Minor League Baseball

Milwaukee Brewers Shortstop Making Noise at ST in Wake of Team Losing Willy Adames

As the Brewers work to find their answer at shortstop post-Willy Adames, maybe they've found it in Cooper Pratt.
Brady Farkas|
Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt runs off the field during spring training workouts Monday, February 17, 2025, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona.
Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt runs off the field 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

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Milwaukee Brewers

This offseason, the Milwaukee Brewers were dealt a tough hand when All-Star shortstop Willy Adames left in free agency for the San Francisco Giants.

The Brewers haven't officially said what they are going to do in his absence, but Joey Ortiz could be an option, as could Brice Turang sliding over from second to short.

And while he doesn't appear to be an option right now, the best option for the future might be top prospect Cooper Pratt, who is showing out this spring.

According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, he's turned heads the most among Brewers prospects.

More than the numbers – starting with four hits including a trio of doubles in his first 10 Cactus League at-bats – it’s the way the 20-year-old has carried himself in camp which has most impressed Brewers officials as they move forward without shortstop Willy Adames. Pratt himself says he doesn’t expect to make the team out of camp, but he’s gaining experience that should help him this season at Double-A Biloxi. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s vying to make the Major League team at this time next year.

Pratt ended the 2024 season as the No. 2 prospect in the organization, per MLB.com. Just 20 years old, he was a sixth-round pick of the Brewers back in 2023 out of the Mississippi high school ranks.

Pratt hit .277 in his first full minor league season last year, playing in 96 games for Carolina and Wisconsin. He had eight total home runs and 45 RBI.

Assuming he begins the year at Double-A Biloxi, he'll begin his season on April 4.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

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