With advancements at the collegiate level in recent years, it’s becoming more and more common to see college players move quickly through the minor leagues after being drafted.
The latest example of this in the Brewers farm system is right-handed pitcher Tyson Hardin, who was promoted to Triple-A Nashville several weeks ago, and now is on the cusp of reaching the Major Leagues just two years after being drafted.
A former relief pitcher at Mississippi State University, Hardin might be referred to as a bit of a late bloomer.
He started his career at Daytona State College, where he spent two seasons, before transferring to Mississippi State. In 15 relief appearances as a sophomore in 2023, Hardin didn’t exactly set the world on fire either, posting an ERA of 12.81 over 19.2 innings out of the bullpen.
As a junior with the Bulldogs, Hardin finally started to come into his own, showing flashes of his tremendous potential, recording a pair of saves, while striking out about one batter per inning and posting an ERA of 3.22. He still was working mostly out of the pen, but showed enough that the Brewers used their 12th-round pick on him, signing him for $147,500.
That’s when the real work began for Hardin, whose grandfather Ronald was a third-round pick of the Cubs in 1970.
He made his way to Milwaukee’s complex in Arizona, and spent most of his first season making improvements at the team’s famous pitching lab in Maryvale.
He pitched in just two games for Low-A Carolina in 2024, but Milwaukee felt comfortable enough with where he was at, that they sent him to High-A Wisconsin for his first full season of pro ball in 2025.
Hardin came out guns blazing at Wisconsin, earning the Brewers Minor League Pitcher of the Month Award for April, and he wound up going 4-3 with a 2.34 ERA in 11 starts for the Timber Rattlers.
That earned him a bump to Double-A Biloxi, where he continued to excel.
Depite missing roughly a month with a “dead arm”, Hardin managed to put up similar numbers with the Shuckers, going 2-2 with a 3.29 ERA in ten starts, en route to being named Milwaukee’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year last season.
With a five-pitch mix, that includes a devastating cutter that generates a lot of whiffs, Hardin continues to build on his arsenal, adding three new pitches to his mix over the last two years, helping his mid-90’s fastball play up even more.
He returned to Biloxi to begin the 2026 season, making seven more Double-A starts, before getting the call to take the next step, with a move to Triple-A Nashville. And the move served him well, as he took to Nashville immediately, tossing seven innings of one-run baseball in his Triple-A debut.
He went 5.2 innings and again allowed just one run in his second outing, and then followed that up with six scoreless frames in his next start, making strides and learning each time he takes the mound.
With the way the Brewers move pitchers between Triple-A and the big leagues, and with a rash of recent injuries, Tyson Hardin is a name that fans in Milwaukee should probably start getting to know.
• The roster shuffle continues at Nashville, with even more moves likely to come today. The latest addition to the Sounds pitching staff is right-hander Brett Wichrowki, who was promoted to Triple-A on Thursday. Wichrowski had uneven results at Double-A Biloxi, with a 5-2 record, but a 6.24 ERA over 11 appearances, eight of which came as a starter. He made his first start with the Sounds on Thursday night and picked up the win, going 5.2 innings while allowing three runs.
• Biloxi right-hander Jaron DeBerry could be next in line for a promotion after being named the Southern League Pitcher of the Week on Monday. Starting the back end of the Shuckers doubleheader last Saturday, DeBerry went the distance, tossing the 11th complete game shutout in team history. In ten Double-A starts this season, DeBerry has an ERA of 4.84, striking out 53 batters over 48.1 innings, while holding opposing hitters to a .199 average.
• There was another scary moment for Brewers prospect Luis Pena this past week, when he exited early from a game on Tuesday in Cedar Rapids. Pena had to be helped off the field in an incident similar to one earlier this season in Fort Wayne. The good news was that Pena was able to return to the field on Thursday night, missing just one game this time.
• It’s been a rough go of things for Quinn Priester as he tries to work his way back to the mound in Milwaukee. After struggling in multiple outings at the higher levels, the Brewers transferred his rehab to Arizona, where he will be able to continue to work through things in a more controlled environment at the Complex League level in the ACL.
• Just a week after outfielder Jordyn Adams was released by the Brewers, it was announced this week that he was enrolling at SMU, where he will be playing football for the Mustangs. A former 4-star recruit as a wide receiver coming out of high school in 2018, Adams ranked behind only Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ja’Marr Chase out of the prep ranks, and was committed to North Carolina. Adams will now be following the same path as former Brewers outfielder Monte Harrison, who is currently a sophomore wide receiver at Arkansas, making the transition from the diamond to the gridiron.
Nashville Sounds (AAA) – Current record: 36-24, 2nd place in the International League West Division, 1.5 game back of first place Memphis (Cardinals).
Biloxi Shuckers (AA) – Current record: 27-24, 2nd place in the Southern League South Division, 0.5 games back of first place Montgomery (Rays).
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A+) – Current record: 29-22, 2nd place in the Midwest League West Division, 3.5 game back of first place South Bend (Cubs).
Wilson Warbirds (A) – Current record: 28-26, 2nd place in the Carolina League North Division, 11 games back of first place Fredericksburg (Nationals).
ACL Brewers (R) – Current record: 12-13, 4th place in the Arizona Complex League Central Division, 3.5 games back of first place ACL Guardians.
DSL Brewers Blue (R) – Current record: 2-1, 3rd place in the Dominican Summer League Northwest Division, 1 game back of first place DSL Tampa Bay (Rays).
DSL Brewers Gold (R) – Current record: 0-3, last place in the Dominican Summer League Central Division, 3 games back of first place DSL Orioles Orange.