Saturday, February 22

PHOENIX -- Former Brewers GM Doug Melvin used to say that anybody who has a locker in big league camp has a chance. By that logic, is there a chance that 20-year-old shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt -- MLB Pipeline’s No. 57 overall prospect -- could help the Brewers solve for the departure of the popular and productive Willy Adames?

Pratt isn’t holding his breath. 

“The big league club has a bunch of guys that can fill that role pretty easily,” Pratt said at the start of his first big league camp. “I know there’s time to develop in the Minor Leagues and when the opportunity comes, if it comes, it will be there. It’s not something that’s going to affect the way I play.”

One doesn’t have to look too far back in Brewers history to see a 20-year-old impact the big club. Jackson Chourio not only played at age 20 last season, but he’s still 20. Chourio’s birthday isn’t until March 11. But Pratt knows his situation is different. Young as he is, Chourio still touched every level of the Minor League system as he ascended toward the Majors. There was also the financial component after the Brewers invested $82 million in Chourio via a record-setting eight-year contract that paved his way to a spot on last year’s Opening Day roster. 

Pratt, meanwhile, has played only one full Minor League season since the Brewers employed a creative approach to snag him in the sixth-round of the 2023 Draft, and he hasn’t spent any meaningful time north of A-ball. He shared the organization's Minor League Player of the Year Award with fast-rising prospect Jesus Made (No. 56 overall) after a regular season split between Single-A Carolina and High-A Wisconsin, in which Pratt logged a .768 OPS. He touched Double-A Biloxi for a pair of playoff games at the end of the year. 

So, Pratt needs seasoning. If history is a guide, he’ll begin the 2025 season at Biloxi and aim for a promotion to Triple-A Nashville in the second half. The Brewers will fill shortstop with either Brice Turang or Joey Ortiz, and backfill at second base or third accordingly. 

“I’m going to plan on going through the Minor Leagues just like everyone else and when my time comes, my time comes,” Pratt said. 

“He’s really impressed me in terms of who he is,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “That’s most important for me. Watching him take ground balls with the others and watching him be himself, he’s undaunted by who’s around him.” 

Pratt is intent on making the most of his time in Major League camp. 

“It’s pretty special to be here and pretty special to get to work out with some of these guys and see them up close after seeing them on TV,” Pratt said. “I’m super excited to be here. Just to be in the environment and show what I can do. If you would have asked me last year if I would be in this situation this year, I probably would have just laughed.”

After navigating some extreme ups and downs for 16 months following left shoulder surgery, left-hander Aaron Ashby’s velocity returned last summer and he became a late-season relief weapon for the Brewers. But now he’s happy to be stretching out as a starter, which was Ashby’s role when he inked a five-year contract extension in 2022, before his shoulder acted up. 

“I think that’s always been my preference,” Ashby said. “It’s what I’ve done my whole career except for last year. It’s definitely my preferred method of pitching. But I just love throwing. Any way I can throw in the big leagues, I’ll take it.” 

That’s not to say his bullpen stint didn’t have its positives. After a pair of one-outing stints in the Majors during the first half of last season, Ashby returned in a bullpen role during the final week of August and posted a 1.37 ERA with three walks compared to 28 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings over the final seven weeks of the regular season, mostly in tight spots.

“It is a completely different feeling coming in in a leverage situation,” Ashby said. “It’s go time, times 10. It’s exhilarating. It’s fun. But there’s extremely fun things about starting, too.” 

Assuming his build-up goes as planned, Ashby is a safe bet for a starting rotation that also includes Freddy Peralta, Nestor Cortes, Tobias Myers and Aaron Civale. With DL Hall sidelined by a lat injury, one of Ashby’s competitors for the final rotation spot might not be ready to start when camp breaks.

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