Top 20 Brewers Prospects, May 2023 Update: Fresh Faces Abound

48 minutes ago, Smichaelis9 said:

After a month and a half of minor league baseball, it's time to reevaluate the Brewers' farm system and see who is emerging as new top prospects.

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Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into mid-May, the Milwaukee Brewers see significant turnover in their farm system as former top ten prospects Joey Wiemer, Brice Turang, and Garrett Mitchell lose prospect eligibility. In their place comes a new wave of young prospects, including a couple from last year's MLB draft. Let's dive into the new names and what we might expect from them in years to come.

To track all 20 top Brewers' prospects, visit our prospect tracker with stats and details updated nightly, along with up-to-date scouting reports on every player and recent news and content regarding each player!

#10 - Daniel Guilarte
Guilarte was an international signing by the Brewers in 2021 and is somebody the organization appears to be very high on internally. Guilarte can pick it at shortstop and third and second base. He has clean actions, good range, and a strong arm. Offensively, Guilarte has a patient approach that may border on being a bit too passive at times. It shows up in some solid walk totals, though it also shows up in the batted ball profile. A bit of indecisiveness can lead to a profile such as Guilarte’s, in which he rarely pulls the baseball and often hits it on the ground. Despite this, Guilarte has gotten off to a fantastic start to his full-season ball career, and as he matures more, there is likely more extra-base hit power within him. Even if he struggles to develop the power, Guilarte’s above-average to plus speed, defense, and hit tools will keep him on prospect radars.

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#12 - Justin Jarvis
Jarvis was the Brewers' fifth-round selection in 2018 out of Lake Norman High School in North Carolina. His fastball has always played above its velocity due to having elite spin characteristics. Because of that, Jarvis has always been seen as a pitcher who needed a little more velocity to take him to the next step. He found that velocity this past offseason, perhaps partly due to a slight adjustment to his arm slot. Formerly with an extremely over-the-top delivery, Jarvis used to sit in the 90-91 range, touching 93-94 at times. While still using a high slot, he has appeared to drop it slightly; Jarvis is sitting more in the 93-95 range this season and has reached back for 96. Accompanied by three distinct secondaries in his slider, curveball, and changeup, all of which are average or slightly above offerings, Jarvis looks to be a player the Brewers will be keeping a close eye on this entire year, as he will be Rule 5 eligible again this offseason.

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#15 - Freddy Zamora
Zamora was the Brewers' second-round pick in the 2020 COVID draft out of Miami (FL). At one point, a consensus first-round pick, some potential attitude concerns, and a recently torn ACL caused him to slide to the Brewers in the second. Zamora got off to a strong start in the minors before an injury-filled second season in 2022. He is off to a very good start in the 2023 campaign, flashing many of the tools that had garnered him such high draft consideration. Zamora has always had the build of a player that would have power in his bat but has struggled to tap into any of it. This season, however, he has begun to tap into it, and it’s showing in early home run numbers. While the power is just now starting to come around, one thing Zamora has always done well is getting the bat to the ball; he maintains a strikeout rate right around 20%. He has also been willing to take his walks and has done so at a rate of 12-15% on average. Defensively, Zamora has great range, great hands, and good actions, with a strong throwing arm. Despite possessing these attributes, he has had a lot of errors early on in his minor league career. Many errors can likely be attributed to a lack of focus, especially when making throws, which is common for young infielders. He has all of the tools to be a plus defender at shortstop. His speed grades out as above average, and his baserunning abilities as a whole follow suit. The former second-round pick is beginning to re-make a name for himself, perhaps just in time, as his Rule 5 eligibility begins this winter. 

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#16 - Matthew Wood
Wood was the Brewers' 2022 fourth-round pick out of Penn State. Wood is a catcher with a relatively high floor. He should be able to stick behind the plate, and he’s a disciplined hitter with good bat control. He appears to recognize pitches well, showing the ability to square up fastballs and breaking balls, and he showed a low whiff rate in college and early on in his pro career. There is also some pop in the bat, where he is a home run threat. Defensively, Wood’s a decent receiver but could use some improvement. He moves around pretty well behind the plate and uses his athleticism to his advantage. On throws, Wood gets rid of the ball quickly, helping his average arm strength play up enough to where his pop times are generally around 2.0 seconds and, at times, are in the low 1.9-second range. Wood is a player that could move pretty quickly through the system due to his advanced approach and ability to stick at catcher.

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#17 - Luke Adams
The Brewers' twelfth-round pick in the 2022 draft. Adams was drafted out of Hinsdale Central High School in Illinois and spent the first few weeks of the current 2023 season at 18 before turning 19 in late April. Standing 6’4, 210 pounds, he comes with a rare blend of patience at the plate to go along with his plus raw power and surprising speed for his size. Adams has played a very solid third base where he has the arm to handle the position and has shown an early ability to make off-platform throws, which is not easily done at 6’4. He also spends time at first base, where he is a definite above-average defender. His plus arm would be a good fit in right field as well, which he has the athleticism to handle. At the plate, Adams has a violent swing, yet he also shows an impressive amount of patience. The key for him will be to find the balance between being passive and patient. Otherwise, that may be something that pitchers will be able to take advantage of as he begins to climb the organizational ladder. Very young for his level, Adams will almost certainly have some ups and downs over the next few seasons, but he has a very high ceiling if he can put everything together. 

 

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I think Zamora is the most important prospect in our system. If he can continue to develop his bat and keep his focus on his throwing I think we might have ourselves a SS that can keep Turang at 2B. 

The ‘23 early returns on both are encouraging, especially his throwing, sitting on 3 errors vs double-digit this time last year.

It will be interesting to see if Quero, Misi, or Black (maybe Brown if he keeps the hot streak going, or Guilarte or Lara if rankings like mlb.com don't come out for 2-3 months) make any mid-season top 100. I feel like our 2nd tier prospects are always undervalued nationally.

46 minutes ago, jay87shot said:

It will be interesting to see if Quero, Misi, or Black (maybe Brown if he keeps the hot streak going, or Guilarte or Lara if rankings like mlb.com don't come out for 2-3 months) make any mid-season top 100. I feel like our 2nd tier prospects are always undervalued nationally.

I think it’s a pretty safe bet Quero and Misiorowski make the top 100. Black if he keeps the power profile should make it as well. Lara if he keeps hitting should make a list or two just because of his age, but might get overlooked. Guilarte just doesn’t have enough pop in the bat yet, but CRod could touch a list if he can improve his command some the next 5-6 weeks.

6 hours ago, SF70 said:

I think Zamora is the most important prospect in our system. If he can continue to develop his bat and keep his focus on his throwing I think we might have ourselves a SS that can keep Turang at 2B. 

The ‘23 early returns on both are encouraging, especially his throwing, sitting on 3 errors vs double-digit this time last year.

My thinking exactly. If (when) they move away from Adames my assumption has always been it'll be Zamora, Brown or Turang next up, and it's been great to see Zamora perform as he has after a largely lost 2022.

I find both Wood & Adams intriguing.