The Brewers followed their usual formula in 2025, going at or under slot with each of their first five picks and eleven of their first twelve, heading into the back half of the draft with significant cash to burn. They ended up spending almost all of it, but fell a little short of their full allotment and left five players unsigned, the most of any team. In fact, not a single draftee in the last ten rounds signed for at or below the allotted $150,000 – all five signed for anywhere between $225,000 and $757,500. The Brewers drafted twelve high schoolers in all, more than any other team, and signed nine of them, also the most of any team. It's a very boom or bust draft although they played it safe with a polished bat (Andrew Fischer) and a polished arm (JD Thompson) as two of their first three picks. With four of the first 68 picks, they also had more room to work than most teams.
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Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.
1-20: 3B Andrew Fischer, Tennessee
Slot value: $4.27 million. Signing bonus: $3.5 million ($768,100 below slot value).
My rank: #28. MLB Pipeline: #29. Baseball America: #28.
Milwaukee saved over three quarters of a million dollars with this pick (giving Fischer the value of the #26 pick), but that doesn't mean they aren't starting things with a bang. Andrew Fischer has one of the very best bats in this entire class and was one of the most visible hitters in college baseball this year as the centerpiece to Tennessee's always-potent lineup. A native of the Jersey Shore, he began his career at Duke where he was one of the Blue Devils' better hitters as a freshman, then transferred to Ole Miss and improved despite stepping up to face even better competition in the SEC. Not content with Oxford, he transferred a second time alongside Liam Doyle to Tennessee, where he took yet another step forward with the bat slashing .341/.497/.760 with 25 home runs in 65 games. Fischer has above average raw power, but he maximizes every ounce of it for plus power in games as he is elite at elevating the baseball with authority. His uppercut left handed swing is regularly on time and he makes his best contact up in the air. An aggressive hitter when he began at Duke, he started to rein in his approach at Ole Miss and by 2025 he was never, ever chasing, running an elite 21.6% walk rate to push his on-base percentage near .500. That combination of power, launch angle, and patience to get the right pitch to drive helps him score very well on team models. If there is one drawback in his offensive profile it is his pure bat to ball, as he swings and misses in the zone just a little more than you'd like to see from a first round bat. Pro pitchers will attack him in the zone, but they'll be doing so at their peril as he has the potential for 25-30 home runs per season with high, walk-driven on-base percentages in the bigs. His bat is well ahead of his glove, where he'll have to work hard to provide value. He's a below average runner and his range is a bit stretched at third base, though he does have enough arm strength to make it work. While he played a lot of third base at his first two schools, he played mostly first base at his third school. He could also end up in an outfield corner. Regardless, his bat is loud and the Brewers are drafting him to stick in the middle of their order. Fischer has a loud personality and was simultaneously one of the most beloved players in Knoxville and one of the most hated players in the rest of the SEC. Mixing New Jersey and the Deep South was always going to be interesting.
1C-32: SS Brady Ebel, Corona HS [CA]
Slot value: $2.97 million. Signing bonus: $2.75 million ($220,900 below slot value).
My rank: #73. MLB Pipeline: #64. Baseball America: #42.
At most high schools, getting drafted 32nd overall would make you the highest drafted player in a generation, if not in school history. For Brady Ebel, though, it only meant he was the third player drafted off his team in the same draft, following Pirates #6 pick Seth Hernandez and White Sox #10 pick Billy Carlson. The son of Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel, Brady began his career at Etiwanda High School but transferred to powerhouse Corona High School after two years. Ebel has long been a well-known name in this class and has had first round buzz for years. His stock started to fade just a bit over the last calendar year and most had second round grades on him, but the Brewers remained sold and gave him a slight under slot bonus to step away from an LSU commitment. Despite being one of the younger players in the class and not turning 18 until after the draft, he brings a very polished game befitting of the son of a major league coach. At the plate, he begins with a bit of a bat wrap but negates it with a quick trigger and a direct bat path, helping him make lots of contact even against older, high level pitching. His power is below average for now, but with a projectable 6'3" frame, he looks like he could grow into at least average power in time. Meanwhile, while the Southern California product is unremarkable as a runner, he brings fluid actions to the shortstop position as well as an above average arm that could help him stick at the highly sought after position. If he gets pushed off by a more explosive defender, he should fit well as an above average third baseman. The key to Ebel's development will be his power development, which will make the difference between a contact-oriented utility infielder and a big league regular who could knock 15-20 home runs annually with high on-base percentages at his peak.
2-59: LHP JD Thompson, Vanderbilt
Slot value: $1.56 million. Signing bonus: $1.56 million.
My rank: #48. MLB Pipeline: #66. Baseball America: #61.
