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

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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.

Brewers Rookie Level Player To Watch #2: OF Luis Castillo

I'm a little surprised Luis Castillo is back in the ACL this year. He dominated the league last year and earned a promotion to Low-A Carolina. With Carolina, Castillo hit a solid .250/.336/.360 with three homers and four stolen bases in 100 ABs.

Overall in 2022, Castillo hit .275 with 19 extra base hits and a .791 OPS.

If he continues to hit the ball well in Arizona to start the year, it likely won't be long before the Brewers promote him to Low-A once again. He has experience at that level and seems ready for the leap, even though he's just 19 years old.

Castillo is a left handed hitter that's well suited for a corner outfield spot. He has the throwing arm to be able to handle right field and the power to go with it. He's shown a good feel for hitting and drawing his walks. If he can make the jump to Low-A and continue to succeed, hitting for power and a solid average, Castillo could jump into some Top 30 prospect lists.

Brewers Rookie Level Player To Watch #3: OF Yeison Perez

The Brewers are shaping up to have had an incredible 2021 International signing class. It's led of course by Jackson Chourio, followed by Hendry Mendez and Daniel Guilarte. Other members of that class include Jadher Areinamo, the aforementioned Luis Castillo, and outfielder Yeison Perez.

Yeison Perez is making his stateside debut in 2023 after spending two seasons in the Dominican Summer League. His first season was nothing special, hitting just .244 with just one homer and a .626 OPS.

Perez repeated the level in 2022 and absolutely raked. He slashed .331/.409/.654 with 15 doubles, four triples, and seven home runs, ending with a 1.063 OPS. He put his name on the map with his combination of power and hitting ability that he showed. Now Perez is looking to repeat that kind of performance in the Arizona Complex League to further prove his breakout last year was legitimate and that he's a prospect that should be on everyone's radar.

The Brewers have had great success with Venezuelan prospects and Perez could just be the latest one. Keep an eye on his numbers in the ACL this year, and we could see him make his way to Carolina soon enough.

Brewers Rookie Level Player To Watch #4: OF Yophery Rodriguez

The crown jewel of the Brewers 2023 international signing class is Yophery Rodriguez. After getting a $1.5MM signing bonus, the 17 year old Rodriguez will make his professional debut with the DSL Brewers 1 squad.

MLB Pipeline currently ranks Rodriguez as the Crew's 26th best prospect on the strength of his natural hitting ability and left handed swing. He has excellent plate discipline that should lead to low strikeout totals, which is exactly what needs to be seen from him in the DSL. Given the level of the competition down in the bottom rung of the organization, players with high strikeout totals in the DSL generally don't make it very far up the ladder. Since making contact and drawing walks is already his strength, it should be no issue.

The Brewers have had a lot of recent success with the high bonus players in their international signing classes. They're hoping Rodriguez will be the next. He's a great athlete and there's no weak area in his game, so it'll just be a matter of Rodriguez developing and refining his tools as he climbs up the ladder.

Brewers Rookie Level Player To Watch #5: SS Kevin Ereu

Another one of the top members of the Brewers international signing class this year is Venezuelan shortstop Kevin Ereu. Ereu has the highest star potential of the top two shortstops signed by Milwaukee this year, with the other being Filippo Di Turri. Ereu has legit power at a young age and a good feel for making contact.

Defensively, Ereu has the capability to stick at shortstop moving forward, where his power potential could really play up. Some may question if the hit tool is strong enough, but that's what we'll start to learn more about as he gets his professional career started with the DSL Brewers 1 squad.

Just like with Rodriguez, here at the lowest level of the minor leagues in the DSL, hitters must keep their strikeout totals low if they hope to advance further up the ladder. While the same could be said for any level, if they have strikeout issues at the lowest level, odds are those issues aren't going to go away as they move up the ladder and face better pitching.

Ereu and Rodriguez are the two top pieces of Milwaukee's international class, and they are the top ones to watch in the DSL this year.

These five are the big names, but there are several others to keep an eye on as well. Let's look at some of the honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions: 5 More Names To Watch

For the big Brewers prospect followers, here are five more names to keep an eye on in the lower levels.

LHP Osbriel Mogollon - ACL Brewers

Mogollon put up a 2.74 ERA in 12 games and 10 starts last year in the DSL in 46 innings with 57 strikeouts. Mogollon was named the Brewers Complex League Pitcher of the Year in 2022 for his performance and he now moves stateside.

C Satchell Norman - ACL Brewers

A 15th round pick in the Draft last year, Norman hit .344 with a .853 OPS in his 10 games after signing last year. He returns to the ACL and has a chance to earn a promotion to Low-A fairly quickly.

SS Johan Barrios - ACL Brewers

One of the Crew's top signings in the 2022 international class, Barrios had a solid debut season last year in the DSL, hitting .292 with a .351 OBP. He has very little pop, however, with just five extra base hits and no homers. Perhaps he's added some strength over the offseason.

OF Antony Gomez - DSL Brewers

Gomez had the 4th highest signing bonus of Milwaukee's 2023 international class, coming in at $600k. He's tall, fast, has a good eye at the plate, and should have some power to grow into.

LHP Pedro Quintana - DSL Brewers

The Brewers acquired Quintana from the Mets back in 2021 in the Billy McKinney trade. Quintana has yet to accrue any stats because of injuries, but he should be healthy again in 2023 and making his professional debut on the mound. Milwaukee targeted him for a reason, likely tried to sign him in 2021, and now can hopefully get the 19 year old back on the mound.

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