Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!
For the second week in a row, this week’s roundup is going to look a little different. This time, it’s because MLB Pipeline released its first midseason update to their Brewers’ Top 30 prospects list, and a lot has changed — including some major shakeups within the top half of the list.
Like last week, I’ll still include the week’s standout performances, but instead of the usual affiliate-by-affiliate breakdown, the rest of this roundup will focus on the new
landscape: the system’s biggest risers, a couple of fallers, and a few prospects I think should have made the list.
Standout Performances:
Luke Adams: 8-for-19, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K
Lyon Richardson: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Coleman Crow: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Thomas Pannone: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Tyson Hardin: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Blake Burke: 9-for-21, 1 2B, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 5 BB, 5 K
Josiah Ragsdale: 7-for-24, 4 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 10 K
Jesús Made: 6-for-24, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Andrew Fischer: 6-for-25, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 9 K
Yorman Galindez: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Braylon Payne: 8-for-23, 3 2B, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 9 K
Luis Castillo: 7-for-21, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K
Luis Peña: 6-for-20, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K
Chandler Welch: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Garrett Hodges: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Daniel Corniel: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Josh Knoth: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 2 K
Brady Ebel: 8-for-21, 2 RBI, 6 BB, 4 K
Carlos Carra: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Hayden Robinson: 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 9 K
Miqueas Mercedes: 7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
Diustin Mayorquin: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
The Top 10:
Most who follow the Brewers probably know who the organization’s consensus top four prospects are: SS Jesús Made, INF Luis Peña, SS Cooper Pratt, and OF Luis Lara.
Made is the consensus top prospect in baseball. He has a beautiful swing, great numbers, and a five-tool ceiling, while Peña (No. 18 overall) may have just as high a ceiling but has missed weeks at a time this season due to what have been reported as heat-related health issues. Lara and Pratt aren’t quite in the same tier as Made or Peña, but both have star potential. Both have already debuted, signed long-term extensions, and played well in limited time with Milwaukee.
Since so much ink has already been spilled on those four — along with Andrew Fischer (No. 7) — I wanted to focus on a few players I’ve been especially excited about over the last year and a half. It’s awesome to finally see three prospects I really believe in — Braylon Payne (No. 8), Josh Adamczewski (No. 6), and Tyson Hardin (No. 9) — ranked among the Brewers’ top 10 prospects.
When I started writing for BrewCrewBall, Adamczewski and Hardin weren’t on the Brewers’ Top 30 at all. Neither prospect is especially young, flashy, or toolsy, but both have been remarkably steady producers throughout their minor league careers.
The 24-year-old Hardin is a great story. He attended junior college out of high school before transferring to Mississippi State, where he posted an ERA over 5.00 out of the bullpen in his first season. He improved enough in his second year (3.22 ERA over 23 relief appearances and two starts) for the Brewers to select him in the 12th round of the 2024 draft.
Hardin is exactly what you’d expect from a Brewers pitching prospect who’s climbed the rankings through consistent production. He doesn’t throw especially hard, but he has a low release point, a flat approach angle, good extension, and a slider that’s become his best pitch. His fastball and cutter have both shown promise, and—most importantly—he gets results.
Last year, his first full professional season, Hardin posted a 2.72 ERA between High-A and Double-A. This year, he’s put up a 3.48 ERA in 12 Triple-A starts while striking out exactly nine batters per nine innings. Milwaukee has found another pitcher it can develop, and we’re seeing the results.
While their ace is throwing harder than any starting pitcher ever has before, the Brewers continue to churn out another type of pitching prospect: command-first starters with average velocity who consistently miss bats and get outs. Logan Henderson, Chad Patrick, and Coleman Crow have all pitched well for the Brewers this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Hardin was next.
Adamczewski has one of the prettiest swings in the farm system, and he’s hit .315 or better in each of his first three professional seasons. His power numbers — and his prospect stock — have risen after he lowered his hands to produce more line drives. Questions remain about his long-term defensive home (probably left field, maybe designated hitter), but the bat has played at every level.
While Adamczewski had already posted an OPS above .900 in each of the previous two seasons, Payne didn’t necessarily need to hit like that to justify his place among the organization’s top prospects. Milwaukee’s first-round pick in 2025 was drafted primarily for his speed, giving him a high defensive ceiling and making him a weapon on the bases. Scouts believed he could eventually grow into home-run power, and after showing flashes with 22 extra-base hits (nine home runs) in Single-A, he’s taken a huge step forward this season. In High-A, Payne has already hit 15 doubles and 18 home runs.
