Milwaukee Brewers Top 20 Prospect Check-In: Who's Hot Down on the Farm?

[Ray Stuedemann]

Image courtesy of © Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The future refuses to go dim for the Brewers. While the big-league club navigates the injuries and grind of the 2026 season, a wave of top prospects in the Milwaukee farm system is forcing its way into the conversation with scorching starts across the minors. This next core isn’t just developing; it’s producing. And if these early returns are any indication, the Brewers may not have to wait long for their next impact contributors to arrive at American Family Field. Let’s look at Brewer Fanatic’s top 20 prospect list and dive into who’s performing well. 

No. 1 – Jesus Made (MLB.com No. 3)
Made is proving once again why he's one of the top prospects in the sport. He reached Double-A Biloxi last year and played in only five games, slashing .261/.292/.348 in 24 plate appearances. He has fully arrived for the Shuckers now, though, slashing .295/.398/.489 in 103 plate appearances with the club so far in 2026. Made has showcased his speed as well, stealing 11 bases while being caught once. He's walked more times (15) than he's struck out (14). There isn’t a ton to say here; Made is an exciting prospect who is performing exceptionally well for a 19-year-old in Double-A. He's a big factor in the Brewers' future, and fans should be excited about what Made can bring to the big-league club within the next few years—especially given the shortstop situation in Milwaukee right now.

No. 2 – Luis Peña (MLB.com No. 21)
It wouldn’t be that crazy to (essentially) copy and paste the paragraph about Made here, as Peña is slashing .372/.462/.512 in 52 plate appearances so far with the Timber Rattlers. He's stolen 6 bases while getting caught twice, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is good, as well (10:8). A notable change for Peña is his swing rate. He is swinging the least he has in his professional career, only 44.4% of the time, down almost 5.0 percentage points from last year. This is likely correlated with his walk rate, and if he is more patient at the plate, his overall offensive outlook will improve in the long term. If that discipline holds, Peña’s blend of contact, speed, and on-base ability could quickly turn him from a top prospect into a household name.

No. 6 – Logan Henderson (MLB.com No. 99)
Henderson performed well for the Brewers last year in 5 starts, pitching to a 1.78 ERA (3.02 FIP) in 25 1/3 innings, striking out 33 batters. He didn’t fare as well in his lone appearance with the Brewers this year, surrendering two earned runs in two innings against the Royals, but Henderson has pitched extremely well in Nashville to start the year. The 24-year-old has thrown 17 2/3 innings so far with a 1.02 ERA. His whiff rate is in the 78th percentile, and his zone contact percentage is in the 98th percentile, demonstrating his pitches can get the batter to swing and miss even if they are in the zone. Look for Henderson, if he limits the walks, to be up with the Brewers again soon.

No. 8 – Andrew Fischer (MLB.com No. 89)
Fischer was one of many Brewers who participated in the WBC this year, and the Team Italy third baseman slashed .357/.438/.714 in 16 plate appearances there. Transferring that production into the minor-league season has been an easy task for Fischer, who is raking with the Timber Rattlers. Fischer is slashing .258/.358/.515 with 4 home runs already this season, and a main issue to watch would be strikeouts. He struck out around 25% of the time in a limited 2025 sample and has fanned 30 times in 81 plate appearances this year. As he climbs the ladder, he'll have to show a better feel for consistent contact. If Fischer continues to make developments at the plate, as well as improving his range at third base, he could move through the system quickly. The power will always be his calling card, though, so if the strikeouts go along with that, it’ll be interesting to see how the Brewers feel about that approach at the plate.

No. 10 – Marco Dinges
A former fourth-round pick in 2024 out of Florida State, Marco Dinges hit well in his first sustained minor-league action in 2025. Now, Dinges is once again mashing, hitting .340/.492/.660 with 4 homers in 65 plate appearances. Dinges has a great strikeout-to-walk ratio (14 to 13), to boot.  He'll look to continue producing, as either he or Jefferson Quero pushes to be the future of the position if William Contreras doesn’t sign a long-term deal. Another couple of weeks like this could compel the Brewers to promote Dinges to Biloxi.

