2 years agoMilwaukee Brewers pitching prospect Ethan Small has impressed ever since being selected in the first round of the 2019 draft. The 25-year-old currently ranks eighth among the team's prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. His heater doesn't have overwhelming velocity, but it has enough spin and action in the upper region of the zone to baffle hitters. He also has a great changeup that might be his best pitch. Beyond these two offerings, Small deploys a pair of breaking balls, but neither has proven to be effective just yet. Small likely needs to harness these third and fourth offerings before we can confidently project him as a worthwhile MLB starter. He has just one big-league game under his belt: a two-run, 2.2-inning affair back in May. Although Small still needs to work on his repertoire, the southpaw has looked great in the minors this season. During his start on Saturday, he lasted seven innings, allowing just one run, three hits, and one walk. Most impressive was the fact that he struck out 10 batters in the process, boosting his strikeout metrics to an impressive 10.80 K/9 in 2022.--Andersen Pickard - RotoBaller
Source: Fangraphs