Payne’s profile isn’t perfect. He strikes out too much, is still somewhat unrefined defensively, and uses a leg kick that can throw off his timing, meaning a swing or approach adjustment could come at some point. Still, it’s hard not to be excited about a 19-year-old budding power hitter with 70-grade speed, and Payne has given the Brewers every reason to believe he’ll someday be an impact player.
INF/OF Jett Williams (No. 5) drops a spot after an underwhelming season at the plate (.726 OPS). Williams entered the year looking like a possible option at third base or a replacement if Milwaukee suffered injuries in either the infield or outfield. Instead, he watched both Pratt and Lara outperform him and earn the call before he did. He’ll be fine, and he’s picked things up lately, but it makes sense that he’s now behind both of them.
The Biggest Risers:
Even with Payne, Adamczewski, and Hardin all climbing into the top 10, the biggest jumps on the list belonged to Alexander Frias, Josiah Ragsdale, Josh Knoth, and Ricki Moneys.
Frias (No. 29 —> No. 12) has quietly put together one of the better seasons in the farm system. The 18-year-old outfielder, signed as an international prospect out of the Dominican Republic, hit .441 in Rookie ball before earning a promotion to High-A. With Wilson, he’s already collected eight extra-base hits in his first 92 at-bats. Frias boasts a 60-grade arm and an enormous ceiling thanks to his athleticism. There’s still plenty of development ahead of him, but it’s easy to see why MLB Pipeline is buying in. If he ends the year hot, he’ll be in the top-10 going into next year.
Ragsdale (No. 30 —> No. 14), a seventh-round pick last year, was drafted at 21 and was 22 by the start of this season, so he was expected to be a relatively developed prospect coming into this season. I don’t think many people expected a combined slash line of .319/.446/.554 through eighty games. Between his bat, his glove, and his 70-grade speed, he suddenly looks much more like a legitimate major league prospect than an organizational depth piece.
Knoth’s (No. 22 —> No. 11) rise is slightly surprising, even though he has some of the best pure stuff in the organization. Knoth debuted with the organization in 2024 and showed up on end-of-year prospect lists due to his filthy stuff and despite his 4.48 ERA. Unfortunately, he ended up missing all of last season due to Tommy John surgery.
The stuff — headlined by his 60-grade curveball and slider — is still there, but so is the high ERA, Knoth’s ERA is now at 5.49 through over 40 innings this year, although he’s striking out almost exactly a batter an inning and still has his 60-grade curveball and slider after surgery. Ranking him here could honestly look bad in a year —either way — but I’m willing to bet on the young prospect to bounce back and keep doing stuff like this.
A Few Notable Fallers:
On the bright side, most of the Brewers that fell more than a couple spots had more to do with the talent around them. Jeferson Quero’s arm isn’t yet what it used to be, but he has a .757 OPS and plays good defense. There’s also not a spot on the major league roster right now, and several younger prospects have taken big steps in the meantime. Because of his arm, Quero probably won’t be what the Brewers thought he would after 2023, but it wouldn’t be unexpected to see him end up as a solid starter when given a shot
The same is true for Marco Dinges. Dinges’ numbers (.838 OPS) are good, but they’re not quite as good as last year, and he’s not a standout defensive prospect, so he’s dropped a couple spots. Nothing to see here has continued to show the offensive approach that made him an intriguing prospect after last year’s draft, but other players have simply passed him on the list. Another player that fits this mold is Luke Adams, who has a .965 OPS in Triple-A, but dropped three spots to No. 16.
Finally, JD Thompson, picked in the second round last year, fell from No. 14 down to No. 26. Thompson’s stuff has looked as expected, with 25 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched. He’s also allowed 15 hits and walked 15 batters in those 21 innings. That’s a walk rate of 71.4%, which is about as bad as it can get. With that being said, Thompson still has the stuff to strike out more than a batter an inning while seemingly unable to find the zone, and he had great command in college. I have a feeling he’ll figure things out and end up closer to 14 by the end of the season.
Honorable Mentions:
— Matthew Wood, who’s quietly been great at the plate for Double-A Biloxi and, like Ragsdale, has played his way into being considered a legitimate prospect
— Mike Boeve, who’s had a bounce-back season at the plate (.289, .792 OPS) and nobody cares, maybe because he kinda reminds some people of Tyler Black.
— Daniel Dickinson, who fell off the list entirely after a rough start but has bounced back recently. The 22-year-old infielder now sports a .411 OBP and an OPS inching closer to .800 (.774). I wouldn’t write off the LSU alum after a slow start to his professional career.
