Milwaukee Brewers 5 Round MLB Mock Draft 2.0

With the 53rd selection in the 2020 MLB Draft, the Milwaukee Brewers select Clayton Beeter, RHP, Texas Tech

Previous Selection: Kevin Parada, C, Loyola (CA) HS

With the Brewers going for a high upside bat in the first round, we have them following that up with a college pitcher in

Clayton Beeter

out of

Texas Tech

. MLB Pipeline has Beeter as the

No. 51 ranked

prospect in the draft.

Although he’s a college arm, Beeter is hardly a safe pick. At just 21 years of age, Beeter has already had two elbow surgeries and has only spent four weeks in the starting rotation. He missed his freshman year due to Tommy John surgery, then was a reliever in 2019, working in 21 games with a 3.48 ERA and eight saves.

In 2020, Beeter made four starts for the Red Raiders, posting a 2.14 ERA with 33 strikeouts and four walks in just 21 IP of work. In his final start before the shutdown, Beeter dominated Rice University, going six innings without allowing an earned run and striking out 12 with zero walks.

What Beeter lacks in track record, he makes up for in traits and potential. He possesses three plus-pitches, all graded at 60 or above on the 20-80 scale. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and can hit 98 MPH at times. Beeter also has a nasty curveball and a power slider that are excellent out pitches. He also has an average changeup as a fourth pitch to use on occasion.

Another trend the Brewers have shown in recent years when it comes to the draft and targeting pitchers in general, is that they go after guys that have deceptive deliveries and are somewhat unconventional pitchers. Beeter has an over-the-top delivery that makes it extremely difficult to see the baseball for hitters.

Guys like Brent Suter, Josh Hader, Aaron Ashby, and Ethan Small have unconventional, deceptive deliveries that are crucial to their success. The same goes for Beeter, and that could make him an attractive option for the Brewers in the second round with the 53rd pick.

There’s a lot of risk in taking a starting pitcher who only threw 41.2 IP in his college career, and spent just one half of a season as a starter. But the traits are there, and the Brewers will have to decide if the upside is worth the risk if Beeter is still on the board at No. 53.