I like JD Thompson, and I think he is a tremendous fit for the Brewers' system. He gradually worked his way into a larger and larger role on Vanderbilt's pitching staff, culminating in a 2025 in which he served as the program's ace, put up six double digit strikeout games, and finished tied for seventh in NCAA Division I with 122 strikeouts. He's more of a polished arm than a power pitcher, sitting in the low 90's with his fastball and only topping out around 95. The pitch plays up with riding action from a lower slot, coming in with relatively flat plane through the zone. He throws both a slider and a curveball, with the former dipping in under bats with nice, late action and the latter showing bigger, two-plane break to dive across the plate. He also shows a solid changeup, making for a big league ready four pitch mix. Everything plays up because Thompson creates nice angle with his crossfire delivery, giving his stuff even more of that two-plane effect. The East Texas native shows above average command of all of his pitches, filling up the zone by repeating his delivery consistently. Lacking a plus pitch, it is not the most exciting profile and his strikeout rate will likely drop in pro ball, but the Brewers love his well rounded profile and they have had plenty of success with this profile in the past. He projects as a #3 or #4 starting pitcher who could move quickly and be in the big leagues sooner rather than later.
2C-68: LHP Frank Cairone, Delsea Regional HS [NJ]
Slot value: $1.25 million. Signing bonus: $1.1 million ($156,900 below slot value).
My rank: #103. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #96.
Frank Cairone is a bit of a sleeper and a sneaky good pick for the Brewers here, who got him slightly below slot value to keep him from attending Coastal Carolina. Like JD Thompson, he will fit very well into this Brewers player development system. Cairone sits in the low 90's with his fastball, touching 96 at peak early in starts but settling closer to 90 at times. The pitch plays up further due to excellent riding life and extension, and a little more velocity could make it a plus pitch. He has long been able to spin the ball, but he's now starting to separate out his slider and curveball into distinct, potentially above average pitches. His changeup is behind as a fourth pitch, which is not uncommon for high school arms. The 6'2" lefty looks physical and repeats his delivery well, helping him fill up the strike zone well for a young arm and project for at least average command. Additionally, Cairone is extremely young for the class, not turning 18 until two months after the draft and really the age of an older 2026 graduate. There is a ton of upside here as a potential mid rotation starter and I believe he is not as far away from that ceiling as you might think.
3-94: RHP Jacob Morrison, Coastal Carolina
Slot value: $813,600. Signing bonus: $697,500 ($116,100 below slot value).
My rank: #168. MLB Pipeline: #173. Baseball America: #187.
Jacob Morrison's rise to stardom is extremely impressive. He joined the Coastal Carolina rotation as a true freshman in 2023, but was hit hard with a .304 opponents' batting average and a 6.55 ERA over thirteen starts. After missing all of 2024 with Tommy John surgery, he stepped back into the rotation in 2025 and beat all expectations by a country mile, going 12-1 with a 2.42 ERA and a 104/23 strikeout to walk ratio as he led the Chanticleers to the College World Series Finals and took home is own Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year award. Listed at a towering 6'8", 245 pounds, Morrison is the quintessential college ace. His fastball sits in the low 90's and touches 95 at peak, coming in with downhill plane and some life from an extremely high slot. He throws both a curveball and a slider that get nice glove side dip and sneak under bats, while his changeup is a firm fourth pitch. Morrison has a relatively stiff delivery but repeats it well and shows above average command, especially of his fastball, helping him walk just 5.4% of his opponents in 2025. Besides the Tommy John surgery, which can bite any pitcher, he has proven very durable and his 107.2 innings in 2025 were the third most in Division I. The kid out of the Flint, Michigan area likely does not have the stuff to miss large numbers of bats in pro ball, so he'll need to rely on his command to stay ahead in counts and keep hitters guessing. If the Brewers can help one or two of his secondaries take a step forward, that would be a major factor in getting him to his ceiling as a #4 or #5 starter. As of now, I most likely see him as a serviceable long reliever.
4-125: RHP Joshua Flores, Lake Central HS [IN]
Slot value: $599,600. Signing bonus: $722,500 ($122,900 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #243. Baseball America: #392.
After going at or slightly under slot value with each of their first five picks, the Brewers began to cash in on their savings by going a bit above slot to lure Joshua Flores away from a Kentucky commitment. While his ranking on public boards might not give it away, he has one of the highest octane arms you'll find outside of the top couple of rounds and is a markedly different prospect than the pitchers Milwaukee targeted so far in this class. The fastball sits in the low to mid 90's, topping out at 97 with run and ride to make it a plus pitch. His best pitch, however, is a nasty curveball with wicked snap that Northwest Indiana high school hitters simply couldn't handle. He can turn it over into a decent slider, while his changeup is behind. Flores has a long arm action, going almost full extension straight back before firing to the plate, leading to well below average command and getting him into walk trouble even with those same high school hitters his stuff could easily overwhelm. The Brewers will need to work hard to both streamline his delivery and help him harness his electric stuff, which could make him a high end starting pitcher at the big league level. Given how far he has to go to reach that ceiling, there is a good chance he ends up a reliever where he focuses on the fastball/curveball combination and doesn't need to hold his command more than an inning or two. He's also young for the class, having only turned 18 a month before the draft.
