Brewers select Blake Allemand with 5th round pick in 2015 MLB draft

With their fifth round pick in the 2015 draft -- number 151 overall -- the Brewers have selected shortstop Blake Allemand out of Texas A&M.

A switch hitter, Allemand has hit .339/.430/.506 as a senior in 2015 with seven home runs and seven stolen bases. He has some struggles as a sophomore at the plate, but overall has been a strong hitter in college (you can see his full college stats here). Allemand has never hit for a ton of power and doesn't project to in the majors as he stands just 5'10" and 170 lbs, but his patience and good eye at the plate could give him value.

Allemand has also played shortstop, second base and third base for the Aggies. With that, his switch-handedness and low-potential bat, he certainly projects more as a future utility player as opposed to a starter. As a senior, he should also be an easy sign for the Brewers.

Baseball America ranked Allemand as the 49th-best available college senior in this year's draft and the 27th-best available prospect out of Texas. Minor League Ball ranked him as the 340th-best prospect overall.

Though it's not the most exciting pick, Allemand will help in a couple of ways. The first is that he's someone who can go to A-ball right away and should be able to advance quickly through the Brewers' system. He's not a high-ceiling by any means, but utility players have value and the Brewers don't have a ton of switch hitters.

The second way he'll help is by being an easy sign that should save the Brewers some money. Milwaukee has gone with three high school players and two college juniors, so they'll likely need to spend a decent amount of money to sign everyone. It could also allow the Brewers to take someone overslot later on.

The Brewers made a similar pick in fifth round last year when they chose third baseman Dustin DeMuth out of Indiana-Bloomington. The Brewers were able to sign their top 16 picks from the 2014 draft.