Why Brewers RHP Jaron DeBerry Is A Potential 2026 Sleeper

Career Background

DeBerry’s collegiate path followed what has become an increasingly common arc.

He began his career in junior college at Northern Oklahoma-Enid, where he made all-conference in 2021. He then transferred to Grayson College for his sophomore campaign, working as a reliever primarily and striking out 60 batters over 41.1 innings. Prior to 2023, DeBerry transferred again, this time joining the Division I ranks at Dallas Baptist. After an up-and-down junior season, he made the jump to the starting rotation as a senior. He made 15 starts in 2024, going 7-1 with a 3.50 ERA and 89 strikeouts to 38 walks across 90 innings. 

Like many college starters coming off a solid workload in the spring, DeBerry was shut down after being selected by the Brewers in the 2024 draft. He made his professional debut in early May 2025, as his assignment to an affiliate was delayed by a month. He made quick work of Carolina League competition, logging three starts and allowing one run over 8.2 innings. On May 25, DeBerry made his first start with High-A Wisconsin, allowing three runs over three innings of work. 

After a couple tough starts to begin his time in the Midwest League, DeBerry buckled down and enjoyed an excellent June. Over five starts, DeBerry pitched to a 3.42 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 25 strikeouts to six walks across 23.2 innings. He held opponents to a batting average of .207 while running a 3.83 FIP. 

After a strong July—outside of one disastrous start on July 10—DeBerry earned a promotion to Double-A Biloxi on August 6. Over the final month and a half of the season, he made seven starts for the Shuckers, pitching to a 3.62 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 34 strikeouts to 10 walks over 37.1 innings. He earned Southern League pitcher of the week on August 24, and found himself in the conversation for 2025’s biggest pop-up prospects.

Pitching Profile

What allowed DeBerry to so quickly climb the minor league ladder and finish his debut season in Double-A? To answer that question, let’s take a dive into his unique combination of traits.

DeBerry has a preternatural feel for spin, placing him into the bucket of pitchers classified as supinators. This lean toward supination instead of pronation allows pitchers to more naturally generate spin. This is a primary factor helping to drive DeBerry’s success. When these natural spin generation skills are paired with outlier extension, a low release height and a deep arsenal, the results are traits that portend future success. 

DeBerry’s ability to generate spin might be the best in the minors when comparing him to the general population of MiLB pitchers, as he ranks within the top three in raw spin rates across multiple pitch types. He ranks second in cutter spin, third in slider spin and third in curveball spin:

No other pitcher in the minors generates as much spin across their arsenal as DeBerry does. And these natural traits allow him to throw a better breaking ball despite a lack of average velocity across his mix.

The cutter is DeBerry’s primary pitch, as it sees more usage than his sinker or four-seam fastball. The cutter sits 87-89 mph with slight ride and heavy cut, leaning more on the breaking ball side of cutters than the fastball side.

His sinker is his primary fastball. It sits just 90-92 mph, touching 96 at peak.

His sweeper slider is also a primary part of his mix, seeing similar usage to his cutter and sinker. The sweeper sits 81-83 mph with an average of 13-14 inches of sweep and 4-6 inches of ride. The offering is DeBerry’s best bat-missing pitch, as it drove whiffs at a rate of 41% this season.

He also mixes in a low-90s four-seam fastball with a flatter plane of approach, a changeup with good vertical separation off the rest of his arsenal and a low-80s two-plane curveball. 

Beyond the impressive ability to create spin, it’s his ability to do so from a deceptive arm action and release point that really drives DeBerry’s profile. Unique looks and release points keep hitters off balance, and the unusual look DeBerry presents forces opposing hitters to adjust.

In addition to his spin traits, DeBerry’s release point on his fastball is one of the 20 lowest in the minors. This is a product of a lower three-quarters arm slot and plus extension, as DeBerry averages 6.8 feet of extension. This, in turn, creates a flat plane of approach on all of his pitches. That’s particularly so for his two fastball variations, which allows them to play above their below-average velocity. These traits hint at improved fastball quality with added power and strength, as his fastball traits with a velo bump to 92-94 mph would likely allow him to make another jump in the coming years. 

Armed with unique release traits, outlier feel for spin and a deep arsenal of pitch shapes, DeBerry is yet another Brewers prospect worthy of attention this offseason. If he can add strength and velocity, we could see the intriguing righthander’s prospect stock could explode in the coming years.