3 Brewers Prospects Set To Move Up Prospect Lists Soon, 2 Set To Drop Down

Brewers prospect set to drop down prospects lists #2: 2B Felix Valerio

Felix Valerio was a lottery ticket the Brewers acquired from the Mets in the Keon Broxton trade several years ago. For a while, his inclusion looked like a fleece for the Brewers as he dominated the lower levels of the minors and looked like a legit big league hitter. His career batting average in the minors through 2021 was over .300.

Then Valerio reached Double-A and everything changed. Valerio struggled mightily to finish 2022 in Biloxi and ended up with a .228/.313/.357 slash line with 12 homers and 30 stolen bases.

Valerio is repeating Double-A this year and the results have not improved. Through 27 games, Valerio is hitting just .191/.277/.236 with two doubles, no homers, and a .513 OPS.

Double-A is the proving ground for prospects. You can have all the success you want in the lower levels but Double-A is where you're a phone call away from the big leagues. If you find success in Double-A, odds are you're going to be a big leaguer. Valerio has yet to find that success at this level, which raises concerns about whether or not he'll be a big leaguer.

Standing at just 5'5" with little power, Valerio's defense isn't anything special and the entirety of his prospect profile was reliant on his hit tool. If he's not hitting for a higher average and getting on base a lot, there's no reason to believe he's going to make it in the big leagues.

With a second straight down season for his only average or better tool, Valerio is going to drop on the prospect lists.