Milwaukee Brewers 2020 Top 25 Prospects List: Nos. 1-5

We’ve reached the end of our reveal of the Top 25 Milwaukee Brewers prospects heading into the 2020 season.

We’re finally here. The final five prospects on our list encompassing the top 25 prospects in the Brewers farm system. We started with the 21-25 group, followed by 16-20, 11-15, and most recently, 6-10.

Although the Brewers farm system is rated among the worst in baseball, they aren’t lacking talent in the system. There’s a lot of potential in this group, and these final five are the most promising prospects the Brewers have heading into 2020.

5. C Mario Feliciano

Ever since Jonathan Lucroy was traded to the Rangers in 2016, the Brewers have been searching for their next homegrown, long-term catcher. Manny Pina was solid. Yasmani Grandal came in and dominated in 2019, but that was a one-year thing, and now they have Omar Narvaez at the big league level.

Mario Feliciano is the Crew’s top catching prospect, not just on our list, but numerous others. In 2016, Feliciano was drafted in Competitive Balance Round B out of Puerto Rico by the Brewers and finally had a big breakout year in 2019.

After his offensive numbers took a dip in 2018 due to some injuries, Feliciano started to put it together in 2019 with the High-A Carolina Mudcats, then earning a late-season promotion to Double-A. In 452 ABs last year, Feliciano hit .270/.323/.473 with 25 doubles, 19 home runs, and a .796 OPS. He finally found his power stroke, hit for the best batting average of his pro career, and had his best OPS number by 130 points.

Defensively, there’s no complaints about Feliciano. He’s good at framing pitches, which is the big, new thing that teams are obsessed with about their catchers nowadays. His throwing arm is great, and he controls the running game well. Overall, Feliciano is a solid catcher defensively, and his offensive game is what will take him from a potential big league backup, to an everyday starter.

The offensive growth he showed last year was very promising for his future. Feliciano is still just 21 years old, and he’ll start the 2020 in Double-A Biloxi most likely. Once a player gets to Double-A, they’re just one phone call away from the big leagues. Although David Freitas and Jacob Nottingham will be the catchers in Triple-A and are higher on the depth chart, if there’s a long-term injury to one of the Crew’s primary catchers, they may opt to go with their top catching prospect for a higher ceiling out of the position.

Feliciano will continue to grow and improve on both sides of the ball, and he could be in Milwaukee sooner rather than later.

This year, Feliciano makes the jump all the way into the top 5 on our Top Brewers Prospects list.

4. LHP Aaron Ashby

Next up on our list is the Milwaukee Brewers reigning Minor League Pitcher of the Year winner. Last year, Aaron Ashby put up some big numbers in Low-A Wisconsin and High-A Carolina. In 61 innings at Low-A, Ashby posted a 3.54 ERA over 11 games. He gave up just four homers, struck out 80, and posted a 1.23 WHIP.

Ashby earned a mid-season promotion to High-A, and didn’t miss a beat. In 13 starts for the Mudcats, Ashby had a 3.46 ERA over 65 innings, giving up just one home run and striking out 55.

In 2018, Ashby had a 3.59 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts over 57.2 IP across Rookie-ball and Low-A. In 2019, his final line was a 3.50 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, and 135 strikeouts over 126 innings.

Drafted in the 4th round in 2018 out of Crowder JC in Missouri, Ashby was the first pitcher and first college player of that draft class. Still just 21 years old entering the 2020 season, Ashby is likely to start the year back in High-A, but could very quickly see a promotion to Double-A.

Ashby gets a ton of swings and misses, and it centers around his big curveball, a plus-plus pitch that is the best in his arsenal. His curveball helps his fastball play up, considering he’s not known as a power pitcher. He now sits in the low-mid 90s with his fastball, occasionally touching 96 MPH. Ashby succeeds mostly with deception.

Ashby has a funky and unconventional delivery, but it deceives hitters and makes them late on his pitches. It’s the same kind of strategy fellow left-hander Brent Suter has used to success in the big leagues, although Ashby has a higher velocity and a better curveball.

Let’s not overlook Ashby’s changeup, either. It’s also an above-average pitch, which gives Ashby three solid, above-average big league pitches to work with. That’s a great starter’s arsenal.

The one issue that Ashby will need to improve is his control around the strike zone. He walks too many hitters, with a 4.28 BB/9 last season. Once he figures out his control, he’s a big league starting pitcher., perhaps in the middle of a rotation.

All things are trending up in a very short amount of time for Ashby. Last year, he just barely made the top 10 on our list, and this year, he jumps all the way up into the top 5, coming in at No. 4.

3. LHP Ethan Small

For the first time in seemingly forever, the Milwaukee Brewers have a couple of really good left-handed pitching prospects. That demographic had been largely overlooked over the past decade-plus by this organization, both at the big league level and the draft.

