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Yesterday I talked a lot about the 6 names most associated with the Brewers first pick. I was basing that on the mock drafts and other things I've read from experts who actually know a thing or two about the reality of the situation. Today I wanted to talk about some names that might be targets of the Brewers or are just interesting in general. Most mock drafts don't go past the first round because at a certain point it gets really hard to predict picks. Basically, unlike with the top pick, I have no idea if most of these guys are even on the Brewers' radar.
1. Kodi Medeiros: High School LHP
I have to thank this tweet from Jim Goulart for keying me into Medeiros. The Brewers invited him, and presumably others, to audition at Miller Park. That's a common thing they do every year so we shouldn't read too much into it. It just means they were aware of him and wanted to see him in person. ESPN and MLB.com (scroll over to 29) both say he has a plus fastball and a plus slider with an average change. Matt Garrioch from Minor League Ball said his slider could be the best breaking pitch in the draft. He's a starter now, but because of his arm slot and height there's a chance he has to move to the bullpen eventually. I've seen him ranked as far down as 53 but I've also seen mocks where he goes before the second round.
2. Braxton Davidson: High School OF/1B
Once again thanks to Jim Goulart for bringing this tweet to my attention. Again, all we know is the Brewers are aware of Davidson and wanted to see him in person. Davdison is currently an outfielder and MLB.com believes he could stick in right while ESPN believes he'll have to move to first. Minor League Ball kind of split the difference saying he could begin his career in right, but eventually move to first base. All agree that he offers immense offensive "middle of the lineup" potential. I haven't seen a single mock draft popping him in the second round so there might be a good chance he's available when the Brewers make their Comp A pick (41 overall).
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Mederios and Davdison are the only two names I'm personally aware of having any connection to the Brewers. I'm sure there are others, though. From here on out I'm basically just making guesses so just keep that in mind.
Last year the Brewers selected Omar Garcia in the 7th round and David Denson in the 15th round. I heard an interview around December where Doug Melvin (maybe Bruce Seid?) said they took those two guys because they thought Garcia had the best speed in the whole draft and Denson had the best power. His point was, they might not ever become something, but if they do develop you know they already have that one elite level skill. Further down in the draft I think this makes a lot of sense.
With that in mind I took a look at MLB.com's top 200 prospect list. I chose that list because they give you a quick scouting report and grade skills on the 20-80 scale for the entire list. It's also free to view so no one needs that pesky Insider account. I started my search after the first 60 picks because I figure there's a better chance those guys will still be available for the Brewers in rounds 3 and up.
3. Mac Marshall: High School LHP; Ranked 66
Okay, I'm cheating a bit here because he's kind of a favorite of mine. He doesn't exactly have any stand out skills but he's slightly above average across the board. He does have a plus changeup. ESPN's scouting report says he has the upside of a 2 starter and that's exciting.
4. Bryce Montes de Oca: High School RHP; Ranked 73
His description reminds me of Johnny Hellweg. He's 6'7" with a big time fastball. MLB grades his fastball potential a 70, saying he's hit 94-97. He had Tommy John surgery last year which hurt his draft stock this year. Not sure what his future is.
5. Dylan Davis: College Junior OF; Ranked 74
Davis' plus skill is his arm which MLB graded as 70. He could play right field but he also has been clocked at 97 mph on the mound and could fall back on pitching. He's a teammate of Michael Conforto and I've read that right now Davis is better athlete. His offensive ceiling just isn't as high.
6. Jeren Kendall: High School OF; Ranked 90
Kendal has plus plus running ability that MLB graded at 70. They also graded his fielding ability at 60. He sounds like a guy that should be able to stick in center field and be pretty good defensively. He doesn't offer much with the bat though. Also, he's a Wisconsin native if that matters to you.
7. Joey Pankake: College Junior 3B; Ranked 124
He doesn't really grade out well anywhere. He might be okay defensively at third base, but the MLB.com description says he might end up at a corner outfield spot and that his bat profiles best at second base. That's not the description of a top prospect to be sure. But c'mon, the kid's got a 70 grade name!
8. Brent Jones: College Junior RHP; Ranked 130
His fastball and curve are graded as 60 but he doesn't have very good command and his cutter and slider are below average pitches. A team might be able to immediately convert him to short relief and perhaps he could move through a system quickly.
9. Dean Deetz: College Freshman RHP; Ranked 140
Deetz missed all of last year with TJ surgery. His fastball is graded at 65, his slider at 60, and his curve at 50. That's a pretty good mix to have at this point. His command is poor, but he did miss a year of pitching after surgery. I've heard it takes a while to get command back after Tommy John. I wonder if this could be one of those high upside sleeper picks. I don't really know, but I'd like to find out.
10. Isan Diaz: High School SS/2B; Ranked 150
Diaz is a plus defender that projects best at second base. His 50 grade hit tool could play there. Sounds interesting.
11. Patrick Weigel: College Junior RHP; Ranked 157
He touched 98 with his fastball. Sounds like he has injury concerns and would be a project, but that's a plus plus fastball.
12. Mason McCullough: College Junior RHP; Ranked 181
Another big time fastball, his clocked at 100 mph. I guess he's gotten into trouble off the field for undisclosed reasons. That usually is a red flag. Also apparently can't throw strikes consistently. But 100 mph.
13. Carl Chester: High School OF; Ranked 183
Plus-plus speed with enough defensive skill to stick in center. Light bat.
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