Milwaukee Brewers Sleeper Prospects: Who Will Make the Jump in 2025?

May the Hedbert Perez dream never die! Woot woot! 

I tend to place Perez with Eduardo Garcia in the same confounding verbose spontaneously crafted category of: As each season passes I wonder a wee more loudly if he'll ever get it. What both young men truly lack is day-to-day in-game consistency - on both sides of the ball. They still play like very young professionals and in an org increasingly more talented at the youngest levels, and as aging prospects (a hilarious proposition from my latter half of my 40's opinion post), that is going to be and already is a major obstacle for them. AND, all this being babbled, they both reside in that area of the broader depth of the system (that borderline High-A/Double-A grouping) that lacks any semblance of stacked depth - ie they continue to have a massive opportunity in front of them. Both had solid Winter Leagues but as I've opined before this very winter I don't know if we can invest too heavily there as it very well could be a by-product in playing in a more comfortable environment. Obviously, we'd rather they play healthy and well, but I personally am very much in the camp of I need to see this for a significant portion of a healthy full-season affiliate before I get realistically 'excited'. Both have a wealth of talent. Both have been very flawed players in full-season affiliated ball.

As to Hedbert, specifically, despite the K issues I still absolutely believe in that smooth lefty swing. He absolutely has line drive power in there. I still absolutely know he has mobility and a decent cannon from the corner OF spots (ie this isn't a Tristen Lutz issue). It is the consistency of availability and game output and it is the mental lapses. Gotta shore those up. Still absolutely believe in the talent.

You know how I feel about LHP Wande Torres. And you know Ibarguen was distinctly one of my 'He is not the player his woeful ACL season suggested '.

So great to see you joining us in writing Minor League articles! Man, our greater ✍️squad is stacked.😅

14 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Position Players

Hedbert Perez - Coming off a nice stint on the VEWL and the injuries finally behind him (fingers crossed) I think he has a year where you bounced back from being an afterthought by many.

Marco Dinges - Flashed great EV in Carolina last year. Hopefully with an offseason of tutelage from the Brewers he shows he can stick at C where he offers legit offensive upside

Filippo Di Turi - Struggled as an 18 year old in Carolina but had strong swing decisions. Very strong defensively up the middle, I think he bounces back offensively and ends up in Wisconsin by season's end as a 19 year old.

Pitchers

Will Rudy - Very smooth delivery. This is the offseason he finally adds a bit of velo to add to his solid command.

Will Childers - Flashed very solid stuff in the AZFL. I think he becomes a potential late season shuttle option for the bullpen.

Anthony Flores - Doesn't have the flashiest stuff, but has put up very respectable K and BB numbers the last two seasons between the DSL, ACL, and Carolina. Doing it over a full season in Carolina as a 20 year old officially puts him on the map as a name to watch

Love the pitching names here. As you know I am consistently in awe of how Flores makes it all work. He is savvy savvy savvy. Really underrated hook. I keep hoping he add a few ticks of velo. If he could just get his stuff to that 91-93 mph range. None the less, highly impactful at every level so far. Rudy was phenomenal in that road Game 3 Championship series. Phenomenal. Would be such a boon to the system if he could keep growing into his young pitching career. I think we can pair Childers with Costello as two of the higher upside arms in that strong Biloxi Pen. The fastball growth we've seen in Childers, in particular, since his first days as a Mudcat is nothing short of astounding. Pitching Lab go Brrrrrr.

As to DiTuri, the main thing I'll be watching for in 2025 is has his game sped up to the speed of Low-A. He was making solid swing decisions, yes, but everything (and I personally include his defense) appeared a step slow at Low-A. We know the Brewers think very highly of him - see his PT in the post-season over the red hot (and now ML Rule 5 add for the Twins) Miguel Briceno as a small example - and he had really solid DSL and ACL bodies of work. The first go at Low-A was his first plateau as a professional. He's had an off-season. Let's see how he looks in those first few Low-A months.

All in all, I like your list!

1 hour ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

I will say this for Di Turi, he is far from alone in struggling after the in-season Complex League to A ball promotion. After doing the teen prospect series, I would say a comfortable majority struggled, especially those like Di Turi, IFA prospects in their second pro season. I can’t say the reason for most, but it made me appreciate the fact that Yophery Rodriguez handled a full season at low A as well as he did even more.

Having watched how players like Yophery, O'Rae, Guilarte (in his debut promotion), Baez (for the most part), Adams, Pratt, Adamczewski, Bitonti, Payne and Areinamo handled their initial Low-A work as young players, it was a significant regression in terms of what I expected given his previous body of work. Does it mean all that much in the grand scheme of things? Hard to tell today. That 2024 season is long gone. BUT, if Di Turi picks up where he left off those last two months through the playoffs...that is extremely noticeable from my vantage point with the number of players nipping at his heels. 

All I can truthfully say from my POV in terms of watching the vast majority of Mudcats games is I was unimpressed with 2024 Di Turi. I know he has the prospect pedigree. I know he makes very sound swing decisions. It's very fair to simply state through observation: the game moved too fast for him in his initial Low-A introduction. That means something. It certainly doesn't mean everything. And, 2025 is a new season. I sure as heck hope he attacks it and we see a player who learned from his previous exposure. The tools are there.