But that all changed in 2019, as the Brewers made left-handed pitching the big focus of their draft class. It started with Ethan Small out of Mississippi State with the 28th overall pick.

Small was a 4th year Junior at Mississippi State, having redshirted the 2017 season due to Tommy John surgery.  Small had bounced back, became the staff ace, and eventually became the SEC Pitcher of the Year in 2019.

Small doesn’t throw as hard as he used to, but it’s hard to argue with the success he’s had. He sits in the low 90s with his fastball, but mixes it well with his curveball and changeup.

Oh, and guess what. He’s adding a slider.

Similar to Ashby, Small has a deceptive delivery and keeps hitters off balance with his delivery and how he mixes his pitches. Now that he’ll have four pitches to mix instead of three, he becomes an even more intriguing prospect.

After getting signed, Small had a couple of scoreless innings in Rookie-level Arizona before earning a promotion to Low-A Wisconsin. In five starts there, covering 18 innings, Small allowed just 11 hits and had a 1.00 ERA. His final line for the year: seven starts, 21 IP, 11 hits, four walks, 36 strikeouts, and a 0.71 WHIP. Not too bad at all.

After a full season as a starter for Mississippi State, who made it to the College World Series last year, Small had already logged many innings in 2019, and they chose to take it easy with the immediate transition to professional ball.

When the Brewers selected Small in the first round, they targeted a player with a very high floor who could quickly move through the minors and help out the big league club. MLB Pipeline gave Small a good chance of becoming a No. 4 starter one day, but the addition of a fourth pitch could change that. He could reach Milwaukee by the end of 2021, if everything goes well.

He’ll be entering his first full professional season in 2020, and he’ll likely start back in Low-A Wisconsin, but could follow the Drew Rasmussen route and find himself in Double-A very quickly. Entering the season, Ethan Small is our 3rd rated Brewers prospect.

1. SS Brice Turang

Here we are. We’ve finally arrived at the top Brewers prospect on our list, and the name shouldn’t surprise many of you. Brice Turang, the Crew’s first round pick in 2018, is the organization’s top prospect.

He finished just outside most 2020 MLB Top 100 prospect lists, and could find himself back on that list soon with a strong start to his season.

Turang is a hit-over-power kind of player, who focuses more on getting on base rather than hitting home runs. His 55-grade hit tool is the best in the Brewers farm system now that Keston Hiura has graduated. In 2019, Turang only hit three home runs.

Selected out of high school, Turang was just 19 years old last season, starting the year in Low-A Wisconsin, hitting .287 with 21 stolen bases, and 49 walks to 54 strikeouts. The Brewers challenged him with a promotion to High-A Carolina, and he got off to a slow start there, finishing the year hitting just .200 with 34 walks, and a .615 OPS over 170 ABs with the Mudcats.

That performance is likely what dropped him from those Top 100 lists, but playing in High-A as a 19 year old is extremely challenging. He’ll likely start the 2020 season back in Carolina.

Defensively, Turang has the ability to stay at shortstop, where his value his much higher. He’s got an above-average arm, a solid glove, and very good speed. If Turang has to move off of shortstop for whatever reason, second base would be the most likely spot, as he doesn’t hit for enough power to profile as a third baseman.

With Turang’s hitting ability, speed, and instincts on the basepaths, he has all the makings of a future top-of-the-order hitter for the Brewers.

Turang is a fairly polished hitter, especially for his age, which will help him reach the big leagues faster. While the power isn’t there, his hitting ability, speed, and defense will push him to the big leagues and he can be a solid starting shortstop for the big league club. Guys like that aren’t easy to find, and for all those reasons, Turang is the Crew’s top prospect entering 2020.

The Top 25 Brewers Prospects

Now that the list is complete. Let’s take a look at the Top 25 Brewers prospects in its entirety.

1. Brice Turang
2. Tristen Lutz
3. Ethan Small
4. Aaron Ashby
5. Mario Feliciano
6. Drew Rasmussen (link 6-10)
7. Trey Supak
8. Hedbert Perez
9. Eduardo Garcia
10. Corey Ray
11. Zack Brown  (link for 11-15)
12. Carlos Rodriguez
13. Payton Henry
14. Antoine Kelly
15. Lucas Erceg
16. Luis Medina (link for 16-20)
17. Nick Kahle
18. Thomas Dillard
19. Nick Bennett
20. Bobby Wahl
21. Dylan File (link for 21-25)
22. Clayton Andrews
23. Noah Zavolas
24. Micah Bello
25. Felix Valerio

The Milwaukee Brewers don’t have the best farm system in baseball, not even close. But they do have some good talent in this group, and could see big league production from a number of these players.