Milwaukee Brewers Prospect Spotlight: Infielder Tyler Black

With the 33rd pick in the 2021 MLB Draft the Milwaukee Brewers selected Tyler Black out of Wright State. The left-handed hitter slashed .383/.496/.683 in his final college season. His best rated tool was a 60 grade hit tool, but his power potential was solid as well.

Defensively Tyler Black played primarily second and third base in college. He shifted to second base a year after having shoulder surgery on this throwing arm. Coming out of the draft, his arm was given a grade of 45, which is slightly below average.

As a professional baseball player, Tyler Black unfortunately struggled with multiple injuries during his first "full" season. A scapula fracture sidelined him during the 2022 MiLB season and a thumb fracture ended his stint in the Arizona Fall League prematurely.

Now healthy and playing in Double-A Biloxi, Tyler Black is excelling with the Shuckers. Here is what the Brewers seventh ranked prospect has been up to just over 20 games into the season.

Milwaukee Brewers prospect spotlight: Infielder Tyler Black

After just 21 games, Tyler Black has posted a .258/.468/.515 slash line with five home runs and 15 RBI. While his batting average is not a sexy number, he's walked the second most times in the Southern League with 22. This is how his on base percentage has reached an impressive .468.

In addition to getting on base at an insane clip, he is also swiping bases at a crazy rate as he has already set a new career high with 15. This is currently the most stolen bases in the Southern League and he has only been caught on one occasion.

Defensively, the Biloxi Shuckers have been playing Tyler Black at third base and occasionally at designated hitter. This is drastically different than a season ago with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers where he played primarily second base and center field with being used at third base sparingly.

Given Tyler Black's injury history, sticking to the infield may be a better idea for him. It's great that he has the ability, throwing arm, and range to play both third and second base. This could help him in the future as he continues to progress up the ranks. The long term third base job is wide open and Black could lay claim to hit in the near future if he's able to handle the position defensively.

Overall, it's been a great start to the 2023 season for Tyler Black. Hopefully he can remain healthy and put up a monster season. If he does, his prospect stock will continue to rise.