Eric Brown Jr. used to watch the Arizona Fall League championship game on MLB Network from home. Now, with Surprise, he gets the chance to play in the prospect showcase himself, but maybe the path to get there wasn’t exactly the one he dreamed of from his couch.
THE Brewers No. 10 prospect missed the first three games of the season with a hip problem. Later in April, he was hit in the head by a 93 mph fastball that forced him to miss a week. A right thumb flare-up in June forced him to sit on the bench for two and a half weeks. The biggest came on July 1 when he suffered a hairline fracture in his left shoulder blade and had to sit out for another six weeks.
The 27th overall pick’s 2022 summer was limited to 72 games, 63 of which were with High-A Wisconsin.
“Going into my first full season, I really didn’t expect to get hurt this much,” Brown said. “I’ve taken everything as a learning process all year and understanding what I need to do next year to prepare myself to hopefully stay healthy.”
Cold comfort for Brown in this process is that the hit by pitch and the broken shoulder blade were both freak injuries, unlucky turns beyond his control. When he was on the diamond, there were flashes of what made the infielder the best player to ever come out of Coastal Carolina. He kept strikeouts reasonable with a 16.7 percent rate at High-A, and despite limited power (four homers, .347 slugging percentage), his ability to run the zone helped lead to an OBP of .362 and a 107 above average. wRC+ in the pitcher-friendly Midwest League.
Stellar hand-eye coordination helped Brown flourish in college, and the 22-year-old credited Milwaukee – the organization that helped elevate Jackson Chourio, Jeferson Quero and Tyler Black to Top 100 status in as a hitter – for allowing him to lean on his strengths when healthy.
“One of the first models they said to me was, ‘Be you,’” Brown said. “They really allow players to excel at who they are, and they just try to build around that. Being drafted by this organization, I think that was the biggest blessing because they allow you to be who you are.”
One of the strengths of Brown’s game away from the plate is his 55 speed and aggression on the base paths. He made 39 of 44 steal attempts during the regular season, placing him fourth in the organization in steals behind Black (55), Chourio (44) and Dylan O’Rae (44), and he did not hasn’t stopped in the Fall League either with five interceptions in his first six games with the Saguaros.
“My favorite guy right now is Forrest Gump,” he said. “He says, ‘I used to run,’ so that’s kind of my thing.”
Brown, who opened 14-for-42 (.333) at the plate in those first 10 games, is also spending time at shortstop and second base in the desert. This defensive scheme is just another cog to end what could have looked like a dismal first full season on a much more positive note.
“It’s a dream to play in the Fall League,” Brown said
Brewers hitters in the Fall League
Hendry Mendez, OF (No. 27): Mendez turns just 20 on November 7, making him one of the youngest players in this year’s edition of the AFL. The left-handed slugger was the Brewers Complex Player of the Year in 2021, but has yet to find the same level of success in ball all season, hitting just .236/.307/.326 in 62 games with High-A Wisconsin while missing time due to leg issues. He’s at his best when he’s consistently making contact, as indicated by his 15.6% K rate this summer.
Wes Clarke, 1B/C: Biloxi’s Double-A lineup was loaded this season with Jackson Chourio, Jeferson Quero and Tyler Black highlighting the roster at various times, but none of them hit like Clarke. The right-handed hitter led the Southern League (a home run that saw the offense drop in the first half when a pre-glued ball was used) with 26 home runs in 118 games and finished fourth among qualifiers with a .889 OPS. Strikeouts (29.2% K rate) could be an issue in the desert, but given the AFL’s hitter-friendly environment, don’t be surprised if Clarke also ranks among the HR leaders over there.
Brewers pitchers in the Fall League
Joseph Hernández, RHP: Acquired from the Mariners last offseason for Justin Topa, Hernandez missed three months this season with an arm injury and struggled to control with High-A Wisconsin, walking 30 batters in 47 innings. His best pitch is a 78-80 mph high-spin slider that can help him feel, but his fastball in the low 90s is average at best.
Justin King, LHP: Milwaukee signed King to independent ball in June 2022, and a year later he owned a 2.93 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 25 walks in 30 2/3 innings for Wisconsin. The 25-year-old lefty can run his fastball into the mid-90s with good life in the zone and also has a fade slider.
Adam Seminaris, LHP: The left-hander, who turns 25 on Thursday, was limited to just 53 2/3 innings with Double-A Biloxi in his first season with the Brewers after being picked up by the Angels in the Hunter Renfroe trade. last offseason. He showed off a pair of high-80s fastballs (leaning more on the sinker), a low-80s slider, a mid-70s curve and a low-80s changeup during a brief cup of coffee with Triple -In Nashville at the end of the season.
Shane Smith, RHP: The 6-foot-4 right-hander was one of the most dominant bullpen arms in the system this summer as he earned two promotions while moving from Single-A to Double-A. His 1.96 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 37.1 percent K rate were all best among the Brewers’ 47 minor leaguers with at least 50 innings pitched in 2023. Smith can fire a fastball at mid-90s, throw a 80s curveball and mix in a cutter to keep hitters off balance.
Justin Yeager, RHP: Yeager was one of the lesser-known pieces acquired by the Brewers involved in the three-team deal involving Sean Murphy and William Contreras last December, and that status wasn’t helped by the fact that the 25-year-old right-hander was limited to just 2 1/3 innings this season with Double-A Biloxi. He showed off a mid-90s fastball and low-80s slider before the clock was out and has thrown three one-inning outings so far in the Fall League.
