Made Turning Heads In ’26 Spring Training

On January 15, 2024, Milwaukee signed the 16-year-old Made to a free-agent deal and assigned him to their rookie summer league team in the Dominican Republic. All he did was hit .331 with an OPS of 1.012 over 51 games. He was named to the league’s mid-season and post-season all-star teams.

Made’s rookie-league performance earned him a promotion to Single-A Carolina to begin the 2025 campaign. His play in the first half of the season garnered Made a prestigious roster spot for the Futures Game during MLB’s All-Star Weekend.

After another all-star nod, this time in the Carolina League, the Brewers advanced Made to their High-A club, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, on August 5.

At this stop, Made was barely able to unpack his bags because his hot bat sent him upwards again. The then 17-year-old lit the Midwest League on fire, hitting .343 in his 27 games for Wisconsin. With just over a month’s worth of work logged in Grand Chute, Milwaukee sent him to Double-A Biloxi to close out the season.

A typical progression for a fast-tracked star would be for him to spend one year at each level of the minor leagues, especially those as young as Made. For him to speed from rookie ball to the Double-A level in just over a year is something that does not happen all the time.

When Will Made Reach Milwaukee?

Veterans Brice Turang and Joey Ortiz have manned second base and shortstop, respectively, for the past two seasons for the Brewers. Neither Turang (26) nor Ortiz (27) is long in the tooth, and both have settled into their spots comfortably. Jett Williams, who was acquired in the Freddy Peralta trade, and prospects Brock Wilken and Cooper Pratt have visions of securing big-league playing time in the infield soon.

With all of the traffic at his potential position with Milwaukee, when do the experts believe Made will debut at American Family Field?

MLB Pipeline writer Jim Callis wrote that he believes Made will don a Brewers uniform as a teenager.

“He’s supremely talented,” he wrote. “I can’t envision a scenario where he makes the team (out of spring training). Quick aside, does he make his big league debut this year at 19? I think so.”

Callis went on to predict that Made will make yet another successful promotion in 2026.

“I think he’ll spend most of the year at Double-A and Triple-A,” he wrote. “When you’re that talented, ETAs don’t mean anything. You write your own ETA. This is a guy I think can hit .300 with 20 homers and 50 steals this year while playing a quality shortstop.”

The fact that Made was named to Milwaukee’s 40-man roster in 2026 speaks volumes about what the Brewers have planned for him. While he will most likely begin the season in the minors, he is gathering valuable experience competing against other major-leaguers this spring.

Made has played in seven games this spring, and he went 2-for-2 with a triple and an RBI in a 13-12 win over the San Francisco Giants on February 25.

End Of My Made Rant: He’s Coming, Brewers Fans

The consensus across baseball is that Made is destined for a long and prosperous career in a Milwaukee uniform. Before that happens, he will undoubtedly spend most of his summer in Nashville playing for the Triple-A Sounds. The question will be “when” and not “if” he will be a major-leaguer wearing the Brewers blue and gold.

Milwaukee’s brass would be wise to treat Made with extra care and move him along methodically and slowly. The Brewers certainly do not want him to crash out and lose his confidence before realizing his potential.