2023 Brewers Top Prospects Ranking

What To Like
Chourio doesn’t get cheated on his swings at the plate but still looks to be in total control of his bat. Many have described him as having a “toe tap,” but in reality, it’s more of a “heel tap” as he doesn’t lift his foot off the ground. He does a great job of being direct to the ball with his swing while still getting the loft needed to elevate the ball and get to his raw power in games. Twenty home runs in 439 plate appearances, as the youngest player at each of the three levels he played at, is very rare. He can drive pitches in every area of the strike zone. While in Appleton, Chourio turned around a 100 MPH fastball at the top of the zone for a home run. He also drove sliders on the outer half out to right for home runs and extra-base hits throughout the year. His hit tool has the potential to be above average, with plus power and good bat-to-ball skills.

Defensively, Chourio is still new to the outfield after being signed as a shortstop. He uses his plus speed to cover a lot of ground but has some room for refinement in his routes and jumps. This is not unexpected from a player of Chourio’s age, especially one that hasn’t spent much time out there. He projects to be an above-average center fielder once he has gained more experience, though as a teenager, his size could impact defense as he ages into his twenties. His plus speed also factors in on the basepaths, stolen bases, and batted balls. With the attention Chourio was receiving last season, it would have been understandable for him to have some lazy moments on the field. He never did. Chourio was not taking plays off, whether it was a routine ground ball to an infielder or an opportunity to go first to third on a single; his motor was extremely high all season. In fact, it’s fair to wonder if the Brewers won’t ask him to rein it in a bit to maintain his health. 

What to Work On
No, Chourio is not perfect. No matter how exciting he is, there are some reasons to hold off on the MVP trophy engravings. For one, Chourio is still 18 years old. He will be 19 at the start of the season. Young players come with some inherent risks due to a lack of experience. He hasn’t faced much adversity in his career yet. How players respond to a prolonged slump can tell us a lot about their future.

Another thing you might find with a young player is an inability to adjust once the “book is out on them,” which Brewers fans have seen with a Keston Hiura, for example. Hiura was never at a level long enough to have pitchers find the holes in his swing, but that showed up eventually. Chourio hasn’t given reason to worry about either of those situations, but they are a few things to watch.

In terms of non-hypothetical concerns for Chourio, only one stands out. Chourio did strike out quite a bit in Low-A, and scouts did note that he does have some swing-and-miss in his profile. The good news is that in his promotion to High-A, Chourio cut the strikeout rate from 28% to 21% and cut the chase rate and whiff rate a bit simultaneously. Pitch selection/ recognition is the biggest contributor to these issues, more than his ability to get the bat on the ball.  However, if Chourio can’t limit the strikeouts, his hit tool will likely be more average than above average. As mentioned earlier, he should be able to handle center field defensively; the one knock on him will likely be his arm, which is fringe-average. It will hold up well enough in center field; it’s the only tool without the potential to be above average or plus.

What’s Next
With the way, Chourio burst onto the scene last year as an 18-year-old, it would be fair to assume that his body has matured faster than most his age. It doesn’t appear that this is the case. He still has a pretty thin frame that should allow him to add quite a bit of good weight to his body over the next couple of years. In other words, he’s already showing his abilities in games, but he still has the projectability to dream of too. Chourio will likely start in 2023 in Double-A in Biloxi. A 2023 MLB debut isn’t something Brewers fans should expect, but it would seem somewhat foolish to rule it out entirely.

What To Like
The Brewers' first-round pick in 2021, Frelick was an enigma in the draft world coming out of Boston College. Due to some unfortunate injury luck and COVID, Frelick needed more data to work with. He had shown good bat-to-ball and on-base skills and a lot of athleticism. He had shown an ability to hit the ball with some authority but had struggled to elevate. There were a lot of signs that gave scouts hope that Frelick would eventually become a solid hitter, but without the sample size in college, there was still reason for skepticism. Less than two years post-draft, Frelick is universally viewed as having a plus hit tool, if not an elite one. MLB Pipeline gave him a 70 grade in that regard, which was the highest they gave to any prospect in baseball. Impressively, Frelick’s strikeout rate has continued to decrease as he has risen through the minors, bottoming out at under 9% in Triple-A last season. His swing decisions are elite, he has very good bat-to-ball skills, and he uses his athleticism to turn some groundouts into singles and stretch singles to doubles. Frelick has been a pretty successful base stealer in the minor leagues, but at times it does appear he’s more reliant on his athleticism and speed than his jumps. As with many players around the game, the new pitch clock and pickoff rules should only help his success on the bases.

