One year ago, at this time, Konnor Griffin was baseball’s top prospect. Now he’s patrolling the infield in Pittsburgh. The man who took over his top spot is Milwaukee’s Jesús Made.

Made is still only 19, but his performance in the minors now has him projected to debut at some point this season. My guess would be, depending on what Milwaukee decides to do at the deadline, that Made could follow Cleveland’s blueprint with Chase DeLauter, and have their top prospect debut in the Postseason. As of July 20th, the Milwaukee Brewers have overtaken the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball. This is a team with championship aspirations, and although he’s young, the power-speed combo that Made brings could prove valuable in October, even if it’s just as a pinch hitter or baserunner, reminiscent of the Red Sox pinch running Dave Roberts in the 2004 ALCS to pick up a critical stolen base late in a game.

Before we forecast Jesús Made’s future, let’s talk about his present. Currently in Double-A Biloxi, Made is hitting .276 with 10 homers 14 doubles, 5 triples and 64 RBIs. Additionally, Made is living up to his reputation as a guy with great plate discipline, tallying more RBIs than strikeouts. He has also drawn 37 walks and 27 stolen bases.

One of the biggest questions that came up in my initial Prospect Spotlight of Made was that of defensive positioning. Milwaukee has a logjam in the middle of the infield. Brice Turang was an All-Star. Milwaukee’s #3 prospect Cooper Pratt made his Major League debut on June 16th and has played 28 games in Milwaukee, all at shortstop. Their #5 prospect, Jett Williams is waiting in the wings in Triple-A. Mathematically, there’s nowhere to put Jesús Made. In 2026, Made has primarily played shortstop, but has played a handful of games as the DH. Maybe that could work long-term, especially given Made’s average arm strength.

If given the choice, I’d take Made’s raw skills at short over Cooper Pratt’s, then prep Jett Williams to play third, but what you could do is move Christian Yelich back out into the outfield, put Made at DH and trade Sal Frelick. Or, given the fact that Christian Yelich is 34, has an injury history longer than a CVS receipt, and only has a couple of years left on that massive 9-year $215 million deal he signed in 2020, maybe it would be prudent for Milwaukee to move Yelich at the deadline (which is tomorrow by the time this article is published) to try to get something in return for the former MVP. Just a thought.

Jesús Made is also prominently featured on Season 1 of Road to the Show on Peacock, showcasing a select few prospects on their journey to the Major Leagues. One thing that’s evident is the joy that Made brings to the clubhouse. Those are energy guys that players love being around. That kind of sparkplug could be just the thing Milwaukee needs to get to the Promised Land. I wouldn’t rush him, but based on his advanced approach, I don’t think it will be too long before we see him at American Family Field.