Are the Brewers Blowing It with Tyler Black?

Tyler Black has been a solid prospect for the Brewers since being selected with the Crew’s Competitive Balance A pick in 2021, the same year the Brewers drafted Gold Glove outfielder Sal Frelick. However, even though there are few questions left about Black’s bat, he hasn't established himself in Milwaukee as Frelick has. Could the Brewers be blowing it with another top prospect?

The Toolset
Let’s look at the tools first. Black is a pure hitter. His lowest full-season average in professional baseball was .258 in Triple-A Nashville, where he was on the shuttle to Milwaukee a couple of times in 2024. He features superb OBP skills, drawing 220 walks in 1,155 at-bats throughout the minors, and adding seven more in 49 at-bats at the MLB level.

His bat shows some pop, too, with 114 of his 314 hits in the minors going for extra bases. He can wreak havoc on the basepaths, stealing 93 bases in 116 attempts in the minors, and adding three more in the majors. It’s an offensive skillset that doesn’t hurt the team anywhere on the field. Even at first base or designated hitter, Black has the potential to be productive (albeit unconventionally, for those positions).

Black’s bat might yet develope into a dynamic threat. His power totals in 2023 (25 doubles, 12 triples, and 18 homers between Biloxi and Nashville), his last full season in the minor leagues, were higher than those of Frelick (28, 6, and 11) and Turang (24, 2, and 13) in 2022 (their last full minor-league season), and he was more of a threat on the basepaths, posting 55 steals—compared to 34 for Turang and 24 for Frelick in their last full minor-league season. Admittedly, Black was older than they were at the same levels, and he took a step backward from them in 2024, but that production carries promise.

Delayed By Injuries And Lack Of A Home
Black’s earlier professional career was marred by injuries—most notably in 2022, when he missed significant time both with the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and with the Arizona Fall League’s Glendale Desert Dogs. But he broke out in 2023 as the regular third baseman for the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers, earning a late-season promotion to Nashville.

Arguably, he had earned the inside track to be Milwaukee’s third baseman, but the acquisitions of Joey Ortiz and Oliver Dunn (combined with concern about his defense) resulted in a return to Nashville. Black mostly played first base with the Sounds, but saw action in left field, center field, and at third base in 2024. Earlier in his professional career, he also played second base.

At third base in Triple-A Nashville, he’s posted a .945 fielding percentage, with a career fielding percentage of .931 at the hot corner between Nashville, Biloxi, and the Timber Rattlers. His career fielding percentage at second base is .948. Errors and fielding percentage are not the truest measures of infield defense, of course, but there's at least some evidence that Black can feel his way to proficiency at one of those two spots. Unfortunately for Black, that evidence hasn't yet convinced anyone in the Brewers front office, or on the coaching staff.

The Brewers Roster Situation
Black has demonstrated some positional versatility in his career, but he primarily handled first base and DH in 2024. In 2025, those are positions where he is likely to be blocked by Rhys Hoskins, Christian Yelich, and (more than a handful of times, when he's not catching but the team still wants his bat in the lineup) William Contreras. Black could spell any of them in turns, but has to prove that he can hit big-league pitching and/or acquit himself with the glove at the cold corner. He is also facing competition at the position from non-roster invitees Jake Bauers and Ernesto Martinez Jr.

Additionally, the Brewers’ outfield is already crowded, with Frelick, Chourio, Yelich, and Garrett Mitchell as the top four players, and the rehabbing Blake Perkins hoping to be back in the mix by May. If Black is seeing time in the outfield, the Brewers may be in a world of hurt injury-wise, with Perkins already out after he fouled a ball off his shin.

Ortiz ended up handling most of the duties at the hot corner for the Brewers in 2024, after Oliver Dunn slumped and was injured. He is the favorite to replace Willy Adames at short in 2025, where his glove is likely to be very solid and will pair well with Platinum Glove Award recipient Brice Turang up the middle.

Current And Minor-League Hot Corner Options
On the 40-man roster, the Brewer have some options at third base. Caleb Durbin, acquired in the Devin Williams trade, provides speed, some pop, and excellent OBP skills. Andrew Monasterio held down the job in the second half of 2023 and was solid. Dunn is a left-handed power bat, although one with a big hole in his swing. Vinny Capra is a natural shortstop who could slide over to the hot corner based on a hot start to spring training.

In the minors, the Brewers have prospect Brock Wilken, who struggled at Double-A Biloxi; Mike Boeve, a pure hitter in the mold of Jeff Cirillo who hit well in Biloxi; and Cooper Pratt, a shortstop who could slide over to the hot corner, who split time between Low-A Carolina and High-A Wisconsin in 2024.

How To Use Tyler Black?
Black would likely be an upgrade over Brice Turang in the leadoff spot, if Pat Murphy and company were to give him a shot at making the adjustments to MLB pitching and umpires. Of course, there's some evidence that Turang has already been displaced from the leadoff spot, but Black could be this year's version of the "stretch" leadoff man Murphy recently described. The best approach would be to have him start three games a week at third, while having a start a week at first base and another at DH to keep Hoskins and Yelich rested. Black could also spell some of the Brewers outfielders by picking up a game in left field each week. Murphy told reporters Sunday that Black will get at least some reps at third base during Cactus League play, so the door to that plan is open for now.

At the moment, whether he's earned one or not, Black does not have an easy path to a major role with the Brewers. It's more likely that he'll begin the season in Nashville, trying again to prove to the team that he can handle one of his not-quite-homes on defense. If the team doesn't at least clear a road to some kind of meaningful audition, though, they might live to regret it.