Four Shortstops? Five, Even? No Problem!

[Harold Hutchison]

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

On the face of it, the Brewers might appear to have a problem. The top four prospects on the Brewer Fanatic Top 20 (Jesús Made, Luis Peña, Jett Williams, and Cooper Pratt) are all shortstops, and there’s only one shortstop in the lineup. The logical assumption might be that the Brewers would have to trade one (and possibly two) of these four players, all of whom are top-100 prospects in the game.

Well, the Brewers sent a three-word message to fans thinking along those lines with the March 20 lineup card for their first Spring Breakout game:

Not so fast.

All four shortstops were in the starting lineup. The Brewers put Williams at third base, Made at second base, Peña at designated hitter, and Pratt at shortstop. In other words, Milwaukee has demonstrated that they are perfectly capable of fitting all four of their top prospects into a lineup.

So, how might they fit all four onto a 26-man roster, perhaps as soon as 2027? Let’s look at each of them.

Jesús Made
The most exciting position-player prospect the Brewers have landed since Jackson Chourio, Made is making the same rapid rise. He got a taste of Cactus League action and was not overmatched. He also put on some serious weight, which could signal an increase in power production that could go along with his speed and defense.

Made could stick at short, but the Brewers may want to slide him over to third base or second base (where he appeared on the Spring Breakout lineup card), partially to have the power normally associated with the position, but also because Made’s glove is not quite the best at shortstop among the prospects. He looked rough at second in early action this spring, but it's just a matter of acclimation; he has all the tools to thrive there.

Luis Peña
The Brewers signed Peña in the same international free agent class as Made, and Peña’s proven a capable player at short, second base, and the hot corner. While Made is a switch-hitter, Peña only hits right-handed. He also appears to have more raw power. There is talk of moving Pena to the outfield, but he could also serve as a super-sub, filling in across the diamond and still racking up plenty of plate appearances.

Jett Williams
Williams, acquired in the Freddy Peralta trade, mostly has played shortstop, second base, and center field. The Brewers gave him reps at third base in Maryvale, and he’s heading to Triple-A Nashville, likely to get more of those reps. His hit tool is the big question; he has ample speed to play well in center and his approach generates plenty of pull-side contact in the air. Like Peña, he appears to be a versatile option with an above-average bat, though of these four, he's easily the least likely to actually stay at shortstop. He's also the most experienced and comfortable of the set in the difficult task of moving between positions from day to day and week to week.

Cooper Pratt
Pratt was a sixth-round selection whom the Brewers roped in with an above-slot signing bonus that cracked seven figures. That investment has worked out well for Milwaukee. Pratt picked up a Minor League Gold Glove, but he’s also displayed some very good OBP skills and speed on the basepaths, and he’s got the frame for some extra pop. That said, even if he ends up more of a Jeff Cirillo-plus type of offensive player, he becomes an excellent option at shortstop. The Brewers have given Pratt some work at second base, but he is probably the best defensive option at shortstop of the four top names the Brewers have. If they do choose to keep all of them, Pratt is the most likely to unseat Joey Ortiz and take over at short in the majors.

Overview
Depth is the name of the game in Milwaukee. It's why Pat Murphy thinks his team got better this winter, not worse. It's how they can stay ahead of the pack even when they have to trade key players or watch them leave as free agents. The team did run out of steam offensively in the 2025 playoffs, and building a deeper bench with more offensive punch would make that outcome less likely in 2026 and beyond. Keeping all four of these so-called shortstops, while perhaps not the conventional wisdom, could be the route they choose—and rightfully so.

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[Jim French Stepstool]

Good piece. It's obvious that there's a lot of versatility among that group.

As long as we're talking SS let's not forget Ebel.

[Harold Hutchison]

Or Freddy Zamora, or Ethan Murray, or Eduardo Garcia, or Filippo di Turi...

[WAN2]

Cirillo-like  is optimistic.  

[Snoebird]

22 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Good piece. It's obvious that there's a lot of versatility among that group.

As long as we're talking SS let's not forget Ebel.

But it looks like we can forget Eric Brown Jr. Right?

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 hours ago, Snoebird said:

But it looks like we can forget Eric Brown Jr. Right?

Looks that way. From the minor league lineups I've seen this spring it looks like they're toggling him between 2B & SS. He's done very little in two years since being promoted to AA & is now 25, so it's definitely 'go time' for him. First-rounders often get a longer leash but yeah, there's a lot of folks ahead of him now.