Brewers: 5 Rookies Guaranteed To Make Their MLB Debut In 2023

2. OF Sal Frelick

When Jonathan Davis went down with an injury late in 2022, some believed that the Brewers would call up Sal Frelick instead of Garrett Mitchell. Both were promoted to Triple-A at the same time and Frelick was putting up better numbers. Mitchell was putting up great numbers himself, but what Frelick was doing was ridiculous.

Since getting the promotion to Nashville, Frelick hit .365/.435/.508 with 11 doubles and four homers. He's as hot as can be at the plate and although he won't provide too much home run power, he can do plenty of damage getting on base as often as he does. He also stole 24 bases across three levels of the minor leagues last year.

Garrett Mitchell got the call over Frelick last year in part because Mitchell already had spent some time in big league camp and had an extra year of experience in pro ball. Now, Frelick is going to be in big league camp this spring and he's going to have an opportunity to earn some immediate playing time.

Center field and right field are basically up for grabs. Garrett Mitchell already has a pretty solid grip on the centerfield job at the moment, but things could change in spring training. Plus, Mitchell has the stronger arm so if Frelick proves himself worthy of a big league spot, Mitchell could even move over to right field and both he and Frelick could patrol the outfield together. Nothing is going to fall between those two guys.

It could be Opening Day, it could be shortly after, but we almost assuredly will see Sal Frelick in Milwaukee in 2023.

3. OF Joey Wiemer

The Brewers promoted the trio of Mitchell, Frelick, and Joey Wiemer together from Double-A up to Triple-A in August last season. All three played well, but Wiemer put up the "worst" numbers of the three. The word "worst" is relative because he still posted a .287/.368/.520 slash line with 15 doubles and six homers in 43 games for the Nashville Sounds. That's pretty good for having the "worst" production of the group.

But overall Wiemer did struggle in 2022 relative to his breakout 2021 performance. His power output dipped a bit to 21 homers and he struck out 147 times, equating to a 30.3% K rate. That's cause for some concern and may perhaps mean that Wiemer needs a little more seasoning in the minor leagues to iron that out.

Wiemer has immense power and has a cannon for an arm in right field. He's likely the rightfielder of the future in Milwaukee. He also brings plenty of speed on the bases, swiping 31 bags this past season.

Wiemer doesn't seem as ready for the big leagues as Frelick does at the moment. He went through quite the slump in Double-A Biloxi this season. But there is reason for optimism. After his promotion to Triple-A, Wiemer was rejuvenated and his strikeout issue subsided a bit. He had just a 22.6% K rate with 34 Ks in 150 ABs in Nashville, which is much more manageable.

There are some questions about the legitimacy of the hit tool with Wiemer and if he'll be able to make enough contact at the big league level to tap into his immense power, because there's no question about his power. When he connects, the ball goes a long ways.

Hunter Renfroe was shipped out to the Angels this offseason, seemingly clearing the deck for Wiemer to take over as the rightfielder of the future. He may not make the team out of spring training, but we're likely to see him at some point in 2023.

4. RHP Abner Uribe

Craig Counsell is a big fan of Abner Uribe. The Brewers skipper previously stated he believed Uribe could potentially impact the big league club in 2022. A meniscus injury suffered in April ended any hope of that, but he's healthy again and pitched extremely well in the Arizona Fall League. Uribe parlayed that into being added to the 40 man roster this fall.

Uribe has big league stuff with a triple-digit fastball and a wipeout slider. He could become a legitimate weapon out of the Brewers bullpen. The main issue with him is command. Uribe struggles with walks, but the Brewers seem to feel that he's made some progress in that area and he showed as much in the AFL.

For the Glendale Desert Dogs in the AFL this year, Uribe completed 10 IP with just two walks, 14 strikeouts, and a stellar 0.90 ERA. You couldn't ask for much better than that.

If Uribe keeps those walks down to a manageable level, he could quickly earn a spot in the Brewers bullpen. That's really the only thing holding him back from the big leagues. His pitches are big league ready right now.

He's on the 40 man, and with the way the Brewers usually churn through bullpen arms over the course of a season, they're likely to call upon Uribe at some point this year and we will see him in Milwaukee for his debut. He may not break camp with the club, but he'll be finding himself in a Brewers uniform at some point in 2023.

5. LHP Robert Gasser

The last remaining original piece of the Josh Hader trade just about five months later is Robert Gasser. Gasser was the prospect the Brewers truly had their eyes on in that trade and they pushed him up to Double-A and eventually Triple-A after acquiring him.

In four starts with Double-A Biloxi, Gasser posted a 2.21 ERA in 20.1 IP with 26 strikeouts. Then with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, Gasser had a 4.44 ERA in five starts over 26.1 IP with 31 Ks. The walks ticked up a bit with Nashville as well.

The Brewers find themselves in need of additional starting pitching depth behind their top six starters. If a couple players go down with injuries over the course of the season, like what happened in 2022, they'll need some arms to rely on. Ethan Small wasn't able to be relied upon last season and may be ticketed for a bullpen role in the big leagues at this point. That leaves Gasser as the likely next man up to fill his spot on the rotation depth chart.

Gasser likely begins the 2023 season in Triple-A Nashville. Even if they send him back to Double-A, he likely won't be there for long. Now with a full offseason in the Brewers pitching development program, we're likely to see some big steps forward from Gasser in 2023 and he'd be putting himself in a clear position to earn a big league call up. He's not going to break spring training with the club but the experience in big league camp will be invaluable.

Gasser has electric stuff that makes him a surefire starting pitcher at the big league level. Provided he doesn't come down with a case of the walks like Small did in 2022, he's going to remain a starting pitcher moving forward.

He may have to wait for an opportunity to open up in the rotation, but over the course of a 162 game season, that'll likely happen. I think we see Gasser in a Brewers uniform in 2023 making his MLB debut.