Last updated: October 25, 2026
Cooper Pratt is a 22-year-old rookie shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers. On Oct. 24 he hit a go-ahead single in the seventh inning of World Series Game 2. The Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5–4 and took a 2–0 series lead. Before he ever played in the majors, the Brewers signed him to an eight-year, $50.75 million contract.
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Full name: Cooper Wickham Pratt
Born: Aug. 18, 2004, in Hialeah, Florida. Grew up in Oxford, Mississippi.
Height/weight: 6 feet 4 inches, 210 pounds
Team: Milwaukee Brewers, No. 12
Position: Shortstop (bats and throws right)
High school: Magnolia Heights School in Senatobia, Mississippi
Drafted: 2023, sixth round, by the Brewers. He had committed to Ole Miss.
Contract: Eight years, $50.75 million, signed April 3, 2026
MLB debut: June 16, 2026
2026 season: .281 average, 3 home runs, 34 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in 74 games
Pratt was born in South Florida. His family moved to Oxford, Mississippi, home of Ole Miss. He went to high school at Magnolia Heights in nearby Senatobia.
He was a star on both sides of the ball. As a senior in 2023 he hit .469 with 50 RBIs and 38 stolen bases. On the mound he went 10–0 with a 0.14 ERA. He was named Mississippi’s Gatorade Player of the Year.
He committed to play at Ole Miss. Instead, the Brewers drafted him in the sixth round in 2023, and he signed.
He moved fast. In 2024 he hit .277 with 27 stolen bases across two minor-league levels. In 2025, at Double-A Biloxi, he won a Minor League Gold Glove for his defense. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ranked him the Brewers’ No. 2 prospect.
Then the Brewers made an unusual bet. On April 3, 2026, they gave him an eight-year, $50.75 million contract. He had not played a single game in the majors. He had played only three games at Triple-A or above. MLB.com reported that no player had ever signed an extension with less upper-minors experience.
He debuted on June 16, 2026. He hit .281 and stole 19 bases in 74 games. The Brewers won 103 games, the most in baseball, and reached their first World Series since 1982.
2004: Born Aug. 18 in Hialeah, Florida.
2023: Named Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year. Drafted by the Brewers in the sixth round.
2024: Hits .277 with 8 home runs and 27 steals in his first full minor-league season.
2025: Wins a Minor League Gold Glove at Double-A Biloxi.
April 3, 2026: Signs an eight-year, $50.75 million extension before his MLB debut.
June 16, 2026: Makes his MLB debut.
October 2026: Starts at shortstop as the Brewers win the National League pennant.
Oct. 24, 2026: Drives in the go-ahead run in World Series Game 2.
The contract: Eight years and $50.75 million, per MLB.com and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Two club options could push it past $80 million.
The bet: The Brewers signed him after just three games at Triple-A or above. MLB.com reported that no player had ever signed an extension with less upper-minors experience.
Defense: He won a Minor League Gold Glove in 2025.
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Big moments: His seventh-inning single in Game 2 came on a 2-2 sinker, lined to right field.
Speed: He stole 19 bases in 74 games as a rookie. He stole second right after his Game 2 hit.
Youth: He is the second-youngest player since 1920 to drive in a run and steal a base in the same World Series game, per MLB.com. Only Juan Soto was younger.
The extension: He is the rare player paid like a core piece before his first at-bat.
Oct. 24, 2026: Pratt’s go-ahead single in the seventh inning scored Brice Turang and gave the Brewers a 5–4 win over the Rays in Game 2. Milwaukee came back from a four-run deficit. Sal Frelick tied it with a home run in the sixth. Pratt had made a throwing error on the first batter of the game. “My heart was racing, I’m not going to lie,” he said. The Brewers lead the series 2–0. Game 3 is Monday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field.
“My heart was racing, I’m not going to lie.” — after Game 2, Oct. 24, 2026 (via MLB.com)
“It’s nine innings for a reason.” — on the Brewers’ comeback in Game 2 (via MLB.com)
“You’re born for this stuff.” — Brewers hitting coach Daniel Vogelbach, to Pratt (via MLB.com)
Errors: His defense has wobbled in October. He had four errors this postseason, per NBC Sports, including a throwing error in the first inning of Game 2.
The contract: Paying $50.75 million to a player with almost no high-minors experience was a big risk. So far his rookie year has backed up the bet.
His known earnings come from his contract: eight years and $50.75 million, signed in April 2026. His draft signing bonus was not confirmed for this story. Treat celebrity net-worth sites as unverified.
He is a rookie shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers. He drove in the winning run in Game 2 of the 2026 World Series.
He is 22. He was born Aug. 18, 2004.
He was born in Hialeah, Florida, and grew up in Oxford, Mississippi.
Eight years and $50.75 million. He signed it in April 2026, before his MLB debut.
No. He committed to Ole Miss but signed with the Brewers after they drafted him in 2023.
No. 12.
Game 3 is Monday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field. The Brewers lead the series 2–0.
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