Brewers 2025 Spring Training Newbies: How'd They Get Here?

Major League Additions

LHP Tyler Alexander
A second-round pick by the Tigers in the 2015 draft, Alexander is the Brewers’ most recent major-league acquisition. After five years in Detroit’s rotation, he was designated for assignment and found himself in Tampa Bay. He threw 7 ⅓ perfect innings in May 2024, but things quickly started to regress from there. He had a 5.10 ERA over 107 ⅔ innings and was ultimately non-tendered, leading him to sign a one-year deal with Milwaukee.

Jack Stern did a great deep dive on what he could bring to the team and how he currently slots in the rotation, but at the very least, he gives the roster depth while they navigate the back half of their 2024 injury pandemic that still affects players like DL Hall and Robert Gasser.

RHP Grant Anderson
Anderson was a late selection by the Mariners in the 2018 draft and has been a consistently good minor league arm ever since. While he did earn a call-up in 2023, his results in the big leagues have been subpar, to say the least. He has seemingly struggled to carry over the success he has had in Triple-A, posting a 2.93 ERA over 26 games with Triple-A Round Rock while pitching an 8.10 ERA in 23 games with the Rangers. After Texas signed Joc Pederson, he was designated for assignment to make room on the roster before being traded to the Brewers in exchange for Mason Molina.

Jack Stern wrote a more detailed analysis of Anderson, calling him a “funky relief project,” which seems to sum it up quite well. There’s potential there, but it’ll have to be unlocked.

RHP Elvin Rodríguez
Originally signed as an international free agent by the Angels in 2014, he was sent to the Tigers in 2017 as part of the Justin Upton trade and debuted with Detroit in 2022, making five starts to an incredible 10.62 ERA over 29 ⅔ innings. He later elected free agency after being sent outright to Triple-A Toledo and signed a minor league contract with the Rays. He pitched well enough with Triple-A Durham to get called up and toss 3 ⅓ perfect innings. The next day, he was designated for assignment, and he finished the year with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. After pitching to a 1.80 ERA for them in 2024, he returned to MLB by signing a one-year deal with Milwaukee that included a club option for 2026.

If you want to read more about what he can offer an already stacked pitching staff, check out Jack Stern’s write-up here.

LHP Connor Thomas
Thomas was drafted in the fifth round of the 2019 draft by the Cardinals and spent his entire minor league career with the organization, hitting a real groove with Triple-A Memphis in 2024. He posted a 2.89 ERA over 90 ⅓ innings, primarily serving as a long reliever. He ended up as a sneaky Rule 5 Draft pick that could have a big impact next season.

Jack Stern likened him to fellow long reliever Bryse Wilson in his breakdown, which can be found here.

LHP Grant Wolfram
One interesting thing about Wolfram is that he was drafted later in college than he was in high school, dropping from the 17th round in 2015 to the 18th round in 2018. He saw steady improvement throughout his minor league career culminating in a strong 2024, posting a 3.34 ERA over 56 ⅔ innings out of the bullpen with Triple-A Round Rock. He elected free agency at the end of the season and chose to sign a major-league deal with the Brewers in December.

Matt Trueblood drew parallels between Wolfram and fellow southpaw Bryan Hudson in his breakdown of the move. If that ends up being the case, the bullpen could have even more depth than people were expecting.

Non-Roster Invitees

RHP Deivi García
García was signed in 2015 by the New York Yankees as an international free agent. His first few years of professional baseball were reasonably productive, and he made it to Triple-A Scranton by 2019 and to the major-league rotation by 2020. He struggled at the higher levels of baseball and dealt with a finger injury in 2022, causing his numbers to balloon uncontrollably. After transitioning to the bullpen in 2023, he was designated for assignment and was claimed by the White Sox. His problems followed him to Chicago, posting a 5.40 ERA over 23 ⅓ total innings, and he elected free agency at the end of the season before signing a minor league deal with Milwaukee.

He has quite a few issues to iron out and is quite far from earning a spot in the elite Brewers bullpen, but clearly, there’s something the organization sees. It may not be much, but it’s there, and he’s just 25 years old, giving him plenty of time before he hits his athletic prime.

RHP Vinny Nittoli
Nittoli was a 25th-round pick in the 2014 draft and didn’t make his major league debut until 2021 when he made a single one-inning relief appearance for the Mariners. He has bounced around to 11 different organizations (with two stints in the Mariners, Blue Jays, and Mets systems each) and has never really found a home but has been a consistent minor league grinder. He had a 3.60 ERA over 30 minor league innings in 2024 but had a disastrous three games with Triple-A Syracuse, resulting in Nittoli opting out of his contract to pursue free agency. He signed a minor league deal with the Brewers in September.

