CC Sabathia got one of the best phone calls of his life in the middle of an all-star week trip, and it came from a familiar voice.
He was riding with a group of former players when his phone lit up. On the other end was Rickie Weeks, a former teammate, with news that hit hard: the Milwaukee Brewers had used their final pick in the MLB draft on Sabathia’s son, Carsten.
“It was crazy,” Sabathia said. “Full-circle. Your teammate calls you about your son getting drafted by the organization he works for is cool.”
The moment carried extra weight because Sabathia wasn’t the only member of Milwaukee’s 2008 club celebrating a son in the Brewers system. Prince Fielder was also at Citizens Bank Park for the All-Star Game, and his son, Jadyn, is already in the organization, playing for Milwaukee’s Class A affiliate, the Wilson Warbirds.
Jadyn Fielder and Carsten Sabathia have been around each other for years. Their fathers were teammates for three months in 2008, but the connection goes well beyond that. The families have crossed paths repeatedly over the years, and both dads say the bond has been there since the boys were little.
“They’ve known each other for a long time, since they were babies,” CC said. “I was looking through pictures of the All-Star Game in Kansas City [in 2012] with them out on the field. For them to be in the same organization, it’s going to be awesome.”
Said the generously-listed 5-foot-11 Prince Fielder: “I’ve known ‘Little C’ since he was shorter than me.”
Carsten Sabathia III spent this season at the University of Houston, where he hit .283 with an .885 OPS and six homers in 37 games for the Cougars. He played four college seasons overall, starting at Georgia Tech before transferring in 2025.
CC likes what he sees in his son’s game.
“He’s a high baseball IQ guy,” CC said. “He loves the game.
He’s going to work hard to be the best that he can be. Every limitation he’s had in his life - whether it’s not being fast enough, not being strong enough - he’s figured it out.
He’s worked through them and I’m excited to see him turn pro.”
Fielder had his own read on the bat: “I know he can bang a little bit.”
At 6 foot 4 and 245 pounds, Sabathia has the kind of frame that can do damage at the plate. His father, though, isn’t ready to surrender the family power-hitter title just yet.
“I got more pop,” said CC, who hit three homers in 121 career at-bats, including one with Milwaukee.
When Carsten Sabathia eventually reports to the Brewers complex in Arizona after signing, he’ll be a step behind Jadyn Fielder in the system. Fielder had a strong debut in 2025, batting .268 with a .426 on-base percentage in the Arizona Complex League, and he’s kept it rolling in Wilson, where he’s posted a .415 OBP and .813 OPS in 45 games.
“At first he started off slow,” Prince Fielder said. “It was a little cold.
Me and him both start out slow. As he gets older, he’ll figure that out soon.
Now he’s going good.”
For Sabathia and Fielder, the numbers and the accolades are already in the rearview. Fielder became the youngest player to ever hit 50 homers in a season, and Sabathia made the Hall of Fame. But both men made it clear that watching their sons chase the game means even more.
“For me it’s great,” Fielder said. “My son, he loves it.
That’s all you want. You can’t control the outcome.
But as long as he loves it and goes out there and tries to get better every day, that’s all you can ask for.”
Said Sabathia: “I couldn’t be more proud of him. He’s had a tough last four years going through college and trying to figure out playing time and where to play. The fans in Milwaukee are going to be excited.”
In Other News...
Brewers Just Got Another Big Reminder They Nailed The Andrew Vaughn Trade
More than a year after Milwaukee sent Aaron Civale to the White Sox for Andrew Vaughn, the trade keeps looking better for the Brewers. Vaughn has settled in at first base and given the lineup the kind of steady production the club was hoping for, with his offensive work showing both consistency and real value in the middle of the order.
Civale, meanwhile, has kept trending the other way, which only sharpens the contrast in what was once a straightforward swap. Milwaukee does not need a reminder that Vaughn has been the more dependable piece, but the latest turn in Civales career makes the return look even stronger and leaves the Brewers with another example of a deal that has aged well in their favor. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Just Got A Costly New Reality On Jacob Misiorowski
Chase Burns new deal in Cincinnati has quietly changed the conversation for Milwaukee, because it gives the Brewers a fresh measuring stick if they want to lock up Jacob Misiorowski. The right-hander has been one of the most electric arms in the game this season, and his emergence has only sharpened the question of how aggressive the Brewers will need to be to keep him in place long term.
Misiorowskis rise has put him in a different class of extension candidate, and the timing matters because the market for young pitchers keeps moving. Milwaukee has not yet gotten into extension talks with him, but the Burns contract makes clear that any serious effort to buy out Misiorowskis future is going to come with a hefty price tag and a lot more urgency than it might have just a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Civale's Exit From Milwaukee Keeps Looking Worse
Aaron Civales path since asking out of Milwaukee last June has only gotten bumpier. The right-hander was designated for assignment by the Athletics after 16 appearances and a 5.82 ERA, another rough stop for a pitcher who once looked like a useful rotation piece and has instead spent the last year bouncing from one roster crunch to the next.
The latest move also brings back an uncomfortable pattern for the Brewers to watch from afar. Civale was DFAd by the White Sox last summer after the trade out of Milwaukee, and this is the third time in a little over a year that he has landed in DFA limbo, a striking turn for a veteran who has already worn six big league uniforms in eight seasons. [Read more 🡒]