Reasons to Be Optimistic About Top Brewers Prospects - Part 1

OF Jackson Chourio – Where He Is

Let’s face it: For all the quibbles about Chourio’s low walk rates, he is making these adjustments at Double A at the age of 19. That is five years younger than your average player at that level. This means that the Brewers have a very valuable commodity: time. Chourio currently could spend a full year at Biloxi and a full year at Triple-A Nasvhille before Rule 5 eligibility even becomes a question. Given the wealth of outfield talent the Crew has, this is a good thing.

OF Sal Frelick – Hit Tool and Speed

Prior to going on the injured list with a thumb injury, Frelick flashed the ability to get on base and hit for average, and he has plenty of speed. I’ve said in the past that Frelick looks like the early seasons of Paul Molitor or Ichiro Suzuki. This is a reason to be optimistic, because those two players were always threats–even if they didn’t blast home runs out of the park.

IF/OF Tyler Black – Offense and Versatility

Black has played second base, third base, left field, and center field. All the while, he has been a dangerous hitter with excellent OBP skills. We’re talking Barry Bonds-type ability to draw walks, and this year, Black has also flashed a real power bat, at the cost of some batting average. Black is taking off a lot on the basepaths, too. A left-handed Jeff Cirillo with speed could be the best outcome, but a player with three-true-outcome offensive upside and speed could also be nice.

C Jeferson Quero – Age, Power, and Defense

Quero is only a year older than Chourio, and yet he, too, is in Double A, and his offense–at least the power–has been there. Plenty of catchers with power and defense have good careers in MLB, and Quero could easily be one of them. He’s done decently drawing walks in the past, so if he can rebound to the OBP he maintained in Wisconsin, that would be good. If his walk rate goes to what it was in the Arizona Fall League, Quero could make a run at displacing Jonathan Lucroy as the best catcher in Brewers history.

RHP Jacob Misiorowski – His Stuff

Misiorowski hasn’t quite been able to go deep into games, but his stuff is simply dominating. He’s striking out 16.3 batters per nine innings, and only walking 2.6 per nine frames. He could arguably replace Devin Williams as the closer today, and the Crew wouldn’t be hurt by that move, but if he can stretch out… it’s lights out for opposing offenses.

RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez – Age, Results

Rodriguez draws concern over his walks, but everything else is pointing upwards for the 21-year-old hurler, who is pitching like an ace at a level where players are about three years older than him, on average. It would be nice to see him go deeper into games, and hopefully, that happens soon. Worst case, Rodriguez becomes a guy who can go 2-3 innings per outing, bridging a short start to the guys who close the door in the late innings.

LHP Robert Gasser – High K/9, Low HR/9

Gasser might be having some issues with walks, but he is also punching out more than one hitter per inning and avoiding the go-fer ball. At the very least, Gasser could become a crucial member of the bullpen with that sort of profile, but it’s always better if he could emerge as a viable starter.

RHP Abner Uribe – Fastball and K/9

How dominating is Abner Uribe? Most innings, two of the three outs he will get will be via the strikeout. A fastball hitting triple digits can do that. So can a superb slider. Even with the walks, he could be an asset in the Brewers bullpen today–and the Brewers did protect him on the 40-man roster in the 2022-2023 offseason.

SS Eric Brown Jr. – OBP/Speed/Defense

Brown may not be a big bopper, but he is showing an OBP/speed combo that could be quite useful in a reserve role at the very least. Think of a right-handed Bill Spiers or Mark Loretta, albeit with the ability to steal 25-30 bases a season. Both Spiers and Loretta proved to be extremely useful players throughout their careers. 

IF Daniel Guilarte – OBP/Hit-For-Average/Speed/Defense

Guilarte is proving to be an OBP god who hits for average as well. Add in speed and his defense, and you have the kind of player that could very well have been the difference in the 2018 NLCS, where the Crew would have a runner at third, but the hitter would strike out. He lacks the pop of even Spiers or Loretta, but he’s still a competent backup.

Interested in learning more about the Milwaukee Brewers' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!