What to Work On
Offensively, there’s only one downfall to Frelick’s profile: a lack of home run power. He has a very short and fast swing that should allow him to hit plenty of line drives into gaps for doubles and triples, but it will likely make it hard to generate the elevation required to tap into more home run power. 10-15 home runs in a season still feel possible, though, and would at least help keep pitchers on their toes if he can punish their mistakes.

Despite what FanGraphs has said about his defense, Frelick appears to be an average defender in center field presently. He primarily relies on his athleticism, as his routes and jumps are fringe-average at best. Having been recruited to Boston College as a utility guy many thought would eventually play second base, Frelick is still relatively new to the outfield. This makes him more likely to see progression as he gains more experience. Brewers fans will not have to worry about Frelick playing with any fear in the outfield. He plays with his hair on fire and is unafraid to smash into a wall or three.

What’s Next
Frelick has a lot of similarities to Steven Kwan, who posted a WAR over five as a rookie. Kwan had a better batted ball profile in the minors (fewer grounders, more line drives), so Frelick may not have quite as good a debut season as Kwan did, but he does have a profile that should lend him to early MLB success. Frelick is in major league camp and will likely remain there until he heads off to play in the World Baseball Classic for Team Italy, where he should get a lot of high-level experience facing MLB-level talent. The Brewers' signing of Tyler Naquin may have shut the door further on his already slim chances of making the team out of spring. Barring a major regression in Triple-A this season, Frelick has all of the ingredients to be a fantastic table setter for the Brewers for a long time. He’s already waiting at the doorstep of the majors, and fans should expect to see him entrenched in the everyday lineup sometime in 2023.

What To Like
The Brewers' fourth-round pick in the COVID-shortened five-round draft of 2020, Wiemer is already on the verge of cracking the MLB roster after an incredible debut season in 2021 and a solid, if slightly less spectacular, 2022. If you were to see Wiemer out in the wild, you might think he was a tight end or a small forward. In reality, he’s a 6'5", 215 lbs outfielder with so much athleticism that he can hold his own in center field and excel out there. The Brewers' surplus of center field prospects will likely relegate Wiemer to right field, making him one of the better defensive right fielders in baseball. Wiemer’s arm will also fit in just fine in right field, as it is universally regarded as one of the best arms in all of baseball. Wiemer gets great carry on his throws, can throw on the move and from uncomfortable angles, and has an impressive amount of accuracy to go with it. It’s hard to grade the arm as anything other than a 70 or possibly even an 80. 

On the offensive side of the ball, Wiemer shows raw power that very few have, and he can also get to it in games. To illustrate the type of power he has, FanGraphs lists him as having hit a ball with a 122 MPH exit velocity last season, which has only happened three times in the Statcast era. The validity of that number is a little up in the air, but it wasn’t high enough that FanGraphs considered it a complete outlier that Wiemer could not reach. Along with his power, Wiemer shows an ability and a willingness to take walks, with a career walk rate of over 11% thus far. 

Wiemer’s athleticism has been mentioned several times already, but another place it shines is on the basepaths. Wiemer is a combined 61/70 on stolen base attempts in his two minor league seasons. With the new pitch clock rules, this should continue to be a weapon for Wiemer at the MLB level.

What to Work On
The main focus for Wiemer moving forward will likely be on his bat-to-ball skills. Wiemer takes explosive, exciting swings every time the bat leaves his shoulder. When he’s making contact, it’s very fun to watch. However, that swing has also left him susceptible to swing and miss. In his time at Double-A this past season, Wiemer struck out at a 30.2% rate which normally would not bode well, as those rates tend to go up as players continue up the organizational ladder. The good news is that Wiemer slashed that rate down to 19.5% at Triple-A, though in a smaller sample size. He also lowered his swinging strike rate while walking more, making that lower percentage more believable. If he can settle into a 25-28% K rate at the major league level, he will likely be a good major leaguer.

