Brown Jr, the Brewers' first-round pick in the 2022 draft, is a premium athlete at a premium position. He plays a strong shortstop defensively, where his arm is above average, especially with the quick release he uses to get his throws off. His quick-twitch athleticism, good range, and good hands have allowed him to make impressive defensive plays. At times, he has seemed to lose concentration and make some errors in some of his routine plays, but that is not uncommon for younger players. On the offensive side of the ball, Brown came out of Coastal Carolina with a very low strikeout rate and an even lower chase rate, to go along with some pretty intriguing exit velocity numbers. Brown Jr fell slightly and further than his numbers indicated, mainly due to his peculiar-looking load and stance in college and some concerns about elevating the ball. He was an analytical darling, but traditional scouts weren’t as convinced due to his stance. 

Last offseason, he made some changes and came into 2023 with a load involving much less movement than the one he was sporting in 2022. With his new load, his hands are still starting in an awkward position, out in front of his head, but his big change was with his lower half. No longer using his big leg kick (he has gone to a much quieter leg lift), Brown seemed to have a bit of an adjustment period to get used to this new load in games. His wRC+ through the end of April was 39. He was hit in the face by a pitch on April 26th but luckily avoided major injury, and after returning on May 3rd, he started hitting much more like one would expect a first-rounder to hit. From May 3rd through the end of the season, Brown Jr would post a 122 wRC+ and an OPS of .781 in that span. The Midwest League is a tough-hitting environment, and Brown Jr did pretty well when he was healthy. He limited his strikeouts to a very reasonable 17.2% rate and walked at a high rate. While he didn’t tap into the power that he has shown flashes of with much regularity, he did steal 39 bases while only being caught five times. 

Brown Jr is taking part in the Arizona Fall League this offseason, and the hope is that he can take that experience to go along with what will hopefully be a healthier season in 2024 and show why the Brewers took him in the first round. His path thus far has been very similar to Tyler Black’s through Black’s first year and a half of pro ball. The hope is that Brown Jr will follow Black’s footsteps even further on his way to a breakout in 2024. He will likely begin next season in Double-A Biloxi.