Recapping the Draft [Updated]

First, though, updates on signing statuses:

• Eric Arnett is expected to sign shortly for about $1.2M.
• We were worried about whether Kentrail Davis would sign, because of his extra leverage as a sophomore and the fact that he's a Scott Boras client, but he sounds like he's ready to turn pro.
• From Adam McCalvy:

  the list of players already under contract includes third-round pick Josh Prince, a shortstop from Tulane; sixth-rounder Hiram Burgos, a right-hander from Bethune-Cookman; ninth-rounder Jonathan Pokorny, a left-hander from Kent State; and 10th-rounder Tyler Roberts, a high school catcher from Georgia. In addition, the team had come to terms with second-rounder Max Walla, a high school outfielder from Albuquerque who wowed club officials in a Miller Park workout last weekend, and was close to agreeing with another second-round pick, high school catcher Cameron Garfield.

4. Prep righty Brooks Hall, BA's #134 overall prospect, has an 88-92 MPH fastball that touches 94 and a hard slider that has plus potential. Because of his bonus demands and a strong commitment to South Carolina, Hall fell beyond where he would have gone on talent alone, but Bruce Seid says the Brewers are "dedicated" to signing him.
5. In the same article, Seid touches on Florida State outfielder D'Vontrey Richardson. Richardson was the backup quarterback at FSU last season, which speaks to the caliber of athlete he is, and indeed, he's a plus-plus runner. That said, his baseball skills are very underdeveloped; he hit .351/.431/.481 for the Seminoles as a freshman before sitting out 2008 to concentrate on football and then playing sparingly and not as well (.304/.371/.405) this year. Basically, think Brent Brewer if he had actually gone to FSU to play football. Still, he's an "exceptional worker", which should help bridge the gap between his tools and on-the-field performance, and he sounds very eager to sign. This could turn out to be an inspired pick.
7. Outfielder Khris Davis had a big year at Cal State Fullerton, hitting .336/.423/.664 and leading the team in homers with 16. He was a touted prospect coming out of high school, but his first two years at Fullerton were disappointing, so maybe the Brewers are getting a bit of a bargain here, catching a talented ballplayer as he's rediscovering his game.
15. Alabama's Del Howell is a power lefty, featuring a fastball that sits in the low 90s, touches 95, and has good natural sinking movement and complementing the heater with a hard low 80s slider and a promising changeup. Those three quality pitches made him a second- to fourth-round talent and the #105 overall prospect in the draft according to BA, but he slid to the 15th round after catching mono and pitching poorly and because he's got less than 100 collegiate innings under his belt, making his performance that much harder to read. That light workload will be a blessing if he signs, however, considering the wringer many college pitchers are put through by their coaches. Seid confirms that Howell will require a fair chunk of change, probably commensurate with the top-round talent BA rated him as. If the Brewers aren't willing to give him what he wants, he could be The One That Got Away, the Jemile Weeks of 2009. I really want them to sign this guy.
16. For the second pick in the row, the Brewers took a top-rated talent that slid, this time Scooter Gennett, a high school shortstop from Florida. He was perhaps among the top 30 high school juniors last year, but his stock fell this year and he was considered a third- to fifth-round talent and ranked #154 overall. BA says he's a second baseman as a pro and that he has "surprising power and bat speed for his size" (5'10"/170), but they didn't like his swing with a wood bat at a recent showcase and quoted an AL scout as saying he'd be better off going to college. He was perceived as having a strong commitment to Florida State and probably unsignable after dropping, but he sounds morineko is sure to be a big fan of his.
26. Mississippi high schooler Lex Rutledge, as you'll see in my interview with him tomorrow, expected to be taken in the third round, which speaks to the quality of his three-pitch arsenal. Especially promising is his precocious feel for his changeup. He's also got good velocity from the left side; BA reports him reaching 90 mph, and Rutledge himself says he threw 92 to 94 in front of the Brewers' scout. He'll take third-round money to sign.
33. Jacobbi McDaniel might be my favorite pick in the draft. First of all, look at the guy; you don't see many 285-pound third baseman. Indeed, McDaniel wasn't even in Baseball America's draft database and is more well-known for exploits on the gridiron, where he's a five-star defensive tackle recruit for Florida State. That didn't stop the Brewers from drafting him and reportedly offering him $800k to sign. Though McDaniel publicly said it would take $1.5M to sway him from football, he told me that he was 50/50 on whether or not to accept the Brewers' offer. I just want to see him stand next to Prince Fielder.
40. If Kyle Hansen's name sounds familiar, it's because he's the younger brother of erstwhile future Red Sox closer Craig Hansen, a first-round pick in 2005. Craig is huge, but at 6'7", Kyle even has an inch on him, though he weighs a scant 190 lbs. BA says he's touched 94 with his fastball and has an inconsistent slider along with a rarely seen changeup and splitter--better stuff than his brother had in high school. Given his height and age, it goes without saying that his mechanics are unrefined. This kind raw, projectable pitcher almost always goes to college, and indeed Kyle is expected to follow Craig to St. John's, but you never know.
42. Brad Schreiber is Jordan's high school classmate, and I'll let Jordan tell you about him.
45. BA on Richard Stock:

    Stock, the younger brother of USC's Robert Stock, has been hobbled by injuries to his wrist, back and ribs. A top 200 prospect when healthy, he figures to follow Robert to USC, where he could develop into one of the nation's finest catchers and a first-round candidate in 2012. He has better size than his older brother at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, and raw power from the left side to go with above-average arm strength.

    He would be another great, if unlikely, sign.