Milwaukee Brewers receive Competitive Balance Round A pick in 2021 MLB Draft

We learned the order for the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft back in October, when the league announced it would continue to follow the standard protocol of going in reverse order of the standings when determining where teams would make their selections next summer. That means that our local Milwaukee Brewers will be picking at #15 overall, a spot where they have not had much success in the past.

Today, though, Baseball America reported on the teams and order of the competitive balance rounds, additional picks traditionally given to smaller-revenue clubs. According to BA, the Brewers will have the third pick in Competitive Balance Round A, which will fall at #32 overall after the Astros were docked their first and second round picks as a result of their cheating scandal. The Reds will also have a pick in Comp Round A, while the Pirates and Cardinals will have selections in Comp Round B.

The Brewers typically do receive a competitive balance pick, though they have traded it away the last two seasons. This past winter it was used to help net Omar Narvaez from the Mariners, and two offseasons ago David Stearns and Company dealt their Comp Round A pick straight-up for Alex Claudio of the Rangers. If the club does wind up keeping the pick this time around, it would mean a significant boost to their draft bonus pool.

Only once previously have the Brewers held the #32 overall pick in their franchise history, and back in 2008 they used that selection on high school right-hander Jake Odorizzi. After creating hype as a prospect he was memorably included as part of the package that brought Zack Greinke to Milwaukee prior to the 2011 season. Odorizzi debuted in the big leagues in 2012 and has since gone on to put together a solid MLB career that has spanned parts of nine seasons with the Royals, Rays, and Twins, logging a 3.92 ERA (105 ERA+) across 1,042.1 innings pitched covering 195 appearances (192 starts).

Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference