Brewers outfield prospect turns things around with impressive start to June

Back in mid-February, in response to a question of whether he was penciling in Luis Lara to the Biloxi Shuckers' Opening Day starting lineup or writing it in pen, the Shuckers' play-by-play broadcaster, Javik Blake, responded, "My dreams are to write it in pen, because I want to see that kid play center field on Opening Day. That’s just a dream I have of seeing Luis Lara make a diving catch in center field against Pensacola to start our season.”

While Lara may not have made a diving catch on Opening Day, he did impressively make the Shuckers' Opening Day roster and has made his fair share of impressive plays in center field for the Milwaukee Brewers' Double-A affiliate this season. But Lara's glove was never a question mark; rather, it was his bat that had those in the Brewers' organization wondering whether or not he was ready for Double-A pitching.

For the first six weeks of the season, it appeared as if the answer to that question was that the Brewers had rushed Lara's development, and he, in fact, wasn't ready for the offseason promotion to Double-A. On May 6, Lara, the Brewers No. 21 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, was slashing just .198/.321/.288 with just seven extra-base hits. Though the adjustment to Double-A is notoriously a very difficult one, Lara's start to the season was concerning, in large part because the Brewers have pushed him at every stage of his development, and it looked as though it was coming back to bite them. However, just as quickly as the concerns about the Brewers' toolsy 20-year-old outfield prospect arose, they disappeared into the heavy air down in Biloxi.

Luis Lara is turning heads with his performance in the month of June, alleviating any concerns that he wasn't ready for Double-A pitching

The Brewers haven't necessarily rushed Lara's development throughout the minor leagues, but as previously stated, they have certainly challenged him. It started when, much like the team's current star outfielder, Jackson Chourio, they elected to have Lara skip the Arizona Complex League and go right from the Dominican Summer League to Low-A. As a result, in 2023, at just 18 years old, Lara was suiting up every day for the Low-A Carolina Mudcats. But, unlike his start to this season, Lara came out of the gates hot and didn't slow down throughout the year, resulting in another promotion to High-A by the end of the season. Yes, at just 18 years old, Luis Lara was playing High-A baseball and doing so proficiently.

Last year, the Brewers elected to keep Lara in High-A for the entire season, and while his numbers weren't great, he didn't necessarily look overmatched by the pitching. Even still, the Brewers wanted to see a bit more out of their intriguing young outfielder before sending him down to the pitcher-friendly Southern League, where the Biloxi Shuckers play. As a result, Lara participated in the Arizona Fall League, an offseason league consisting of some of the game’s top prospects, last November, and a strong performance proved that Lara was ready for the leap to Double-A.

Now, two weeks into June, that decision is paying off. Lara is slashing .297/.384/.391 in the month of June, while climbing up the Shuckers' high-octane lineup. Last night, while hitting in the two-hole, Lara reached base five times, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, two singles, and a walk. He scored two of the Shuckers’ five runs in a tightly contested 5-4 win over the Knoxville Smokies, the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate.

On the season, Lara has his average up to .265 and his OBP up to .361, which is closer to where each of those marks sat during his 2023 breakout season. In addition, Lara continues to play exceptional defense and has already stolen 23 bases on the year. At just 20 years old, it’s no surprise that Lara has Brewers officials and prospect evaluators alike intrigued by what he could eventually do at the major league level. Don't be surprised if Lara is wearing a Milwaukee Brewers jersey as early as the end of next season.