In 2023 the Milwaukee Brewers drafted prep arm Josh Knoth out of Patchogue Medford High School. He was 17 years old at the time and was one of the youngest players in the draft. However, his plus fastball capable of reaching 96 MPH and elite spin rate was appealing to the organization.
A season ago, Knoth made his professional debut, spending the entire year in Low-A Carolina. He missed some time with elbow soreness, but according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he has since undergone Tommy John surgery. As a result, he will not pitch in 2025.
During his first professional season, as an 18-19 year old, Knoth pitched to a 4.48 ERA across 21 games started and 84.1 innings pitched. Walks were an issue as he surrendered 40 of them, which equates to a 4.27 BB:9 ratio. Positively, he struck out 96 batters, or 10.25 K:9.
Some unfortunate Brewers prospect injury news: RHP Josh Knoth had Tommy John surgery and will be out for the 2025 season. A tough blow for the 33rd overall pick in the 2023 draft.
— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) February 15, 2025
What will the Milwaukee Brewers have in store for Josh Knoth in 2026?
With missing all of 2025, Knoth will return in 2026 in which throughout that season he will be 20-21 years old. The Brewers let him operate as a starter last year, but his fastball and curveball were by far his two best pitches. With missing a year of development, it's possible that his fastest track to the big leagues may be as a reliever, but in 2026 he will still be young enough to continue on the starter track if both him and the organization choose.
Undergoing a surgery of this significance is a tough blow for Knoth and Milwaukee. The silver linings are that the Brewers weren't going to depend upon him in 2025 anyway and he is still young enough that afterwards he will still have years left to develop. However, his injury does place at least a little more importance on Milwaukee getting production out of Aaron Ashby and/or Jacob Misiorowski as there are no obvious heirs to follow them out of the pitching talent pipeline with Knoth on the shelf.
Hopefully he can return in 2026 fully healthy and ready to hit the ground running.