Brewers Prospect Weekly: Fischer's September Power Binge, Letson and Knoth Both Shine at Biloxi
By Mason Grant ·
Brewers Prospect Weekly covers the last 7 days of action for the Brewers farm system.
Fischer's Power Binge at Double-A Has No Signs of Slowing
Andrew Fischer (AA, 3B, Rank: 7) went 6-for-30 with two home runs, four RBI, and nine walks across 30 plate appearances at Biloxi this week, his 48th and 49th home runs of the season combining to push one of the more absurd stat lines in the minor leagues. The walk total alone is a story: Fischer has a 18.3 percent walk rate on the combined season and ran his last-30-day mark to 20.6 percent, continuing a month in which he is slashing .259/.402/.704 with 12 home runs and 29 RBI across 107 plate appearances at Double-A. He is a 60 power grade making those grades look timid. The strikeout rate, at 30.8 percent over his last 30 days, is real and consistent with a 32.9 percent figure on the full season, but the 62.3 percent contact rate has not stopped him from doing damage at a volume that most Double-A hitters cannot match across an entire summer.
The full picture through 556 combined plate appearances at High-A and Double-A: a .274/.414/.657 slash, 48 home runs, 114 RBI, and 102 walks. He is a left-handed, 22-year-old bat-first corner infielder likely heading to first base, and the scouting profile says second-division regular with a 50 hit tool. There is a real case that the floor on this profile has moved. The walk rate is not passive; Fischer is a selective swinger sitting at a 42.6 percent swing rate, and the zone awareness is genuine pitch selection rather than a byproduct of a short swing. Pitchers at Double-A have not cracked a consistent answer, and at 22 years old with 48 home runs and 102 walks through a single season, the conservative read is looking more like a floor than a ceiling. I would take the over on second-division regular without any hesitation at this point.
Letson and Knoth Take Turns Shutting Down Biloxi Hitters
Bishop Letson (AA, RHP, Rank: 15) and Josh Knoth (AA, RHP, Rank: 34) each turned in strong outings at Biloxi this week, which feels like a meaningful data point given the context around both arms. Letson went 6.2 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with nine strikeouts, one walk, and 16 swinging misses across 85 pitches. His four-seamer and sinker both sit in the mid-to-upper 90s with extension that makes the numbers play up, and when the slider tunnels off those two fastball shapes, he generates swing decisions that explain a 16-whiff afternoon. The full-season numbers at Double-A are still rough, a 4.85 ERA with an 11.1 percent walk rate across 94.2 innings, and the last-30-day ERA sits at 5.56 over 22.2 innings. This outing was the reset the development staff needed to see: the stuff is unambiguously real, and the execution can match it when the delivery stays on time.
Knoth followed with 7.2 innings of scoreless ball, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out nine and generating 20 swinging misses on 135 pitches. His four-seamer touches 94-96, a curveball with genuine depth gives him a finishing pitch below the zone, and the combination drove a 25.0 percent strikeout rate across his three Double-A starts this season with a 2.77 ERA. Over his last 30 days at the level, the ERA sits at 2.66 with a 21.0 percent strikeout rate. The changeup is still developmental and leaves him vulnerable to left-handed hitters, but the 45 command grade has not prevented him from missing bats in bunches. At 21 years old in his first extended Double-A sample, with a fastball-curve combination that already plays, the back-end starter projection looks like a realistic starting point rather than an optimistic ceiling.
Quick Hits
Braylon Payne (AA, OF, Rank: 4) · had his most productive week since arriving at Double-A, going 8-for-24 with three home runs, a double, and five RBI. The raw pop was always graded at 50 with a plus-plus 70 speed tool, and the power is running ahead of that on the full season: 28 home runs across 462 combined plate appearances between High-A and Double-A. The strikeout volume remains a factor, with 30 strikeouts over his last 104 plate appearances at Double-A and a 57 percent swing rate in that window, which is aggressive even by prospect standards. He is a genuine center field prospect with an everyday projection, and at 20 years old, the combination of speed, defensive profile, and this raw power output over a full season gives the development picture some room to breathe even if the walk rate dips.
Daniel Dickinson (AA, 2B, Rank: 33) · made his Double-A debut after a September 8 promotion from Wisconsin and went 8-for-24 with a double, a home run, and four RBI across 24 plate appearances at Biloxi. His first promotion to Double-A continues a strong August finish; over his last 30 days at High-A, he slashed .361/.456/.577 with three home runs and 61 total steals on the season at Wisconsin before the call-up. Dickinson is a 55 hit tool, a 17.4 percent walk rate on the combined season, and a 60 stolen-base season in the books. The power grades at 40 and the projection frames him as a utility type, but a 22-year-old putting together this on-base and speed combination at two levels in the same year at least complicates the conservative read.
Jesús Made (AA, SS, Rank: 1) · went 6-for-15 with a double, a triple, a home run, four RBI, and one walk across 15 plate appearances at Biloxi this week. His last-30-day line at Double-A has been more modest: a .214/.258/.310 slash with a 6.5 percent walk rate over 93 plate appearances, a stretch where the tendency to attack off-speed has shown up. He is a switch-hitting, 60-grade runner and contact bat at 19 years old with an everyday shortstop projection, and the full-season line of .270/.345/.430 with 14 home runs, 90 RBI, and 36 steals at Double-A remains one of the better age-adjusted outputs in the system. The week was a reminder of what the ceiling looks like when the pitch selection is on.
Eric Bitonti (AA, 1B, Rank: 21) · was promoted to Double-A Biloxi on September 8 after posting a .270/.391/.525 line with 25 home runs and 24 steals across 489 plate appearances at Wisconsin. Through 24 plate appearances at the new level, he is hitting .150/.167/.250 without a home run, a cold start for a bat that spent the summer reminding people the 60 raw power grade is real. The Double-A adjustment is worth watching before drawing conclusions; he is 20 years old and arrived with one of the better full-season home run totals in the High-A circuit.
Luis Peña (AA, SS, Rank: 2) · was placed on the 7-day injured list on September 7 with a broken left fibula caused on a slide into third base. Peña had gone 8-for-32 over his previous 10 games at Biloxi before the placement, and his Double-A line of .268/.328/.339 with one home run and six steals across 61 plate appearances is a respectable debut sample for a 20-year-old reaching the level mid-season. His .298/.384/.420 line at High-A before the promotion, with 27 steals, established the baseline.
Tyson Hardin (AAA, RHP, Rank: 17) · was placed on the 7-day injured list on September 10, retroactive to that date. The diagnosis has not been confirmed. His last outing before the placement came September 4, and he had been sharp in the two weeks prior, posting a 2.53 ERA across 10.2 innings with 12 strikeouts. The full-season ERA at Nashville sits at 4.58 across 90.1 innings, with 96 strikeouts and a 25-walk rate. Hopefully the IL stint is precautionary with the season winding down.
Jeferson Quero (AAA, C, Rank: 9) · went 3-for-20 with two doubles, one RBI, and two walks across 20 plate appearances at Nashville this week. His last-30-day line includes a .206/.265/.413 slash with a 5.9 percent walk rate over 68 plate appearances, a stretch where the aggressive swing rate (51.9 percent in that window) has cost him on the bases. On the full AAA season, he is at .251/.322/.410 with 15 home runs and 67 RBI across 467 plate appearances. He is a 60 field grade behind the plate with a second-division regular projection. He was really good at controlling the running game prior to his injury. This season he's caught just 15% of baserunners. A once elite defensive profile has lost a bit of luster.