No. 11 – Luis Lara 
I wrote about Lara’s hot start last week, and he has kept it up. He's now hitting .347/.439/.561, with 5 home runs, 12 stolen bases, 15 walks and 15 strikeouts. From a power perspective, expect Lara to regress, but that's not his game, anyway. Good bat-to-ball skills, a disciplined approach, great speed and defense—these are his strengths. While the offensive numbers may decline as the season progresses, remember that Lara isn’t built to be a big contributor offensively. He's always been a glove-first prospect, and with his current approach at the plate, the 21-year-old should be a productive Brewer when the time comes.

No. 12 - Josh Adamczewski
Adamczewski was a 15th-round pick in 2023, and without a defined defensive position, the bat needs to be valuable for Adamczewski to carve out a big-league job. Thankfully, it has been superb so far. Adamczewski struggled in a limited sample at High-A in 2025, but he's dominating the Midwest League in 2026, slashing .362/.516/.723, with as many homers as he had all last season combined. Adamczewski will look to continue growing into a defensive position, which will probably be left field, and as he cuts his groundball rate (down 5 percentage points from ’24 to ’25, down another 5 from ’25 to ’26), he should merit a promotion soon.

No. 14 – Blake Burke
Burke was one of the Brewers’ first-round picks in 2024, and the former Tennessee Volunteer hit well in 2025 while splitting time between High-A and Double-A. Burke is off to a scorching-hot start from a slugging perspective, hitting 7 homers in 100 plate appearances so far. He's batting .256/.360/.605. He has 22 hits on the year, 15 of which have gone for extra bases. Burke has also swiped 9 bases while being caught once. His power surge from the end of 2025 has most definitely continued, so the next question is: How far can it go? His bat is passing the Double-A test with flying colors; he should get a bump to Nashville fairly soon.

No. 17 – Braylon Payne
Another first-rounder from 2024, Payne boasts excellent speed, with 41 stolen bases through 96 career games in the minors. Last year was a tough introduction to the rigors of a full professional season, as Payne hit .240/.354/.382 with 8 homers in 342 plate appearances. Payne has appeared to turn over a new leaf in 2026 with the Timber Rattlers, totaling 6 homeruns in only 61 plate appearances while slashing .367/.492/.796. He won't turn 20 until August, and the Brewers will probably be happy to let him spend the whole season in Appleton, but yes, if he keeps hitting quite this ferociously, he might need to be promoted, too, to find a truer test of his talent.

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It’s still early, and the minor-league season has a way of humbling even the hottest starts, but the underlying theme here is hard to ignore: this wave of talent looks both deep and dynamic. From polished approaches at the plate to emerging power combined with speed, the Brewers’ system is showing signs of producing impact players in bunches. If even a handful of these prospects sustain their growth, the Brewers will be able to keep up their cost-efficient ways by calling up the next Brewers of the future as capable contributors early in their careers.

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[jay87shot]

Made is still 18 for another week.

[eklinka]

The amount of emerging power with already great speed is incredible to see. I never would've expected some of these guys to have this many HRs in an entire season, let alone the first month.... and even some of the slow-power guys like burke getting steals regularly shows how savvy can be just as crucial to baserunning as speed. 

A lot of the top prospects are looking real good to start the season. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

I love the close to 50-50 K to BB ratios for many of these kids.

Theoretical to anyone who'd like to take a stab: Let's say Made, Pena & Pratt all stay in the organization. One obviously plays SS; who is it & where do the other two get moved to?

[wibadgers23]

32 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I love the close to 50-50 K to BB ratios for many of these kids.

Theoretical to anyone who'd like to take a stab: Let's say Made, Pena & Pratt all stay in the organization. One obviously plays SS; who is it & where do the other two get moved to?

If I had to guess, I’d say Made stays at SS, Pratt to 3B and Pena to 2B. This is just me assuming Pratt has the best arm strength of the three and would be a better fit at 3B.

