Brewers: Breaking Down The Moving Around In Updated MLB Pipeline Top 30 Prospects List

Moving Down

A total of eight Brewers prospects moved down the Top 30 list but still remained on the rankings. Some of these were not due to performance but rather new additions from the Draft, but we'll get into the Draftees in a bit. However, some did drop due to performance.

Ethan Small suffered the biggest drop of the group, going from 11th all the way down to 30th, just barely hanging on the list. He's moved to the bullpen and at 26 years old, the Brewers still aren't calling on him, which is a sign his stock is not what it once was, but his first round status is likely keeping him around.

A trio of Timber Rattlers have fallen down a bit. Last year's first round pick, Eric Brown Jr, dropped from 6th to 12th, and some of that is due to new draftees but Brown has also missed considerable time this year with injury, which hasn't helped. Another 2022 Draftee, Robert Moore, dropped from 8th to 17th as he's struggled to get going in High-A. Hendry Mendez fell from 13th down to 29th as he's battled some injuries and overall struggles when healthy to perform like he did last year.

A couple more names fell slightly, likely due to the new Draft picks. Abner Uribe went from 9th to 11th, but his overall prospect status hasn't changed much. His big league roster status means he'll graduate soon anyway. Bradley Blalock, acquired in the Luis Urias trade, went from being slotted in at 15th to now ranked 19th.

Dylan O'Rae went from 18th to 21st despite putting up excellent numbers. I'd argue O'Rae deserved to move up, but he gets pushed down in the shuffle with new names. Jadher Areinamo also went from 19th to 23rd despite putting up good numbers. Freddy Zamora fell from 21st to 28th.

The New Faces

There are seven new faces in the Brewers Top 30, including six prospects from the 2023 MLB Draft.

First round pick Brock Wilken leads the way, ranking 8th in the Top 30. Sixth rounder Cooper Pratt is the next Draftee, coming in as a Top 10 prospect, ranking 10th overall in the Brewers system. 3rd rounder Eric Bitonti is 13th. Pratt and Bitonti were the high upside targets that excited us during the Draft and that excitement and upside is reflected in these rankings, being placed higher than some earlier picks.

Speaking of, Competitive Balance Round A selection Josh Knoth is ranked 16th on his initial Brewers Top 30. Second round pick Mike Boeve comes in at 18th on the list.

One of the Crew's Day 3 selection of the Draft also made the Top 30. 11th rounder Bishop Letson comes in at 27th in the mid-season re-rank. The Brewers signed him for 4th round type of money and he was a big get on Day 3.

There's another new name that wasn't from the 2023 Draft on this list, and that's infielder Juan Baez, ranked 26th. He was an international signee in 2022 and has been lighting up the Arizona Complex League this year. He's hitting .389 with a 1.014 OPS, 15 doubles, four homers, and 14 stolen bases. He's a contact machine that's struck out only 19 times in 162 ABs.

Falling Off The List

Seven players from the pre-season Top 30 fell off the list completely. The highest ranked of them was Felix Valerio at 16th. Valerio was putting up impressive numbers for a couple years, and he was looking like a steal, but he's hit a wall in Double-A, hitting just .219 with little punch. The bat was his carrying tool and it isn't carrying him anymore.

Hedbert Perez was a highly touted international signing that has also fallen on hard times in Low-A. He struggled last year and has struggled again this year. Perez was starting to turn it around before an injury took him off the field and it wasn't enough to save his Top 30 status. He was initially ranked 17th.

Eduardo Garcia fell off the list from 20th after a down offensive year in High-A. Cam Robinson went from 22nd on the pre-season list and on the 40 man roster to losing his 40 man spot and Top 30 prospect status. He's had a tough year and was demoted to Double-A. Jace Avina fell off the list from 24th. While he's a powerful bat, a 31.5% K rate and .207 batting average in Low-A is not a great recipe for a Top 30 prospect.

Outfielder Carlos D. Rodriguez fell off the list from 28th. He's playing pretty well, hitting .276 and not striking out, which is his calling card, but the new Draftees may have pushed him off as he was already close to the edge of the Top 30. Finally, 2023 international signee Kevin Ereu has fallen off the Top 30 as he's struggled to get going in the DSL while Yophery Rodriguez and Filippo Di Turi have thrived.