At just 19 years old, one Brewers Minor Leaguer outfielder is finding new ways to bring the Payne.
A left-handed hitter, Payne first went deep on an 0-0, 84 mph slider from Loons southpaw starter Sterling Patick (Dodgers) in the fifth inning, driving it 348 feet down the right-field line for a pulled shot. His second homer of the matinee came on another first pitch in the ninth, this time on a 96 mph outside fastball from righty reliever Isaac Ayon. Payne, who finished 2-for-5, pushed the heater to left-center, where it got caught in the Dow Diamond wind and kept traveling 414 feet over the wall in left-center.
The dingers were Payne’s ninth and 10th of the 2026 season, giving him a career high through 29 games this spring. Only teammate Andrew Fischer (MIL 6), who also homered Tuesday, has hit more in the Midwest League so far this year.
COMPLETE DODGERS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Payne, a Texas native, went 17th overall to the Brewers in the 2024 Draft and signed for under slot at $3.44 million as a 17-year-old at the time. Since entering the Milwaukee organization, Payne’s loudest tool has been his plus-plus speed, but he popped some loud exit velocities at Single-A Carolina in his first full season last year, during which he hit .240/.354/.382 with eight homers and 31 steals in 77 games.
This season with Wisconsin — where he’s hitting .281/.383/.614 after Tuesday — he’s cut down a bit on the leg kick that caused him to leak out of his swing early, switching to more of a modest leg raise in his load. While his overall contact numbers have been roughly similar, he’s done much more elevating on contact. Entering Tuesday, his ground-ball rate had fallen from 50.3 percent to 41.3 from 2025 to ’26, while his flyball rate moved up from 33.3 percent to 40. Combine those improved angles with the strength already in the profile, and Payne is trending toward a possible 20-homer threat.
Even if the season ended today, Payne would be the only Brewers prospect aged 19 or younger to hit double-digit homers over a single High-A season since 2006. Jackson Chourio came closest when he hit eight in his age-18 season in 2022, though that was in only 31 games.
From outside the organization, only Cam Collier (20, 2024), Edwin Arroyo (13, 2023), Owen Caissie (11, 2022), Carter Jensen (11, 2023) and Leo De Vries (10, 2025) have done so as Midwest League teenagers in that timeframe. All five have been Top 100 prospects at various stages of their careers.
