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MILWAUKEE -- With five players ranked among baseball’s top 60 prospects, is this the best crop of top-end talent for the Brewers in the MLB Pipeline era?

One of my colleagues who helps set those rankings says yes.

First, the names: outfielder Jackson Chourio (No. 2), outfielder Sal Frelick (No. 22), catcher Jeferson Quero (No. 34), right-hander Jacob Misiorowski (No. 38) and third baseman Tyler Black (No. 56) all made the overall Top 100 when MLB Pipeline released its latest prospect rankings on Thursday, including updated Top 30 lists for all 30 clubs to reflect the recent Draft and Trade Deadline.

I asked my colleague Sam Dykstra, who compiles the Brewers’ Top 30 list and collaborates on the order for the Top 100 with colleagues Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and others, to check the records in order to compare this crop of prospects to past seasons.

The Brewers last had five Top 100 players on the 2017 midseason list (Lewis Brinson, Corey Ray, Luis Ortiz, Brandon Woodruff and Keston Hiura). But none were ranked higher than 15th (Brinson), and the other four were 70th and beyond. The Brewers also had five players on the list at 2017 preseason, 2016 midseason and 2016 preseason. Of all those instances, the highest-ranked player was Orlando Arcia (No. 6, 2016 preseason).

“This group ties those for most Brewers on a Top 100 in Pipeline history, but it’s safe to say those other years didn’t match the heights of this quintet,” said Dykstra. “I feel comfortable saying all five are going to be Major League contributors (Sal Frelick is already there), though we got some feedback that some evaluators still view Misiorowski as a potential reliever. I think there’s enough control in there to allay some of that, but if he became a right-handed Josh Hader, that’s still pretty valuable. [Robert] Gasser and even [Carlos] Rodriguez got some Top 100 consideration, too.”

Fans probably already know those names, but now there’s also a new crop of players to know, with the additions of Brock Wilken, Cooper Pratt and other 2023 Draft picks joining Milwaukee’s Top 30.

Here’s a look at the Brewers’ top prospects:

1. Jackson Chourio, OF (MLB No. 2)
2. Sal Frelick, OF (MLB No. 22)
3. Jeferson Quero, C (MLB No. 34)
4. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP (MLB No. 38)
5. Tyler Black, 3B (MLB No. 56)

Complete Top 30 list »

Biggest jump/fall

Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list:

Jump: Yophery Rodriguez, OF (Preseason NR | Midseason: No. 15)

Milwaukee signed Rodriguez -- then ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 22 international prospect -- for $1.5 million out of Venezuela back in January, and he’s been a prominent DSL performer so far, hitting .273/.419/.494 with six homers in 45 games. Even more astounding, he’s walked 39 times and struck out only 33 times for a 1.18 BB/K ratio that ranks sixth among DSL players with at least 190 plate appearances. Milwaukee knows how to develop outfielders, and Rodriguez could be its next success story. More >>

Fall: Ethan Small, LHP (Preseason: No. 14 | Midseason: No. 30) After what he called an “awful” season in 2022 that included his Major League debut, the Brewers shifted Small to a multi-inning bullpen role at the end of the year and he went into 2023 hopeful that a simpler approach would lead to success. He even made it to the Majors for one outing in May, but he struggled against the Giants and was returned to the Minors, then spent about a month on the injured list in June and July. Small will turn 27 in February.

New to the list:

Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:

No. 8 Wilken, 3B (Draft)
No. 10 Pratt, SS (Draft)
No. 13 Eric Bitonti, SS (Draft)
No. 16 Josh Knoth, RHP (Draft)
No. 18 Mike Boeve, 3B (Draft)
No. 19 Bradley Blalock, RHP (Trade)
No. 27 Bishop Letson, RHP (Draft)

Impact callup

Robert Gasser, LHP (No. 6)

Milwaukee famously needs lineup help, so there’s a temptation to put Black or even Chourio here. But the truth is, unlike those two, Gasser actually has Triple-A experience, and he actually leads the International League with 133 strikeouts in 107 1/3 innings. The left-hander has been upping the usage on his upper-80s cutter as the season has gone on, and also showing a low-90s four-seam and sinker and 79-81 mph slider. You can never have too much pitching, and Milwaukee will likely be tempted to see how Gasser can help their NL Central chances. More >>

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: 70 -- Frelick
Power: 60 -- Chourio (Wilken)
Run: 70 -- Frelick (Chourio, Dylan O’Rae)
Arm: 65 -- Wilken Defense: 60 -- Quero (Chourio, Robert Moore)
Fastball: 80 -- Abner Uribe
Curveball: 60 -- Knoth
Slider: 70 -- Misiorowski
Changeup: 60 -- Small (Logan Henderson)
Control: 50 -- Blalock (Gasser, Carlos F. Rodriguez, Knoth, Henderson, Letson)