3 underrated prospects Brewers fans should look out for in Spring Breakout games

Sporting the best farm system in MLB, the Milwaukee Brewers take extra pride in the impressive Spring Breakout roster that they are able to put together this year. With MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects Jesús Made, Luis Peña, Cooper Pratt, and Jett Williams supported by a cast of talented players -- many of whom appear on Pipeline's ranking of the Top 30 prospects in Milwaukee's system -- Brewers fans are in for a treat during this year's Spring Breakout games.

MLB started the Spring Breakout series back in 2024 as a way to showcase the future stars of baseball, and the games have been incredibly successful. In fact, the Spring Breakout games have garnered such popularity thatMLB has elected to turn them into a single-elimination tournament next year, which is bound to result in even more interest. This year, while the games remain simply a showcase for the top prospects in baseball, the Brewers will play two Spring Breakout games -- one this evening against the Seattle Mariners and one on Sunday afternoon against the Athletics' top prospects.

While the aforementioned quartet of Made, Peña, Pratt, and Williams are likely to draw the most attention, the Brewers' roster is chock-full of intriguing players, many of whom haven't yet received the publicity they deserve. 15 of the 27 players on the Brewers' Spring Breakout roster appear on Pipeline's Top 30 Brewers' prospects list, but here are three under-the-radar names who don't appear in the Top 30 that fans should keep an eye on.

3 unranked Brewers' prospects who could make a name for themselves in the Spring Breakout games

1. OF Josiah Ragsdale

The Brewers have had success drafting outfielders from Boston College (see Sal Frelick), so when Milwaukee selected Josiah Ragsdale in the 7th round of last year's MLB Draft, there was immediate hope that he would find success in their farm system. And in a small sample size with the Carolina Mudcats last year, he did. Ragsdale, after a highly successful collegiate career that took him from Iona to Vermont and eventually to Boston College, posted a solid .751 OPS with a .300 batting average in 22 games of Low-A ball last year.

His calling card is most certainly his speed on the basepaths. Ragsdale has been an elite stolen base threat at every stop of his baseball career. In college, he swiped 63 bags in 147 total games, in the Cape Cod league he stole 15 bases in 16 games, and last year with the Mudcats, he swiped nine in that small 22-game sample size. With a decent hit tool and a knack for getting on base, expect Ragsdale to showcase his exceptional baserunning skills during this year's Spring Breakout games.

2. C Matthew Wood

The Brewers will carry three catchers on their Spring Breakout rosters, and between the two games this weekend, all three are likely to have an opportunity behind the dish. While Top 30 prospects Jeferson Quero and Marco Dinges are likely to grab most of the attention in the catching room, don't overlook Matthew Wood. When I talked to Javik Blake, the Biloxi Shuckers award-winning broadcaster, last week, he mentioned Wood as his breakout candidate for the 2026 season, expecting big things from the 25-year-old out of Penn State.

The Brewers selected Wood in the 4th round of the 2022 MLB Draft, and the last three seasons in Milwaukee's farm system have produced a mixed bag of results. However, Wood played some of his best baseball since his selection when he was promoted to Double-A in late May of last year. Wood ended up playing 59 games for the Shuckers last year and slashed .271/.371/.415 with six homers and 12 doubles. With Blake's endorsement and the experience that Wood gained in big league camp this spring, the Spring Breakout games could serve as a great opportunity for the backstop to further prove his underrated talent.

3. LHP Mark Manfredi

11 pitchers make up the Brewers' Spring Breakout pitching staff, and of the group, only two -- Bishop Letson and Bryce Meccage -- rank in Pipeline's Top 30 Brewers' prospects, leaving many opportunities for underrated prospects to showcase their talent to a broader audience. Arms like Will Childers, Tate Kuehner, and Jaron DeBerry could easily have found their way onto this list, but someone who has received less attention than them who is certainly deserving of it is southpaw Mark Manfredi.

Milwaukee drafted Manfredi out of the University of Dayton in the 9th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, and after a 2024 season in High-A with the Timber Rattlers, Manfredi was a staple of the Double-A Biloxi bullpen last year. He posted a 3.30 ERA in 44 appearances with an impressive 76 strikeouts in 60 innings. Manfredi sports a deceptive three-quarters delivery that makes it difficult for opposing hitters to pick up his excellent fastball-slider combo. A switch to the bullpen made Manfredi's control issues a little less impactful, but if he can rein in his command, with the strikeout stuff that he possesses, he could be a very intriguing arm in the Brewers' farm system.

Milwaukee's first Spring Breakout game is this afternoon, March 20, at 4:10 p.m. CT against the top prospects from the Mariners' organization. They will face the Athletics' prospects on Sunday, March 22 at 3:05 p.m. CT. Both games are available on MLB.TV and will be streamed on MLB.com.