Brewers' 2024 3rd-round pick shines in Double-A debut

It has been a tale of two halves for the Biloxi Shuckers, the Milwaukee Brewers' Double-A affiliate, this season. After posting the best record in the Southern League during a first half that was filled with record-breaking power numbers and breakout performances, manager Joe Ayrault's (pictured above) squad has struggled to a 15-20 record to start the second half.

Some of that underperformance can be attributed to the Shuckers missing Brock Wilken, who was the Southern League Player of the Month in May, since June 23rd with a dislocated left patella. Wilken carried the offense through the first three months of the season, slashing .230/.392/.550 for a team-leading .942 OPS. Additionally, despite missing the last six weeks, Wilken still leads the Southern League in homers with 18 on the season.

With Wilken out, and the team scuffling, the Shuckers needed a spark to get them back in the win column. Last night, they got that spark, in the form of 2024 3rd round pick Jaron DeBerry, who made his Double-A debut for the Shuckers in their Wednesday night contest against the Knoxville Smokies, the Chicago Cubs' Double-A affiliate.

Jaron DeBerry impresses in first Double-A start

The Shuckers were riding a six-game losing streak entering play on Wednesday night. With a tough matchup against the Cubs' No. 20 prospect, Grant Kipp, on the schedule, the Shuckers needed a strong performance from their own starter to have any chance of breaking their losing streak. Ayrault turned to Jaron DeBerry, who was promoted to the Double-A level on Monday afternoon.

DeBerry has had somewhat of a meteoric rise through the Brewers' farm system. Despite being drafted last July, he has already advanced through the Low-A and High-A levels in his first season of professional baseball. His promotion to High-A made complete sense — he posted a 1.04 ERA through three Low-A starts to begin the season, demonstrating that he was ready for stiffer competition. However, the promotion from High-A to Double-A was more aggressive. With a 5.43 ERA in nine starts for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, questions arose when DeBerry was selected to join the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers. However, those questions quickly disappeared as the 22-year-old right-hander mowed down a talented Knoxville Smokies' lineup.

DeBerry tossed six innings last night, and allowed just one unearned run on two hits. He struck out just four opposing hitters, but kept the Smokies' lineup off-balance all night with his balanced arsenal of pitches. His performance set the Shuckers up for their first win since last Tuesday and gave DeBerry his first Double-A win.

His success throughout the Brewers' farm system this season is a testament to the front office's ability to find intriguing arms at various points in the MLB Draft. DeBerry, who played his college ball at Dallas Baptist University, was a third round pick, but he signed for just $25K, well below his slot value of $788K. The selection allowed the Brewers to redirect money to their other draft picks, particularly the high school players that they selected in the latter rounds of the draft. However, it also netted them a really intriguing arm in Deberry, who is already making waves in the Brewers minor league system. Any way you slice it, it's been an excellent draft pick for the Brewers' front office.