What’s Next
Wiemer is a non-roster invitee for Spring Training this year. It would seem a long shot for him to make the Opening Day roster, meaning he will likely begin the season in Nashville, where he will look to prove the lower strikeout rate wasn’t a fluke. If he can show that he can make consistent contact, he will find himself in the Brewers lineup sooner rather than later.

What To Like
Turang has major league bloodlines with his father; Brian spent time in MLB for two years in the 1990s and has received good grades for his makeup. Turang was once considered the likely number-one selection in his draft, but after a somewhat disappointing senior season of high school and travel ball, he fell to the Brewers at 21. One thing nobody will have to worry about with Turang will be his defense. He’s a very good defensive shortstop who has shown an ability to move around to second and third, as well as some center field. His instincts, glovework, and arm strength allowed him to play each of them seamlessly. A plus defender at shortstop specifically gives Turang a lot of value. As a baserunner, he was successful on 34 of 36 stolen base attempts in 2023 and showed an impressive ability to pick up on pitcher timing to get great jumps. Combining those baserunning instincts with his above-average speed should make him a threat on the bases at the major league level. Offensively, Turang has shown a very good feel for the strike zone, rarely expanding outside of it, which makes him an on-base threat even if he isn’t driving the ball. He has decent bat-to-ball skills to go along with that feel for the zone, giving him an average to slightly above-average hit tool overall. Turang doesn’t need to be a world-beater offensively to have a lot of value, but being better than league average would raise that value rather significantly.

What to Work On
The main reason Turang being a patient hitter is so important is because his offensive game does leave a bit to be desired at times, especially in the extra base hit department. Since being drafted, Turang has adjusted his stance at the plate. His front foot is now slightly more open than when he was drafted, sinking a bit further into the back leg. This was done with power output on the mind, as it keeps him from closing himself off with his front foot. With that adjustment, he began to tap into his in-game power more this past season, especially in the second half. Through June of last season, Turang had 308 plate appearances with only 13 extra-base hits, three of which were home runs. He had a .348 SLG at that point. From July through the end of the season, he had 295 plate appearances. In that span, he hit ten home runs and had 26 extra-base hits, which amounted to a .484 SLG. That type of output over the course of a full season would be above average at the major league level. Proving that the second half of the season is more indicative of his future offensive output than the first was would go a long way toward making Turang a very productive MLB bat.

What’s Next
Turang has a chance to be a long-time regular in MLB. Some improvements at the plate would go a long way toward making that reality. He had an up-and-down 2022 season, and some off-season additions may have lessened the chances of Turang making the Opening Day roster. As long as he remains healthy, though, we will see him in Milwaukee sometime this season.

What To Like
Though he hasn’t played above High-A professionally, Quero is no stranger to a bigger stage. He once hit a go-ahead home run in extra innings of a semi-final Little League World Series game against Japan. His ability to balance maturity and passion, as seen in that clip, has also carried over to his professional career. From the moment he signed out of Venezuela in 2019, Quero has been heralded for his makeup and ability to handle a pitching staff, both within the organization and externally. His defense and his arm are his calling cards at the moment. A very good athlete for a catcher, Quero moves extremely well behind the plate and showed big improvement in his blocking abilities last season. His arm is rated plus, already posting pop times in the 1.8-1.9 range and with good accuracy. He threw out 30% of attempted base stealers against him between Low-A and High-A last year. 30% doesn’t stand out as being better than average, but it’s important to note that Minor League Baseball was already operating under the new pitch clock rules. This means baserunners were at a huge advantage due to the pickoff rules accompanying the pitch clock. Quero also spent time in the Arizona Fall League in 2022, where he threw out 46% of attempted base stealers, while all other AFL catchers combined for a 17% Caught Stealing rate. 

