Brewers 2024 first-round pick continues historic power surge in Double-A

It's amazing that someone with 70-grade raw power can get lost in the shuffle of a farm system, but that's just how good the Milwaukee Brewers' minor league ranks are. Blake Burke was a first-round pick not even two years ago, but it feels like he exists more on the periphery of a discussion that revolves around an endless assembly line of elite shortstop prospects.

Don't let that fool you, though: Burke is the real deal. He crushed his first full professional season in 2025, accruing a 139 wRC+ in 132 games across multiple levels. Most impressive was his end-of-season cameo in Biloxi, where he crushed 11 homers in 37 games and posted an enormous 177 wRC+.

Now back in Double-A to start the 2026 season, he's somehow making even that hot streak look tame by comparison. Through the Shuckers' first seven games this year, Burke has hit six home runs while totaling a ridiculous 1.256 OPS.

It's certainly an unsustainble stretch of play, powerful as he may be; calling it torrid would be an understatement. But through his first 150 or so games in the professional ranks, this is just who Burke has proven to be: a man who mashes baseballs.

Blake Burke is making a ridiculously strong case to be considered the Brewers' first baseman of the future

There are certainly a few flaws in the 23-year-old's game. As you'd expect with any slugging prospect, he's prone to a few strikeouts, as he's punched out in nearly one-quarter of his career plate appearances in the minor leagues thus far -- which is by no means terrible. Scouts also question his long-term defensive capabilities, though his 6'3" frame at least provides infielders with a big target to throw to.

Regardless of how much the rest of his game evolves, though, Burke will live and die by the thunder in his bat. He's always hit the ball exceptionally hard, but it was only upon his jump to Double-A last year that he finally began elevating enough to take advantage of his prodigious pop. As he faces more advanced pitchers in Triple-A and, eventually, the majors, he'll need to ward off enough ground balls (or whiffs) to remain more than just a Joey Gallo lite.

Perhaps his biggest obstacle to Milwaukee is the presence of Luke Adams, a 21-year-old first base prospect currently in Triple-A Nashville. Adams isn't nearly as powerful, but he's a lot more athletic and is Rule 5 eligible this upcoming offseason. He has priority on the first base depth chart, though Burke could always change that by continuing to hit an endless barrage of homers.

Really, that's a conversation for a later date. Right now, it's worth just fawning over the ridiculous start Burke is off to. There's not a lot of guys who can make the Southern League look like their personal playground.