A month away did not diminish what Luis Peña could do in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.
After a scary incident in which Peña, the consensus No. 2 prospect in the organization, collapsed in the dugout and left a Class High A Wisconsin game in an ambulance, the shortstop is back in action a little more than a month later.
The 19-year-old dynamo first reported to the Arizona Complex League and then returned to the Timber Rattlers on May 27. In three games, he’s already got three hits, three walks, an RBI and a stolen base.
In three games with the Arizona Brewers, he logged a double and triple among his four hits, with an RBI and two swipes.
He also made a slick-fielding play at shortstop.
Peña has a .948 OPS in the minors this year, with one homer, nine stolen bases and 10 RBIs in 66 at-bats.
With the high-profile success of the Brewers farm system, we’ve been providing weekly updates on what’s going on throughout the organization:
Here’s what happened last week
Standout performances from the 40-man roster
Best performance last week from a Brewers top prospect
We haven’t given much love to pitchers in this space because they seldom get more than one outing per week, but we can’t ignore what Jaron DeBerry did for Biloxi, even if we have an offensive candidate, too.
The 23-year-old right-hander, a third-round pick in 2024, hasn’t quite made his way to the upper reaches of Brewers prospect lists, but that’s only a matter of time, even with his 4.84 ERA in 10 starts this year.
DeBerry has registered back-to-back excellent outings, and his May 30 showing was spectacular. He allowed just one hit in a complete-game seven-inning performance, with two walks and four strikeouts in his team’s 5-0 win over Columbus. It was his second straight seven-inning showing after he allowed two runs on three hits against Birmingham on May 23 with nine strikeouts.
It was only seven innings because it came in the context of a doubleheader, but it’s the 11th complete-game shutout in franchise history.
But, we also can’t forget Eric Bitonti.
The left-handed-slugging first baseman, a third-round pick in 2023, has taken longer to get going in his minor-league career than his fellow high-school draftee in 2023, Cooper Pratt. But he’s up to a .399 on-base percentage at Class High A Wisconsin, with an .863 OPS, six homers and nine stolen bases.
He had eight hits in the final four games of the week alone, pus three walks during six games against Peoria. Among those hits: three doubles, a triple and a home run, plus a stolen base.
Bitonti slugged .526 in May after a .391 mark in April.
How Brewers prospect Jesús Made fared last week
Ho-hum, another excellent week for Made in the limited number of games at Biloxi.
The 19-year-old wunderkind shortstop had a three-hit day in the first game of a May 30 doubleheader, with a triple and three RBIs. He added a double in the nightcap in four at-bats. He also finished with a walk and stolen base in three games.
Made has an .815 OPS as the youngest player in the Southern League, with six homers and 40 RBIs, plus 19 steals.
How Brewers prospect Andrew Fischer fared last week
Thanks to another blast May 31 –one launched 107 miles per hour, no less – he’s up to 15 home runs this year to easily lead the Midwest League – second place only has 10. He had hits in six of seven games this week, with two homers and four RBIs.
His strikeout count, however, remains elevated, with eight in the final three games of the week and now 69 punchouts in 160 at-bats this year. But his OPS is up to 1.036 and his on-base percentage is .411 as he continues to terrorize the league.
How Brewers prospect Cooper Pratt fared last week
Pratt was the subject of a profile for The Athletic as most onlookers wonder when he’ll get the call to the big leagues.
The Brewers’ shortstop-in-waiting has reached base in 21 straight games, with hits in all six games this week, including a triple and stolen base (plus three walks). He has a .753 OPS and a .362 on-base percentage, with five homers and 25 RBIs.
How Brewers prospect Jett Williams fared last week
The 22-year-old third baseman had just one hit in 17 at-bats for Nashville, though he did drive in a pair of runs and walked three times. His OPS flickered above .800 for the year earlier in the month but it’s back down to .718, though he still has a .350 on-base percentage, five homers and 12 stolen bases.
How Brewers prospect Braylon Payne fared last week
Payne hasn’t played since May 21, but he’s not on the injured list at Wisconsin.
How Brewers prospect Luis Lara fared this week
The 21-year-old switch-hitting outfielder added another impressive catch to his cadre of outfield highlights for Nashville. And, it was yet another excellent week at the dish, with nine hits in 20 at-bats, including a triple and two doubles. He drove in a pair, walked three times in one game and lifted his OPS to .962 with a .452 on-base percentage. He’s still sitting on a career-high seven homers and has stolen 18 bases.
A Brewers name you might want to learn
There is considerable buzz around Jayden Dubanewicz, a 20-year-old right-handed pitcher at Class A Wilson. In 13⅔ innings, he has 17 strikeouts and a 1.98 ERA, including the scoreless three innings he pitched May 27.
Dubanewicz had a 2.40 ERA in 19 appearances last year, his first professional season after the Brewers made him a 16th-round pick in the 2024 draft. The Florida high schooler, wooed away from a strong commitment to Florida by a hefty $665,000 signing bonus that season, has seen a velocity jump to as high as 97 mph, a welcome sight after an injury scare before the season.
Brewers minor-league highlights May 25-31
Pitchers really took center stage last week in the organization. Among the best:
Back on the position side:
What’s on deck, games June 1-7
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers minor-league update; No. 2 prospect Luis Peña back in action
Reporting by JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
