Milwaukee Brewers choose David Hamilton in 8th round of MLB Draft

With the 253rd pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, the Milwaukee Brewers have chosen college shortstop David Hamilton out of Texas. Hamilton was a significant contributor to the Longhorns College World Series appearance in 2018, batting .291/.404/.445 with five home runs and 31 steals in 275 plate appearances. But Hamilton tore his Achilles before the 2019 season and wound up taking a medical redshirt and missing the entire year.

No one knows exactly how the shortstop will look upon returning from his injury, but Baseball America offers a promising pre-injury scouting report. Hamilton from the left and is a contact-oriented hitter who uses his speed and athleticism in his approach at the plate. He was praised for his quick first step and looked like someone who could stick at the six. There are concerns about his lack of power, though, and how his offensive game will translate to facing professional pitching. According to texassports.com, he is a strong defender, fielding at a .964 clip for 2018 while helping turn a nation-leading 73 double plays.

Hamilton still has two years of college eligibility left, so that could come into play during his contract negotiations. If he doesn’t like what the Brewers offer, he could theoretically return to school and still have two more opportunities to improve his stock and get drafted. Teams don’t usually make a selection in the top-10 rounds without feeling pretty confident that said player will sign, though, so there’s probably a good chance that something gets worked out here.

Statistics courtesy of The Baseball Cube