Is Prospect Freddy Zamora The Stopgap Shortstop The Brewers Need?

[Harold Hutchison]

Image courtesy of © Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The truncated 2020 draft has been a reasonably productive one for the Milwaukee Brewers, given they had only five picks. Garrett Mitchell has been a solid option in the outfield when he’s healthy. At the same time, Joey Wiemer was a great stopgap in center field in 2023 before he landed the Brewers some pitching help in a 2024 trade, and Hayden Cantrelle landed the Brewers' emergency catching depth in 2022. Zavier Warren is looking to be putting things together as a utility player, finally.

But the Brewers’ 2020 second-round pick, Freddy Zamora, may be the stopgap answer the Crew needs at shortstop. He was an MLB Pipeline Top-30 prospect as late as 2023, having struggled with injuries while displaying excellent defense and a contact/OBP-oriented offensive profile. The injuries allowed Andruw Monasterio to bypass Zamora in 2022 en route to becoming one of the 2023 NL Central Champion team’s unsung heroes.

As of May 25, Zamora is posting a .840 OPS in 80 at-bats in Triple-A Nashville, highlighted by 11 walks to only 14 strikeouts in that sample, while adding two stolen bases. He has six extra-base hits in that sample, and is hitting .325.

Given the struggles of Joey Ortiz at shortstop, Zamora may be the answer to their current conundrum – how do the Brewers field a respectable team in 2025 without mortgaging the club’s future, especially with trades that could dip into the team’s deep farm system?

During his time in Milwaukee, Monasterio has demonstrated his ability to get on base and shown that he is not a horrible option at third base, holding the position acceptably well in 2023. Zamora could offer something similar at shortstop, succeeding where Vinny Capra played his way to being designated for assignment and claimed by the White Sox.

Zemora doesn’t have some of the “sunk cost” that Oliver Dunn, who has not impressed in two short stints with the Brewers, despite costing the Crew two solid prospects and blocking Tyler Black at the hot corner. He certainly lacks the ceiling of Cooper Pratt or Jesus Made at shortstop, but those matter less than the fact that he is an internal option for the Brewers.

With his demonstrated on-base ability and the fact that he controls his strikeouts, Zamora’s floor is reasonably high, and his defense has been solid. He’s also flashed some skill on the basepaths. In one sense, he would be a valuable lineup-extender at the bottom of the order or a superb backup infielder, the same niche capably filled by Monasterio in recent seasons.

A solid stopgap season at shortstop for Zamora could also help the Brewers in the long term. By proving himself in a somewhat extended 2025 MLB stint, there could be the chance the Crew could flip Zamora (or Monasterio) over the 2025-2026 MLB offseason to help re-stock their farm system and to create space at shortstop for Pratt on Opening Day 2026.

The Brewers have invested much into building up their farm system and improving their scouting over the last decade – an effort that has been very fruitful for the team. It is time for them to place their trust in that investment, make a call to Nashville, and see if Freddy Zamora can help the big-league club win both in the present and in the future.

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