3 highlights from the 2025 Arizona Complex League Brewers' season

The Milwaukee Brewers' Arizona Complex League (ACL) squad wrapped up their season at the end of July, and as is usually the case with Milwaukee's lower-level minor league teams, there were plenty of exciting performances to highlight.

In brief, the ACL is one of two rookie leagues that the Brewers prospects compete in (the other is the Dominican Summer League (DSL)), meaning the players who compete are generally at the beginning of their professional careers. Some players, especially the international free agents, will start in the DSL and then jump to the ACL before joining Low-A. Others, like Jackson Chourio and Jesús Made, will skip the ACL altogether and jump right to Low-A from the DSL.

There were plenty of impressive performances to choose from in this year's edition of the ACL, but here are four that stood out among the rest.

Jadyn Fielder was the team's MVP

20-year-old Jadyn Fielder's Brewers tenure is off to an excellent start. After joining the organization as an undrafted free agent this past offseason, Fielder was assigned to the ACL to kick-start his professional career.

Fielder, the son of former Brewers legend Prince Fielder, put up some of the best numbers of any Brewers prospect in the ACL this season. He slashed .268/.426/.444 for an impressive .870 OPS in the ACL this year — the highest among any qualified hitters on the ACL Brewers. His .426 OBP was in large part thanks to the 30 free passes that Fielder drew in 48 games, and his slugging percentage was boosted by a team-leading five triples.

It's an incredibly exciting start for the son of a Brewers fan favorite, and with Prince's heroics always in the back of their minds, Brewers fans will be keeping a close eye on Jadyn's career, which should continue with an assignment to Low-A either sometime before the end of this season or to begin the 2026 campaign.

Tyler Renz's exceptional season on the mound

The Brewers drafted Tyler Renz out of Fox Lane High School in Bedford, NY, with their 18th round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Renz, a right-handed pitcher, elected to sign with Milwaukee, joining their talented minor league system.

Renz didn't pitch after the draft in 2024, so his first professional appearance came this year in the ACL. Renz ended up making 12 appearances and nine starts in the ACL and posted a solid 3.50 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched. Those aren't huge strikeout numbers, but Renz limited the walks to just 15 on the entire season and was a steady force in the ACL Brewers' starting rotation.

Prior to the end of the ACL season, Renz was promoted to Low-A, where he has been pitching for the Carolina Mudcats for the past two weeks. However, Renz has made just one 3.2-inning appearance for the Mudcats, but he allowed just one earned run and struck out six. Early signs are pointing to another Brewers' front office win with their 2024 18th-round pick.

Handelfry Encarnacion's head-turning season

If Jadyn Fielder was the ACL Brewers' MVP this season, Handelfry Encarnacion was a close second. The Brewers signed Encarnacion as part of their exceptional 2024 international free agent signing class that included Jesús Made and Luis Peña. While Encarnacion was solid playing alongside Made and Peña last year in the DSL, he took a big step forward with his performances in the ACL this year.

Encarnacion slashed .289/.369/.463 and led the ACL in doubles with 18. His .832 OPS was second only to Fielder on the ACL Brewers, and top 20 in the entire league. He slugged five homers and added 37 RBI all while playing solid defense in center field.

Encarnacion was promoted to Low-A after the ACL season ended, and it's taking him a little while to adjust to the new competition. However, the fact that Encarnacion is already in Low-A at just 18 years old is encouraging on its own.