Brewers 2021 MLB Draft Preview: Everything You Need To Know

The 2021 MLB Draft is upon us! The Milwaukee Brewers will have the opportunity to add several players to their organization.

The Draft has changed a bit this year, moving back into July during All-Star weekend. While that clusters things up a bit and muddies the waters to get attention, it’s the situation we have this year.

When does the 2021 MLB Draft take place?

The first night of the Draft will kick off Sunday, July 11th, starting at 6 P.M. Central Time. There will be 36 selections made, covering the first round and Competitive Balance Round A.

The second day of the Draft is Monday, July 12th, and will start at 12 P.M. (Noon) Central Time. That will cover rounds 2-10.

The third and final day of the Draft is Tuesday, July 13th, and that’ll kick off at 11 A.M Central Time. That’s when rounds 11-20 will take place. It’s just a 20 round draft this year, after just five last year but 40 rounds each year before that.

When do the Milwaukee Brewers pick in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft?

The Milwaukee Brewers hold the 15th overall selection in this year’s draft. They finished with a 29-31 record last season, the same record as the San Francisco Giants. Due to a tiebreaker, the Brewers got the final NL playoff spot over the Giants, which also meant the Giants would pick 14th while the Brewers would pick 15th in the following Draft.

The Brewers also hold the 33rd overall selection in Competitive Balance Round A, courtesy of being a small market, low revenue club. Milwaukee has traded their Competitive Balance picks the last few years, last making a pick in one of these rounds in 2018, which they used on high school outfielder Micah Bello in the Comp B round.

What is the Brewers signing bonus pool in the 2021 MLB Draft?

Because of their Comp A round selection and mid-first round pick, the Brewers have the 10th-highest signing bonus pool in the league this year. Their total pool is $10,063,400.

The 15th overall pick carries a slot value of $3,885,800 while their Comp A selection (33 overall) has a value of $2,202,200. Those two picks themselves make up 60% of the Crew’s bonus pool.

The Brewers don’t have to sign whatever player they select to the slot value for that selection, however. The signing bonus pool is all the slot values for players picked in the first 10 rounds added together. Any selection after the first 10 rounds with a signing bonus over $125k will also have however much money they are over $125k be added to the bonus pool.

They can spread that money among those picks however they like, but cannot exceed the allotted pool by more than 5%.

Well, they can, but no one does. Anything from one cent over the pool allotment to 5% over the allotment is subject to a tax. Teams, even the Brewers, have been willing to pay it before. Anything over 5% and teams will have to forfeit draft picks in upcoming years. No one has done that yet and no one likely ever will.

How to watch the 2021 MLB Draft?

The first night of the MLB Draft will be on ESPN, as well as MLB Network and MLB.com. Day 2 will have some coverage on MLB Network, but there will be uninterrupted coverage of it on MLB.com. Day 3 is strictly on MLB.com as teams go rapid fire on selections.

How much time is between picks in the MLB Draft?

In the first round, teams will have four minutes to make their selections. In Competitive Balance Round A, they will have two minutes to make a selection.

On Day 2, each team will have just one minute on the clock to make their picks from rounds two through 10. On Day 3, there is no delay at all. Teams will have to be ready to go and make their selection as soon as their turn is up.

Who are the top Draft prospects in the 2021 MLB Draft?

The story of this draft is the high school shortstops. There are four that are likely top 10 selections: Marcelo Mayer, Jordan Lawlar, Brady House, and Kahlil Watson. There’s a couple of college arms at the top as well in Vanderbilt righties Jack Leiter (yes, the son of Al Leiter) and Kumar Rocker.

Also, Louisville catcher Henry Davis is the top college bat and all of these players are potential first overall picks. There’s very little consensus among this group.

Which Draft prospects are in the mix for the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round?

More from Brewers Draft

There are several, and it depends on how the board falls. All signs indicate towards the Brewers leaning towards advanced college pitchers in the first round, but they can pivot if someone unexpected falls to them.

The Brewers have some team needs to address in this draft, and could look at pitchers such as Will Bednar, Gunnar Hoglund, Jordan Wicks, Sam Bachman, or Ty Madden, but it likely won’t be corner infielder at 15 overall.

This is a deep draft class with plenty of talent. Milwaukee could go in a number of different directions with the 15th pick, but in all likelihood they will go for a college arm or a college bat if one of Colton Cowser, Matt McLain, or Sal Frelick fall, but Frelick doesn’t seem to be a good fit for Milwaukee based on his defense-first profile and lack of size/lack of power potential.

This is going to be a fun 2021 MLB Draft. It’s much longer than last year, although not back to 40 rounds since the Minor Leagues have been downsized since. There could be a lot of unexpected movement and selections made in the first round which can shake up draft boards. Will the Brewers get crazy or play it as expected? Find out starting on Sunday night.

Stay tuned to Reviewing the Brew as we’ll give you all the best coverage of the Brewers 2021 Draft.