5 Brewers prospects off to a hot start this spring

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The Brewers' farm system is so loaded right now that every Spring Training game provides the chance to see what another top prospect can do.

And more than one of Milwaukee's up-and-coming young players have already made an in-game impact over the first few days of Cactus League play.

Here are five of the Brewers' key prospects who are off to good starts this spring.

1) CF Jackson Chourio
This is the big one, obviously. The 19-year-old has a ton of expectations surrounding him this spring and has plenty of time to live up to them, but Chourio is starting now. Chourio, the No. 2 overall prospect in baseball and Milwaukee’s top prospect in 2023 (MLB Pipeline hasn't unveiled the 2024 Top 30 team lists yet), has three hits and a walk in his first seven Spring Training plate appearances. Now we're just waiting for the home runs to start jumping off his bat. The Chourio highlight-reel plays are coming.

2) C Jeferson Quero
The Brewers are lucky enough to have both William Contreras, one of the best all-around catchers in the game, and Quero, one of the best catching prospects in the game. Quero's calling card is his defense -- his 70-grade fielding and 60-grade arm strength, per MLB Pipeline, are the best tools MLB's No. 35 prospect (No. 2 on the Brewers in 2023) possesses. The 21-year-old proved it with a rifle throw for his first caught-stealing of Spring Training on Sunday against the Rockies. The runner he nabbed was notable, too: It was fellow Top 100 prospect Jordan Beck, who's ranked MLB's No. 81 prospect and has plus-speed that he used to steal 20 bases in the Minors last season.

3) INF Joey Ortiz
Ortiz, who rounds out the Brewers' five prospects in the 2024 Top 100 at No. 63 overall, has looked good with his bat and his glove early on in Spring Training. The 25-year-old, Milwaukee’s No. 5 prospect last year, smacked a double off Reds pitching prospect Chase Petty, who's ranked No. 98 overall in MLB, for his first hit of the spring on Monday. And Ortiz also made a standout play at shortstop, charging in to scoop up Nick Martini's chopper in the first inning and fire on the run to first in time to get the out. After coming over in the Corbin Burnes trade Feb. 1, Ortiz looks ready to make an immediate impact in the Brewers’ infield.

4) LHP Robert Gasser
Gasser, who finished the 2023 season ranked Milwaukee's No. 6 prospect, made his Cactus League debut on Monday, and his outing was one of the highlights for the Brewers. The 6-foot left-hander doesn't overpower you, but he beguiles you, and Gasser looked nasty in a scoreless inning with one strikeout.

5) 3B Brock Wilken
The Brewers' 2023 first-round MLB Draft pick, who ranked as the team's No. 8 prospect last year, is in his first big league Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. But Wilken is playing like a Major Leaguer so far. The 6-foot-4 slugger has subbed in at third base in each of Milwaukee's first three games and is 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and three RBIs. That double was a bases-clearing drive in the Cactus League opener.

Bonus: C/1B Wes Clarke
Clarke isn't ranked as highly as some of the Brewers' other hyped prospects -- he was their No. 30 in 2023 -- but he's putting himself on the map this spring thanks to some big swings. The 24-year-old, who posted an .889 OPS at Double-A last season, crushed the Brewers' first two home runs of Spring Training in Saturday's opener. On Monday, he lined a single off Reds star pitching prospect Rhett Lowder -- last year's No. 7 overall Draft pick and MLB's No. 34 prospect entering 2024. It might not be on Opening Day, but Clarke just might slug his way to the big leagues before all is said and done in 2024.