Brewers: Ranking The 10 Most Important Young Players To The Brewers Future

#9: LHP Robert Gasser

The sole remaining original piece of the Josh Hader trade, Robert Gasser is a crucial player for the Brewers organization. Gasser was the true prize the Brewers targeted in that deal and they feel he is a surefire starting pitcher that is going to be an important part of their rotation in the years to come.

The Hader trade was a defining moment for this front office and organization. Despite being in first place, they traded their All Star closer for prospects and ended up missing the playoffs. The Brewers told fans that the trade was about staying competitive in the long term and that sometimes that meant unusual trades like the Hader deal were necessary. While that may be true, that leaves a lot of pressure on Gasser to live up to his potential.

Gasser is likely not an ace in the big leagues, settling in closer to a No. 3 or No. 4 starter. He has a full arsenal of pitches, mixes them well, and knows how to spin the ball.

As previously mentioned with Misiorowski, the starting rotation is going to have some big openings coming up. Gasser is in a more immediate position to be able to fill a spot than Misiorowski, which places him one spot higher on this ranking. While the Brewers have some solid starting pitching depth right now, Gasser is really the only one within striking distance of a big league call up that has the potential to hold down a spot long term.

#8: INF Luis Urias

Luis Urias is still 25 years old for a few more weeks so he barely qualifies for this list. Yet, he remains an important piece for the organization. This is despite missing the first two months with an injury and missing a chunk of last year with an early season injury.

While Urias was demoted from the starting shortstop job, he's largely been an everyday player for Milwaukee since. He's spent most of his time at third base along with some time at second base, handling the transition quite well. Urias has tapped into his power in recent years, which gives him a real chance to lock down third base going forward.

Urias is under team control through the 2025 season. He could be a long-term piece in this Brewers infield, wherever he can fit in. Willy Adames has shortstop locked down for as long as he's still in Milwaukee. He's also unlikely to sign an extension given the lack of progress in talks over the offseason. Urias is a cheaper alternative to keep around in the infield for the future.

The Brewers have had a revolving door at third base over the years and Urias can finally give them stability at that position. They're also lacking any legit prospects at the hot corner in the minor leagues, making the success of Urias all the more vital to Milwaukee's future.

#7: OF Joey Wiemer

Joey Wiemer has found himself thrust into an everyday role for the Brewers as injuries ravaged Milwaukee early this season. Wiemer didn't make the Opening Day roster this year but was called up the day after Opening Day when Luis Urias went down with an injury. Since then, Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick also got hurt and he's the lone remaining healthy big league ready outfield prospect Milwaukee has.

Wiemer has struggled at the plate as he gets his feet under him, but he's shown signs of figuring things out offensively. His speed and defense make him a positive contributor and an important piece already to this team.

The presence of Wiemer is why the Brewers felt comfortable trading a solid, productive right fielder last offseason in Hunter Renfroe. While Wiemer is currently playing the majority of his time in centerfield, his future is in right field. His strong throwing arm and immense home run power are tailor made for right and the Brewers have several excellent centerfield options when they're healthy.

Wiemer can be a perennial All-Star if he's able to reach his ceiling. His power and speed combination is quite rare, especially for a guy who typically plays a corner spot.

This is a crucial development time for Wiemer. He's undergoing a baptism by fire at the big league level. If he comes through this and hits his stride offensively, the Brewers will have a key part of their long-term outfield settled.

There are so many outfield prospects in the Brewers organization and it's yet to be determined how they will best align. They'll have more starting quality outfielders than spots available should everyone reach their potential. Who will end up on the outside looking in? Time will tell, but Wiemer essentially has the whole outfield to himself right now and he can earn quite a bit of job security.

#6: SS/2B Brice Turang

Similar to Wiemer, Brice Turang has found himself thrust into an almost everyday role with the Brewers in 2023. Milwaukee traded a veteran, Kolten Wong, last offseason to clear room for Turang to make his MLB debut.

The 2018 first round pick has moved up the organizational ladder slowly and methodically. His arrival signaled the next wave of "The Freshmen" arriving in Milwaukee. Garrett Mitchell arrived late last season in the first wave and Turang made the Opening Day roster this year as the second wave along with Wiemer arriving a day later.

