Brewers' top talent leads Wisconsin Timber Rattlers into postseason

Just like the Milwaukee Brewers themselves, a 20-year-old rookie player is leading the Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers to the championship title in the Midwest League.

Cooper Pratt, one of the Brewers' star picks in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft, was on full display for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, who pulled off a thrilling win over Lake County on Sunday to move just one win away from the championship.

Cooper Pratt (5) of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers makes a double play against Justin Johnson (1) of the Quad Cities River Bandits with players on first and third base in the seventh inning during their Midwest League playoff baseball game, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis., Wis. The Rattlers won 7-6 and will face Lake County in the Midwest League Championship Series beginning Sunday.

The Mississippi high school senior, selected in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, is considered the organization's second-best prospect by MLB.com and the fifth-best prospect by Baseball America. His double off the sack in the bottom of the eighth inning on Sunday broke a 4-4 tie and the Timber Rattlers held on to a 5-4 victory in the opener of the best-of-three championship series. The two teams will play again in Ohio on Tuesday and again on the road on Wednesday if necessary to win it all.

This was far from Pratt's only contribution to Wisconsin's postseason success. Through careful baserunning, he was able to score on an infield ball from third base earlier in the game.

On September 12, Pratt tied the game and scored the winning run on a walk-off winner off Luke Adams that gave the Rattlers a 2-0 victory over Quad Cities, 7-6, in the Midwest League division championship. Pratt went 3 for 4 with a double, walk and three runs scored.

In a 1-0 win over the River Bandits in Game 1 on September 10, shortstop Pratt made a diving save to prevent the game from tying the game in the ninth inning and give Wisconsin a 1-0 win.

The Timber Rattlers, who play their home games in Appleton, just over 100 miles north of Milwaukee, last won a Midwest League title in 2012. Former Brewers pitcher Brent Suter clinched that championship by beating Fort Wayne 4-2. Nick Ramirez, who has since switched to pitcher and has played eight games for the Los Angeles Dodgers this year, was a first baseman drafted by the Brewers in 2011, and he hit a two-run double that clinched the game.

Pratt, who just turned 20, just over five months younger than Milwaukee phenom Jackson Chourio (in case you needed one last example of how absurd Chourio was), had a .277 batting average with eight home runs and a .768 OPS in two minor league levels this season.

Biloxi Shuckers also reach playoffs

Another member of the Brewers, the Class AA Biloxi Shuckers, begin their best-of-three playoff series for the South Division title on Sept. 17 against the Montgomery Biscuits. The Shuckers are in the postseason for the first time since 2019 after securing a berth with a strong second half that put them in second place behind Montgomery (which had already secured a playoff spot by winning the first half).

Brewers' top talent leads Wisconsin Timber Rattlers into postseason

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