Five of the Milwaukee Brewers’ top draft picks in 2024 are performing well and moving up in the organization, and two of them are already ranked in the Top 10 on Brewer Fanatic’s Top Prospect list. Let’s check out the progress of this draft class and see if they are trending up or down after the 2025 season.
Braylon Payne, CF (1st Round, 17th Overall)
Payne was signed to an under-slot deal and was initially seen as something of a reach, but he performed well in an extremely small sample in 2024, collecting seven hits in 16 at-bats at Low-A Carolina,
The left-handed-hitting Payne was injured at three different points during the 2025 campaign at Carolina, and was limited to 77 games. He didn’t hit for great power, but showed a good eye at the plate, drawing walks at an excellent rate of 15.2%. Unfortunately, he struck out at a less-than-stellar rate of 30.1%. Payne did show a great knack for stealing bases, swiping 31 in 41 attempts. Defensively, he has decent range and shows an average arm.
The youngster gets bonus points for performing well at age 19. On the other hand, Brewer Fanatic’s eighth-ranked prospect’s truncated, injury-wrecked season doesn’t show an upward trend. For his initial assignment next year, flip a coin: Wilson or Wisconsin?
TRENDING: Even
Blake Burke, 1B (1st Round, 34th Overall)
Burke’s pick was acquired from Baltimore in the Corbin Burnes trade. Milwaukee plucked him out of the University of Tennessee. He smacked 50 home runs in three collegiate seasons, so it was a surprise when he hit only five homers in his first 366 at-bats. The lefty slugger found his power stroke at Double-A Biloxi, where he hit 11 round-trippers in just 140 at-bats. Even though he posted a sublime wRC+ of 177 at Biloxi, he will probably play at least another half-season there before being considered ready for Triple-A Nashville.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Burke isn’t a bad defender at first base, but he did commit nine errors last season. His arm is average at best, so he will stay at first or become a DH. Burke, Brewer Fanatic’s No. 15 prospect, is a below-average runner, so don’t expect many stolen bases.
TRENDING:Â Up
Bryce Meccage, RHP (2nd Round, 57th Overall)
Meccage earned above-slot money in the second round, based on his mid-90s fastball and a pair of high-spin breaking balls that he displayed at his high school in Pennington, New Jersey. In his first pro season, Meccage struck out batters at an above-average rate of 23.6% for Carolina, while allowing walks at a rate of 8.9%. The walk rate isn’t terrible, but control is something Meccage needs to work on. If he can refine his craft, he can be a quality middle-of-the-rotation starter for Milwaukee.
After having success in 19 starts at Carolina, he is a candidate for promotion to High-A Wisconsin in 2026.
TRENDING: Up
Jaron DeBerry, RHP (3rd Round, 93rd Overall)
DeBerry, selected out of Dallas Baptist University for $25,000, pitched so well in his first professional season that he moved from Low A to High A to Double A, all in a span of three months. In those three stops, DeBerry made 19 starts (among 22 total appearances) and struck out batters at a rate of 23.9%, while walking only 7.3% of batters faced.
His best pitch is a low- to mid-80s sweeper that spins at 2,800 rpm or more. DeBerry’s fastball is pedestrian and sits in the low 90s, but he has a full suite of pitches and uses them well to keep hitters off balance.
At Biloxi, DeBerry made seven starts and performed well, but expect to see a reprise of that role to start the 2026 season. A good start as a Shucker could see him move north to the Music City sometime during the year.
TRENDING: Up
Marco Dinges, C (4th Round, 123rd Overall)
Dinges was picked out of Florida State, after a monster season wherein he batted .323/.415/.583 with 15 home runs in 64 games. Small for a catcher at 5-foot-11, he showed plus power and needed only 85 at-bats at Carolina before moving to the Timber Rattlers in High A. In 172 at-bats in Appleton, Dinges posted a wRC+ of 137 and batted .273/.371/.483 with 10 home runs. His arm grades out at 55 on the 20-80 scouting scale, but some think he might eventually move to a corner outfield spot.
Dinges might start 2026 at Wisconsin, but it would not be a huge surprise to see him begin the campaign at Biloxi.
TRENDING: Up
Others of Note:
RHP Chris Levonas (2nd Round, 67th Overall): Did not sign and elected to honor his commitment to Wake Forest.
RHP John Holobetz (5th Round, 156th Overall): He was the PTBNL in the Quinn Priester trade.
RHP Tyson Hardin (12th Round, 365th Overall): Pitched well at two levels in 2025 and is currently BF’s No. 17 prospect.
The 2024 Draft class has had tons of success over the last two seasons, and we look forward to seeing these guys (and others) in Milwaukee in the near future.Â
What stands out about this group? How would you grade their stock so far? Leave a comment and start the discussion.
Interested in learning more about the Milwaukee Brewers’ top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!