Could 2024 See Another Brewers Rookie Bumper Crop?

It’s hard to imagine topping what Brice Turang, Joey Wiemer, Andruw Monasterio, and Sal Frelick have done. Each of these players have come up and had big moments in 2023. That's not to dismiss the pitchers: Abner Uribe, Ethan Small, and Clayton Andrews have contributed in the bullpen for the Crew this season. That’s quite impressive for a team that is holding a lead in the NL Central going into the trade deadline.

Let’s see who could step up for the Crew.

Tyler Black

Third base has been a bit of a black hole. Yes, Monasterio has held down the position decently in the wake of Brian Anderson’s injured list stints and time in right field (and of the season-long slump by Luis Urias), but Black represents a quantum upgrade offensively at the hot corner. It is hard to imagine him NOT bumping Monasterio to a bench role in 2024, potentially as soon as Opening Day.

Noah Campbell

Campbell may be one of the more astute pickups by the Brewers in recent memory–a 19th-roundpick in 2017 who wasn’t signed, but picked up after four years of college ball as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He gets nowhere near the hype of Jackson Chourio, Black, or Frelick, but he could be a highly valuable bench asset and has flashed two-way capability in the Brewers system.

Cam Devanney

Freddy Zamora, Eric Brown Jr., Daniel Guilarte, and 2023 draftees Cooper Pratt, Josh Adamczewski, and Eric Bitonti may get a lot of hype, but Cam DeVanney has quietly put up two very impressive years while playing shortstop with the Biloxi Shuckers and Nashville Sounds. He’s also seen plenty of action at third base and second base over his minor-league career, with limited action in left field and first base.

Justin Jarvis

Jarvis was promoted to Nashville from Double-A Biloxi, and while the initial promotion has been marked by rough outings, next year, he could at the very least be on the Nashville-Milwaukee shuttle.

Robert Gasser

The last of the players acquired in the Josh Hader trade to be with the Brewers, Gasser is very likely to also be among the pitchers on the Nashville-Milwaukee shuttle. He’s locked down in Nashville and striking out 10.9 batters per nine innings as of July 27.

Janson Junk

Still technically a rookie despite three cups of coffee in three years, Janson Junk, part of the haul in the Hunter Renfroe trade (along with Elvis Peguero and Adam Seminaris), could fill a role in the rotation or bullpen for the Brewers in 2024.

James Meeker

Yes he’ll be 29 in 2024, but over the last two years, Meeker has dominated as a reliever in Biloxi and Brisbane, then moved to the rotation in 2023 to address injuries. Meeker could be the 2024 version of Jason Alexander for the Brewers, or he could be a huge surprise from nowhere that dominates.

Others

Jeferson Quero and Jackson Chourio will likely start 2024 in Nashville, and could end up in Milwaukee – probably due to injuries in either case. Ethan Small and Clayton Andrews would be holdovers from the 2023 class.