Project their future...

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With the future logjam we have at 3B/1B/DH, what is going to happen with these guys?

Who do we keep and give the opportunity, and who eventually gets traded, or possibly goes unprotected in the Rule 5 draft. (I know the first 4 listed will not go unprotected when it gets to that point, but Wilken and Boeve just don't seem to be part of our plans anymore, so...)

Fischer (1B, 3B)

Burke (1B)

Adams (1B, 3B)

Bitonti, (1B, 3B)

Wilken (3B, 1B)

Boeve (3B)

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This is how I see things happening.

Adams could get the call up once rosters expand or due to the next injury.  I think he gets first crack at a job.  Can he run with it and be a possibility in 2027 as part of a platoon?

I think Burke is next in line for 1B, and could come as early as the start of the 2027 season if there is one.  I don't think we see him in 2026.

Fischer in 2027, could split time at 1B, 3B, and DH.  I am thinking after the all star break, not at the start of the season. (If only Yelich wasn't a problem, he is going to be an issue the next two seasons) All depends on what is going on with Made, and if they view him as their 3B of the future.  If Made is that guy, then this logjam gets even murkier.

Bitonti is still a couple seasons away from that decision, but he's pushing it in A+ currently, could he be a guy we trade at next year's deadline or during the off season?  I hope not, his power is immense!!!!  If you've seen his power live, and in person, it is just AWESOME!

Wilken and Boeve are just not in our plans anymore imo.  These are guys I can easily see being traded as throw-ins, or not protected, or DFA'd in the future.

There just isn't going to be room for Burke, Fischer, Adams AND Bitonti once he's ready.  There is going to have to be some kind of movement sooner of later.  It;s a good problem to have I guess...

[LouisEly]

I wouldn't write Wilken off just yet.  He has a .796 OPS over the last 28 days and had a .878 OPS in June.  Only turned 24 back in June.  The question is if he suffered permanent eye damage; he struggled early this year, was out of the lineup for a while in late May/early June, and then came back great in June.  My guess is that he had more eye therapy done during that time.

The biggest question with that entire group is if any of them project to be good enough defensively to be an average ML 3B.  Fischer will be given every opportunity to prove it, but from everything I've read it seems like he has a ways to go.  For their careers, Wilken has 1850 innings at 3B, 550 at 1B, and 9 G at DH; Adams has 1680 innings at 3B, 970 at 1B, and 8 G at DH, so it seems that Wilken may be thought of as a little better 3B than Adams.

And Adamczewski needs to be added to the DH discussion.  Not much room in the OF either.

[Playing Catch]

Fun topic. Admittedly, I thought you were asking for how we think their big-league careers will pan out, rather than how the Brewers will handle things. But fun topic either way.

Because all of the Rule-5 stuff is in such flux, I'm just going to ignore all of those implications for this response. Additionally, how the Brewers decide to do things, and how an average MLB team would decide to do things could be two very different things due to the competitive position the Brewers are in, and expect to be in going forward. Fischer being the easiest example...

Fischer - Perhaps it's the kool-aid talking, but I have this weird sense that he's gunna be a star --- despite all of my rational instincts telling me he'll flop. We're just seeing more and more of these guys carry big K-numbers into MLB and having success, and I love that he's been completely split-neutral this season. I thought Eldridge would flop, just to name one. I had no idea what to expect from Murakami, but here we are. I have no idea what the Brewers will do with such an unusual profile for them, but I think they should trade him, or play him at 1st due to defense, development risk, and current value in a trade. If he played in a different org, I think it would be better for him to get promoted before June '27 and have him play every single game at third base (thus the high trade value).

Burke - Like many here, I've loved him since they drafted him, and I was so excited to see him obliterate this season. I'm a little concerned about his splits, but that could be said about many a slugger, and they weren't quite so pronounced in 2025, so I think one can hope for it to improve. I think he's a sure-fire platoon power threat in the big leagues, and I think he'll play for 10 years in that role. I think the Brewers will give him a chance out of spring to win a roster spot, and I think he'll play for them in '27, and get about 175 ABs.

Adams - I think Adams will play through his arby-years in the show. Time will tell if he can maintain the athleticism and profile to get free-agent deals after that. I think he'll debut in '27 for someone other than the Brewers.

Bitonti - I have never completely bought into Bitonti, but I think it's because of how excited I'd be if I did. I wouldn't dare. I think the Brewers should, and will, slow play his development as long as possible. And I think that would be a wise path for the player to follow as well, due to the frame. With that said, I acknowledge that the speed of player develoment these days is remarkable, so players can find their ceilings pretty quickly, the Miz being the perfect example.

I won't include Wilkin or Boeve as this has already gotten too long.

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1 hour ago, LouisEly said:

The biggest question with that entire group is if any of them project to be good enough defensively to be an average ML 3B.  Fischer will be given every opportunity to prove it, but from everything I've read it seems like he has a ways to go.  For their careers, Wilken has 1850 innings at 3B, 550 at 1B, and 9 G at DH; Adams has 1680 innings at 3B, 970 at 1B, and 8 G at DH, so it seems that Wilken may be thought of as a little better 3B than Adams.

 

Fischer at 3B makes sense in normal times, but these are not normal times.  We have a guy named Jesus Made on the cusp of stardom as well.  If he is going to be our 3B of the very near future, Fischer has to be a 1B or DH option, right?

Pratt has SS locked down, that leaves 3B for Made.

This situation and how it plays out is fascinating to me.

We signed Pratt to that long term deal knowing full well we had Made and Fischer coming into their own.  Could Pratt move to 2B, Made SS, and Fischer at 3B once Turang leaves via trade or FA? I have never seen anyone project at Pratt move to 2B, so this may not even be an option.

All I know is that if these guys all pan out, there are going to have to be some moves made that will make me extremely uncomfortable.

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1 hour ago, LouisEly said:

And Adamczewski needs to be added to the DH discussion.  Not much room in the OF either.

Agreed, however, I don't view Mitchell or Lara as locks for starting OF positions.  I like them both, but if Lara's bat doesn't play, and we have guys like Adamczewski and Payne pushing for the big promotion, I can see Lara as our 4th OF option at some point, for the remainder of his contract.  I can also see a guy like Mitchell, if he stays healthy, being a trade chip knowing what we have in the pipeline.  I simply don't trust his health enough to go all in on him.

Like I said, these are nice problems to have, and it will be so interesting to see what happens in the next 5 years.

I don't even want to get started trying to figure out where all our middle infielders will fit in the coming years.  With Made, Pena (another possible 3B option) Ebel, Dickinson, all looking like legit options, we still have Pratt and Turang currently.  Wow, what organizational depth!