Former Brewers first-round pick could be in the big leagues sooner than you think

While the Milwaukee Brewers raised their average back to .500 with a win over the Houston Astros on Monday night, their inconsistency to start the season is largely due to their offense, which ranks in the bottom half of the league in several key metrics. More concerning than anything in the first month of the season might be the team's lack of home runs.

The Brewers have found a way to scratch out runs in other ways, but they rank 21st in the league in long balls. There's a long way to go, but early returns point to Willy Adames' departure being more impactful than the Brewers anticipated. Adames, who signed a seven-year, $182 million contract from the San Francisco Giants in the offseason, slugged 87 home runs for the Brewers from 2022-2024, and without his presence in the middle of the order, the Brewers are still searching for the power that will add some consistency to their offense.

The left side of the infield in general has been a weak spot for the Brewers in terms of power, but while the organization seems committed to shortstop Joey Ortiz, whose track record and ability to provide value without hitting the ball out of the ballpark should give him a long leash at short, Brewers fans are already speculating about where they can find an upgrade at third base.

Vinny Capra (9 starts) and Caleb Durbin (15) have made the majority of starts at third base this season. While Durbin has come up in some big situations to start his major league career and Capra did snap an 0-36 streak in last night's game, they entered Monday's game hitting a combined .156/.224/.250 with a .474 OPS and two home runs. Granted, Capra's .250 OPS drags those cumulative numbers down, but Durbin has still not displayed an ability to hit for power like the Brewers hoped he would.

While many are hoping that the Brewers upgrade the hot corner with an external addition, with trade deadline speculation already starting, a more creative (and much cheaper) option might be waiting in the farm system: Brock Wilken.

Brock Wilken's hot start in Double-A

Brock Wilken, the Brewers' 2023 first-round pick out of Wake Forest, is off to an impressive start at the plate for the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers. Wilken has five home runs and an OPS of .874 in 27 games played this season. While his .205 batting average is not where Milwaukee would like to see it, 32 walks in 123 plate appearances are extremely encouraging.

The high slugging percentage is nothing new for Wilken. In his final year at Wake Forest, he slugged 31 home runs — the second most in all of Division-I college baseball. 71 career home runs in college gave Wilken the ACC record. Even last year, a mostly lost season for Wilken that included a scary hit-by-pitch to the face, the former Demon Deacon slugged 17 HR, which ranked fourth in the pitcher-friendly Southern League.

So what are the chances that Wilken could actually impact the big-league roster in 2025?

Given the fact that Wilken made over 800 plate appearances in college and is already 22 years old, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw him in the big leagues by the end of this season. The need at third base could also be a contributing factor if Durbin doesn't turn it on soon. Outside of Durbin and Capra, who will likely won't be on the big league roster much longer, the only true third baseman in front of Wilken is Oliver Dunn, who has struggled mightily in both MLB and Triple-A in 2025.

While it might seem like a long shot, if Wilken continues to post an impressive slugging percentage and the Brewers’ need for power continues to increase, it's not out of the question that the organization's No. 17-ranked prospect is manning the hot corner for the big-league ball club by season's end.