Milwaukee Brewers: 3 Prospects Looking to Bounce Back in 2022

2. LHP Antoine Kelly

Another high draft pick of the Brewers, No. 10 prospect Antoine Kelly was taken in the 2nd round of the 2019 draft. Unlike Mitchell, he got to experience his professional debut that same year and give fans a glimpse of why the team was so high on him.

Kelly pitched in 10 games that season, all but one of which being at the team’s Arizona complex league blue team. Overall, he would give up 10 earned runs over 31 2/3 innings (2.84 ERA) and compile a 1.105 WHIP while putting together an impressive 45-to-9 K/BB ratio.

Kelly wouldn’t be able to carry that momentum into actual games the following year due to the aforementioned canceled season. He would, however, get an invite to participate in the team’s alternate training site, where he was reportedly one of the more impressive pitchers in camp.

That is where the development was put on pause. That following offseason, after fall instructional league, Kelly would be diagnosed with, and subsequently undergo surgery for, thoracic outlet syndrome.

Kelly would have his 2021 season start delayed until about mid-July, when he would spend one game at the Arizona complex before heading to the Low-A Carolina Mudcats. The results there were mixed.

On one hand, it was good to for Kelly to get back in action and the strikeout numbers were there with him punching out 27 batters in 19 1/3 innings. Unfortunately, so were the walks, hits, and runs as Kelly put together a combined 9.78 ERA and 1.810 WHIP across nine games (eight starts).

For Kelly, being over a year removed from surgery and having more time for everything to strengthen up will hopefully make all the difference. It sets him up as a prime candidate for a bounce back season.

3. C Mario Feliciano

2021 looked pretty promising for current No. 13 Brewers prospect Mario Feliciano. The previous offseason, the young catcher and 2019 Carolina League MVP had been added to Milwaukee’s 40-man roster to keep from exposing him to the rule 5 draft.

Before his minor league campaign even got started last year, Feliciano got his first taste of the big leagues. In a quick, one-game stint with the Brewers on May 1st, the young catcher drew a pinch hit walk in the bottom of the eleventh inning and came around to score the winning run to help defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers at home, 6-5.

A few days later, Feliciano would make his Triple-A debut with the Nashville Sounds. In that first game, he would go 2-for-4 with a solo homer. Milwaukee’s potential catcher of the future was starting the year of strong.

After that, though, the numbers took a bit of a nose dive. Feliciano would garner just two more hits the rest of the month, both in the same game, with his slash line dropping all the way to .114/.195/.200 by the time May 21st rolled around.

Soon it would be learned that Feliciano would be sidelined with a shoulder impingement, an injury that would keep him out of the lineup for nearly two months. Though he would go on a bit of a roll late, his first Triple-A season resulted in 32 games, a slash line of .210/.246/.314, two doubles, and three homers.

Now unlike the other two, Feliciano got the chance to end his season on a bit of a high note. To get some more playing time under his belt for the 2021 season, he was selected by Milwaukee to take part in the Arizona Fall League.

There, he ended up performing as one of the organization’s top players in the showcase. In 13 games, Feliciano slashed .318/.348/.432 with five doubles, four RBIs, and eight runs scored for the Salt River Rafters.

Feliciano may not see much time at the MLB level again with Omar Narvaez entrenched as the starting catcher and Pedro Severino having been signed by the Brewers last offseason to be his backup. All he can do, then, is have a strong bounce back season in Triple-A and prove that he is part of the Brewers’ future plans at the position.

February is right around the corner, which means minor league spring training will be soon to follow. Let’s hope it ultimately leads to bounce back seasons for three highly touted Brewers prospects.