Meet Arbert Cipion, 9th-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers

It’s our second Q&A with our new group of Milwaukee Brewers prospects. Today we’re checking in with Arbert Cipion, the high school outfielder from the upper northeast.

Brad Ford: Congrats on being drafted. That has to be a pretty good feeling, right?

Arbert Cipion: Oh man, it was the best feeling in the world. I was at home sitting down getting ready to eat. I got the call from Ty Blankmeyer, the Area Scout up here. Coolest dude here. They basically asked me if I wanted to be with the Brewers. The Brewers were my number one choice for the draft. I was excited and that’s how it worked out.

BF: That’s great! If they’re one of your top choices, you must have had a connection with them for a while.

AC: Yeah, definitely. They showed me a lot of love in the offseason. In the spring, I can’t even count how many games they were at. It was Ty there most of the time. Actually, at one point, it felt like I had Milwaukee fans here. They were at my games like every day.

BF: Who was with you when you found out you got drafted and who was the most excited?

AC: My mom, my dad, my older brother and his girlfriend, and my little brother. We were all super psyched. My mother was screaming. My dad, I don’t really see my dad cry and I saw him cry. My little brother was going nuts. He was probably the most excited. Especially when I got the call from Milwaukee, Ty was like, “Hey, is your little brother around?” I said, “Yeah.” Ty was like, “Cool, I’ll bring him some gear, too.” He was so psyched and geeked up, it was a really good feeling.

BF: So for people who are little unfamiliar with the game, can you describe your approach at the plate and defensively?

AC: Mostly I play center field or the outfield in general. It doesn’t bother me where I am. My game is mostly about speed and being intelligent while stealing a lot of bags. When I’m batting, I’m always looking for something in the gaps and then using my legs to get the doubles and triples. You know like those exciting plays in baseball that guys are always waiting for. Then there’s the occasional moment where I know I’ll hit or miss this one and hopefully it’s a bomb. It’s a mixture of things but mostly it’s about my legs and intelligence. It’s about making the right play when it comes to me.

BF: What do you know about Milwaukee?

AC: About Milwaukee... It’s in Wisconsin. And that’s about it. I know that I could be playing for the Milwaukee Brewers.

BF: In good news, you’re already used to playing in the cold.

AC: Oh yeah, I’m a northeast guy and it’s always freezing up here. We talk about that all the time. Football season ends in the winter, then March comes around and it’s still 20 degrees. You just play in a hat, play with some heat warmers.

BF: What can someone find you doing in your downtime?

AC: Definitely working out. I do a lot of things for my little brother around baseball. It’s mostly about baseball. I like being a first base coach for my little brother’s team, it’s the same academy I played for when I was young. I like working with them. There’s kids around here asking all the time, “Arbert, can I come play with you?” I always tell them, “Absolutely, let’s go!” You’ll probably find me spending a lot of my time around here working with kids.

BF: What got you into working with the younger generation?

AC: When I was younger, I would always like when the older kids would come up to me and tell me what I was doing wrong. That was cool. They came over to me and worked with me. So, that’s feeling something I always remember and I want to give to other kids. The fact that I have a younger brother running around playing baseball all day. I might as well be there for him when I can.

BF: That’s a great mindset. Do you feel like your little brother’s going to follow in your footsteps? Do you think he’ll hear his name called on draft day?

AC: I feel like my little brother is going to be way better than me. As he should to be honest though, right? That’s just how it works.

BF: Who do you model your game after?

AC: I’ve always really looked up to Ken Griffey Jr.

BF: Do you play Fortnite?

AC: Yeah! Who doesn’t love Fortnite?

BF: Anything else you want Brewers fans to know about you?

AC: I am a very approachable guy. If you see me, come up to me, I’ll come up to you. I like interacting with every body. And let’s do what we can do to be the best team in baseball!