1 Brewers prospect from each level that is off to an excellent start

More important to a small market team like the Milwaukee Brewers, who are forced to get creative with their roster due to payroll limitations, is the need for a strong farm system. Graduating prospects to the big leagues, who outperform their financial value as pre-arbitration players earning the league minimum, is the only way that the Brewers can afford to sustain larger contracts such as those held by Christian Yelich and Rhys Hoskins. Without a supporting cast of players like Brice Turang, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Joey Ortiz, all of whom are earning the league minimum in 2025, the Brewers couldn't afford to fill out their roster with proven talent and remain competitive with teams sporting a much larger payroll.

This necessity to acquire players who offer production while not breaking the bank has been the focal point of two major trades that the front office has executed over the last two offseasons: the Corbin Burnes and the Devin Williams trades. In each of these deals, the organization flipped an increasingly more expensive player for young talent still on pre-arbitration salaries. In addition to these external additions, the Brewers have plenty of exciting homegrown talent in their farm system that will round out the next batch of financially undervalued players.

The Brewers have exciting young talent at all levels of their minor league system

With the understanding of the importance of the Brewers' farm system in place, let's take a look at a player from each level that has begun the 2025 season in a stellar fashion. The Brewers' rookie ball squads, which play in the Arizona Complex League and the Dominican Summer League, have yet to begin their seasons, so for the purposes of this article, only the top four minor league affiliates are included.

Triple-A Nashville Sounds: INF Caleb Durbin

Several Sounds are worthy of praise for their early-season performances, including Logan Henderson, who has collected eight strikeouts in each of his first three starts, as well as Ernesto Martinez Jr., who continues to punish baseballs while displaying his ridiculous athleticism. However, it's offseason acquisition Caleb Durbin who earns the early-season MVP award. Durbin, who the Brewers acquired in the Williams trade, has five extra-base hits in the team's first 10 games, including two home runs. Durbin's power was the biggest question mark in his toolset, but his performance so far suggests that the question has been answered.

Many Brewers fans expected Durbin to make the big-league Opening Day roster, but the team opted for spring training breakout, Vinny Capra, instead. With Capra faltering, Durbin could be manning the hot corner for the Brewers in the near future.

Double-A Biloxi Shuckers: RHP Alexander Cornielle

It's been a slow start for many of the Shuckers' hitters, who have played just six games so far. The Brewers' No. 2 prospect, Cooper Pratt, does have six hits in six games, but his OPS sits at a pedestrian .619. Therefore, it's right-handed starter Alexander Cornielle who has had the most exciting start to the young season. He's made just one start so far, but it was a six-inning stint, in which he allowed no runs on just one hit while striking out four.

Originally signed as part of the Brewers’ 2019 international free agent class, Cornielle, who spent the last two seasons with the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, seemed to be plateauing after posting ERAs of 4.55 and 4.31 in 2023 and 2024, respectively. A strong start to his 2025 campaign should give Cornielle the confidence he needs to continue progressing through the Brewers' farm system.

High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: RHP Manuel Rodriguez

Outfielder Kay-Lan Nicasia deserves a mention on this list, but his early promotion from Low-A to High-A, which coincided with the Brewers' trade of top outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez, complicates his placement. Nicasia has hit three home runs in just five games between the two levels, after hitting just four in 29 total games in 2024.

With Nicasia's flowers given, another T-Rat is deserving of praise for his early-season performance. Manuel Rodriguez, a 19-year-old right-handed starting pitcher who the Brewers signed in 2022, has put together two really solid starts to begin the season. Between the two starts, Rodriguez has covered 10 innings, posted an ERA of 2.70, and, most impressively, struck out 15 opposing hitters. Not known for his big strikeout numbers, Rodriguez looks to be coming into his own, so long as he can keep the ball in the ballpark.

Low-A Carolina Mudcats: INF Filippo Di Turi

Oof, this one was tough. The Mudcats are off to a scorching hot start, and have about six players that could all be considered the MVP of the first week of the season. What's even crazier is that most of them are under the age of 20. Infielder Josh Adamczewski, who won the Carolina League Player of the Week honors last week, is probably most deserving of the award, posting a ridiculous 1.403 OPS in five games. However, Reviewing the Brew's Tremayne Person wrote a profile on Adamczewski this past Tuesday, and in an effort to shed light on another impressive player, Filippo Di Turi gets the nod.

Di Turi, who, like most of his teammates, is still just 19 years old, is sporting a .991 OPS through the team's first six games. This is in part due to the two home runs that Di Turi hit in the past week, but it can also be attributed to the nine walks that he has drawn during that same span. Nine walks in six games suggest that Di Turi's plate discipline is far more mature than his age would suggest. Additionally, Di Turi has shown an ability to play both shortstop and third base, quickly establishing himself as an exciting, versatile ballplayer.