3 Milwaukee Brewers prospects heading into a make-or-break season in 2025

Development isn't always linear when it comes to baseball players. Young prospects have high moments and low moments and sometimes they can regress one year but bounce back the next. The Milwaukee Brewers know this as well as anyone.

While the Brewers have one of the better player development systems in baseball, not every prospect is heading into 2025 on a high note. Some of them are heading into this upcoming season with it likely being a make-or-break year for their prospect status and futures in professional baseball.

Let's take a look at the Brewers prospects where another down year in 2025 could mean trouble.

Brewers prospects who truly need a strong season in 2025

SS Eric Brown Jr

It's been a tough go in pro ball for the 2022 first round pick out of Coastal Carolina. Eric Brown Jr was thought to be a quick mover up the minor league ladder as a college shortstop with a good enough glove to stick at the position and speed to burn.

The speed has absolutely been there, with Brown swiping 20 bases last year and 39 bases the year before that.

However, the problem has been Brown's bat has struggled. He did okay in High-A in 2023, hitting .255 with a .358 OBP, but he suffered a season-ending injury that year and then really struggled in Double-A in 2024. Brown hit just .185 with a .532 OPS for the Biloxi Shuckers.

There's already a lack of power present with Brown, his profile is reliant on his speed and he needs to get on base enough to make full use of it and he just didn't in a largely healthy 2024. The upcoming season will be crucial for Brown to prove he's still a quality prospect and make good on his first round status. If he continues to struggle for a second straight year in Double-A, Brown's prospect status may no longer be salvageable.

1B Tyler Black

Tyler Black's prospect status is kind of teetering as he's MLB ready but didn't impress very much in his couple of big league stints in 2024 and doesn't have the clearest path to regular playing time. His Triple-A numbers started to dip down the stretch as he was going up and down between the major league club.

Black hit just .204 in 49 ABs with the Brewers. Now with Jake Bauers off the 40 man roster, Black moves up on the depth chart to be the backup first baseman behind Rhys Hoskins. That can be a more regular role on the big league roster than being the third first baseman on the depth chart like he was last year. If Black can show well in this role in 2025, he could be in line for the starting job in 2026 when Hoskins departs.

There's also a bunch of corner infield prospects coming hot on Black's heels up the minor league system. If Black is going to claim a job before they arrive, he's going to need to have a strong year this year.

RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez

Another player who got minimal big league opportunities in 2024 and was not able to take advantage of them. Rodriguez came into the season last year as one of the Brewers top pitching prospects and top rotation depth options if an opportunity opened up at the big league level. Injuries opened up a lot of opportunity in that Brewers rotation last year and Rodriguez couldn't even get one of the first calls because he was struggling so much in Triple-A.

Rodriguez pitched to an 8.03 ERA in April, rebounded in May, then struggled some more in June. He made three starts at the big league level, earning a rough 7.30 ERA in just 12.1 IP. He wasn't able to go deep into games and it was quite clear that Rodriguez was simply not ready for the big leagues just yet.

Still, Rodriguez just turned 23 years old, and there's time for him to grow and develop as a pitcher, but he's right on the cusp and his Triple-A struggles are somewhat concerning. He enters this year further down on the starting pitching depth chart, but he's on the 40 man roster and can force his way up that depth chart with strong performances.

The hope would be that Rodriguez learned a lot from his struggles last year and made some adjustments heading into 2025. He can quickly restore confidence that he can reach his potential as a mid-back end starting rotation piece with a good season in 2025, but if he struggles with high ERAs and the long ball again, it's going to be tough to see Rodriguez fitting into future Brewers rotations.

More Brewers News from Reviewing the Brew