Underrated Milwaukee Brewers Prospects in 2024: The Outfield

Tristen Lutz and Thomas Dillard were released at various points in 2023. Joe Gray Jr. was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Other prospects who looked good at times, like Brian Sanchez and Jace Avina, became trade fodder this winter. It’s substantial attrition, but the Brewers still have a lot of underrated outfield prospects in their system. Let’s look them over.

Left Field
Noah Campbell (Double-A Biloxi/Triple-A Nashville)
.244/.361/.391, 10 doubles, 8 home runs, 40 RBI, 46 walks, 77 strikeouts in 271 at-bats
In 2023, Campbell stood out by performing well in Biloxi when other players struggled with an experimental ball, and in doing so, he earned a promotion to Nashville. After splitting time between the middle infield and the outfield at the very beginning of his professional career, he's now confined to the corner outfield spots, but his on-base skills and the ability to switch-hit make him a potentially useful big-league bench piece.

Isaac Collins (Double-A Biloxi/Triple-A Nashville)
.263/.419/.421, 13 doubles, 10 home runs, 44 RBI, 77 walks, 56 strikeouts in 297 at-bats
Plucked in the 2022-2023 offseason via the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft from the Rockies, Collins was an OBP god in 2023, drawing 77 walks in half a season's worth of at-bats. Collins displayed some legitimate power and speed with the Shuckers and Sounds, notching 25 extra-base hits and 29 stolen bases. While he mostly spent time in left field, he also played two dozen games at second base.

Hedbert Perez (Single-A Carolina)
.216/.288/.345, 10 doubles, 6 home runs, 29 RBI, 22 walks, 68 strikeouts in 232 at-bats
Pérez, perhaps, shows just how deep the outfield has become in recent years. When signed in 2019, he was a highly-touted prospect. Now, he fights for playing time and a chance to climb the ladder. That's obviously a product of his massive struggles at the plate, but it's also about the number of good alternatives the Brewers have accumulated. Pérez spent most of his time in left field in 2023. He’s still 21, and could build on his improvement in 2023, but 2024 looks like a make-or-break season for him.

Center Field
Dylan O’Rae (Rookie ACL Brewers/Single-A Carolina)
.349/.491/.395, 8 doubles, 23 RBI, 57 walks, 37 strikeouts in 218 at-bats
O’Rae, a third-round pick in 2022, mostly spent 2023 at second base, with some time in center field and a spare few appearances at shortstop. The Crew appears to be making the outfield a permanent home for O’Rae, although it would seem more logical to have him keep his hand in the middle infield at least. While some might view his lack of power as a red flag, he’s shown that he can get hits and get on base. Plus, he stole 44 bases in just 218 at-bats. His defense was also superb, with only two errors in 33 games at second base.

Chris Roller (Triple-A Columbus/Triple-A Nashville)
.247/.394/.449, 16 doubles, 15 home runs, 67 RBI, 68 walks, 109 strikeouts in 312 at-bats
Roller got a 40-man roster spot after a very hot sample in Nashville, and developed more of a power stroke in 2023, making his bat a legitimate three-true outcome threat. He also adds speed to his offensive arsenal (19 stolen bases). While the Brewers have a lot of young talent in the outfield (Sal Frelick, Joey Wiemer, Garrett Mitchell, Jackson Chourio) alongside Christian Yelich and defensive specialist Blake Perkins, Roller is valuable depth in the event of trades or injuries.

Right Field
Kay-Lan Nicasia (Single-A Carolina)
.216/.327/.352, 13 doubles, 6 home runs, 37 RBI, 47 walks, 105 strikeouts in 287 at-bats
The switch-hitting Nicasia moved to the outfield to find playing time and ended up in right field in 2023. His OBP skills and pop are impressive, and he also stole 27 bases. His contributions are not just on offense – he has snuffed out 16 baserunners in 114 games in the outfield during his professional career. This intriguing combo could give him a Keon Broxton-esque career in the majors, albeit with much more favorable platoon splits.

Luis Castillo (Rookie ACL Brewers/Single-A Carolina)
.252/.339/.356, 8 doubles, 3 home runs, 30 RBI, 22 walks, 50 strikeouts in 163 at-bats
Castillo is a left-handed power-hitting prospect who signed as an international free agent in 2021. He had a promising 2022, but fell off a little in 2023. While he hasn’t been a factor on the basepaths, his arm has been a factor in the outfield, with 10 outfield assists in 87 games across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. At 19, Castillo could still break out, but he faces very stiff competition from Yophery Rodriguez and others.

Lamar Sparks (Double-A Biloxi)
.253/.364/.421, 16 doubles, 9 home runs, 47 RBI, 48 walks, 120 strikeouts in 292 at-bats
Sparks gave the Shuckers a sparkplug in the lineup, delivering power, OBP skills, and speed after signing as a minor-league free agent. The one negative was a high strikeout rate, but Sparks covered all three outfield positions, notching seven outfield assists in 2023. He could be a key piece for the Shuckers or Sounds, depending on trades and injuries, if his strikeout rate can be addressed.

Carlos D. Rodriguez (Double-A Biloxi)
.291/.359/.367, 21 doubles, 1 home run, 43 RBI, 40 walks, 50 strikeouts in 392 at-bats
The other Carlos Rodriguez has patrolled the outfield for Brewers farm clubs since 2017, and lately, he has been much like Brewers cult hero Andruw Monasterio, in that his offensive strength has been in an area in which the major-league club is weak: Hitting for average. Of all the players with 200 or more at-bats, Rodríguez led the Shuckers in batting average, and added 14 steals. He also posted nine outfield assists in 112 games in the outfield.

Overview
There are farm systems that would be very happy to call the players here top prospects in the outfield. Three years ago, Brewers fans would be excited about them. They’re now scrapping for playing time in a farm studded with Yophery Rodríguez and Luis Lara, not to mention the major-league depth of Yelich, Mitchell, Chourio, Wiemer, Frelick, and Perkins.

These players could end up on the Brewers roster, but as the 2023-2024 offseason showed, it might be just as likely that they help the team in the trade market.

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!