While defense may be his calling card, there is much to like with Quero at the plate. Quero hit 10 HR as a 19-year-old catcher, to go along with a 116 wRC+ between Low-A and High-A; he also showed off a few exit velocities over 105 MPH in the AFL. Between High-A and Low-A, he combined to strike out under 20% of the time and showed very good bat-to-ball skills. His bat is something Brewers fans will want to watch closely this season, as his development will be very important to his future.

What to Work On
While Quero does a great job getting his bat on the ball, he sometimes needs help with pitch selection. He chases quite a bit, and after having nearly a 15% walk rate in the Complex League in 2021, that was cut in half to just over 7% in 2022. Finding the balance between being aggressive but not too aggressive will likely play a major part in determining the level of hitter he can be at the upper levels. Defensively, the only real knock on Quero now is in his receiving. This isn’t uncommon for catchers his age, especially as the pitchers they are catching start throwing harder while they move up the organizational ladder. The good news is that Quero seems to struggle more with low pitches than anywhere else, which is often a matter of strength more than ability. The Brewers are among the best in baseball at developing catchers as receivers, and Quero is already further along than most at his age. 

What’s Next
As far as young catchers go, Quero has a higher floor than most and a pretty fun ceiling to dream of if he can continue to develop offensively. Though he will only be 20 years old for all of the 2023 season, he will be Rule 5 eligible in December. Quero is the type of player teams will often take a chance on in the Rule 5 setting, so the Brewers will most likely protect him, even if he has a bit of a down season. Being a non-roster invitee to MLB spring training is also noteworthy, as he will get the chance to catch some major league arms, even if mainly in a bullpen setting. Quero appears to be ticketed for either a return to Appleton or potentially a more aggressive placement in Double-A Biloxi.

Mitchell was the Brewers' first-round pick in the COVID-shortened five-round draft of 2020; he is about as athletic as anybody you will find at his size. There have long been concerns about his ability to elevate baseball as a hitter, and his professional career hasn’t done much to eliminate those concerns. The issue appears to be derived from some inconsistency in his timing more than needing a major swing overhaul to get to his huge raw power, though his swing could probably use some tinkering too. The 41% strikeout rate in the majors is a concern, as he does have some holes in his swing. While the surface stats were very exciting for Mitchell in his month-long stint in MLB, there are reasons to question his hitting ability at this point in his development.

On the other hand, his speed is game-changing and his defense isn’t far behind. He will beat out ground balls to the left, and even right, side as if it’s nothing to him. He would always be a base-stealing threat, but the new rules MLB has put in place will only make that even more likely. Defensively he can run down just about anything in center field and has the arm to handle right field as well. Mitchell will most likely get the first crack at the starting center field spot for the big league club this season. Defensively he will be able to hold his own. His offensive performance will be the thing that Brewers fans will need to keep a close eye on.

Gasser was one of the prospects in the infamous Josh Hader trade. A second-round pick by San Diego in 2021, Gasser throws four above-average pitches in his fastball, slider, changeup, and cutter. The regular fastball probably being the worst of the four, closest to average. His slider is best described as a sweeper, a pitch he can throw in any count or situation. His changeup is a bit firmer than you would want, but it has good action and is a good counter to right-handed hitters. He likely has a goal to get more separation between his fastball velocity and his changeup. He mixed his cutter in more with the Brewers than he had with the Padres, and while it wasn’t always perfect, it showed some flashes of being a really good pitch for missing barrels and as another counter to right-handed hitters. He did not throw many curves for the Brewers, and that will likely continue as it lags behind his other offerings. After dominating Double-A for a month, Gasser received a quick promotion to Triple-A Nashville. The command took a step back in Nashville, but it would feel fair to assume some fatigue was in play. The velocity on his fastball was bouncing around more than it did in Biloxi, which is another sign of fatigue. He will likely begin in Triple-A again this season, with a chance to perform well and eventually make his MLB debut. Despite the negatives that come with the Hader trade, Esteury Ruiz helped net the Brewers a long-term catcher in William Contreras. Gasser appears to be well on his way to being a productive Major League pitcher.

