Milwaukee Brewers High 10 Prospects for 2023 Fantasy Baseball
2023 must be a bounce again yr for Bernie and the Brewers, who completed 2022 one recreation behind the Phillies for a wild card spot and can retain all their elite pitching. Properly, all their elite pitching besides Josh Hader. The lineup is sweet, too. Rowdy Telez and Willy Adames mixed for 66 residence runs, which seems like an emblem of the place this group thrives: making room for expertise that falls by means of cracks in different groups’ roster crunches.
1. OF Jackson Chourio | 19 | AA | 2024
Chourio received’t flip 19 till March 11, giving him an out of doors shot to make his huge league debut at age 19. It’s unlikely however throughout the vary of potential outcomes for a participant who has already defied the age-to-level curve in an excessive means, taking part in AA video games at 18 and getting beneficial winter league reps in a hyper-competitive setting. The numbers don’t matter a complete lot for a wunderkind like this, however the numbers are good: 20 HR and 16 SB in 99 video games throughout three ranges.
2. OF Sal Frelick | 22 | AAA | 2023
Hit machine. Walked (8.8%) greater than he struck out (7.4%) in 46 video games at Triple-A, slashing .365/.435/.508 with 4 residence runs and 9 stolen bases. I don’t know why he didn’t get referred to as up. 40-man stuff, possibly. Brewers actually crapped the mattress down the stretch final yr, and I suppose dangerous selections can have a compounding impact and result in extra dangerous selections. On this case, the Josh Hader commerce created a have to see Esteury Ruiz on the main league stage, so that they introduced him up, maybe taking Frelick’s ticket though they barely performed Ruiz after which despatched him again down.
3. OF Esteury Ruiz | 24 | MLB | 2022
The Ruizes aligned to ship Esteury to Milwaukee within the Josh Hader commerce. Appeared like a great transfer for his fantasy outlook, nevertheless it didn’t work out that means within the brief time period. No person had a greater minor league season than Ruiz, a 6’0” 169 lb former infielder studying his means across the outfield. He had kind of fallen off the prospect map earlier than slashing .332/.447/.526 with 16 residence runs and 85 stolen bases in 114 minor league video games throughout the 2 prime ranges. He additionally posted a 66-to-94 strikeout to stroll charge in 541 plate appearances. After being caught simply 14 instances stealing within the minors, he obtained pegged twice in three makes an attempt within the majors. Doesn’t imply something. Simply fascinating. The Brewers have been slightly baffling of late, so I’m hesitant to guess on any of those outfielders to get the taking part in time we want, however the catch is we’ll need any of them who breaks by means of.
4. OF Garrett Mitchell | 24 | MLB | 2022
I’ve by no means been actual huge fish on Garrett Mitchell, however a few of that’s different sources (Fantrax) pumping him up so excessive it left little room for revenue in our recreation. The 2020 first-round choose performed nicely final season and earned a promotion to the majors, the place he struck out 41.2 p.c of the time in his 68 plate appearances. Too small a pattern to matter a complete lot, however the eight stolen bases leap off the web page and can doubtless see him rushed up redraft rankings. He’s a 6’3” 215 left-handed hitter with elite protection in middle subject, so I don’t wish to give the impression I don’t assume he can play. If the hit device can cling on the main league stage, he’ll be a fantasy monster.
5. OF Joey Wiemer | 24 | AAA | 2023
At 6’5” 215 lbs, Joey Wiemer options double-plus energy and plus velocity, smashing 21 residence runs and swiping 31 bases in 127 video games throughout two ranges final season. That’s good and all, however the most effective factor Wiemer did was lower his strikeout charge from 30.2 p.c in 84 video games at Double-A to 19.5 p.c in 43 video games at Double-A. The principle situation right here, as with the remainder of these guys, is the place he’ll play and when. Undecided I’ve ever seen a workforce with this many elite outfield prospects on the cusp of the majors.
6. C Jeferson Quero | 20 | A+ | 2024
He’s not an enormous backstop at 5’10” 165 lbs, so it helps to put aside some preconceived notions concerning the catching place when contemplating his prospect inventory. Quero is considerably extra athletic in his core than the typical catcher. He slashed .313/.329/.530 in 20 video games as a 19-year-old in Excessive-A, and the athleticism interprets behind the plate, the place Quero seems like a pure. It’s an underrated facet of the sport: catching a nasty pitch with a gentle hand and making it look straightforward time after time. It doesn’t at all times matter for our recreation, however on this case, it accelerates the timeline on an excellent hitting prospect.
7. 2B Tyler Black | 22 | A+ | 2024
T.B. Tyler Black. Gettin down on Fri-day. But in addition the opposite days. He’s form of at all times hit, and if you happen to see him swing, you get it instantly. Some lefties simply look born for the batter’s field. The thirty third general choose in 2021, Black slashed .281/.406/.424 with 4 residence runs and 13 stolen bases in 64 video games, strolling 45 instances and placing out 44.
8. SS Brice Turang | 23 | AAA
Turang took an actual step ahead in 2022, boosting his remoted slugging share from .070 in 2021 to .126 in 2022. He traded fairly a little bit of his stroll charge, which dropped from 18.2 p.c to 10.8 p.c, however I’m inspired that he got here again to Triple-A attacking after spending 44 video games there as a 22-year-old. A left-handed hitter at 6’0” 173 lbs, Turang was an early contender to be prime choose of the 2018 draft however landed at 21 general to the Brewers, the place he’s loved a gentle climb up the system regardless of lower than stellar outcomes on offense.
9. SS Eric Brown Jr. | 22 | A | 2025
Milwaukee obtained a win at choose 27 on this yr’s draft in Eric Brown Jr., who transitioned easily to professional ball. He stole 19 bases in 27 video games throughout two ranges, chipping in three residence runs. This crop of younger Brewers has unbelievable velocity all through the system, and Brown matches the mould however brings above common energy in a 5’10” 190 lb body.
10. 2B Felix Valerio | 22 | AA | 2024
Valerio stole 30 bases and hit 12 residence runs in 113 video games and posted a ten.0%-to-16.7% walk-to-strikeout charge towards older opponents. He additionally slashed .228/.313/.357 and checks in at simply 5’7” and 165 kilos. Some folks actually like him within the dynasty group. Fangraphs provides him a 70 future worth hit device, no matter that’s meant to imply. He slashed .314/.430/.469 in 85 Low-A video games in 2021, so it’s not coming from nowhere. I simply assume it is likely to be couched in a pre rag ball period. Maybe we’re headed again to the juicy juiced days of 2019 sometime, and in that case, Valerio is likely to be too low right here.
Thanks for studying!
I’m @theprospectitch on Twitter.
