First 5 rounds: Brice Turang (1-21), Joe Gray (2-60), Micah Bello (CBB-73), Aaron Ashby (4-125), Justin Jarvis (5-155)
Also notable: Drew Rasmussen (6-185), David Fry (7-215), Michael Mediavella (34-1025)
The Brewers went for upside this year, taking four high schoolers and a JuCo pitcher with their first five picks before finally grabbing someone from a four year college in the sixth round. They also gambled on a lot of tough signs (they almost didn't sign first rounder Brice Turang) and lost out on many of them, including 11th rounder Davis Daniel, 14th rounder Elijah Cabell, 29th rounder Nander De Sedas, and 36th rounder Brandon Williamson, all of whom could have gone in the top five rounds had they been more signable. Either way, they got what they wanted out of this class, and that's upside to replace departed prospects like the quartet from the Christian Yelich deal. They also interestingly continued a trend of liking Hawaiian players, having taken Kodi Medeiros (first round) and Jordan Yamamoto (12th round with over slot bonus) in 2014 and taking Micah Bello (CBB round) and Kekai Rios (28th round) this year.
1-21: SS Brice Turang (my rank: 17)
Turang stood out on the showcase circuit following his sophomore year of high school in 2016, so much so in fact that he was considered a way-early favorite to go first overall. However, he was more down to Earth on the 2017 circuit and continued to play good-not-great during his high school season. The shortstop from Corona, California seems to have suffered from prospect fatigue, the phenomenon where a prospect is in the public eye for such a long time that his game ends up being over-scrutinized. I like Turang, obviously not in the first overall pick range but definitely in the one he ended up being drafted in. He's a smooth fielding shortstop that will stay there, and his bat has a good combination of present value and projection, especially for a shortstop. The left handed hitter has wiry strength and an advanced approach at the plate, and if he can add loft to his swing and muscle to his frame, he could be a 15-20 homer threat while posting high on-base percentages and stealing plenty of bases with his plus speed. That's a classic leadoff profile, and he has a better chance than most high schoolers of reaching it. I'm not sold on the power and I think he more likely settles in the 10-12 homer range, but the on-base ability is great and I see him as a valuable player in Milwaukee for a long time. He signed for just over $3.4 million, which was nearly $400,000 over slot, and he has not appeared in minor league games yet.
2-60: OF Joe Gray Jr. (my rank: 61)
Gray is a high school outfielder from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, one with just as high of a ceiling as Turang but with less of a chance of reaching it. He was actually considered a fringe-first rounder early in the season and climbed into the 30's in my rankings at one point, but swing and miss issues dropped him into second round range. There's no question about the raw power; he's a thickly built 6'1" with an exceptionally quick swing, one which could be lengthened for monster home runs. However, he swings and misses too much at this point and has trouble getting to that power, and it will only be exacerbated in pro ball. Lengthening his swing to get more power could also harm his already fringy contact ability, but I'm not so sure about that because it's in and out of the zone so quickly as it is now that adding some length could actually give him more of a chance to meet the ball in the zone. In the outfield, he has pretty good range for now and a cannon arm, giving him the chance to be an above average right fielder and a leg up on other power hitting prospects with less defensive value. He signed for just over $1.1 million, right at slot, and he is slashing .111/.273/.333 with a home run, a stolen base, and a 4/4 strikeout to walk ratio in five games in the rookie level Arizona League.
CBB-73: OF Micah Bello (unranked)
Bello has nearly as much upside as Turang and Gray, though with even less of a chance to reach it. He's very raw as a player, which is understandable considering he's a high schooler from Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii, with an athletic 5'11" frame and good bat speed from the right side. The Brewers will have to revamp his swing mechanics to give his barrel more time in the zone and to add loft, and he'll also have to get more consistent with his outfield defense. You can teach that, but it's tougher to teach speed, and he's already fast. Like Gray, he'll be a project, but with the potential for some nice rewards. He's also young for his class, turning 18 in a few weeks, which buys him some time. He signed under slot at $550,000, saving the Brewers $274,900 against their bonus pool. Through 13 games in the Arizona League, he's slashing a surprising .333/.418/.479 with seven stolen bases and an 8/7 strikeout to walk ratio, though it's obviously too early to make anything of it. It's still nice to see the immediate transition though, especially for a raw player from Hawaii.
4-125: LHP Aaron Ashby (my rank: 110)
Just sneaking in to the back of my rankings, Ashby is a 6'1" lefty out of Crowder Junior College in Missouri. He dominated area JuCo hitters by going 11-2 with a 2.29 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and an incredible 156/43 strikeout to walk ratio in 74.2 innings. His low 90's fastball and power curveball simply overpowered JuCo hitting that was used to softer stuff, though his command was less than optimal. He reaches way back when he pitches, which might make it tough for him to repeat that delivery and hold his command over long starts in the pros, so he's likely better off in the bullpen. There, he can run his fastball into the mid 90's and not worry about a changeup or completely consistent command, and he could move quickly. The Brewers may opt to run him out as a starter though and see if their coaches can help him streamline his delivery. He signed for $520,000, which is $81,700 above slot. Over four games (two starts) in the rookie level Pioneer League (one step up from the Arizona League), he has thrown 10.1 innings and has allowed ten runs (nine earned for a 7.84 ERA) on eleven hits, six walks, and twelve strikeouts.
Others: 5th rounder Justin Jarvis is a high school pitcher out of the Charlotte, North Carolina area, one with a low 90's fastball, a curveball that looked plus over the summer but hasn't been as sharp this spring, and a changeup with some promise. The 6'3" righty has similar mechanics to Ashby that might make command and consistency an issue, so he may end up a reliever, but the Brewers have no reason not to run him out as a starter. 6th rounder Drew Rasmussen has a long history of injuries, and he hasn't thrown 40 innings in a season since 2015 and he sat out all of 2018 with Tommy John surgery. He was actually drafted 31st overall to the Rays last year but failed his physical, an he hasn't pitched since. He's been great when he was on the mound, going 14-5 with a 2.65 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and a 150/45 strikeout to walk ratio over 170 innings throughout his career. His stuff is great, as he throws a low to mid 90's fastball and a good slider, both of which he can command, but he'll have to stay on the mound to show it. He might be better off as a reliever, where he'll throw fewer innings, even though he has starter stuff when healthy. 7th rounder David Fry was a four year catcher for Northwestern State in Louisiana, finishing his senior year with a .327/.440/.604 slash line, 12 home runs, and a 46/40 strikeout to walk ratio in 62 games. He's steady behind the plate and should stick there, and he might have just enough bat to push through to a productive major league role with his combination of power and patience. 34th rounder Michael Mediavilla saw his ERA jump each year from his freshman year to his senior year at Miami, going from 1.94 to 3.40 to 4.45 to 7.52. The 6'5" lefty has good stuff, but he's struggled with consistency and command issues. The Brewers will probably bump him to the bullpen and see if he can find it there.
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