The Brewers Competitive Balance Round A selection in 2021, Black has a similar profile to many recent early picks of the Brewers. He hits the ball pretty hard, doesn’t strike out much, and is willing to take walks. He also hits the ball on the ground quite a bit. Black had a solid stint in the Arizona Fall League. His OPS of .790 was impressive, especially given it was his first action since his regular season ended early due to a broken arm he suffered on a diving play out in center field. He was facing many more high-level arms than he had seen in High-A. Black’s bat will likely carry the profile, along with some good baserunning instincts and hustle. There have been concerns over whether Black can stick on the infield since the draft in 2021, and he did spend about 80% of his time in the outfield in the AFL. He has been solid defensively in the outfield and would probably even be considered a good defender. Whereas in the infield, his actions can get a little rushed, and his throwing arm isn’t the strongest or most accurate, which is likely why the Brewers have been exploring the possibilities in the outfield. The bat becomes much more critical if he can’t stick at second base. An aggressive placement in Double-A would not be a massive surprise for Black to start 2023, given he did show an ability to hit higher-level pitching in the AFL, and he will be turning 23 during the season.

The Brewers' first-round pick in last year’s draft, Brown Jr, is a premium athlete at a premium position. He had a meager strikeout rate and an even lower chase rate in college, along with big-time exit velocity readings. The question then would be, “why was he available at the Brewers' pick?” The main reason is that Brown had a very peculiar-looking load and stance in college. He was an analytical darling, but traditional scouts were less excited due to his stance. It appeared at the end of the season that the Brewers were trying to normalize the load to something much more “traditional.” It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to it to start this next season. Defensively Brown has a really good glove with smooth defensive actions that will allow him to stick at shortstop. Despite a throwing arm that is probably closer to average than it is to plus, he has a quick release on his throws which helps make up for that lack of big-time arm strength. Brown's athleticism, as mentioned above, doesn’t just show up in a showcase type of setting. He uses it to his advantage regularly in games, combining it with a high motor and a lot of hustle. Perhaps not as crucial to his baseball development, but important nonetheless, Brown also receives high grades for his makeup and is said to be a great teammate.

In terms of pure ceiling, the Brewers' second-round selection in last year's draft has been one of the highest of any Brewers pitcher in recent memory. Misiorowski is a freak athlete on the mound, with long levers and a fastball that regularly touched triple digits in his short Low-A stint and instructs. The fastball also has good movement characteristics, making it a potential 70 or 80-grade pitch that would play best when elevated. The slider is a wipeout pitch with high spin; some have said it could be another 80-grade pitch. When Misiorowski was pitching against JUCO hitters, he only needed those two pitches to get by, so there were some questions about his other secondary offerings. However, he flashed some good-looking curveballs in instructs, and the changeup looked serviceable, with flashes of being above average. For Misiorowski, it will all boil down to what level he can get his command to, which is currently well below average. It may take a year or two to start seeing some of the bigger improvements. Thus, his overall development will likely be a waiting game but a game worth playing from the Brewers' perspective. If he can make the jump with his command, he will likely be one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. In terms of pure “stuff,” very few pitchers in all of baseball can match Misiorowski. He would probably begin in 2023 in Low-A Carolina to get his feet under him, but High-A can’t be ruled out.

Rodriguez was the Brewers' sixth-round selection in the 2021 draft. After a slow start in Low-A, Rodriguez got himself going and earned a mid-season promotion to High-A. What he did at Wisconsin was extremely impressive, posting an ERA of 1.98 and a K/9 of 11.1 to only 3.2 BB/9, including his penultimate start of the season, where he threw six perfect innings with nine strikeouts. Rodriguez features three above-average or better pitches in his fastball, which sits in the 92-94 range but has touched 96, his sharp slider, and much slower changeup. He also throws a curve, which is more of a “get me over” offering when he tosses that in, but it is a fringe-average offering as well, with time to develop. He commands all of the off-speed pitches pretty well, able to land all of them for strikes and generate chases when the opportunity is right. Brewers fans hoping to get a look at Rodriguez will be happy to hear that he will be taking part in the World Baseball Classic this spring (playing for team Nicaragua). Assuming he does get an opportunity to see some innings, it will be great for a young pitcher to face experienced offensive players. A Double-A assignment to start the 2023 season doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibilities for Rodriguez.