BA today listed 10 Low A players ready to climb the Top 100 ranks and no surprise but there are three from Carolina in there.
Luis Peña, SS, Brewers
Peña signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2024 and one year later is already in Low-A Carolina as an 18-year-old ranked as the Brewers’ No. 9 prospect. After hitting .393/.457/.583 with just 15 strikeouts (8.1%) in 184 plate appearances last year, Peña is hitting .343/.442/.400 in 43 plate appearances with six walks and four strikeouts. Peña’s barrel accuracy stands out, as he rarely swings and misses—in or out of the zone—though one of the big questions with him was whether he would be able to develop a more disciplined approach. It’s early, but so far he is swinging less and chasing less, an encouraging development, especially for a player skipping a level. He has a strong 5-foot-11 frame, though his swing is geared more for lower line drives than loft, so it’s a hit-over-power profile for now.
As a teammate of Jesus Made, Peña is splitting time between shortstop and third base. He’s a good athlete, but early on, he has shown he will have to clean some things up defensively—both with both his fielding and throwing—to stick in the infield, though his plus-plus speed could fit in center field, too.
Eric Bitonti, 1B/3B, Brewers
If there’s a hitter with long levers, a big strike zone he has to cover and elevated swing-and-miss risk, I’m usually going to be the low man on that player. With Bitonti, however, I’m in. It’s an unusual profile. He’s a 2023 high school draft pick who was one of the most physical players in his class despite being extremely young for his grade; he’s still going to play the entire season at 19. And for a player his size—listed 6-foot-4, 218 pounds—he moves around well in the infield with good body control. However, with Peña, Made and Filippo Di Turi splitting reps at third base for Carolina, Bitonti has so far played only first base this year instead of third.
Even if the Brewers do keep Bitonti at first base, the offensive upside is there for him to handle that position. He’s hitting .286/.390/.429 through 41 plate appearances and has yet to get into his best tool—his plus-plus raw power. He will step in the bucket and get big with his lefthanded swing, so that power comes with strikeouts, but he’s able to help offset that some with his ability to draw walks. It’s a risky profile, but there’s potential for big payoff if everything clicks.
Josh Adamczewski, 2B, Brewers
Adamczewski is more of a sleeper than a future Top 100 prospect candidate relative to the other players listed here, but he’s starting to make more of a name for himself this season. He had a lower profile coming out of an Indiana high school as a Ball State commit who the Brewers drafted as a 15th-round pick in 2023. Milwaukee kept him in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League last season, where he hit .336/.472/.478 with 26 walks and 26 strikeouts in 142 plate appearances, and he’s off to a .382/.500/.647 start through 42 plate appearances this year with Low-A Carolina.
Adamczewski has a lefthanded stroke that’s calm, balanced and adjustable, bringing a hit-over-power profile with enough juice to give him a chance for 15-20 home runs. He looks much more natural in the batter’s box than he does in the infield, but if he proves he can stick in the dirt, he could develop into an offensive-oriented second baseman.
