3 under-the-radar Brewers prospects to watch at Spring Breakout

This story was excerpted from Adam McCalvy¡¯s Brewers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PHOENIX ¨C Cooper Pratt and Jes¨²s Made figure to form a double-play combo of future stars, and top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski is lined up to start when the future Brewers host the rival Reds in a Spring Breakout game at American Family Fields of Phoenix on Sunday.

Those are three of the biggest names in the Brewers¡¯ farm system. But Sunday¡¯s showcase, which will air on MLB Network following the Brewers-Guardians Cactus League game, will also feature some under-the-radar prospects with a chance to impact the Major League club in the coming years.

We enlisted longtime Brewers farm director Tom Flanagan to identify three relatively below-the-radar names to know:

C Marco Dinges
MLB Pipeline rank: Not ranked
How acquired: 4th-round Draft pick, 2024
2024 recap: Logged 13 late-season games at Single-A Carolina after the Draft and delivered a .271/.364/.354 slash line.

¡°Around Draft time, our scouts were really excited about his offense. This guy really can hit,¡± Flanagan said. ¡°Then you throw in the possibility that he can catch, and it just gets you excited when guys can go on both sides of the ball. He looks like a guy who can go behind the plate and handle a staff, and then he¡¯ll certainly be a meat-of-the-order hitter in the Minor Leagues. He looks ¡®hitterish.¡¯ That¡¯s the vibe he gives off.

¡°There¡¯s a lot coming at him, catching-wise, so that¡¯s where his focus is. He just needs to soak up the finer points of receiving. Doug Melvin always used to use this example of leadoff hitters; it seemed like guys like Scott Podsednik always developed later. Maybe that¡¯s a little bit different because you have leadoff hitters hitting 30 home runs, but it was true when they were the finesse guys, bunting for a hit and taking pitches and all that stuff. It¡¯s a little bit true now for catchers.¡±

RHP Bishop Letson
MLB Pipeline rank: Brewers No. 15
How acquired: 11th-round Draft pick, 2023
2024 recap: Made his pro debut with 16 games (14 starts) at Carolina and posted a 3.13 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings.

¡°The way the Draft falls now [during the MLB All-Star break], you rarely have pitchers do much the first year,¡± Flanagan said. ¡°So really, 2024 was his first season of pitching, and the innings are guarded. I could see 2025 being a year where he takes a step forward. He¡¯s likely to start off in [High-A] Wisconsin, although we haven¡¯t posted anything or committed to anything. He¡¯s squarely in that conversation for the Wisconsin rotation to start the year. He¡¯s a Midwestern kid who went to high school in Indiana, so you figure he should be used to the weather.

¡°He has all the pitches. He¡¯s very projectable. He certainly needs to work on commanding his stuff, but his arsenal is really strong. He throws a sweeper that¡¯s probably his best pitch, and two types of fastballs, a four-seam and a two-seam, and his fourth pitch is probably his changeup, and that¡¯s a decent pitch for him as well. He¡¯s a guy who, as soon as he gets better at commanding his stuff ¨C which is natural for a 20-year-old trying to make it in pro ball ¨C he could have a high ceiling.¡±

INF Juan Baez
MLB Pipeline rank: Brewers No. 27
How acquired: June 2022 International class
2024 recap: Hit .274/.341/.366 in 86 games, mostly at Carolina, then finished the season with an .877 OPS in the Arizona Fall League.

¡°Baez is an interesting guy,¡± Flanagan said. ¡°He had a separated shoulder and missed about two months last year, but he¡¯s looked good in camp and it¡¯s all behind him. No limitations. He didn¡¯t sign for much out of the Dominican Republic, and you can¡¯t exactly put your finger on it when you watch him play, but he¡¯s just an exciting player. He can move around the infield and pretty much play anywhere. He¡¯s primarily been third and second base, but he can go over to short if needed. He plays with super high energy and is one of those guys usually labeled ¡°manager¡¯s favorite.¡± Sneaky athletic. He has a knack for being in the right place defensively and made some great plays.

¡°And then offensively, he really likes to hit. He¡¯s one of those guys you watch and you can see he has an idea at the plate. He might get a little overzealous at times, a little overanxious. But he can square up baseballs. He could be an exciting guy because he¡¯s got the ability to move around defensively. Just a fun guy to watch.¡±