Jesus Made is Starting to Show His Full Array of Tools

[Cory Sparks]

Image courtesy of USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

 

Jesus Made is the top prospect in baseball, and he leads a farm system loaded with top-end talent. The Milwaukee Brewers’ best farmhand is still only 19 years old, but he’s outplaying nearly everyone at the Double-A level right now. The most impressive part of what he’s been accomplishing lately, though, is his ability to build another tool from the ground up.

Made has had the spotlight on him for years now, but despite playing at 4.9 years younger than the average Double-A player, he's shown no signs of slowing down. The Biloxi Shuckers’ shortstop is slashing .276/.351/.438 with 10 home runs and 29 stolen bases in 87 games. He was clocked throwing a ball 100 mph across the field earlier this year, and the well-rounded talent touts a 65-grade overall rating on the MLB Pipeline 20-to-80 scouting scale.

One of the best parts of Made’s game is his plate discipline, and the switch-hitting infielder hasn’t allowed that aspect to waver in the 2026 season. He’s drawing a walk 10.3 percent of the time, and he’s one of the toughest hitters to strike out in all of Minor League Baseball. The 19-year-old has punched out just 14.5 percent of the time this year. Made’s journey hasn’t ended once he’s reached the bases, as he’s on track to eclipse 40 stolen bases for the second consecutive season.

The one projectable skill that hasn’t fully shown itself in box scores is Made’s power—that is, until this year. The Dominican Republic native had just 12 home runs over his first two years (166 games), but there were signs that he had slugging potential. He hit 28 doubles last year, registering a .792 OPS. His MLB Pipeline scouting report even had the following description: 

“Made is one of the twitchiest prospects in baseball, relying on quick bat speed from both sides of the plate. He ran almost exactly even platoon splits in ’25, and while his six homers don’t exactly jump off the page, his raw power continues to grow as he ages.”

Well, guess what: it’s about that time. Made is currently listed at 6-foot-1, 221 pounds, and he recently hit his 10th round-tripper of the 2026 campaign. At this rate, he’s on pace to hit about 20 homers in the same amount of time it took him to hit the first 12. Now, imagine what he looks like (and can do) in two more years. Made’s body still has some maturing to do, but we’re already seeing him fill out his frame. The 25-30 home run potential is nearing fruition.

Is there a world where the budding power numbers lead to Made making his major-league debut as soon as this upcoming postseason run? It's unlikely, but not impossible. He's ascended to the top of the prospect pile without fully unfurling his tools in games. Now that that's starting to change, he's closer to the big leagues than it might appear.

 

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[keephopealive]

Kind of strange timing for this article.  He's had just a .701 OPS this month.

(I guess he was even worse last July in Carolina with a .633 OPS before being promoted to the Timber Rattlers in August and eventually Biloxi in September. His best month at Biloxi was April. Maybe it's time to promote the kid to Nashville and motivate him... )