MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers have MLB Pipeline’s No. 3-ranked farm system, and this year -- maybe especially this year -- they are poised to put that group to the test.
Of the 26 players on Milwaukee’s Opening Day roster, 12 enjoyed that honor for the first in their careers, compared to just four a season ago. Eleven of the 26 players are 26 years old or younger, including 20-year-old outfielder Jackson Chourio, the eighth player in Brewers history to make his Major League debut on Opening Day.
With so much youth at the Major League level, the Brewers can continue aggressively pushing prospects through the system. They’ve been known for that for some time. Take Chourio, who was once the youngest player at the Single-A, High-A, Double-A and Triple-A levels before he was the youngest player in the Majors.
“I’m not sure the composition of the big club allows us to be more aggressive. We’ve always been fairly aggressive in the past and have tried to challenge players when possible,” said Brewers vice president of player operations and baseball administration Tom Flanagan. “In some cases, if those young players on our Major League club were at Triple-A [instead of in Milwaukee], that would reduce some playing time at certain spots. So to that extent, there would be some domino effect in terms of opportunities for other prospects.
“Fortunately, despite the graduations to the big-league roster, we have a bunch of talented prospects in the system right now. And we’ll keep progressing them through the system while we continue to challenge them along the way.”
Flanagan is heading into his 35th season with the Brewers, having begun as a batboy in 1990 and risen to oversee the team’s player development operation. Here, he offers a scouting report on some of the players to watch at each of Milwaukee’s four full-season affiliates.
Triple-A Nashville Sounds
Player to watch: 3B/1B Tyler Black (Brewers No. 4, overall No. 44)
Flanagan: “[He’s] known more for his bat and impressive discipline at the plate, but his athleticism has allowed us to move him around the diamond quite a bit [at third base, second base, center field and first base]. Not many guys can do that, so it’s a real credit to Tyler. He’s continuing to make strides defensively and will mainly see time at first base and some third base in Nashville. Very likely to get a chance to impact the big league club at some point here in the near future.”
Pitcher to watch: Carlos F. Rodriguez (Brewers No. 8)
Flanagan: “Mr. Consistency, as well as the reigning two-time Brewers Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He has all the pitches and really has a great feel to pitch.”
Double-A Biloxi Shuckers
Player to watch: Brock Wilken (Brewers No. 7)
Flanagan: “He emerged on the scene last year with a bang and hasn’t missed a beat in camp. He’s impressed throughout the spring. Continues to hit and has shown good strides defensively, playing very well in camp at third base.”
High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
Player to watch: Luis Lara (Brewers No. 9)
Flanagan: “One of the more exciting players in the system. He can hit and really knows how to play center field. At 19, he just needs to continue to gain reps and let his tools play.”
Pitcher to watch: Brett Wichrowski (unranked)
Flanagan: “He was drafted last year [in the 13th round out of Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I.], so has yet to pitch in an ‘official’ pro game. He attended our 2023 Instructional League, and the report noted, ‘Electric arm with big [velocity] -- up to 99 mph.’ He will pitch in the Wisconsin rotation and has been one of the more intriguing arms here this spring.”
Single-A Carolina Mudcats
Player to watch: Cooper Pratt (Brewers No. 10)
Flanagan: “[He’s a] shortstop with a big upside. Has great feel for the game that he pairs with his plus tools. He can really impact the game on both sides.”
Pitcher to watch: Josh Knoth (Brewers No. 13)
Flanagan: “Young, athletic, righthander [who] will be in the Mudcats’ rotation. Has some big-time stuff and a great foundation to build on as a starting pitcher. [He's] yet to log a pro inning since he did not pitch after being selected in the 2023 [MLB] Draft.