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, wibadgers23 said:

If I had to guess, I’d say Made stays at SS, Pratt to 3B and Pena to 2B. This is just me assuming Pratt has the best arm strength of the three and would be a better fit at 3B.

Yeah, just on the physical makeup alone it's either Pratt or Made at 3B. Made may also have a bit more range......? And that could put Fischer in a 1B derby with Burke.

Nice 'problem' to have.

[sdbrewfan]

Does anyone know how Dinges is progressing on defense?  It would mean a lot if he could stay behind the plate. 

[Ro Mueller]

1 hour ago, sdbrewfan said:

Does anyone know how Dinges is progressing on defense?  It would mean a lot if he could stay behind the plate. 

Last year he seemed to lose his way throwing down to 2nd base after the High-A promotion or maybe he was just worn out: 70 steals allowed in 31 games.

It’s obviously still early in 2026, but he’s only allowed 8 steals in 11 games thus far.

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, sdbrewfan said:

Does anyone know how Dinges is progressing on defense?  It would mean a lot if he could stay behind the plate. 

I haven't seen a ton of him this season, but I know the organization loves his mobility, athleticism & his arm is much more than good enough. It's just a question of whether the mechanics & footwork catch up. With Queros' shoulder taking some luster off his defensive game I'm sure he'll be kept behind the dish unless it gets to the point where they feel certain it ain't working. The verdict should come sometime after he advances past high A.

Welcome to the board, BTW.

[wallus]

5 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I love the close to 50-50 K to BB ratios for many of these kids.

Theoretical to anyone who'd like to take a stab: Let's say Made, Pena & Pratt all stay in the organization. One obviously plays SS; who is it & where do the other two get moved to?

Pratt at SS, Made at 3rd, Pena in RF

[MattK]

4 hours ago, wallus said:

Pratt at SS, Made at 3rd, Pena in RF

I would've had Pena in LF ... except now it seems Adamczewski is bookmarked for there. 

So who is playing 2B? With potential power guys to play 3B, why wouldn't Pratt/Made be the middle infield? 

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 minutes ago, MattK said:

I would've had Pena in LF ... except now it seems Adamczewski is bookmarked for there. 

So who is playing 2B? With potential power guys to play 3B, why wouldn't Pratt/Made be the middle infield? 

He doesn't really look it when you watch him play, but Made is a big boy (215-220lb). I have a tough time believing he has the mobility and range you normally see from a 2B but I could be wrong. I know he's seen time there in A ball.

Pena strikes me as someone who would settle into a 2B or corner OF spot. Contrary to some I'm not nuts about Chourio in CF & hope he remains in left. To me 2B is a real possibility for Pena. AFA RF is concerned,  Penas' arm ranks just a bit above avg IIRC but then again so did Frelicks', and he handles RF responsibilities just fine.

[wallus]

8 hours ago, MattK said:

I would've had Pena in LF ... except now it seems Adamczewski is bookmarked for there. 

So who is playing 2B? With potential power guys to play 3B, why wouldn't Pratt/Made be the middle infield? 

Turang is under control until 2029. Jett Williams may be an option too, he needs to play somewhere 

[jay87shot]

I wouldn't worry to much about Pena and Made's long term defense home. I think both are athletic enough that if you give either and offseason they could adjust to any OF spot or one of the 3 IF spots. I doubt we can keep Turang long term but those guys will be ready before then so it might be something where one of then plays 3B or corner OF (I expect Lara to be the CF long term) and then for the 2029 season (trade Brice after 2028 with 1 year control) one of them moves to 2B.

[igor67]

I would say that the immediate hope is that between Pratt and Williams one of them gets hot enough with the bat we can push Ortiz to the bench by mid season. Made I'm thinking starts getting some more reps at 3rd in the second half and earns the boost to AAA to end the year, with the strong possibility he breaks camp next spring trying to earn the ROY draft pick.

