Eric Brown

Organization Prospect Rankings

• Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #27 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Brown was a standout in the 2021 Cape Cod League, then hit .330/.460/.544 at Coastal Carolina in 2022, when the Brewers drafted him in the first round (27th overall) and signed him for $2.05 million. Brown’s bat was supposed to be his calling card, but he didn’t do much to distinguish himself offensively in 2023, with a non-displaced hairline fracture of his left shoulder blade that kept him out for six weeks in July and August.
  
  Scouting Report: Brown doesn’t have big-time tools or explosiveness, but he made a ton of contact in college and his low swing-and-miss rate carried over into pro ball. In college, Brown had an unconventional swing, with his hands above his head and away from his body and a big leg kick, but he has condensed some of those bigger movements, lowering his hands and shortening his leg kick. Brown has good strike-zone judgment and is a high-contact hitter, but it’s typically lighter contact. He can occasionally sneak a ball over the fence to his pull side, but he will need to develop more extra-base impact. An above-average runner with an average arm, Brown has the actions to stick in the dirt, with several scouts thinking he would fit better at second base than shortstop.
  
  The Future: Brown will need to rebound in 2024, with more damage on contact the key for his development. He should start 2024 in Double-A Biloxi.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
• 
  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #9 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Brown had a big summer in the Cape Cod League in 2021, hitting .282/.375/.476 with five home runs as a rising junior. The following spring with Coastal Carolina, he hit .330/.460/.544 with seven homers, 39 walks and 28 strikeouts in 57 games. The Brewers drafted him in the first round at pick No. 27 overall and signed him for $2.05 million. Brown spent the majority of his pro debut with Low-A Carolina.
  
  Scouting Report: Brown has a tool set that projects to grade out around average across the board. Scouts highest on Brown are drawn to him for his advanced feel for hitting and consistent offensive track record. He does it with an unorthodox swing, starting his hands above his head and away from his body, then using a long, swinging leg kick to load his swing. On his own, he tweaked his setup after signing, moving his hands back behind his head and dropping them down a bit to create a simpler move into his hitting position. Even with the more exaggerated setup, Brown showed a knack for being on time and barreling balls in game with a high contact rate and solid sense of the strike zone. If Brown can drive the ball in the air more often, he could end up with average power. A tick above-average runner, Brown should continue to develop at shortstop. He has good actions to stick in the dirt, but his arm is average at best. He likely ends up getting pushed off the position by a better defender, with a chance to stick at shortstop but with second base or third base as potential landing spots.
  
  The Future: Some scouts see Brown as a utility player, but his contact skills and solid tool set could be good enough for him to develop into a regular somewhere in the infield. He's advanced enough to open 2023 in High-A Wisconsin.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 50. Power: 50. Speed: 55. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #55 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Coastal Carolina Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21.6
  BA Grade: 50/High
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
  Brown is an athletic, 5-foot-10, 190-pound middle infielder who ranked as the No. 24 prospect in the Cape Cod League last summer after hitting .282/.375/.476 with five home runs with Cotuit. He’s an unusual hitting prospect given his unique setup. Brown starts with his hands fully extended from his body and raised up above his head—which leads to Craig Counsell comparisons—before slowly drawing them back in his load, with a long and deliberate leg kick in the lower half. It is far from a picturesque swing and scouts typically find themselves put off initially, but it’s hard to argue with the numbers he’s posted as a college shortstop. This spring he had a career-best season, hitting .330/.460/.544 with seven home runs, 19 doubles and more walks (39) than strikeouts (28). Brown has always shown impressive plate discipline and he has solid exit velocity numbers as well, giving him a chance for more power if he can get the ball in the air more frequently. He’s an impressive athlete and solid defender who has a chance to stick at shortstop. Brown’s swing is unique, but a college shortstop with his bat-to-ball skills and 2022 production should be a fit among the top three rounds in the draft.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Brown had a big summer in the Cape Cod League in 2021, hitting .282/.375/.476 with five home runs as a rising junior. The following spring with Coastal Carolina, he hit .330/.460/.544 with seven homers, 39 walks and 28 strikeouts in 57 games. The Brewers drafted him in the first round at pick No. 27 overall and signed him for $2.05 million. Brown spent the majority of his pro debut with Low-A Carolina.
  
  Scouting Report: Brown has a tool set that projects to grade out around average across the board. Scouts highest on Brown are drawn to him for his advanced feel for hitting and consistent offensive track record. He does it with an unorthodox swing, starting his hands above his head and away from his body, then using a long, swinging leg kick to load his swing. On his own, he tweaked his setup after signing, moving his hands back behind his head and dropping them down a bit to create a simpler move into his hitting position. Even with the more exaggerated setup, Brown showed a knack for being on time and barreling balls in game with a high contact rate and solid sense of the strike zone. If Brown can drive the ball in the air more often, he could end up with average power. A tick above-average runner, Brown should continue to develop at shortstop. He has good actions to stick in the dirt, but his arm is average at best. He likely ends up getting pushed off the position by a better defender, with a chance to stick at shortstop but with second base or third base as potential landing spots.
  
  The Future: Some scouts see Brown as a utility player, but his contact skills and solid tool set could be good enough for him to develop into a regular somewhere in the infield. He's advanced enough to open 2023 in High-A Wisconsin.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 50. Power: 50. Speed: 55. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Brown had a big summer in the Cape Cod League in 2021, hitting .282/.375/.476 with five home runs as a rising junior. The following spring with Coastal Carolina, he hit .330/.460/.544 with seven homers, 39 walks and 28 strikeouts in 57 games. The Brewers drafted him in the first round at pick No. 27 overall and signed him for $2.05 million. Brown spent the majority of his pro debut with Low-A Carolina.
  
  Scouting Report: Brown has a tool set that projects to grade out around average across the board. Scouts highest on Brown are drawn to him for his advanced feel for hitting and consistent offensive track record. He does it with an unorthodox swing, starting his hands above his head and away from his body, then using a long, swinging leg kick to load his swing. On his own, he tweaked his setup after signing, moving his hands back behind his head and dropping them down a bit to create a simpler move into his hitting position. Even with the more exaggerated setup, Brown showed a knack for being on time and barreling balls in game with a high contact rate and solid sense of the strike zone. If Brown can drive the ball in the air more often, he could end up with average power. A tick above-average runner, Brown should continue to develop at shortstop. He has good actions to stick in the dirt, but his arm is average at best. He likely ends up getting pushed off the position by a better defender, with a chance to stick at shortstop but with second base or third base as potential landing spots.
  
  The Future: Some scouts see Brown as a utility player, but his contact skills and solid tool set could be good enough for him to develop into a regular somewhere in the infield. He's advanced enough to open 2023 in High-A Wisconsin.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 50. Power: 50. Speed: 55. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  August Update: Brown hit .282/.375/.476 with five home runs during a big summer in the Cape Cod League in 2021. He followed that by hitting .330/.460/.544 with more walks (39) than strikeouts (28) in 57 games for Coastal Carolina in 2022, then signed with the Brewers for $2.05 million as their first-round pick at No. 27 overall. There&#39s no plus tool with Brown, but he has been a consistent, steady offensive performer with good plate discipline. His swing is unconventional, with his hands starting above his head and away from his body and a long, deliberate leg kick to get his swing started. Despite the moving parts, he has shown good timing to make frequent contact with a chance for average power if he can drive the ball in the air more often. Brown has a chance to stick at shortstop, with a bag of 50-55 tools on the defensive side, including his speed and arm strength.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 50. Run: 55. Field: 50. Arm: 50.