In a system known for identifying and developing breakout prospects, Marco Dinges became one of the biggest popup talents for the Brewers in 2025, thanks to his impressive work at the plate. Now with a move to Surprise in the Arizona Fall League, he’ll be under his brightest spotlight yet as a pro with the focus on the defensive side.
“Definitely that'll be my plan the entire time -- to catch,” he said. “It's kind of why I'm here.”
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Taken in the fourth round last year, Milwaukee’s No. 10 prospect flew out of the gate with a .353/.500/.576 line, three homers and a 14/21 K/BB ratio over 26 games with Single-A Carolina to begin, prompting a promotion to High-A Wisconsin in mid-May. A left hamstring injury kept him out for all of July and part of August, but he still clubbed 10 homers in 51 games with the Timber Rattlers and finished with a .273/.371/.483 line and 138 wRC+ in the Midwest League.
Batting from the right side, the 5-foot-11 backstop can pack a big punch with tremendous bat speed, bordering on overswinging at times. That leads to big exit velocities, a trend that has carried into his early days of the Fall League.
In some ways, it was a continuation of Dinges’ offensive success from the college ranks.
After time at Tallahassee Community College in which he dealt with a bout with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) that put him in the hospital for 43 days, Dinges transferred to Florida State for the 2024 season and was a key piece for a Seminoles squad that featured three future first-rounders in Cam Smith, James Tibbs III and Jaime Arnold and made it all the way to Omaha. Dinges’ 15 homers and .998 OPS were both fourth-best on that team.
“Definitely, it gave me a lot of confidence playing [well] at Florida State,” he said. “I knew pro ball [was] going to be another challenge, but I could hang there. Going on a College World Series team and batting fourth was good confidence, so I was ready.”
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The defensive questions made Dinges more of a question mark in the 2024 Draft, however. He caught only one game at FSU against Bethune-Cookman on April 3, and he was seen as a bit undersized for the position. But the Brewers saw Dinges as a long-term investment and got him 47 games behind the plate when healthy during the summer. His plus arm strength is his best defensive asset, but he’s surprised folks in the Brewers organization with his ability to move behind the dish.
If he can keep up that progress with the Saguaros, Dinges’ climb up the Brewers prospect ranks will be far from done.
“I know I’ll hit here,” he said. “I’ll do fine hitting and then just have to keep developing [defensively].”
Brewers hitters in the Fall League
Luke Adams, 3B/1B (No. 8): A left shoulder contusion limited him to 64 games with Double-A Biloxi, but Brewers prospect heads should fear not -- Adams’ status as an OBP king remains very much in place. The 21-year-old corner infielder posted a 15.5 percent walk rate and a .409 OBP during his time in the Southern League, leading to a 160 wRC+. (His 21 hit-by-pitches helped those numbers too.) Adams still might fit best at first base long term and hasn’t quite met his power potential given his size at 6-foot-4, but few can match his consistent ability to reach.
Josh Adamczewski, 2B/OF (No. 13): If not for Dinges, Adamczewski would be the big breakout Brewer in this year’s AFL crop. The 2023 15th-rounder hit .320/.420/.490 with five homers in 71 games, playing primarily at Carolina. He had to work around a back injury that kept him out for much of May and all of June. Adamczewski is rough defensively at second base and will see a good amount of left field in Arizona as Milwaukee works to find him an everyday spot.
Dylan O’Rae, 2B/OF: The 2022 third-rounder out of Ontario missed the entire 2025 season after needing wrist surgery but got off to a quick start in AFL play when he delivered a two-run walk-off single for Surprise in his first game on Oct. 8. O’Rae has plenty of speed to burn -- he stole 62 bags in 2024 -- but comes with serious power concerns with only one career homer in 194 career Minor League games.
Brewers pitchers in the Fall League
Jesus Broca, LHP: Standing only 5-foot-9, Broca climbed three levels as a reliever in his age-21 season, finishing with a 3.68 ERA, 72 strikeouts and 42 walks in 78⅓ innings between Single-A, High-A and Double-A. His best pitch is an 82-85 mph changeup that gets 9-10 mph separation off his heater, leading to good whiff rates.
Anthony Flores, LHP: Flores got some looks in the Wisconsin rotation in May and June but worked mostly as a reliever while spending the full season with the Timber Rattlers. He sported a 3.86 ERA with 92 strikeouts in 91 innings, despite only working in the upper 80s with his pair of fastballs out of a low three-quarters slot. He’s also shown tons of spin on his mid-80s slider and 79-80 mph curveball in his first AFL outing, generating 3,000-plus rpm on the latter in particular.
Michael Fowler, RHP: Milwaukee signed Fowler, who began his collegiate career at LSU before having stints with Tulane and Southern Miss, out of the Frontier League on July 29 and he promptly posted a 1.08 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings for Single-A Carolina. (He also mixed in a single appearance with Triple-A Nashville.) The 6-foot-3 righty works 94-97 mph with his fastball and plays off that with a 79-81 mph curveball.
Edwin Jimenez, RHP: Before he made his AFL debut on Oct. 7, Jimenez hadn’t pitched in a game since May 26, 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The 23-year-old righty topped out at 92.7 mph with his sinker in his lone inning in that first Surprise appearance but flashed a four-seamer with 20+ inches of ride too. He also works with a mid-80s changeup with good armside run and a short 83-85 mph slider.
Nate Peterson, LHP: A 2022 eighth-round pick out of the University of Illinois Chicago, Peterson will be Rule 5-eligible this offseason and could use the Fall League as a platform to push for a 40-man roster spot with Milwaukee or an MLB chance elsewhere. The 5-foot-10 southpaw had a 4.00 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 74⅓ innings this season while working at the upper levels. He showed a full four-seamer-curveball-slider-changeup mix during a brief run with Triple-A Nashville late in the season with the heater averaging 91.9 mph and 17.3 inches of induced vertical break.