Brewers Minor League Notes: Updated top prospects, players of the month

MLB Pipeline just updated their rankings of the top Brewers prospects; Luke Adams and Coleman Crow named Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month

A couple notes out of the Brewers’ farm system:

First, Milwaukee named their Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Week for the month of June.

1B/3B Luke Adams is the Player of the Month. Adams hit .300 (15-for-50) with a .462 OBP and five home runs on the month. He now has 11 home runs on the season. For more on Adams, scroll down to No. 8 in the MLB Pipeline prospect rankings section.

RHP Coleman Crow is the Pitcher of the Month. Crow, a former top-30 prospect with the Angels and Mets organizations, went 3-0 with a 1.06 ERA before being promoted to Triple-A Nashville. He struck out 24 batters while walking just one, posting a 0.59 WHIP and a .155 batting average against.

Secondly, MLB Pipeline updated its top 100 prospect rankings. Six Brewers made the cut: Jesus Made (No. 8), Jacob Misiorowski (No. 21), Luis Peña (No. 39), Cooper Pratt (No. 44), Jeferson Quero (No. 70), and Logan Henderson (No. 91).

MLB Pipeline also updated their list of the top 30 Brewers prospects, although all of the changes took place in the top 11. For in-depth weekly analysis of the top 11, in addition to most of the rest of the Brewers’ top 30, check out my weekly minor league roundup column.

For those of you who haven’t kept up on the Brewers’ farm system, here’s a quick overview of the new top 11 prospects:

1. SS Jesus Made (prev. 1)

Made is a special prospect with a sky-high ceiling. He’s the whole package — fast, hits for both power and average, and plays above-average defense at shortstop. For more on Made, you can check out this article I wrote yesterday.

2. RHP Jacob Misiorowski (prev. 4)

I also won’t spend too much time on Miz because every Brewers fan already knows his name. He began his major league career with three straight electric starts, giving up three hits while recording just as many wins. For more on Misiorowski, you can read Harrison’s article from today and my analytical overview from May.

3. SS/3B Luis Peña (prev. 5)

Here’s what I wrote about Peña last month, when he became the biggest riser on Baseball America’s updated prospect rankings:

Peña, another shortstop prospect, is the biggest riser in Baseball America’s updated rankings. If it weren’t for Made (and Cooper Pratt), we’d probably be talking about Peña a lot differently.

The 18-year-old Peña, who (along with Made) headlined the Brewers’ 2024 international signing class, has been one of the best hitters on the absolutely stacked Mudcats. He’s slashing .344/.407/.563 with five home runs and 15 extra-base hits on the year.

Peña certainly passes the eye test. He has a pure, smooth swing and can hit for power to all fields. If you’d rather talk about stats, he’s been one of the best 18-year-olds that A-ball has ever seen.

All of this still stands true. Peña .875 OPS leads the Mudcats (min. 100 at-bats), and he’s continuing to make a name for himself as one of the best shortstop prospects in the game.

4. SS Cooper Pratt (prev. 3).

Pratt hasn’t dropped in the rankings due to poor play. He’s fallen to fourth simply because of how well Peña’s been playing.

Pratt is the best defensive shortstop prospect in the Brewers’ system. He’s also holding his own at the plate, slashing .250/.341/.365 with 5 HR on the season. Pratt has had stretches hitting well above .300, indicating a high ceiling as he continues to adjust to Double-A pitching.

5. C Jeferson Quero (prev. 2)

Quero’s been out most of the season recovering from a labrum injury that caused him to miss all of last season. He’s slashing .277/.365/.323 on the season, showing that the time off didn’t affect his ability to make contact. Quero ranks in the 96th percentile of contact rate over expected at the Triple-A level.

His arm was the main reason he was ranked so highly in the first place, and is now the reason why he’s slid down to fifth in MLB Pipeline’s rankings. Quero lost some velocity upon first returning from the labrum tear. However, as Nashville manager Rick Sweet mentioned recently, he’s already gained some of it back.

Baseball is a “what have you done for me recently” sport, but Quero is far from finished. He’s still a top 100 prospect who has a good chance to make an impact at the major league level. For more on Quero’s recovery, check out this article I wrote back in January.

6. RHP Logan Henderson (prev. 12)

Henderson was one of the big stories when Milwaukee was pressed for pitching depth earlier in the season. The 23-year-old right-hander has pitched to the tune of a 1.71 ERA in four starts with the big club. He’s down in the minors not because he’s not ready, but because he has options and because the Brewers have a few veteran starters (Quintana, Woodruff, and Cortes) that are either back in the rotation or will be soon.

