Brewers Prospect Profile: Ethan Small

With the MLB Draft right around the corner, here at Reviewing The Brew, we’re going to take a look at the top prospects on the Brewers’ list. In this edition, we take a look at last year’s first round pick, Ethan Small.

23-year-old Ethan Small was picked in the first round, 28th overall in last year’s draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Mississippi State alum pitched extremely well throughout his college career, and had the honor of pitching in the College World Series before he was signed by the Crew.

Small has an effective fastball with velocity upwards of 89-92 mph and sometimes throws a plus-changeup that pairs well with his fastball as he continues his way to the majors.

In 2019, for Mississippi State, Small recorded a 1.93 ERA, allowing just 26 runs, 32 walks, and 176 strikeouts, which led all of Division I. A day after his signing, Small won the honor of the American Baseball Coaches Association’s Division 1 National Pitcher of the Year award.

Although just out of college, Ethan Small had Tommy John surgery already, which took away his sophomore season. After he returned, there was some velocity missing from his fastball. He didn’t let this stop him though. Although he’s not someone that’s too overpowering with his velocity, he has impeccable command and a deceptive delivery that he uses to his advantage well.

Ethan Small made his Class-A debut with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on August 3, 2019. Over five starts, Small went 0-2 with a 1.00 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 18 innings.

What’s Next?

Small received a non-roster invite to Spring Training a couple of months ago and things were looking good. Also, he decided to add a slider to arsenal this offseason, which would give him a solid four pitch mix to work from instead of three pitches. That will make him even more difficult for opposing teams to hit.

Small is on the fast track to the big leagues, which is impressive. If he can advance quickly without a ridiculously crazy fastball or an ‘above-average’ breaking ball, Ethan Small could push his way to the big leagues by 2021 if we have a minor league season this year.