Unlike the other top prospects the Brewers have ready for a promotion, Turang plays in the infield. That makes Turang's success even more important to the organization. If one of the outfielders doesn't pan out, there is another highly touted prospect right behind them ready to take their place. In the infield, that's not quite the case.

Turang is an excellent defender at shortstop, and he would be playing the position in Milwaukee right now if it wasn't for the presence of Willy Adames. However, Adames may not be long for the Brewers. Extension talks with him have gone nowhere and he's in line for a big payday the Brewers can't afford or simply won't want to pay.

It took the Brewers nearly 40 years to find their next great shortstop after Robin Yount was moved off the position. If and when they watch Adames leave, they'll need to make sure the position is left in good hands and Turang has the best chance to be that guy. He'll have this year and next to establish himself as a hitter in the big leagues before the keys get turned over to him, which should help smooth the transition once it's time.

We've seen what having a premier shortstop can do to a lineup with Adames the last few years. That makes the development of Turang a crucial part of the Brewers future.

#5: C William Contreras

The Josh Hader trade can continue to pay dividends for Milwaukee even if they've changed the portfolio. The Brewers traded Esteury Ruiz to get William Contreras over the offseason in a clear coup for the front office. The Hader trade was about staying competitive long-term and adding Contreras achieves just that.

The 25 year old backstop immediately upgraded a position that had suffered a lot of turnover since the departure of Jonathan Lucroy. Contreras has already achieved All Star status and he's been the most productive bat in the Brewers lineup this year.

Contreras is the future behind the plate for Milwaukee. His defense has already improved tremendously in a short period of time. He's under team control for five seasons and won't be arbitration eligible until 2025.

At his best, Contreras hits for both average and power from a position where teams are lucky to get any offense at all. He's going to be penciled into the middle of the lineup card for Craig Counsell for several years.

The Brewers could have a future everyday catcher waiting in the wings with Jeferson Quero, who's currently in Double-A and one of Milwaukee's top prospects. With Contreras in the picture, the Brewers can afford to be patient with Quero and perhaps even trade him for big league assets if needed because now they know the catcher position is settled with William Contreras.

#4: OF Sal Frelick

If it weren't for an unfortunately timed thumb injury, we would be seeing Sal Frelick in the major leagues right now. While he'll return to the field in June, Sal Frelick is perhaps the most big league ready prospect the Brewers have that isn't already on the roster. He almost made the Opening Day roster and has dominated the upper levels of the minors.

The Brewers drafted Frelick in the 1st round of the 2021 MLB Draft. That was just two years ago and he's already stormed his way through the farm system.

Frelick represents a hopeful shift in the Brewers offense once he arrives. He's a pure contact hitter that doesn't strike out and won't hit for much power, but will put the ball in play and get on base a lot. His skill set is perfect for the leadoff spot in the order.

A true centerfielder, Frelick is an excellent defender. He has above-average speed and gets great reads on fly balls. His throwing arm is solid, although not as great as Wiemer's. His lack of power makes a corner outfield spot a tougher fit offensively, but with his on-base ability, just getting him into the lineup is the important thing. Plus, it's not as if he's a liability defensively if he were to be put in a corner spot.

Wiemer is getting his shot at locking down a starting outfield job right now with Frelick and Mitchell hurt. In about a month, Frelick will return and then he'll likely get a shot to lock down his job while Mitchell misses most of the season.

If Frelick is as advertised, the Brewers could have themselves a contender for a batting title on their hands. That makes his development and his health crucial for the organization's future. Their prior batting champion, Christian Yelich, hasn't been able to recapture that level of success. When Yelich was at that level, the Brewers made their deepest postseason run in franchise history. If he can't do it, someone has to, and Frelick can be that guy.

#3: LHP Aaron Ashby

Aaron Ashby is likely out for the entire 2023 season with an injury, but that doesn't lessen his importance to the future of this franchise. The Brewers saw enough in Ashby to sign him to a contract extension last year. He's under team control potentially through 2029.

As previously mentioned with Jacob Misiorowski and Robert Gasser, the starting rotation is going to have some big shoes to fill in two years with the eventual departures of Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff. If the Brewers rotation is going to remain a strength in the years to come, they'll need others to step up and Ashby is one of those. He was once the Crew's highest rated prospect and they made a long term commitment to him instead of Burnes or Woodruff.

