Brewers Competition Heating Up Between Two Top Prospects

Which of these future Brewers gets the first crack?

Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt takes batting practice during spring training workouts Monday, February 17, 2025, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers have a decision on their hands that is becoming increasingly fascinating.

As both regular starters on the left side of the infield continue to hover around replacement level for the season, the Brewers have two top prospects in Triple-A -- Jett Williams and Cooper Pratt -- who could conceivably get the first crack at regular playing time in the coming weeks.

This past week, that competition got tougher to judge, because both Williams and Pratt went gangbusters at the plate. As the Brewers weigh when it's time to inject some youth into the picture with Luis Rengifo and Joey Ortiz struggling, it's becoming impossible to detect whether Williams or Pratt has the edge.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

The case for Williams

Milwaukee Brewers infielder Jett Williams is pictured before playing a spring training game on March 12, 2026. | Curt Hogg / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While Pratt has heated up at the plate at the same time, Williams has shown the higher upside from a power perspective. Standing just 5-foot-7, Williams already has 14 extra-base hits on the season, including five last week (two home runs, two doubles, and a triple).

His OPS is up to .810 on the season, while Pratt's is just .744 (both entering Monday). He's also made just one error all season, stolen 11 bases, and continued to acclimate himself to an entirely new organization. Most would agree the ceiling is higher here.

The case for Pratt

Only one of these two players has a guaranteed contract for the next eight years. Pratt got $50.75 million from the Brewers in April because they were certain that he was a major league mainstay, even if his offense doesn't have all the same dynamic potential as Williams'.

Pratt put up four games with at least two hits this past week to raise his on-base percentage to .358. He's also the regular shortstop at Triple-A while Williams is playing mostly third base, so if the Brewers opt to demote Ortiz from the starting lineup rather than Rengifo, who has been hotter lately, Pratt would seem to be the more logical choice.

Brewers fans should be excited whenever this decision gets made, because both of these guys are loaded with major league ready tools.