Milwaukee Brewers 2025 International Signings Review

Top Of The Class

He didn’t get the biggest bonus in the class, but outfielder Brailyn Antunez is already the highest-ranked player and most exciting player in Milwaukee’s system from this year, with some scouts considering him the best 2025 prospect in Venezuela.

Signed at 17 for $900,000, Antunez has a strong, athletic build (6 feet, 195 pounds) and consistently performed at a high level in games as an amateur. He’s a selective hitter who tracks pitches well, recognizes spin and controls the strike zone. It’s a high-contact bat from the right side of the plate with a mix of good bat speed and strength to drive the ball out of the park to his pull side now with the potential to develop 25-plus home run power.

It’s a dangerous offensive package, and while he’s not built like a typical lean center fielder, he has the tools to play center field. He’s a plus-plus runner with an arm that draws plus or better grades and has good defensive instincts for his age. 

The top bonus in the Brewers’ class went to 17-year-old Dominican center fielder Kenny Fenelon, who signed for $1.3 million.

Fenelon is 6 feet, 185 pounds, an exciting athlete and a power/speed threat in center field. He’s strong, lean, and can put on a show during batting practice with his barrel exploding through the zone from the right side of the plate to launch balls out of the park. Fenelon can hammer fastballs, though some scouts thought he would need to refine his swing and improve his pitch recognition to make more contact against breaking balls. It could end up a power-over-hit offensive game with the potential to hit 25 home runs.

His plus speed should translate to stolen bases and good range in center field, where he has a fringe-average arm. 

The Brewers signed 17-year-old Dominican shortstop Christopher Acosta for $1.1 million. He’s a true shortstop with a high probability to stick there and defend his position well. Acosta (5-foot-11, 175 pounds) is a fringe-average runner, but while he’s not a speedy shortstop, his instincts, hands and footwork are all advanced for his age and he has a solid-average arm with a chance to be an above-average defender.

Acosta has good hand-eye coordination that’s evident in the field and the plate, though his righthanded swing can get long and out of rhythm. He’s a line-drive hitter with upside to grow into more power, but he’s more of a defense-first shortstop. 

Names To Know

Isais Chavez, C, Venezuela: Signed for $480,000, Chavez is 5-foot-11, 193 pounds, a strong, stocky build with the attributes to stick at catcher. He blocks and receives well for 17 and can control the running game with a plus arm. He’s a righthanded hitter who showed a solid bat for a catcher as well during amateur events in Venezuela and Colombia.

Gerlyn Payano, OF, Dominican Republic: Payano has been on an upward trajectory over the last couple years. He has grown from 5-foot-8 early in the scouting process to now 6-foot-1, 192 pounds upon signing for $350,000 and just turning 17 on DSL Opening Day. Payano could have five average or better tools and a knack for hitting. He’s a lefty who doesn’t have a classic, pure swing, but despite an unorthodox look and steep path, he has performed well in games and drives the ball with impact already and the potential to develop above-average power. He’s a plus runner with a strong arm from a lower slot and good defensive instincts in center field. 

Alexander Frias, OF, Dominican Republic: The Brewers signed Frias—the younger brother of Guardians righthander Luis Frias—for $350,000. He’s 6-foot-3, 180 pounds at 17, with a flat lefthanded swing, a line-drive approach and a track record of frequent hard contact against live pitching. He has a plus arm and the physical projection for that tool to get even stronger, to the point where if he doesn’t hit, he could be an intriguing conversion candidate as a righthanded pitcher. 

Eryks Rivero, OF, Venezuela: Early in the scouting process, Rivero was one of the big names in Venezuela before signing with the Brewers for $300,000. Injuries before signing limited him, but there’s promising physicality and power potential for a 17-year-old. At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Rivero has impressive bat speed and righthanded power, driving the ball with impact when he connects in what looks to be a likely power-over-hit offensive game. He’s a good athlete with average speed who could see time in center field, though he most likely fits long term in a corner with the arm strength for right field. 

Nicolas Barrios, OF, Venezuela: The Brewers signed Barrios for $275,000 and have been well acquainted with him for years as the younger brother of Gregory Barrios, a shortstop they signed for $1 million in 2021 and traded to the Rays last year for righthander Aaron Civale. Barrios has a smaller frame (5-foot-9, 160 pounds) as a 17-year-old lefty who doesn’t have one carrying tool but is an instinctive player who takes advantage of his small strike zone, a sound swing and good bat control to put balls in play at a high clip with doubles pop. He could move around all three outfield spots. 

Sharlisson De La Rosa, 3B, Dominican Republic: De La Rosa signed with the Brewers for $200,000 as a 17-year-old after standing out for his strength and power. He’s 5-foot-10, 190 pounds with a thicker lower half, big bat speed for his age and power that he has shown the ability to translate against live pitching. De La Rosa was an outfielder as an amateur but the Brewers moved him to third base, with a chance to stay there or move back to either left field or potentially first base long term.

Francis Sosa, OF, Dominican Republic: Sosa has a strong build (5-foot-11, 190 pounds) at 17 with a pair of tools that jump out with his power and arm strength. He’s a righthanded hitter who can drive the ball with impact when he connects in a power-over-hit offensive profile and has a plus arm from right field. The Brewer signed Sosa for $200,000. 

Matthew Moses, SS, Venezuela: Moses, signed for $180,000, has a good track record of hitting in games in Venezuela as an amateur with a hit-over-power offensive game. A 17-year-old righthanded hitter who is 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Moses doesn’t have huge physical upside and he’s built like a catcher, with some scouts intrigued by the possibility of what he would look like behind the plate, but he’s an infielder for now with a strong arm, good footwork and range that likely fits better at third base than the middle infield long term. 

Joan Peña, LHP, Dominican Republic: Peña is a 17-year-old pitchability lefty the Brewers signed for $180,000. At 5-foot-11, 205 pounds, Peña has a compact build with a thick lower half and doesn’t offer huge physical projection, standing out more for his touch and feel for his secondaries than his power. He pitches in the upper-80s, throws strikes and shows ability to manipulate multiple offspeed pitches with his changeup and breaking ball. 

Leonard Rijo, SS, Dominican Republic: Rijo is just 5-foot-7, but the 17-year-old shortstop is an advanced defender for his age. Signed for $175,000, Rijo has clean actions and good quickness in the infield, where he’s an instinctive defender with a nose for the ball. A righthanded hitter, Rijo is a defense-first shortstop whose size likely limits how much power he will develop.

Sleeper Watch

The Brewers’ class is heavy on position players, but one under-the-radar pitcher to keep an eye on is Venezuelan lefthander Santiago Martinez, who signed for $80,000. He’s still 16, so he’s young for the class and started to trend up later in the scouting process. At 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, Martinez is reaching the low-90s now and generates excellent spin on a tight curveball from a sound, athletic delivery. 

The Brewers are also one of the most active teams in recent years signing players from Nicaragua. This year they signed Nicaraguan righthander Dustin Mayorquin for $27,500. He’s 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, a compact, thicker build at 17 with a fastball up to 93 mph. His pitchability is more advanced than a lot of young pitchers signed from Nicaragua in recent years, mixing a curveball, slider and changeup.