Milwaukee Brewers 2026 Top Prospects: No. 10, Marco Dinges

[Spencer Michaelis]

Image courtesy of © Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

#10 Marco Dinges (Carolina Mudcats, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers)

The Brewers drafted Marco Dinges in the fourth round of the 2024 Draft, giving him $500,000 to join the organization. Having mostly functioned in a designated hitter role at Florida State, Dinges was announced as a catcher on draft day. He briefly debuted in Carolina at the end of the 2024 season and caught a couple of games there, before returning to Carolina to begin his 2025 season. Dinges performed extremely well in Carolina, and was moved up to High-A Wisconsin by mid-May.

PA	H	2B	3B	HR	OPS	wRC+	wOBA	K%	BB%	SwStr%	Whiff%	PULL%	CENT%	OPPO%	LD%	GB%	FB%	IFFB%	SB	CS	SB%	90th EV
317	77	12	2	13	.930	161	.437	19.2%	15.5%	12.5%	28.3%	40.8%	24.4%	34.8%	20.3%	40.6%	39.1%	23.4%	5	1	83%	107.2

What to Like
Dinges showed one of the more intriguing offensive profiles in the system in 2025, producing at a high level despite missing time due to multiple soft tissue injuries. Considering the broader context of his development, simply appearing in regular game action was a significant step forward. Just two years prior, he was battling hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a life-threatening condition that required extensive treatment. His ability to get back on the field relatively consistently and perform at a high level represented a notable milestone in his progression.

When healthy, Dinges demonstrated middle-of-the-order offensive potential. He finished the season with a .930 OPS, 161 wRC+, and .437 wOBA, all strong indicators of impact production. Power is the defining trait of his offensive profile. The swing is built to do damage. Dinges generates some of the best bat speed in the organization, allowing him to drive the ball with authority. His 107.2 MPH 90th-percentile exit velocity reflects legitimate plus raw power, and his 13 home runs in 317 plate appearances highlight his ability to get the power to show up in games. 

His offensive approach also shows encouraging signs beyond power production. Dinges posted a strong 12.5% walk rate, demonstrating a willingness to work counts and avoid expanding the zone. For a hitter with this level of power and bat speed, maintaining strong plate discipline is an important foundation for future development. While his offensive profile currently leans heavily toward power, the underlying approach gives him a chance to remain productive even during stretches when the power output dips.

There's also notable upside tied to his defensive ability. Catchers with this level of offensive potential are difficult to find, and Dinges shows the athletic traits necessary to remain behind the plate. He possesses good overall mobility for the position and flashes advanced defensive ability. His arm strength is a clear asset, grading as plus and giving him the tools needed to control the running game once his mechanics improve. The combination of offensive upside and the potential to stick at catcher significantly raises his overall profile and long-term value.

What to Work On
Swing-and-miss remains the most significant area of weakness in Dinges’ offensive profile. His aggressive, power-focused swing produces considerable impact, but also leads to empty hacks, as reflected in his 28.3% whiff rate and 19.2% strikeout rate. While he showed some ability to manage strikeouts relative to his power output, improving contact consistency will be important against higher-level pitching. Continued development in understanding when to prioritize contact over maximizing power could stabilize his offensive production, without sacrificing his impact potential.

Defensively, Dinges does show plenty of moments where it’s obvious that he’s still relatively inexperienced at the catcher position and will need to refine the technical aspects. Much of his development behind the plate centers on improving consistency in receiving, blocking, and throwing mechanics. His caught-stealing rate of 17.8% reflects a need for improvement in footwork and overall throwing efficiency, rather than arm strength, which is already a clear positive. With cleaner mechanics, his defensive performance could take a meaningful step forward.

Improving his durability will also be important. While it’s not a huge deal that Dinges missed some time in 2025, demonstrating the ability to handle the physical demands of regular catching duties over a full season will be an important step in his development.

What’s Next
Dinges is likely to return to Appleton to begin the 2026 season, where he will have the opportunity to build on his offensive production while continuing to refine his defensive skills. If he remains healthy and shows improvement in his receiving and throwing consistency, a promotion to Double-A Biloxi could come relatively quickly.

His long-term outlook will largely depend on the balance between offensive impact and defensive development. If he continues to produce at the plate while making steady progress behind it, he could emerge the top catching prospect in the system. The combination of power production and the potential to remain at catcher gives him a particularly high ceiling, relative to many prospects at the level.

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What are your thoughts on Dinges? What are you hoping to see from him in 2026? Let us know in the comments!

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[jay87shot]

Clearly the bat and defensive upside are there but if he dosen't put it together defensively as he climbs the ladder and the bat is still solid what position would he transition to 1B or corner outfield? It is possible with some of his injury issued that he might struggle just with health if he stays an everyday catcher. That being said I would think he should get all the runway to be a catcher with the arm and as you pointed out the added value of having a catcher who could be a middle of the order bat.

 

[Terry]

Quote

His aggressive, power-focused swing produces considerable impact, but also leads to empty hacks, as reflected in his 40.8% whiff rate and 29.2% strikeout rate.

I'll be extremely worried if it's that high haha. Think I read it somewhere that his in-game bat speed is around mid-70s while able to maintain his zone-whiff% to less than 20% in the meantime. Intriguing to say the least👀

[Spencer Michaelis]

23 minutes ago, Terry said:

I'll be extremely worried if it's that high haha. Think I read it somewhere that his in-game bat speed is around mid-70s while able to maintain his zone-whiff% to less than 20% in the meantime. Intriguing to say the least👀

Good lord, what was I doing there... Fixed it. It was a 28.3% whiff rate and 19.2% strikeout rate. I even have the correct numbers up above in the article lol. This is what happens when I finish articles at 1 in the morning apparently.

[Tedaldtada]

Easy to dream on this one but Dinges is tough. It felt like he was a man-amongst-boys last season at both stops. Feels similar to what Made felt like before last year. The under the hood metrics make me confident. Nervous that the package is too good to be true. Let’s extend that track record young man!

[jay87shot]

Does he start in AA? I am sure the plan was that if he had a full AFL that AA would have been a no brainer, If I was in charge I would put him in Biloxi but could see a world where they want him to start strong for a few weeks and get Matt Wood a little run in AA before moving both up a level. and having a roster position overload in AAA with Quero, McGuire, and Wood potentially (Damien Miller in the AA/AAA mix as well).

[SF70]

54 minutes ago, jay87shot said:

Does he start in AA? I am sure the plan was that if he had a full AFL that AA would have been a no brainer, If I was in charge I would put him in Biloxi but could see a world where they want him to start strong for a few weeks and get Matt Wood a little run in AA before moving both up a level. and having a roster position overload in AAA with Quero, McGuire, and Wood potentially (Damien Miller in the AA/AAA mix as well).

Not seeing McGuire in AAA. If he doesn’t make the team out of ST, my guess is he opts-out and leaves the organization.

[Tedaldtada]

Factoring in organizational constipation, I’d expect Peña, Fischer and Dinges to be hitting 1-3 in Appleton for the first month of the season. Then all bets are off. Let the production dictate from there.

[biedergb]

On 2/27/2026 at 9:59 AM, Tedaldtada said:

Factoring in organizational constipation

Line of the day!