Slugging Brewers prospect breaks home run record just three weeks after teammate set new one

There is no shortage of power in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system right now. The Brewers' 2025 first-round pick, Andrew Fischer, leads all of the minor leagues with an unbelievable 42 homers after crushing three longballs in the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers' victory over the Knoxville Smokies last night. Meanwhile, 2024 first-round pick Braylon Payne broke the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' single-season home run record three weeks ago, and Blake Burke, the 34th overall pick in the 2024 draft, accomplished the same feat with the Shuckers earlier this month.

Those three prospects -- Fischer, Payne, and Burke -- understandably have plenty of name recognition in the Brewers' farm system, seeing as each of them was taken in the first 34 picks of the drafts in which they were selected. Additionally, after MLB Pipeline's latest rankings update, all three are among the top 12 prospects in the Brewers' system, with Fischer at No. 5, Payne at No. 6, and Burke at No. 12 on the heavily-cited list.

However, while the powerful trio of Fischer, Payne, and Burke, all of whom have earned promotions at some point during the 2026 season, rightfully garner plenty of attention in the Brewers' farm system, there's another prospect deserving of similar respect. 20-year-old Eric Bitonti, who the Brewers selected in the third round of the 2023 draft, is quietly putting together an impressive 2026 campaign with the Timber Rattlers. On Thursday night, just three weeks after Payne set the T-Rats' single-season home record, Bitonti broke it with his 24th longball of the year.

Brewers' prospect Eric Bitonti breaks Braylon Payne's Timber Rattlers single-season home run record

Bitonti's power was never in question. The corner infielder, who has played 75 games at first base and 28 at third base this year, has displayed his impressive power ever since he was added to the Brewers' farm system four years ago. Bitonti crushed 16 homers in 79 games during his first full professional season in 2024, and added 19 more in 118 games last year. In just 102 games this year, Bitonti already has 24 homers, 21 doubles, and 80 RBI to his name. He's slashing .271/.391/.532 and has 22 steals in 23 attempts in what has been an excellent season with the Timber Rattlers.

There are certainly some strikeout concerns with Bitonti. The left-handed hitting slugger is striking out at a 34.1% clip this season, which is more than Fischer, whose strikeout problems have been a topic of hot debate throughout the season. However, like Fischer, Bitonti has an excellent walk rate (16.4%), which makes the swing-and-miss issues slightly less of a concern.

Despite his impressive power output over the last two seasons, the Brewers have been cautious with Bitonti. They elected not to give him a late-season promotion from Low-A to High-A last year, and have yet to send him to Double-A this year despite his record-breaking season with the Timber Rattlers. A crowded group of corner infielders in the Brewers' farm system certainly hasn't helped Bitonti's case, but still just 20 years old, Milwaukee doesn't need to rush the left-handed hitting slugger through their farm system.

Bitonti currently checks in at No. 26 on MLB Pipeline's list of the Top 30 prospects in the Brewers' farm system, but was as high as the No. 8 spot on the list just last year. After a head-turning performance with the Timber Rattlers this year, one that has landed him in the record books, Bitonti is certainly a player Brewers fans should keep their eyes out for in the coming years.

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