Live Brewers Draft Coverage: Day 1

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Day 1 of the MLB Draft is underway and the Milwaukee Brewers look to beef up what many call a lackluster farm club. The Brewers have three picks tonight. We will have a writeup of each player after they are drafted. Brewers biggest needs are left handed pitching, corner infield, and catcher.

Round 1, Pick 12: Kodi Medeiros, LHP, Waiakea HS (Scouting Video)

Brewers needed to draft left handed pitching so bad that it was obvious they were going to go that route with the first pick. The Brewers were linked to Medeiros as well as Tyler Beede and Touki Toussaint. According to MLB.com, Kodi has a 92-91 MPH fastball that tops out at 95 MPH. The sink on his fastball is what makes him dominant. He has a slider that sits at around 77-78. His secondary off-speed pitches need work. He struggles to find the strike zone with both the slider and his change up. But, wait, there’s more. During his phone interview with the Milwaukee media, he stated he isn’t sure whether he will sign with the Brewers or whether he will stay true to his commitment to Pepperdine. If he signs, have no fear. He is a freshly turned eighteen year old and very athletic and projects well.

Comp. Bal. Round A, Pick 41: Jacob Gatewood, SS, Clovis HS (Scouting Video)

Brewers got an absolute steal at pick 41. Jacob Gatewood is slated to be the next power hitting shortstop to rise through the minors. He has a 6 foot 5 frame and will only get stronger and bigger. He could eventually move over to third base if need be. The kid simply mashes the baseball. The only concern of Gatewood is the hit tool and whether he will hit for average or not. A Top-20 player, the Brewer get an extremely valuable pick here.

Round 2, Pick 50: Monte Harrison, OF, Lee’s Summit West HS (Scouting Video)

Brewers take a pure athlete. Harrison played baseball, football, and basketball in high school. He projects to be an outfielder, and a good one at that. He has one of the best arms in the entire draft. He clocked in at 97 MPH throwing from the outfield is pre-draft workouts. If need be, he could find himself on the mound if the outfield (for whatever reason) doesn’t work out.

Recap:

The Brewers took three highly recruited and projectable players. The biggest challenge ahead is going to be signing all three of them. Kodi Medeiros is a toss up, Jacob Gatewood sounds like he’ll sign, and Monte Harrison is going to be a very difficult sign because he’s committed to play both baseball and football at Nebraska. If the Brewer can sign all three, their farm system has improved tremendously over the last four hours. You could argue that the Brewers have had the bext draft so far, right up there with the Blue Jays, White Sox, and Astros.