Here are the Brewers' 2022 Top 30 Prospects
Sam Dykstra
@SamDykstraMiLBSomething’s brewing in the Milwaukee system, specifically in the outfield.
Five of the Brewers’ Top 30 prospects in MLB Pipeline’s newly released ranking call the grass home, led by the top two names on the list in Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer -- Milwaukee’s only two Top 100 representatives to open the 2022 season.
It doesn’t hurt that the Brewers’ recent Draft strategy seems to have a type. Frelick, a supremely athletic 5-foot-9 talent out of Boston College, went to Milwaukee in the first round of the 2021 Draft, one year after the organization selected Garrett Mitchell, another 70-grade runner and potential center fielder out of UCLA, around the same spot. Wiemer wasn’t as big a name coming out of the 2020 Draft, but he was a breakout star in his first full season, showing off plus power, above-average speed and a cannon of an arm from any spot in the outfield.
It isn’t hard to envision a Brewers outfield consisting of Frelick in left, Mitchell in center and Wiemer in right someday. Then again, a certain All-Star named Christian Yelich might have something to say about that when the new group is ready, perhaps as early as 2023.
The top of the Brewers’ list is also deep in Major League-ready left-handed pitching. No. 3 prospect Aaron Ashby has already showcased a 65-grade slider and improved velocity in the Milwaukee bullpen and could be on his way to the rotation if he can show average control. No. 8 Ethan Small posted a 2.00 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 76 1/3 innings at Double-A and Triple-A, and his fastball-change combo should get him looks in The Show soon.
There is an international flavor here as well with No. 6 Jeferson Quero, No. 9 Hedbert Perez and No. 10 Jackson Chourio preparing to make an impact as promising hitters at the lower levels. All three have the potential to lead this list at some point in the next three years as they gain experience and expand their tools.
Here’s a look at the Brewers top prospects:
1. Sal Frelick, OF (MLB No. 70)
2. Joey Wiemer, OF (MLB No. 100)
3. Aaron Ashby, LHP
4. Garrett Mitchell, OF
5. Brice Turang, SS/2B
Complete Top 30 list »
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2021 preseason list to the 2022 preseason list.
Jump: Joey Wiemer, OF (2021: NR | 2022: 2)
A fourth-round pick out of Cincinnati in 2020, Wiemer didn’t show his now-trademark power in college, in part because of a lack of lift on contact. Adjustments at the plate, including a transition to a toe tap rather than a leg kick, allowed Wiemer to take off in the pros. He finished his first full season with a .295/.403/.556 line, 27 homers and 30 steals in 109 games at Single-A and High-A, and he’s set to take his many loud tools to the upper levels this summer.
Fall: Tristen Lutz, OF (2021: 12 | 2022: NR)
Lutz, the 34th overall pick in the 2017 Draft, has shown promising power in the past but managed just a .217/.291/.363 line and 32.1 percent K rate over 64 games at Double-A Biloxi last season. As he increases his focus on right field, that heightens the emphasis on the bat, and it was notable that Milwaukee didn’t add him to the 40-man roster when he became Rule 5-eligible last November.
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 55 -- Sal Frelick (Tyler Black)
Power: 60 -- Joey Wiemer (Hedbert Perez)
Run: 70 -- Garrett Mitchell (Sal Frelick, Korry Howell)
Arm: 60 -- Joey Wiemer
Defense: 60 -- Brice Turang (Garrett Mitchell, Jeferson Quero, Eduardo Garcia, Korry Howell, Carlos Rodriguez)
Fastball: 80 -- Abner Uribe
Curveball: 70 -- Taylor Floyd
Slider: 65 -- Aaron Ashby
Changeup: 60 -- Ethan Small (Logan Henderson)
Control: 55 -- Dylan File (Russell Smith, Logan Henderson, Alec Bettinger)
How they were built
Draft: 20 | International: 9 | Trade: 1
Breakdown by ETA
2022: 7 | 2023: 13 | 2024: 6 | 2025: 3 | 2028: 1
Breakdown by position
C: 2 | 1B: 0 | 2B: 2 | 3B: 1 | SS: 4 | INF: 1 | OF: 9 | RHP: 7 | LHP: 4