Milwaukee Brewers fans have been acutely aware of the organization’s talented teenagers for a while, with Luis Peña and Jesús Made among the top prospects in baseball.
But perhaps we’re all sleeping on Braylon Payne.
The 19-year-old first-round pick in 2024 has been a monster for Class A Wisconsin, entering the final week of April baseball with a 1.288 OPS in 14 games and 49 at-bats, with six homers, three doubles, six stolen bases and a wild .492 on-base percentage.
Payne was particularly thorny for Fort Wayne over the past six games, upping his hitting streak to seven games while going 9-for-20 with two doubles and four homers, including one in each of his past three games.
Drafted out of high school in Houston with the No. 17 pick, Payne was a surprise for a franchise that often drafted college hitters first. He was one of the youngest players in the draft and wasn’t seen as a first-round pick, so the Brewers were able to sign him for an under-slot deal of $3.4 million. They also procured savings from their other first-round pick, competitive-balance selection Blake Burke out of Tennessee.
The idea, seemingly, was to save as much as possible to offer second-round pitcher Chris Levonas, a highly touted high-school arm who turned down the Brewers’ major overslot offer and is now one of the top prospects in the 2027 MLB Draft at Wake Forest. That left the impression that the 2024 draft would be a disappointment since Milwaukee’s big swing didn’t connect.
But Payne and Burke have become two of the most prolific players in the system. Not only that, Milwaukee’s 2024 draft is full of current minor-league standouts, including Marco Dinges, Ethan Dorchies, John Holobetz (traded to Boston), Jaron DeBerry, Tyson Hardin and Bryce Meccage.
Payne will turn 20 in August, meaning Peña (who turns 20 in November and is at Wisconsin) and Made (who turns 19 in May and is at Class AA Biloxi) are still younger. But as good as Made and Peña have been this year, it might be selling the system short to only think of them as a fast-rising duo, when Payne makes it a trio.
The Brewers had a flurry of homers from top prospects April 26, with bombs from Payne, Dinges, Luis Lara and Cooper Pratt. They’ll all get mentioned below:
Here’s what happened last week
Standout performance from a Brewers 40-man roster player
Logan Henderson was undeniable April 26, working in relief for Class AAA Nashville in a game started by a rehabbing Quinn Priester but enjoying his longest outing of the year. Henderson worked five innings, allowed one run on five hits and struck out nine batters with just one walk. Henderson also worked five days earlier, allowing no runs on four hits in 3⅓ innings with three punchouts and two walks. For the year (including an abbreviated spot start with the Brewers), he’s got a 2.16 ERA in 16⅔ innings, and the workload increase shows he’s nearing full capacity when the big-league team needs him back.
What a week as well for catcher Jeferson Quero, who seems to have shrugged off his early season struggles with a big week at AAA, collecting 10 hits in 23 at-bats, including three doubles, two homers and seven RBIs. His average was .163 with an OPS barely above .500 on April 15, but he’s now up to a .260 average and a .766 OPS.
Best performance of the week from a Brewers top prospect
We already talked about Payne (No. 13 in the organization, according to MLB Pipeline), so we must again revel in the excellence of Nashville outfielder Luis Lara (No. 11), who had another nine hits in seven games against Charlotte (27 at-bats), with three homers (including back-to-back games April 25 and 26), a double and five RBIs. The switch-hitting, smooth-fielding outfielder already has a career high for homers in a season with five, with just 10 over four seasons in the previous four minor-league seasons.
We also shouldn’t discount what Marco Dinges (No. 9) is doing at High A Wisconsin. Against Fort Wayne, the catcher had a hit in all five games he played, including two doubles, two homers and eight RBIs. For the year, Dinges has a 1.152 OPS in 50 at-bats at Wisconsin.
What’s Jesús Made up to?
At this point, we’re basically taking the 18-year-old at AA Biloxi for granted.
The No. 1 prospect in the organization and, possibly soon, the No. 1 prospect in baseball “only” had five hits this week, with four runs, with four RBIs, four walks, four stolen bases and four strikeouts. For the year, he has an .887 OPS with two homers, 11 steals and a .398 on-base percentage.
What’s Luis Peña up to?
The shortstop (No. 2 prospect in the organization) had two hits in two games to start the week and a slick play in the field before he was taken out of the game April 22 and then was rushed to the hospital with what the Brewers called “overheating.” He has a .974 OPS this year but only 43 at-bats, and he didn’t play again last week after the scary incident.
What’s Cooper Pratt up to?
The team’s No. 4 prospect and new member of the 40-man roster had a huge turnaround week after a slow start with AAA Nashville. He posted six hits over the past four games alone, including his first home run of the year April 26, as well as a triple April 25. He also drove in four runs and is now up to a .608 OPS after a ruggedly slow start, with seven stolen bases and a .326 on-base percentage in 78 at-bats.
What’s Andrew Fischer up to?
The No. 5 prospect and first-round pick in 2025 powered up with two home runs April 23 and another April 24, combining in those games for five RBIs and four runs scored. He also doubled April 22, leaving him with five doubles and four homers this season, along with 16 RBIs and an .873 OPS. He’s struck out 30 times in 66 at-bats, but the power output has been encouraging.
What’s Jett Williams up to?
Like so many of his Brewers prospect brethren, the No. 3 prospect had a big week.
Playing at Nashville, he has eight hits over the past four games, with a home run, four RBIs and three stolen bases. His slow start is still baked into his .644 OPS, but he’s up to a .333 on-base percentage and has swiped eight bases.
A Brewers name you might want to learn
Jordyn Adams hit an absolute bomb 458 feet for Biloxi on April 21, then another homer April 22 and found himself promoted to Class AAA Nashville. The 26-year-old outfielder has a .702 OPS this year but already has a double at Nashville in his first three games. The former first-round pick (No. 17 overall by the Angels in 2018) was signed this offseason by Milwaukee and is worth monitoring.
Brewers minor-league highlights April 21-26
Intriguing opposing players
Shane Smith, the former Brewers prospect who was selected by the White Sox in the Rule 5 draft and then started opening day this year in Milwaukee, has been struggling in 2026. The White Sox sent him to AAA with Charlotte, where he faced Nashville on April 24 and yielded five earned runs on three hits and three walks in 2⅔ innings, with five strikeouts. Wilken hit an RBI triple against Smith and Williams had an RBI single among the hits.
Waukesha native Jarred Kelenic has been on fire for Charlotte. He belted four homers in the series against Nashville among his six hits, all in consecutive games April 22-25. He drove in 10 runs over the six-game series and stole four bases.
Brewers minor-league games April 28-May 3
The Timber Rattlers return home this week for Wisconsin fans interested in glimpsing Payne, Fischer, Adamczewski, Dinges and Peña.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers minor-league update; Logan Henderson, Braylon Payne dazzle
Reporting by JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