The future success of the Brewers rotation will rely on Ashby. When he's right, Ashby is electric on the mound and can help lead a rotation. If injuries continue to mount or he's not able to build off his prior success, the future Brewers rotation could be in trouble.

While they didn't commit a substantial amount of money to Ashby, they are committed to him for the long term. If he doesn't pan out as hoped, the financial hit may not be that big, but the hit to their rotation plans would be considerable, making the development of Gasser and Misiorowski even more important.

The Brewers have signed just two starting pitchers to contract extensions: Ashby and Freddy Peralta. Both were signed to team friendly deals before they were fully established in the starting rotation. Peralta has since blossomed into a co-ace alongside Burnes and Woodruff, which has been another important development in Milwaukee's success the last few years. They'll be looking for Ashby to do the same.

#2: OF Garrett Mitchell

Garrett Mitchell has seemingly had superstar written all over him since his arrival in the Brewers organization. He unexpectedly fell in the Draft to them in 2020, and has since stormed his way through the minor leagues. Mitchell reached the big leagues last season and provided a massive spark to a team in desperate need of one.

That's what Mitchell does, he's a sparkplug. He's electric. He's electric on defense, he's electric running the bases, he's electric at the plate. Mitchell hit a walk-off against the Yankees last season, he slugged a walk-off home run against the Mets this season, and he went yard in back-to-back at bats against the Mets as well. He's the real deal.

Mitchell is a five tool centerfielder with not only the talent but also the personality to be the face of the franchise. He's quickly taken to the Milwaukee faithful in a way no other player on the roster has really done. He brings energy everywhere he goes.

An unfortunate shoulder injury suffered in Seattle cut short his promising 2023 season. Since his injury, the Brewers have scuffled. They started the season 14-5 with Mitchell in centerfield just about everyday. They've gone 7-12 in the first 19 games since his injury. That's what losing Mitchell has done to this ballclub. Sure there may be some other factors, after all this is the game of baseball, but the common denominator is Mitchell. The Brewers started winning more after his call up last season and they started losing more after he went down this season.

That ability to lift the team just by simply being on the field and in the dugout makes Mitchell one of the most important and valuable young players in the organization. They need him healthy, they need him providing the spark that he's able to provide. Without him, they're simply not as good of a team.

#1: OF Jackson Chourio

The No. 1 most important young player to the Brewers future is the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball and the youngest player on this list. Jackson Chourio has taken baseball by storm over the past year, going from a not completely unknown but a non-Top 100 prospect to becoming the single most exciting prospect in baseball.

The tool set is remarkable. Chourio has lightning quick hands, explosive power, and excellent speed. Despite signing as a shortstop, Chourio was quickly moved to centerfield where he's been an excellent defender, even if a little raw. It's hard to blame him for that since he's just 19 years old. He tormented the Low-A Carolina League, then moved up to High-A midseason and showed no signs of slowing down. He's already at Double-A.

Chourio's feel for hitting and ability to hit for both average and power make him a bona fide future All Star and MVP candidate. If he reaches his ceiling and ends up as advertised, the Brewers will have their next MVP on their hands. This is the first time the Brewers have ever had the top minor league prospect in the history of Baseball America's rankings.

If the Brewers want to win a World Series, and they do, they need someone with the ceiling of Jackson Chourio. Look what Ronald Acuna has done for the Braves, or Juan Soto when he was with the Nationals. Look at Yordan Alvarez for the Astros. It takes a lot of things going right for a team to win the World Series, and what really helps is having a stud, superstar, all around talent in the heart of the lineup. That's what Jackson Chourio can be. It also doesn't hurt to surround him with other great young talents like Mitchell, Frelick, Turang, etc.

Milwaukee's World Series hopes going forward will likely rest on how Jackson Chourio develops and establishes himself in the majors. There's a slim chance we could see him in Milwaukee late in 2023, but most likely the Chourio Era will begin in 2024.

The Brewers could have some really good teams in the future if everyone else on this list works out as hoped, but Chourio has the potential to take the Brewers from a good team to a great team and that makes him the most important young player to the future of this franchise.