A 34-year-old minor league journeyman isn’t exactly what most think of when considering possible needle-moving pieces heading into next year. He has been able to find success here and there, but he’s probably too inconsistent to warrant a roster spot.

LHP Bruce Zimmermann
A fifth-round draft pick by the Braves in 2017, he spent just one year in their system before being traded to the Orioles in exchange for Kevin Gausman. He put up respectable numbers, spending most of his minor league career with Triple-A Norfolk, and he even earned himself 27 major league starts over the course of four seasons. However, his performances were lukewarm at best and he dealt with several injuries. In August 2024, he was designated for assignment and elected free agency at the end of the year before signing a minor league deal with the Brewers in December.

At 30 years old, he’s definitely still got some life in him. He had a 4.34 ERA over 76 ⅔ innings in his final season with Triple-A Norfolk, so there’s a potential opening for him in the event the Brewers are forced to endure similar injury luck to last year’s, but it’d be surprising to see him be a mainstay of the rotation.

C Jorge Alfaro
Known for his luscious locks, Alfaro is no stranger to the major leagues. He has more than 1,700 MLB plate appearances under his belt with five different organizations and most recently spent time with the Rockies and Red Sox in 2023. He signed a minor league contract with the Cubs prior to the start of the 2024 season but was released in late March, relegating him to a short stint in the Dominican Winter League, where he posted a mere .469 OPS. This winter, he was much better but had just 36 plate appearances, so his true abilities over a more meaningful sample size are still up in the air.

With William Contreras and Eric Haase, Milwaukee already has sufficient talent in the catching department. While Gary Sánchez was able to get some work as a tertiary option in 2024, Alfaro would also have to compete with top prospect Jeferson Quero who was anticipated to debut last year had he not suffered a devastating injury to his throwing shoulder. Never say never but it would seem that Alfaro’s best years are behind him.

2B Raynel Delgado
Delgado was a sixth-round selection by the Guardians in the 2018 draft and spent the entirety of his lengthy minor league career in the system. He had decent numbers in his final year with Triple-A Columbus, posting a .791 OPS over 345 plate appearances, but ultimately elected free agency in November and signed a minor league deal with the Brewers.

There are some lingering questions regarding Milwaukee’s infield, but Delgado probably isn’t the answer. Sure, he gives the organization more infield depth, but with Brice Turang, Joey Ortiz, and Caleb Durbin ahead of him on the pecking order, it would take a miracle for him to find significant major-league playing time this season. That said, he’s still just 24 years old, so there’s no guarantee that he won’t eventually find his way to his big-league debut. 

2B Anthony Seigler
Seigler was taken by the Yankees in the first round of the 2018 draft and was intended to be a catching prospect. He spent nearly all of his time behind the dish in his first four professional seasons but started to pick up some reps at second base in 2023. In 2024, he played all 118 games of the season in his new role and seems to have found his new defensive home. After a reasonably productive season with Double-A Somerset, the 25-year-old elected free agency and signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee.

I’d love to see more from Seigler in the minors. This will be his first season against Triple-A opposition which will gauge his readiness for the big leagues. If he performs, he could be another factor in the middle infield equation now or in the near future. He still has years to go before his age starts to weigh against his chances of taking the field as a Brewer.

OF Jimmy Herron
Herron was taken in the third round of the 2018 draft by the Cubs and spent just a year with the organization before being traded to the Rockies in exchange for international bonus pool money. He has put up strong numbers throughout his minor league journey and most recently posted a .810 OPS over 413 plate appearances with Triple-A Albuquerque. 

Herron is a little on the older side at 28 years old and faces a tight logjam in the outfield. With the talents of Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, and Sal Frelick occupying the corner outfield spots, it will be hard for him to claw his way to the top. He could be a depth piece if he continues to find success at Triple-A but it would surprise me to see him get a meaningful amount of big league plate appearances.

OF Jared Oliva
Oliva was a seventh-round pick by the Pirates in 2017 and has spent all but 59 plate appearances of his professional career in the minor leagues. After being designated for assignment by Pittsburgh in 2022, he spent time with the Angels and the Mariners, where he posted an .841 OPS over 248 plate appearances with Double-A Arkansas.

Oliva finds himself in a boat similar to Herron, although he has already made his debut. He’s 29 years old and has quite a rich pool of talent ahead of him on the roster. He has a slight advantage with more recent experience in center field, and who knows, maybe Garrett Mitchell will return to the injured list as he seems to do every year, but then Oliva would still have to win the spot over Sal Frelick and Blake Perkins, a tall task.