Now that I've responded above, I'll give it my own go off the cuff here. As you know, I love this type of exercise.

Position Players:

Josh Adamczewski: The Brewers invited him down to ST earlier than most of the Minor League ST'ers. He was asked down by the 17th from what I heard - early by those ML standards. His bat is an absolute weapon. I said it last season. I am a big believer in that swing path and that type of contact. It has that sound, that trajectory, and that pop that jumps off the screen for me. Is he positionally limited? Likely. BUT, I personally see such an upside in the bat this is a young man who will fill in adequately enough at a few positions to warrant more serious consideration as he ages, fills out, and matures. So much to like here.

Tyler Rodriguez: I'm a bit ride-or-die with Rodriguez 😅. I've kind of jumped on this train quite awhile back and it's like 'Snowpiercer' - I can't find my way off! And, why is that? The movement profile. Every Brewers PD clip I've seen and every small piece of film I've seen outside that realm via various Complex contacts I've spoken to shows a young man with the type of athletic profile I absolutely love in the middle infield. He's agile. He has good hands. He only just turned 19 years old in early February. What's more? He's carried over a very solid K:BB ratio through the DSL and an entire ACL season. He had measurably better BABIP in 2024 than he did in 2023 so I do have reservations at the dish. BUT, this is just a player I've grown to quite like in nearly every viewing I've been afforded. He's definitely my guy 'on the outside', so to speak, who is knocking on the door.

Tayden Hall: I'm going to go ahead and give Tayden Hall a High-A pass for his struggles upon promotion. He's too good an athlete with too pretty a swing to let his lesser work in his first exposure to High-A to carry into an entire season in 2025. I still saw the same fluidity of movement everywhere - at 1B and in the batters box. I still saw the same consistent form and habits. I still believe there is an even better overall player in here beyond what we've seen to date - and, for the most part, we've seen a very solid player. I continue to have a hard time seeing a broader baseball future where Hall doesn't access more power. This is a young man who nearly every season to date I've left room for a precipitous leap in the power department.

Pitchers:

Yerlin Rodriguez: I am ready to be hurt again 🤭. Anyone who has seen Rodriguez pitch when he is right (yes, oh my so sadly, in those 3-4 outing per year), knows the raw tools are absolutely MLB-caliber. I see it. Opposing announcers see it. BUT, boy oh boy, talk about zero consistency or control over any prolonged stretch. This is the season I'm going to guesstimate Rodriguez starts putting together longer stretches of impact with shorter-term struggles and regressions. This is the year he makes the Double-A leap and starts entering the conversation. (At least I'm going to say that to try and speak it into existence)

Jesus Rivero: Let's double down on the wildly inconsistent with tools category. I'm going to opine Rivero fine-tunes the aspects of his delivery that become erratic and lead to stretches of inefficiency and too many men on base. We all know he has a very deep toolkit of pitches and savvy. We have not seen any prolonged consistency here either. I'm going to try and speak into existence a consistent season that carries into High-A ball. Nobody has really hit Rivero at any level. His strikeout abilities are very plus. It's all about controlling the tools consistently.

Chase Costello: I'm just going to give Costello some shine here because, well, I love Chase Costello. He's a bulldog. He has that classic marriage of size; build; and rip I absolutely love in high-leverage relievers. He's got that long hair and IDGAF my stuff is better than yours appearance on the mound to piggy-back off my personal fave in RHP KC Hunt. He has incredible ride and run on his heaters. He is distinctly (and has been) in my 'knocking on the door for actual MLB conversations' down the line. Everything is there. I really am looking forward to further solidifying his place on the Brewers pitching map in 2025.

22 minutes ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

Also, I saw an absolute blowup outing from Yerlin when they were in the QC, and even then he had some pitches that made me say, “What was that?” in a good way. If he can cut down the number of times you have to say it negatively, he could be special.

Precisely. The 7/24 outing @ Beloit was the pinnacle.. I watched the game and wrote the report:

Quote

2) I've been a notorious RHP Yerlin Rodriguez fan for the past two years. Even when the results feel off the track due to walks and location concerns, I insisted (and I still insist) the raw tools are too good to brush over. I've said on numerous occasions: absolutely high-leverage late-inning reliever stuff. Tonight, well, he reached an entirely new level. Five pitches of his 12 pitch three strikeout ninth inning hit 100 mph or more. He ended the game on a 101 mph swing and miss with a young batter entirely overmatched. Typically, Rodriguez might touch 98 mph a handful of times in an outing. Eclipsing 100 at will? Well, that changes everything. You pair this with an accurate 91-92 mph slider? Well, we're looking at what I've envisioned for some time. We didn't see a single breaking ball in this outing but he he has it and didn't need it. Do not sleep on this young man. Despite the walk issues in 2024, I will convey to you once more: the stuff is just too good. This is his age 22 season. 