[jay87shot]

17 minutes ago, igor67 said:

I would say that the immediate hope is that between Pratt and Williams one of them gets hot enough with the bat we can push Ortiz to the bench by mid season. Made I'm thinking starts getting some more reps at 3rd in the second half and earns the boost to AAA to end the year, with the strong possibility he breaks camp next spring trying to earn the ROY draft pick.

I would agree that was the plan but I don't think we can wait until mid-season. Jett and Cooper for sure need some more time but Joey has been so bad I don't think we should wait another 2 months. Especially since there rest of the division has been so good. Leonard hasn't really played SS or 3B this year or last so he probably isn't an option. I wouldn't force the issue but just am struggling to see Joey turning it around.

[igor67]

Well midseason is pretty broad in my mind, but you obviously want whoever you bring up to being having some sustained offensive success first. In a perfect world Pratt would be having Braylon's Payne's start to the season...

[sveumrules]

Not a Top 20 prospect currently, but speaking of 2B gotta mention the insane start that Dylan O'Rae is off to this season at 338/453/455 (146 wRC+) with 16 BB | 14 K and 15 SB | 4 CS over 96 PA at Biloxi after missing all of last year injured.

[MilwaukeeBeers]

Braylon Payne just kind of seems a little bit of a fluke right now. I am sorry to be a pessimist. He is very Garrett Mitchell like. However I do acknowledge, he is 19 and Mitchell was already 3 yrs older at this level with the Timber Rattlers. The swing looks like it has the same holes to it. 

I am growing concerned about his Z-Contact% (68.8% season) he is not making near enough contact on pitches inside the zone. This is a major red flag to me. 

On the plus side he has shown elite plate discipline this year O-Swing% (17.9%) his ratio of BB% to K% is pretty healthy too. Batted ball profile is solid as well. He is quite a polarizing prospect. 

 

[jay87shot]

I don't remember who runs the prospect rankings thread but it would be fun to run one and see how high the community is on all the bats off to good or bad starts.

[MPsconnie]

Look at all those guys! (fangraphs sorted by wRC+) What a fun start to the minor league season for these prospects. The T-Rats and Shuckers are a most watch/follow everyday! 

[Playing Catch]

Seventeen!?

I can't remember such a resounding start to the MILB season. Is this typical across baseball this season?

[CheeseheadInQC]

49 minutes ago, MilwaukeeBeers said:

Braylon Payne just kind of seems a little bit of a fluke right now. I am sorry to be a pessimist. He is very Garrett Mitchell like. However I do acknowledge, he is 19 and Mitchell was already 3 yrs older at this level with the Timber Rattlers. The swing looks like it has the same holes to it. 

I am growing concerned about his Z-Contact% (68.8% season) he is not making near enough contact on pitches inside the zone. This is a major red flag to me. 

On the plus side he has shown elite plate discipline this year O-Swing% (17.9%) his ratio of BB% to K% is pretty healthy too. Batted ball profile is solid as well. He is quite a polarizing prospect. 

 

Just looking at Fangraphs, they’ve got the his overall contact rate at 69.6, which isn’t great, but is better than last year so far at a higher level.

[MilwaukeeBeers]

49 minutes ago, jay87shot said:

I don't remember who runs the prospect rankings thread but it would be fun to run one and see how high the community is on all the bats off to good or bad starts.

I would guess we wouldn't have one arm in the updated top 10 besides Henderson lol. 

[MilwaukeeBeers]

9 minutes ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

Just looking at Fangraphs, they’ve got the his overall contact rate at 69.6, which isn’t great, but is better than last year so far at a higher level.

While player dev isn't linear, that low Z-contact is a marker I hate to see. However, the fact that his contact rate and SLG are rising in tandem over the last two weeks is a great sign. Here is hoping that the quality and rate of contact is steadily improving as he settles in. I just need to see the contact rate stabilize in the 70% range before I'm ready to call him a Top 100 candidate. I also need to conceptualize the difference in player from last year to this year. It is night and day. He is really really interesting. 

Still, his tools give him a ceiling that’s arguably top-3 in the system alongside Made and Pena.