Brewers agree to minor league deal with Dominican Winter League standout

The Milwaukee Brewers are always searching for talent wherever they can find it. Not only do the Brewers do an excellent job of scouring the international free agent market for players who can help their organization, but they've also acquired several players in recent seasons who honed their skills in the independent leagues. Pitchers like Jared Koenig and Justin Topa were once members of "Indy Ball" before they ended up on the Brewers as big-league relievers.

Focusing on a player's talent and what they can become under the right guidance is one way that the Brewers take advantage of their excellent player development program to turn overlooked players into effective big-leaguers. Last week, Milwaukee signed a right-handed reliever to a minor league contract who fits this bill.

On February 12, the Brewers signed Joe Corbett to a minor league deal following his impressive performance in the Dominican Winter League (LIDOM) this offseason. Corbett, who didn't receive an invitation to big-league camp, is coming off a season in LIDOM in which he posted a 1.90 ERA in 22 appearances with more strikeouts (27) than innings pitched (23.2).

Brewers sign reliever Joe Corbett to a minor league deal after his impressive showing in the Dominican Winter League

Corbett was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 10th round of the 2019 MLB Draft after a college career split between Arkansas-Little Rock and West Texas A&M. A 2.44 ERA in 14 starts, with 136 strikeouts in 92.1 innings during his final year in college, was a large reason for the Rangers selecting Corbett.

Though he immediately converted to a reliever once he was in the Rangers' system, Corbett found immediate success in the second half of the summer of 2019, with a 1.48 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP in 19 appearances to prove it. However, after the 2020 minor league season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Corbett posted a less impressive season in 2021. He was excellent to start the year, pitching for the Low-A Down East Wood Ducks, but after a promotion to the High-A Hickory Crawdads, Corbett's effectiveness stalled.

2022 was a similar story for Corbett; he was strong out of the gates in High-A, but took some time to adjust after earning a promotion to Double-A. The following year, 2023, Corbett elected to switch over to the independent leagues. Ever since, he's bounced around between Indy Ball, the Mexican League, and the Dominican Winter League, where he's found varying levels of success.

Apparently, Corbett's performance this winter caught the Brewers' eye, and they believe there's something they can tap into with his arsenal of pitches. Corbett will join the Brewers' minor league system, making his return to affiliated ball after three years away. His will be an interesting name to look out for in the Brewers' farm system this year, with any success being another example of Milwaukee finding talent where other teams don't necessarily think to look.