Brewers Set Sky-High Expectations For 17-Year-Old Phenom Ricki Moneys

Milwaukee thinks it got a good one...

Jul 3, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Detailed view of a Milwaukee Brewers cap and glove during the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers are understandably stoked about their incoming class of international free agents.

According to MLB Pipeline's rankings, the Brewers landed three of the top 50 players in this year's pool of top teenage international prospects. The headliner was 17-year-old shortstop Ricki Moneys, who has become something of a viral sensation over the last week.

Moneys has an incredible name, though there was a lot of confusion about how it was spelled. (Brewers on SI originally copied a report suggesting it was "Ricky Money.) But now that we know Moneys' name definitively, we can start looking forward to what the exciting youngster will bring with him to the organization.

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Brewers scouting director understandably bullish on Moneys

Apr 5, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; General view of Milwaukee Brewers batting helmets in the dugout prior to the game against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Taylor Green, the Brewers' director of international scouting and player personnel, had a strong inclination that Moneys would be a future star, praising the youngster's ability to cause damage to all parts of the field with his electric bat speed.

"Electric,” Green said, per Jesse Borek of MLB.com. “The power, to me, is what stands out right away for somebody who is definitely going to stay on the infield. He's got the natural power to right-center field that makes him stand out amongst the peers. He’s a special talent, a special player -- one of many we have in this class."

Moneys reportedly hit a ball with a 108-mph exit velocity at age 16, and when a prospect shows the kind of power he already has at a young age, it's hard not to dream about that pop taking another step and eventually becoming game-changing.

The Brewers are incredibly rich in infield talent in their farm system now, as their top two prospects, Jesús Made and Luis Peña, are both shortstops as well. Made is 18 and Peña is 19, so the future may not arrive in Milwaukee this year, but at the very least, the current worries about the shortstop spot should soon be a thing of the past.

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