. And you know Ibarguen was distinctly one of my 'He is not the player his woeful ACL season suggested '.

So great to see you joining us in writing Minor League articles! Man, our greater ✍️squad is stacked.😅

I envy the writers that are so well informed about our future Milwaukee Brewers. I am good at writing about the past; you all are pretty damned good at writing about the future. I salute you!

[jesusoftheapes]

Deep cuts here.    Very sleeper.   Almost hibernation for some in fact.      

[CheeseheadInQC]

53 minutes ago, jesusoftheapes said:

Deep cuts here.    Very sleeper.   Almost hibernation for some in fact.      

I can’t remember if I did, but the first year I broke my sleepers into tiers I considered calling Tier 3 the Rip Van Winkle tier.

[jay87shot]

I'll go Juan Ortuno, Adamzewski , and Eric Brown Jr. for bats.

Orunto is the guy that really get overlooked with the amazing DSL group because his tools aren't as loud. .344/.464/.481 more bb than k's puts him right with Made and Pena but because he is 5'8" and sign for a lot less he doesn't get mentioned. I doubt he starts in Biloxi but I would think 100 good ab's in rookie league could get him a promotion.

Josh A has been talked about so I won't say much.

Eric Brown, ok he had a nightmare year but he is just to good of an athlete to just disappear. Hopefully this is a Trent Grisham 2019 style year where they team let's his funky swing just be what it is and he gets out of his head. With how bad the year was he did only strikeout 83 times in 441 ab's. I have more faith in EBJ than Hebert or Eduardo Garcia.

For pitchers I will go Manny Rodriguez, Jason Woodward, Quinten Low

Manny Rodriguez has gotten some bottom of the top 30 love which is really a testament to how strong our system is. He was only 18 and had a 77/10 k/bb ratio in 94 innings. He showed the qualities that you can teach with some really gritty performances. He is kind of in the same boat as Ortuno were he doesn't have loud tools but at 6'2 175 he can add up to 5+ mph on his heater by the time he gets to the bigs. If he goes an affiliate a year he will be in the bigs around 22 throwing 93-95 with a solid pitcher mix and that bulldog approach and control. 

Woodward was up to 98 last year if I'm not mistaken. The problem is that he has thrown 40ish innings in 3 years. I envision a Brett Wichrowski style year for him, great first 4/5 starts that turns some heads. Probably a pretty early promotion to AA and then he holds his own.

I don't know where Quinton Low is in recovery but if he is ready to go I think there is a lights out reliever in there. If he recovers fully and then gets a bump in mph from the surgery and/or switching to relief I think there is 100 mph easy. Trying to be a 2 way player (more pitching) and starting he was throwing up to 98 if I remember correctly in 2023. He is still only 22.

 

[SoCalBrewfan]

Eduardo Garcia is ever intriguing, as a former hyped international seven figure bonus baby who is still quite young and made a bit of noise in the winter leagues. The k/bb numbers in the low minors are not promising, but a fella can hope. 

With other promising infielders on the way, though, even a great season by Garcia might well just lead to him being used in a trade, as we saw with Barrios last year.