The Brewers' top two prospects are now one step closer to MLB

While plenty of teams around Major League Baseball were busy trading away their top prospects at last week's trade deadline, the Milwaukee Brewers were pondering whether or not to promote theirs to the next level. Then, on Sunday evening, shortly after the major league club wrapped up one of their best series of the season, the Brewers announced that they had reached their decision. Jesús Made, the Brewers’ top prospect, and No. 7 ranked prospect in all of baseball, is being promoted from Low-A, where he played for the Carolina Mudcats, to High-A, where he will play for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

However, Made isn't the only Brewers prospect who will be leaving behind Zebulon, North Carolina, for the Fox Cities in Central Wisconsin; his teammate, and fellow middle infielder Luis Peña, has also earned a promotion to High-A. Peña, who ranks second on MLB Pipeline's list of the Top 30 Brewers prospects and 32nd on their list of the Top 100 prospects in all of baseball, has played alongside Made for the past two seasons.

The Brewers have decided to keep the two middle infielders, both of whom hail from the Dominican Republic, together as they progress through the Brewers minor league system, and the next stop is Appleton, Wisconsin, where they will be challenged with tougher competition.

Brewers promote top prospects Jesús Made and Luis Peña to High-A

Both Made and Peña made the jump from the Dominican Summer League (DSL) to Low-A ball this year, skipping over the Arizona Complex League. It's the same path that Brewers prospects like Jackson Chourio and Luis Lara, who began their careers in the DSL, took through the Brewers' farm system. Jumping the level certainly presents a challenge for young hitters who are facing significantly harder pitching, but both Made and Peña met the challenge head-on, and their success is evidenced by their promotion to High-A after just half a season in Low-A ball.

Made has continued to do what he does best: control the strike zone and get on base. In the DSL last year, he held an 18.1% walk rate, which he paired with a 13.0% strikeout rate. That combination is rare for an 17-year-old playing in his first season of professional baseball, which is why Made became a top prospect seemingly overnight. In addition, he posted an impressive .554 slugging percentage in the DSL in 2024, meaning that he was making good swing decisions, and when he did swing, he was driving the ball, which reinforced the evaluators’ belief that he is a unique talent.

This season, Made's walk rate still sits at an impressive 14.0%, but his strikeout rate has climbed to 20.6%. Additionally, his power numbers are down slightly, but even still, he holds a 122 wRC+ as the youngest player in the Carolina league. That means, despite playing against players with years more of experience than him, Made is still 22% better than the league-average hitter. High-A is sure to be a good challenge for the now-18-year-old, but his elite plate discipline bodes well for success at the next level.

Meanwhile, Peña, despite consistently being ranked just below Made on every prospect rankings list, has actually posted the better numbers of the two throughout their brief professional careers. A season ago, Peña slashed a ridiculous .393/.457/.583 in the DSL, and walked just as many times as he struck out. His power numbers were slightly worse than Made's in 2024, but that has changed this season.

In Low-A this year, Peña is slashing .307/.374/.470 with 26 extra-base hits in 71 games. He's continued to walk at an impressive 8.9% clip, and has limited his strikeout rate to just 13.4%. His 139 wRC+ shows that while Made holds the title of top prospect in the Brewers system, the competition between him and Peña is very close.

Both Made and Peña have hopped around the infield dirt on the defensive side of the ball throughout this season, but Made has made a majority of the starts at shortstop, while Peña has made more starts at second and third. Interestingly enough, the Brewers just traded Jadher Areinamo for Danny Jansen last Monday. Areinamo was the everyday shortstop for the Timber Rattlers this season, and his departure gives a clear path to Made and Peña. The two will rotate in at each of the infield positions with Juan Baez and Eduardo Garcia, though Garcia has also been spending some time in the outfield.

Made and Peña's addition to the Timber Rattlers roster and the speedy progression through the Brewers' farm system is certainly exciting and should remind Brewers fans of how Chourio ascended through the minor leagues. However, the difference is that now the Brewers have two prospects that are following Chourio's path at the exact same time. A ticket to Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium is sure to be a popular one in the coming weeks, so secure your seats while you still can.