Hendo is basically a two-pitch pitcher (four-seam and changeup) at this point in his career, which is somewhat unusual for a starting pitcher in today’s MLB. He gets outs due to his ability to limit hard contact, which he’s able to do because of two reasons — his below-average VAA (vertical approach angle) of -4.1 degrees, and his fastball’s induced vertical break (17.6”).

Basically, his fastball breaks more than usual while being released from a unique (and deceptive) angle, causing hitters to swing under it. Henderson’s changeup is also a plus pitch, as it looks like the fastball coming out of his hand but drops significantly right before reaching the plate.

He’s already proven to be effective at the major league level and should be part of the Brewers’ rotation for years to come.

7. 3B/1B Mike Boeve (previously No. 6)

Boeve, drafted in the second round back in 2023, is slashing .251/.357/.383 with four home runs with Double-A Biloxi this year. He’s a great contact hitter who hits the ball well to all fields. Most of his power manifests in doubles rather than home runs.

Given that he’s already 23, it’s hard to argue that those doubles will eventually turn into homers in the big leagues (as opposed to younger prospects like Made and Peña). Still, he does a great job of getting on base and has peripherals that suggest he could eventually develop a plus hit tool at the major league level, such as his 29% line-drive rate in 2024.

8. 3B/1B Luke Adams (previously No. 7)

Not to say I haven’t been impressed with Boeve, but I’ve been more impressed with Adams this season. This season, Adams has the best batting average (.241) and OPS (.899) that he’s posted outside of the Arizona Complex League. He’s already matched his career high with 11 home runs. Adams is fun to watch because he looks the part of a power hitter, with high hands and a pronounced leg kick that make it feel like every swing is going to be a moon ball.

Defensively, he’s solid if not impressive. Per MLB’s scouting report, Adams “can make it work” at third but projects to be a first baseman at the major league level.

9. OF Braylon Payne (previously 10)

The main appeal with Payne is that he’s fast, like, really fast. An “elite” speed guy in the MLB runs somewhere under 6.6. MLB average is 6.8. Payne ran a 6.28 60-yard dash in high school.

Payne was a surprise first-round pick last year who signed for well under slot ($3.44 million). His defense is solid mainly due to the fact that he’s really, really fast. At the plate, he’s been mainly a slap hitter — a lefty with a flat, compact swing that has a tendency to almost start running as he’s finishing his swing. Occasionally, an at-bat of his reminds me of my beloved Nori Aoki.

Payne has developed more power (four home runs, 12 XBH) in his first year with the Brewers organization. He’s also young (18 years old), so it’s well within the realm of possibility that he develops more power as he ages. That is probably why he’s risen slightly in the rankings, despite his .238 batting average and 34% K rate.

10. 1B Tyler Black (previously No. 9)

Black has posted good contact and chase rates throughout his time in the minors. He was a top-five prospect as recently as last year (No. 4). However, it’s been all downhill from there.

Black hit .204 in 49 at-bats with the Brewers last year before being sent down. He failed to make the Brewers’ Opening Day roster this year and began the season on the minor league IL due to a fractured right hamate bone. Black is hitting .120 in 49 at-bats this season with Triple-A Nashville.

He’s still promising, but defensive questions and the aforementioned recent track record have caused him to drop in the rankings. Black will also turn 25 this month. He started the season at No. 6 in MLB Pipeline’s rankings before dropping upon his return, and again in this update. Hopefully, Black can get back on track.

11. INF Eric Bitonti (prev. 10)

I absolutely love the 19-year-old’s Bitonti’s profile. The 2023 third-round pick has improved on last year’s promising rookie campaign, hitting .248 with an .802 OPS and 13 home runs. He generates his power via impressive bat speed, hitting the mid-70s not infrequently.

The issue with Bitonti’s hit tool is strikeouts. Bitonti has struck out 99 times in 254 at-bats this year. If he can cut down on the strikeouts, he has a chance to make it into the top five prospects sometime in the next year or two.

Defensively, Bitonti was drafted as a shortstop but has played a lot of third base too. He’s mostly played first this year with the Mudcats, but that’s probably because they have Made, Peña, and Filippo Di Turi.

Check out the full list of the Brewers’ top 30 prospects here.