Brewers minor-league update; you'll love prospect's HR celebrations

Brewers starting pitcher Coleman Crow (57) celebrates with teammates after exiting the game against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning Friday night at loanDepot Park.

Coleman Crow had a rough start April 24 in his first game back after making a spot start in Miami for his Major League debut, but he was much better April 30, allowing just one hit in 5⅔ innings, with two walks and seven strikeouts.

Carlos Rodriguez has been strong in two outings since returning to Nashville from the big-league club, covering 5⅔ innings and allowing no runs on four hits, though he still had six walks to five strikeouts.

Best performance of the week from a Brewers top prospect

We led with Encarnacion, so let's also acknowledge Braylon Owens, the 10th-round pick in 2025 who turned in a massive performance for Wisconsin on May 1 in technically a relief outing behind rehabbing starter Quinn Priester.

Owens went six innings, allowed one earned run on two hits with three walks and finished with 11 strikeouts for a second straight excellent outing. He's not going to show up among the top prospects in the Brewers organization yet, but he's been making a loud statement in Appleton.

How Brewers prospect Jesús Made fared last week

Made homered for the first time since April 15 with his foul-pole-striking blast May 3, his first extra-base hit of the week. In the first five contests of the week, Made went 3-for-19, pulling his OPS down to .793. That's still very good for one of the youngest players in AA, who turns 19 years old on May 8. Did we mention he can also throw the ball 100 mph?

How Brewers prospect Luis Peña fared last week

Peña didn't play last week and will visit a neurologist as the Brewers try to get to the bottom of what caused him to pass out in the dugout the previous week.

How Brewers prospect Cooper Pratt fared last week

The young shortstop, who signed a long-term extension and was added to the 40-man roster though he has yet to make his Major League debut, had a huge week, even though his eight-game hitting streak was snapped May 2. He had five hits in his other four games this week, including a triple, and also walked four times, bringing his on-base percentage up to a respectable .348. Pratt struggled out of the gate this year but has shown signs at AAA of turning the corner. He also stole two bases in a game April 29.

How Brewers prospect Andrew Fischer fared last week

How about his first career walk-off home run? The blast May 1 gave the Timber Rattlers a win and atoned for four strikeouts earlier in the game. Fischer also had a double and homer April 30, and he owns an .877 OPS and .347 on-base percentage even as he struggles with strikeouts (39 in 83 at-bats, including nine in the past four games).

How Brewers prospect Jett Williams fared last week

Like Pratt, Williams has shaken off a slow start to raise his on-base percentage to .347 with a .697 OPS, stacking two straight solid weeks. That includes a walk-off three-run homer April 29. Williams also had two doubles among his six hits this week, plus three walks.

A Brewers name you might want to learn

It's time to pay attention to what Damon Keith is doing in Biloxi. Acquired around the start of the season from the Dodgers in an exchange for cash, the right-handed-hitting outfielder is already 25 years old and will be 26 in May, so he's old for Double-A. But he's dominating at Biloxi, with a 11-game hitting streak and at least one hit in all but one game this season. He hit his fifth homer of the season May 3 and owns a ridiculous 1.195 OPS and .471 on-base percentage. It's a wild improvement from his .682 in Class AA with the Dodgers last year, but Keith might sneak his way into the Brewers' plans for 2026 at this rate.

Brewers minor-league highlights April 28-May 3

• The start of the ACL season provided a number of intriguing debuts for the Brewers, including Alexander Frias hitting a homer and driving in three runs in his first stateside regular-season game. Frias was excellent in DSL play last year; the 18-year-old from the Dominican Republic signed as part of the international class of 2025.
• Other international signings like Christopher Acosta (1-for-5, double), Kenny Fenelon (0-for-4, two walks, run scored) and Diustin Mayorquin (two scoreless innings, zero hits, one walk, two strikeouts) also made their season debuts.
• CJ Hughes, a 2025 draft pick, went 3-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored and a stolen base. Catcher Rylan Mills, also part of that class, doubled and tripled.
• Josh Knoth, a first-round pick in 2023, struck out four of the six batters he faced, with no hits and a walk.
• The 2025 draft picks didn't solely debut in the ACL. Jacob Morrison, a third-round pick in 2025, struck out four and walked three over three hitless innings for Wilson on May 2. At Wisconsin, JD Thompson, the second-round pick in 2025, debuted at Wisconsin, allowing one hit with three strikeouts and no walks in three scoreless innings.
• Top pitching prospect Bishop Letson had an encouraging outing April 29, allowing one earned run with three hits and six strikeouts over five innings for Biloxi.
• Highly intriguing minor-league free agent Jarrette Bonet worked six innings for Wilson on April 29, allowing no runs on two hits with one walk and two strikeouts. The 20-year-old from Puerto Rico has a 3.09 ERA in five starts.
• Utility man Eddys Leonard is making an all-out plea for the Brewers to consider him in Milwaukee. The 25-year-old at Nashville has a .992 OPS and .416 on-base percentage, with five homers and enviable position versatility. He collected nine hits this week in five games, with three walks and just two strikeouts. He's up to 18 RBIs this season.
• Wilson 19-year-old Frederi Montero only had two hits this week, but both were homers.
• Falling firmly in the "taken for granted" category now, Biloxi first baseman Blake Burke hit another home run this week and also had a double in his six games against Pensacola. He still has an .891 OPS, though his average is down to .231.
• Luis Lara homered again and has a .970 OPS at Nashville, with six homers and 12 stolen bases this season.
• First baseman Eric Bitonti, 20, had two homers this week at Wisconsin and has a .779 OPS, with four homer and three stolen bases.
• Brady Ebel had six hits this week at Wilson, with a double and triple. Ebel, 18, was a first-round pick in 2025.
• Josiah Ragsdale had a big week for Wisconsin, closing with three straight two-hit days and finishing the week 7 for 17 with three doubles and a home run. The homer came May 2 in a 2-1 Timber Rattlers win.
• Jadyn Fielder, the son of Prince, had two doubles in three at-bats on May 2 and hit his first career Class A home run April 30 with the Wilson Warbirds.

Intriguing opposing player

Blake Mitchell, the No. 1 prospect in the Kansas City Royals organization, had two home runs against the Timber Rattlers this week and six hits overall. The catcher also held Wisconsin to just two stolen bases with one caught stealing over six games.

Brewers minor-league games May 4-10

• Nashville at Louisville Bats (Cincinnati)
• Biloxi vs. Columbus Clingstones (Atlanta)
• Wisconsin at Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis)
• Wilson at Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros)
• ACL Brewers vs. assorted teams, May 4-5 and 7-9

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Handelfry Encarnacion is Brewers minor-league player of week