Milwaukee Brewers 2026 Top Prospects, No. 2: Luis Peña

[Spencer Michaelis]

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

#2 Luis Peña (Carolina Mudcats, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers)

Peña has quickly developed into one of the more interesting young position players in the system, and if not for Jesús Made, he would likely be the talk of minor-league camp as it opens this week.

PA	H	2B	3B	HR	OPS	wRC+	wOBA	K%	BB%	SwStr%	Whiff%	PULL%	CENT%	OPPO%	LD%	GB%	FB%	IFFB%	SB	CS	SB%	90th EV
418	101	18	6	9	.757	113	.363	16.3%	8.1%	11.3%	24.0%	45.7%	25.1%	29.3%	20.9%	44.4%	34.6%	23.6%	44	7	86%	104.2

What to Like
While Peña didn't receive the same level of attention as Made during their 2024 DSL debuts, his production at that level was equally strong. He sustained that momentum into 2025, even outperforming Made at Low-A before facing challenges after a promotion to High-A. The overall performance showed both his upside and the typical growing pains of a very young player facing more advanced competition.

One of the biggest developments in Peña’s profile has been his power. Over the course of one offseason, he made a significant jump in his contact quality, improving his 90th-percentile exit velocity from under 100 MPH in the DSL to 104.2 MPH at two levels in 2025. That jump in impact elevated his offensive ceiling and added another dimension to his game. The improved strength showed up in his production, as he hit nine home runs and six triples during the 2025 season.

Speed is another defining part of Peña’s profile. He possesses plus or better speed, and his application of it impacts the game in multiple ways. His quickness allows him to create pressure on defenses and provide a lot of value on the bases. He stole 44 bases in 2025 and has the aggressiveness and pure speed to be a big threat in that regard. The combination of emerging power and high-end speed gives him an exciting offensive foundation.

Despite being one of the youngest players at his levels, Peña showed the ability to produce against older competition for much of the season. His offensive tools give him a high ceiling as he continues to develop physically and refine his approach.

What to Work On
The biggest area for improvement in Peña’s offensive profile is his approach at the plate. After his promotion to High-A, he began to show more swing-and-miss and struggled to maintain the same level of contact he showed earlier in the season. He currently chases pitches outside the zone more often than you’d like to see, and improving his pitch recognition and plate discipline will be important as he moves up the ladder. Elevating his hard-hit contact more often would also help his burgeoning power to really flourish.

Defensively, there are significant questions about his long-term position. His work on the infield has been inconsistent, with actions that can appear rigid and hands that don't yet bring the ball in as surely as they'll need to. His defensive instincts and overall comfort on the dirt remain areas of concern. Shortstop looks unlikely, and continued development will be necessary for him to remain an infielder at any spot.

His athleticism and arm strength provide enough tools to continue developing on the dirt in the short term, but a move to the outfield remains a realistic possibility. A transition to the outfield could allow his speed and athletic ability to play more naturally and maximize his defensive value; it would also accelerate his progress toward the majors.

As with many young players, overall consistency will be key. Refining his approach, improving defensive reliability, and adjusting to higher-level pitching will determine how quickly he progresses.

What’s Next
Peña is expected to return to High-A in 2026. The organization will likely continue evaluating him on the infield, while also considering long-term positional fit based on his development. His combination of speed and emerging power gives him a high offensive ceiling, and the athleticism could allow the defense to bloom late. Showing improvement in the areas that he struggled with in 2025 could position him for a move to Double-A later in the season.

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

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[snoogans8056]

Just Baseball had an interview with Brenton del Chairo, and he said both Pena and Made have added 3mph to their bat speed.

I can’t wait for this MiLB season to start.

[ClosetBrewerFan]

Who would be a good comp for Pena? 

[mudbutt]

1 hour ago, ClosetBrewerFan said:

Who would be a good comp for Pena? 

Fangraphs compared him to Alfonso Soriano if he pans out

[sveumrules]

2 minutes ago, mudbutt said:

Fangraphs compared him to Alfonso Soriano if he pans out

Maybe I had Soriano in my subconscious from reading the FG list, but he was the first guy that came to mind when thinking of Peña in a macro sense with his speed/power combo at the plate and glove that ended up limiting him to that 2B/LF zone.

[Brewcrew82]

3 hours ago, ClosetBrewerFan said:

Who would be a good comp for Pena? 

Jackson Chourio (maybe a slight poor man's) who is lost trying to play the IF. Aggressive approaches and level of speed are quite similar. Pena has shown slightly more contact ability to this point, while Chourio obviously had actualized more over the fence power at this stage. 

I think that's pretty accurate, though the Soriano comp is solid, too. I think Pena's speed and athleticism would play well in the OF like Chourio's ultimately did. 

[jay87shot]

I kind of see some Brandon Phillips in his swing, he probably has more speed but not the glove at least at this point.

[sveumrules]

Digging a little deeper for Pena comps, there are 1,238 players with at least 500 PA in the minor leagues the last two years with Luis notching a 9.8 speed score that tops the whole dang list, so I started by looking at who the best base runners were in MLB over the last five full seasons (min. 2,000 PA) and went from there.

Guys like Corbin Carroll (126 wRC+ | +35.1 BsR) or Trea Turner (125 wRC+ | +34.2 BsR) are probably pipe dreams, but a little further down are guys like Jarren Duran (113 wRC+ | +25.5 BsR) and Jazz Chisolm Jr. (112 wRC+ | +21.3 BsR) that probably offer a little better glimpse at what a more realistically achievable upside might look like for Luis.

If the bat doesn't come all the way around maybe it ends up looking more like what CJ Abrams (97 wRC+ | +18.7 BsR) has done so far.

[Tedaldtada]

Corbin Carroll and Jarren Duran were the two names that came to mind for me. 

How about prime Lo Cain with his bat? 

[sveumrules]

20 minutes ago, Tedaldtada said:

How about prime Lo Cain with his bat? 

From 2014 to 2018 Lorenzo put up 2,805 PA of 116 wRC+ with a 93 BB+ | 84 K+ | 118 AVG+ | 83 ISO+ under the hood so he got pretty much all of his value in the box from getting base hits.

I think Pena probably profiles to strike out more while hitting for less average and more power. The shape of Duran and Chisolm's production is a little closer to where I think Luis might end up...

2021-25 Jarren (2,128 PA)
89 BB+ | 108 K+ | 110 AVG+ | 117 ISO+

2021-25 Jazz (2,283 PA)
99 BB+ | 123 K+ | 102 AVG+ | 128 ISO+

For reference last two years of Chourio (also mentioned upthread) is at 1,162 PA of 71 BB+ | 94 K+ | 110 AVG+ | 123 ISO+ shaking out to a 115 wRC+ so that is kind of in that same sort of neighborhood too.
 

[Playing Catch]

I see Pena profiling like Jean Segura. I think the talk of moving him to the outfield wouldn't be as pronounced in a different organization. In 20 organizations, he'd be the 2nd-baseman in waiting, and the team wouldn't move him off the dirt until he failed defensively in MLB.