23 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Most of those players you listed were older than Di Turi was last year when they were in Carolina. O'Rae, Guilarte, Adams, Pratt, Adamczewski were all 19. Baez in his short A ball stint as an 18 year old had a 65 wRC+. Yophery, Bitonti, Payne are different tier of prospect than Di Turi is. Think you're being incredibly dismissive of someone who was 2.5 years younger than the average player in the Carolina League. He was one of the youngest players in the entire league.

I'm really not being dismissive. I'm actually just sharing my observations and how those formulated my opinion. I know he was younger and that's always a valid point when discussing full-season players. My observations were and are (until the 2025 season kicks off, as I said): the Low-A Level speed of play in pretty much every facet was a step too fast for him in 2024. There is nothing dismissive in this statement based on his output and what we observed. It's as easy as: that is what I saw. Counter that with Braylon Payne (granted shades of talent and pedigree differential here) who met the level and absolutely impressed and excelled and imparted his speed of play into games and who will be 18 years of age until mid summer. AND, as I stated above: 2025 is a different season. I love the swing decisions.  Incredibly sound. He has a smoothness in his game. I did not enjoy the contact quality. And, it's absolutely more than fair to share: he was behind the ball and behind the speed of play nearly his entire time at Low-A in 2024. I just don't think this is a contentious thing to say whatsoever. And, again, I hope he hits the ground running in 2025. Just as I hope Dylan O'Rae learned from his considerable struggles in his first exposure at Double-A. Which also isn't dismissive but rather based in what I saw: Dylan O'Rae really struggled to meet the strength and speed of Double-A ball his first go around.

1 minute ago, wiguy94 said:

I think the idea of comparing him to a bunch of players who hit the level a year older than he did as an example of how he was "poor" by your standards is the dismissive part. Especially when one of those names was Juan Baez a guy who looked completely out of place in Carolina in his very brief sample as an 18 year old.

I know you love doing this when you are really trying to prove your point with me. If you're going to tout your Baez assertion here you are comparing an original late season 9 Game sample size to a mid-season 66 Game sample size. This just isn't apples to apples. It isn't. Baez was also 18 years old quite a bit of last season when he was very much a lifeblood spark plug of a playoff contending team before his unfortunate shoulder injury. And then further solidified what I saw with a very solid AFL even making Propsects Worldwide's Top 20 list (above Durbin, no less😅).  These two players are only five months apart in age. And, their development curves are in different stages. And, as you know, I watch these games. I am discussing the players and their output. And, that's really it. Obviously, age is a factor. Plenty of runway left for both players. I don't know why you are overly harping on this. 

Here's another way of saying this: I don't care if we disagree on what we're saying and how we're saying it. I hope both players have fantastic 2025's. 

10 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Of course they are strikingly different samples and normally I wouldn't bother referencing that small of a sample but you used Payne's 6 game A ball sample as an example of someone who looked the part so I thought it was fair game to do the same with Baez.

I also watch the games. That's not something unique to you.

I know you do my friend. Do you think I also don't know who I'm talking to in addition to not knowing what I'm saying? LOL. Riddle me this: Did you see anything remotely close to Payne's impact in Di Turi's 66 game sample? I think we both know the answer. Again, this isn't an apples-to-apples thing you are trying to get across here. As I said: completely fine to disagree with you on what you are attempting to assert I'm saying. Despite what you seem to think, oddly, as I've state numerous times: I actually just want all the players to achieve the best versions of themselves. It still won't change my opinion of what I saw at Low-A Carolina in Di Turi's 2024 output. This isn't rocket science.

( @CheeseheadInQC: At this point in time I'm simply adding to your comments to try and attract you more views 😜)

7 minutes ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

With Di Turi, I know I overreacted to his ACL stats, forgetting that the ACL can be wacky. I guess. I am trying to modulate that with my usual thought that A ball success at that age for me typically means more than A ball struggles.

While guys like Francisca (Guardians), Tait (Phillies), and Arias (Red Sox) made the transition smoothly, Eduardo Quintero (Dodgers), Starlyn Caba (Marlins), Pablo Guerrero (Rangers) and pretty much a whole lineup’s worth of Braves prospects all struggled.

Indeed. ACL can be wacky. AND, every player has a different path and a different timing in their careers. The Jackson Chourio path is not normal as we know. Heck, the KC Hunt and Craig Yoho paths aren't normal - even for Minor League players in their age group. There are very plus attributes to Di Turi's game that likely endeared him to the broader organization - his overall discipline, his zone recognition and swing decisions, his general fluidity, and I would opine the way he carries himself. He seems like a very level-headed young man and player. His first stint was mired in one long slow-to-adjust Low-A slump for the most part. Even tho, and I obviously saw this and 'contend' this, the first exposure speed of play was a tick too fast for where he was in his development arc, I appreciated he didn't change who he was. His swing path and his swing, by and large, remained the same. This does give me hope that with an off-season of strength and conditioning work he can have a bounce back season where he re-establishes himself. A worthy add to anyone else's 'Sleeper' list. 😉