Overlooked Brewers' shortstop prospect off to a strong start with WBC squad

Lost in the shuffle of the Milwaukee Brewers' top middle infield prospects, a list that includes names like Jesús Made, Luis Peña, Cooper Pratt, and now Jett Williams, is 2020 second-round pick Freddy Zamora. Though Zamora hasn't appeared on MLB Pipeline's list of the Top 30 prospects in the Brewers' organization since the 2023 season, the middle infielder out of the University of Miami has risen steadily through Milwaukee's minor league system over the last five years and logged a full season in Triple-A in 2025.

Though Zamora's 2025 campaign with the Nashville Sounds would suggest that he's knocking on the door of the big leagues, there has been little talk of him impacting the Brewers' big-league roster in 2026. Underwhelming offensive numbers are a large reason for the lack of momentum around Zamora's promotion to the big leagues. After a strong debut season in the Brewers' organization, during which Zamora posted an .825 OPS in 92 games split between the Low-A and High-A levels, he's since failed to post an OPS higher than .713 over the course of a season.

Injuries have certainly impacted Zamora's career. An ACL tear cut his final collegiate season short, which caused him to slide out of the first-round of the 2020 draft. Then, the middle infielder was limited to just 24 games in Double-A in 2022 due to a season-ending shoulder injury similar to the one Jeferson Quero suffered in 2024.

However, now three years removed from that shoulder injury and following a full season in Nashville, Zamora is hoping to build some momentum and crack the big-league roster in 2026. He will have a chance to prove himself against the best players in the world over the next week as the 27-year-old shortstop was selected to represent his home country of Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic. Yesterday, his WBC journey got off to a hot start.

Brewers' prospect Freddy Zamora homers for Team Nicaragua in exhibition game against New York Mets

WBC squads matched up with MLB teams yesterday for exhibition games as they ramp up to the international tournament. While the Brewers were busy hosting Team Great Britain, the New York Mets faced off with Team Nicaragua. The Brewers have three members of their organization suiting up for Nicaragua this year: Zamora, starting pitcher Carlos Rodriguez, and minor league reliever Stiven Cruz.

Every Milwaukee Brewers connection in the 2026 World Baseball Classic

In the top of the third inning, facing talented young right-hander Jonah Tong, Zamora crushed a solo shot to left field, which tied the exhibition game at one run apiece. Two innings later, Zamora once again tied the game with a sacrifice fly off of 9x All-Star Craig Kimbrel. Nicaragua ultimately ended up losing the contest, but Zamora's performance was encouraging nonetheless.

Zamora certainly isn't known for his power; the infielder has just 22 homers in 422 games in the minor leagues, and holds a .347 slugging percentage during his professional career. However, some of Zamora's recent lack of power can certainly be attributed to his 2022 shoulder surgery; he posted a .421 slugging percentage in his lone professional season prior to the injury. Therefore, now another year removed from the injury, it's encouraging to see Zamora start to drive the baseball once again.

Team Nicaragua's first official game of the 2026 WBC will be on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. CT against the Dominican Republic. Whether it be tuning in to watch Zamora continue his important 2026 season or to see Rodriguez start a game on the bump, Team Nicaragua is definitely worth the watch for Brewers fans this year.