Brewers Prospects: 5 Intriguing Players To Watch In The ACL & DSL In 2023

Today, June 5th, the rookie levels Arizona Complex League and the Dominican Summer League start play. These lower levels of the minor leagues are important development grounds for the youngest players in professional baseball. The Milwaukee Brewers have a lot of talented players that will begin their 2023 seasons today.

The Brewers are currently operating with two Dominican Summer League teams and are now down to just one Arizona Complex League team. In recent years, the Brewers had two teams in Arizona, ACL Brewers Blue and ACL Brewers Gold. The new minor league CBA lowers the amount of spots on the domestic reserve list each team has, making the dropping of the second ACL team necessary.

Even with fewer spots, these teams are teeming with talent that Brewers fans should keep an eye on.

Here are five intriguing Brewers prospects fans should watch in the Arizona Complex League and Dominican Summer League.

Brewers Rookie Level Player To Watch #1: SS Dylan O'Rae

The Brewers drafted Dylan O'Rae in the 3rd round of last year's draft and it took a lot of the draft industry by surprise, because seemingly no one knew who he was. The Brewers were surprised everyone else was surprised, because O'Rae can hit. The Canadian prepster was likely off the media's radar because they didn't have much information coming out of Canada.

The Brewers liked O'Rae for his athleticism, speed, and overall hitting ability. Currently ranked as the Crew's 17th best prospect, O'Rae got to play in eight games last year for ACL Brewers Gold after being drafted, and hit .308 (8-for-26) with six walks, seven strikeouts, and four stolen bases.

O'Rae was a high draft pick for a reason. He also broke the Brewers recent mold of preferring college hitters. O'Rae was the first high school player Milwaukee selected in the first three rounds since the trio of Brice Turang-Joe Gray-Miach Bello in 2018. They would only break from that mold if they had a very strong feeling about O'Rae.

The important thing for O'Rae this season is adjusting to professional ball, keeping his excellent plate discipline, and racking up base hits. He'll need to develop more power as he moves up the ladder, but that will come with added strength and physical maturity. His speed should allow him to turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples.