Baseball America, one of the very best hubs out there for information on prospects, have officially released their updated top 100 rankings. This update was clearly imminent as many of the best young players in the game have begun to graduate, like Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson and Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll.
It’s always interesting to see how the rankings of the game’s next wave of bright stars fluctuate throughout the season, and in the second one of 2023 there was a ton of movement.
You may or may not remember that Baseball America also issued a prospect ranking list before the season began. In that one, two players from the Milwaukee Brewers farm system cracked the top 100, outfielders Jackson Chourio (No. 3) and Sal Frelick (No. 34).
In the latest update, that number has doubled. Now, the Brewers are represented four times on the top 100 list, which is highly encouraging. Here are the players to make the cut:
- OF Jackson Chourio (No. 3)
- OF Sal Frelick (No. 23)
- C Jeferson Quero (No. 66)
- RHP Jacob Misiorowski (No. 97)
You may or may not recall, but in last year’s preseason ranking, the Brew Crew had just one representative in Aaron Ashby, who came in at No. 37. The mid-season ranking featured only Chourio and Frelick.
Jackson Chourio
Chourio and his incredible toolset has gradually been receiving more and more attention on a national stage. Baseball America alone gives him a 60 hit tool, 70 power tool and 70 run tool on an 80-grade scale, which says a lot about the immense talent this young man possesses.
The 19-year-old began the current campaign in Double-A with the Biloxi Shuckers and immediately started hitting, but he has not come without his imperfections. In 49 games this year, he has 10 doubles and eight home runs with 25 runs scored, 33 driven in, 15 stolen baes and a .738 OPS. For someone his age to be putting up numbers like this in Double-A is mind-boggling, but there is surely still room for improvement.
One of the biggest flaws in Chourio’s game has always been the amount of times he strikes out. He doesn’t walk very much either as he is very much a free-swinger who is always aggressive at the plate. He’s at 6.8 BB% and 24.2% strikeout-percentage so far, which is on par with the numbers he put up in High-A last season.
Sal Frelick
Frelick, 23, is yet another top-shelf talent in the outfield that the Brewers have on the come-up. After an utterly dominant performance last year split between three levels (11 home runs, 59 RBI, .331 average in 119 games), he was in contention for a spot on the Opening Day roster until the very end, but ultimately wound up being assigned to Triple-A to start the year.
After an injury to Garrett Mitchell early in the year, Frelick seemed like the obvious next man up. However, he suffered a thumb sprain himself that has kept him out of action since late April. At the time, his recovery time was tabbed as six-to-eight weeks.
Prior to the injury, he had been putting together a solid season at the plate, even though some of the surface-level stats may not indicate as much. In 15 games, Frelick had three doubles, a triple, six runs scored and a .639 OPS before going down.
Baseball America handed Frelick a 70 hit tool grade and 70 run tool as well, so he should be a pleasure to watch once he cracks the big leagues as he profiles as a high-average, high-stolen base player.
Jeferson Quero
Whenever you have a catcher who is labeled as “one of the best defensive catchers in the minors”, you know you have a gem on your hands. Multiple outlets have that praise for Quero, who also has a bat that is still-developing but is coming around.
The 20-year-old backstop is currently in Biloxi with the Shuckers and has experienced a power surge at the dish. After hitting 10 home runs in 95 games last year, he is up to nine already through 37 games in 2023. Notably, he is an extremely athletic catcher who is also capable of stealing 10 or so bases a year, as he did last season.
Jacob Misiorowski
Misiorowski is easily the most green of any of the previous three entrants, but the 6-foot-7 hurler seems to be the real deal for the Brewers. The second-round draft pick from the 2022 MLB Draft is in Single-A with the Carolina Mudcats and has been dominant so far this year.
In nine starts, Misiorowski is 1-1 with a 3.04 ERA and a whopping 46 strikeouts in just 26.2 innings, good for a 15.5 SO/9. He has yet to surrender a single home run and can reach up to triple digits on his fourseam fastball, giving the Crew a true fireballer.
The 21-year-old’s repertoire consists of the blazing fastball, a curveball, slider and changeup. Three of those earned a 60 on the 80-grade scale from Baseball America with the changeup coming in at a 45, so it will still need work. Fortunately, the hurler is still years and years away from any time in the big leagues, so he has plenty of time to work on refining his pitches further.
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