After the drama of an offseason that included the departure of franchise cornerstones Corbin Burnes and Craig Counsell, the Milwaukee Brewers have responded with a tremendous season.
The club is 69-52 — 9.0 games ahead of the second-place St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central and 10.5 games in front of the Chicago Cubs. Milwaukee's 55 wins at the All-Star Break were tied for the most in franchise history before the All-Star Break.
Yet even with this success, the Brewers know that nothing is guaranteed late in the season. With MLB rosters expanding from 26 to 28 players on September 1, here are three prospects the Brewers should consider promoting for the playoff stretch run.
Jacob Misiorowski (RHP)
What does it mean when someone says a pitcher has “good stuff?” So many young pitchers these days have high-90s fastballs, biting curves, and wicked sliders. But possessing “the stuff” is only half the battle. Pitchers must have consistency, control, and, above all, they must get outs.
Brewers prospect Jacob Misiorowski clearly has the stuff. His fastball hits 100 miles-per-hour and his slider consistently evades bats with late movment. The righthander has struck out 12.8 batters per nine innings during his minor league career and has 11.8 K/9 this season. But, unlike many young arms, Misiorowski has showned he has the ability to consistently get outs and limit hard contact. The 22-year-old has a minor league ERA of 3.45, allowing just 5.4 hits per nine innings.
In just two short years, Misiorwoski worked his way up to Triple-A, where he has allowed just one hit in 6.2 innings while striking out eight in his first MiLB action as a reliever. As the #66 prospect in baseball, Jacob Misiorowski is the total package as a pitcher and the perfect late-season call-up for a Milwaukee club in need of impactful arms.
Craig Yoho (RHP)
Four seasons into his college career, Craig Yoho was an afterthought. He missed three of those four years through injury and made 15 plate appearances as an outfielder/designated hitter. He final broke through as a fifth-year senior at Indiana, earning him a spot in the Brewers farm system as an eighth-round pick in 2023. Considering Yoho made three appearances in rookie ball last year, his rise this season has been metioric.
The right-hander began the season at High-A Wisconsin, posting an 0.44 ERA across 20.1 innings while striking out 37 batters. Yoho earned a promotion to Double-A, where he continued to dominate over the next two months, registering a 1.17 ERA while striking out two-thirds (!) of the batters he faced. Now at Triple-A, Yoho has yet to allow a base-runner in his two appearances.
Like Misiorowski, Yoho has minimal Triple-A experience. But it is clear that the young hurler has the stuff and the ability to get outs — the latter being a skill that is invaluable in MLB bullpens.
Brewer Hicklen (OF)
The Brewers received some bad news on Thursday. Star outfielder Christian Yelich will be out for the season after undergoing back surgery. Yet despite Yelich's absence, the Milwaukee offense has continued to hum. The club recorded 52 hits, 34 runs, 19 walks, 8 home runs, and 6 stolen bases in a three game sweep of the Atlanta Braves. Per OptaSTATS: “No other team in MLB history has reached all of those numbers over any 3-game span.”
The Brewers followed up that stretch with a run of eight runs in a four-game span — highlighting the club's inconsistency at the plate. When Milwaukee's offense inevitably stutters down the stretch, the team will need reinforcements.
Outfielder Brewer Hicklen has been the club's best hitter at Triple-A this year, as his .874 OPS leads Nashville Sounds players with at least 50 at bats. Hicklen has demonstrated a valuable combination of speed an power throughout his minor league career. Across his last three seasons (296 games) at Triple-A, Hicklen has a 162-game average of 31 homers, 98 RBI, 52 stolen bases. His only MLB experience is four at-bats with the Kansas City Royals in 2022.
The Brewers have a need for run producers and Brewer Hicklen is worth a look once MLB rosters expand.
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