6-185: SS Daniel Dickinson, Louisiana State
Slot value: $344,400. Signing bonus: $325,000 ($19,000 below slot value).
My rank: #122. MLB Pipeline: #80. Baseball America: #73.
This is a nice value get for the Brewers, as Daniel Dickinson was considered a top two rounds prospect at times and still got third round grades from many publications at draft time, though he was a fourth rounder on my board. Lightly scouted out of high school, he began his career at Utah Valley University and simply bashed his way through the WAC, earning first team all-conference honors as both a freshman and a sophomore. He transferred to LSU for his junior season and had no issues catching up to SEC pitching, though questions about the overall impact in his profile pushed him back a couple rounds. Dickinson is a high contact bat that battles through his at bats, which aided his transition from the WAC to the SEC and which will aid his transition into pro ball. The power, meanwhile, is more of a question mark. He's listed at an average 6', 180 pounds, and ran below average exit velocity numbers despite smacking 39 home runs in three years of college ball. His power plays with metal bats when he can yank it to the pull side, though he hit just .205/.350/.253 with wood bats in the Cape Cod League last summer, showing his same great plate discipline but struggling to drive the ball into gaps and over heads. Drafted as a shortstop, he has the physical tools to profile there if needed but probably fits better at second base, where he could be solid average or even above average. The Eastern Washington native is a baseball rat who will maximize his skill set and best profiles as a contact hitting utility infielder in Milwaukee.
11-335: SS CJ Hughes, Junipero Serra HS [CA]
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $700,000 ($550,000 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #215.
As is tradition in Milwaukee, the Brewers began to unload their excess bonus pool space by dumping early fourth round money into eleventh rounder CJ Hughes, precluding him from attending UC Santa Barbara. Hughes had a strong senior season at JSerra High School in Southern California, a powerhouse program producing more and more talent headlined by 2017 first overall pick Royce Lewis. He is a glove first shortstop with a vacuum-like glove at the premium position, showing natural soft hands and enough arm strength to be an above average defender there. A switch hitter, he has impressed evaluators with a strong approach and solid bat to ball, giving him a shot at an average or better hit tool. There's not much power in the profile, clocking in at a listed 155 pounds, and he'll likely never have average power no matter how much he develops. Still, there is some twitch in his swings and he should have enough to keep pitchers honest with something like 5-10 home runs per season and plenty of doubles and triples. With average speed, it's probably a utility infield profile with a chance to develop into an every day shortstop if he can tack on a little bit of strength. Age works in his favor as he won't turn 18 until September, making him one of the youngest players in the entire draft.
19-575: RHP Chase Bentley, IMG Academy [FL]
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus $757,500 ($607,500 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
There is not a ton of public information out there on Chase Bentley, who signed for a large, late-third round caliber bonus rather than attend Texas A&M. He's a Northern California native who crossed the country with Rays supplemental pick Dean Moss to attend IMG Academy in Florida. His fastball sits around 90 with tons of running action to miss barrels, while he has really sharpened up his slider into a second out pitch. There is a curveball and a changeup in the mix as well, though he can drop his arm to get more fade on the latter, making for a well-rounded arsenal which he has shown solid feel to command. Listed at 6'3", 215 pounds, he's very physical for a high schooler and that is made even more impressive by the fact that he is relatively young for a high school pick, giving the Brewers high confidence he can develop into a mid-rotation starting pitcher. They'll loosen up his delivery a little bit to unlock more velocity and continue honing in those breaking pitches. While he wasn't much of a known commodity before the draft, the Brewers did their diligence here and think he would have developed into a monster in College Station.
20-605: RHP Ma'Kale Holden, Thompson HS [AL]
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $410,000 ($260,000 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #163.
Milwaukee finished things off with a second straight physical right handed pitcher here, paying Ma'Kale Holden late fifth round money to head north rather than stay home at Alabama for school. He has hit 97 with his fastball but more commonly lives closer to 90 at present, while showing excellent feel for spin on his two breaking balls. There is a changeup in the mix as well, giving him a power arm with four pitches. For now, the mechanics are relatively raw and both his fastball velocity and his secondary stuff can be inconsistent, but at his peak stuff he looks like he belongs in the top couple of rounds. With his inconsistent mechanics, he also has trouble holding his command together for longer periods of time, making for an all around relatively raw prospect. Milwaukee will take its time with Holden to streamline things, with pro coaching hopefully unlocking effectiveness at his peak stuff. The 6'1" righty carries reliever risk, where he could sit closer to the mid 90's and pull the string on his nasty breaking stuff.
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