Milwaukee Brewers 2021 MLB Draft: Tracker And Signing Bonuses

The 2021 MLB Draft was a very interesting one with many twists and turns. It was the first 20 round draft MLB has had. The Milwaukee Brewers had 21 selections.

This article will keep track of who the Milwaukee Brewers selected in the 2021 MLB Draft and what they signed for.

Milwaukee Brewers 2021 MLB Draft class and signing bonus tracker:

1st round (15): Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College

The Brewers selected Frelick after a wild first round that saw a few surprises, but Frelick was in the second tier of college bats and was expected to go around this range, if not a little earlier.

Frelick has great speed, great defense, and can hit the ball all over the field. He doesn’t have much home run power, but can be a table-setter in the leadoff spot in the lineup.

Slot value: $3,885,800

Signing Bonus: $4,000,000 ($114,200 over slot)

Competitive Balance A round (33): Tyler Black, 2B, Wright State

Another college bat with a strong hit tool, Tyler Black had been trending up all spring and even pushed himself into some first round conversations. Black had shoulder surgery last year, so he played second base in 2021 but he has experience at third base and that could be his position going forward.

Slot value: $2,202,200

Signing bonus: $2,202,200 (Full slot)

2nd round (51): Russell Smith, LHP, TCU

A big, towering lefty is what the Brewers got in Russell Smith. Standing at 6’9″, Smith has long levers but keeps them in sync well. He has a lot of upside with his frame and it should be a good challenge for the Pitching Lab and the development staff to get the most out of him. He’s not a polished 2nd rounder, but there’s potential.

Slot value: $1,436,900

Signing Bonus: $1,000,000 ($436,900 under slot)

3rd round (86): Alex Binelas, 3B/1B, Louisville

The hometown kid, Oak Creek native Alex Binelas went to the Brewers in the third round. Binelas has some of the best in-game power in this draft and he fits a need in the corner infield. It also helps that he’s going to the team he grew up rooting for. They will see if he can stick at third base, but he could move to first base if needed.

Slot value: $699,700

Signing bonus: $700,000 ($300 over slot)

4th round (116): Logan Henderson, RHP, McLennan CC

The top strikeout artist in all of Junior College ball, Logan Henderson punched out 169 batters in 97.2 IP, good enough for a 15.6 K/9 ratio. Henderson is an analytics darling, posting high spin rates and he has plenty of movement on all his pitches. Henderson also has plenty of deception in his delivery, which the Brewers tend to love, and they have shown a knack for getting a lot out of players like this, despite Henderson having no physical projection remaining.

Slot value: $497,500

Signing bonus: $497,500 (full slot)

5th round (147): Ethan Murray, SS, Duke

College performer with a violent swing and some solid defense, but likely won’t hit enough to be an everyday shortstop. Could be a solid utility player at the big league level.

Slot value: $367,900

Signing bonus: $272,500 ($95,400 under slot)

6th round (177): Carlos Rodriguez, RHP, Florida Southwestern State College

Shorter pitcher with a mid-90s fastball and some good secondary pitches to work with. Another pitcher who has good analytics numbers and should see his potential maximized in this Brewers development system.

Slot value: $279,500

Signing bonus: $250,000 ($29,500 under slot)

7th round (207): Tristan Peters, OF, Southern Illinois University – Carbondale

An outfield bat with a pretty decent hit tool and a strong performance this year. Peters has a chance to stick in centerfield.

Slot value: $218,500

Signing bonus: $147,500 ($71,000 under slot)

8th round (237): Zack Raabe, 2B, Minnesota

An offensive-minded second baseman, Raabe got off to a blazing start for the Golden Gophers this spring before coming down to earth a little bit. Raabe is a leader and has great makeup, which is good to see in the 8th round.

Slot value: $175,000

Signing bonus: $150,000 ($25,000 under slot)

9th round (267): Brannon Jordan, RHP, South Carolina

Jordan didn’t have as strong of a season as expected after transferring into South Carolina. Likely a reliever going forward.

Slot value: $154,900

Signing bonus: $47,500 ($107,400 under slot)

10th round (297): Wes Clarke, C/1B, South Carolina

Back-to-back South Carolina Gamecock selections here as the Brewers go with Wes Clarke. Clarke has some of the biggest power in this draft, slugging 23 home runs this season. There’s hit tool concerns, and he’s limited defensively, but the Brewers will send him out as a catcher and see if he can play it. If not, first base is his likely defensive home.

Slot value: $145,500

Signing bonus: $75,000 ($70,500 under slot)

11th round (327): Roc Riggio, 2B/OF, Thousand Oaks (CA) HS

From the same hometown as Christian Yelich, Roc Riggio was a potential 2nd round pick this year based on talent. Signability concerns dropped him, but the Brewers feel confident they can sign him away from his Oklahoma State commitment after taking him in the 11th round. Anything over $125k as a signing bonus will count towards their bonus pool. Huge bat, plenty of raw power. There’s a lot to like here.

Signing bonus: Did not sign

12th round (357): Caden Vire, LHP, Skyview (WA) HS

Vire stands at 6’6″ tall and is listed as just 170 pounds, although some reports have him up to 185 now. He’s long and lean, and extremely projectable. There are some “Chris Sale-adjacent” comps to Vire, which will happen with tall, wiry lefties, but there’s a lot of potential here. Vire is committed to Arizona State.

Signing bonus: $497,500 ($372,500 counts vs bonus pool)

13th round (387): Quinton Low, RHP, Chatfield (CO) HS

The Brewers announced Low as a two-way player. Has a good slider, and a low-90s fastball. Has plenty of upside, but needs a lot of development.

Signing bonus: $347,500 (222,500 counts vs bonus pool)

14th round (417): Jace Avina, OF, Spanish Springs (NV) HS

On-Base Jace lives on! Avina has a pretty strong hit tool and can stick up the middle as either a centerfielder, shortstop, or second baseman. The Brewers announced him as an outfielder, however.

Signing bonus: $255,900 ($130,900 counts vs bonus pool)

15th round (447): Hunter Hollan, LHP, San Jacinto College North

A junior college arm, Hollan had 104 Ks in 73 IP this year with a 3.08 ERA. The Brewers love developing arms from junior colleges and Hollan is the latest.

Signing bonus: Did not sign

16th round (477): Kay-Lan Nicasia, SS, Champagnat Catholic School (FL)

A switch hitter, Nicasia is just the second shortstop taken by the Brewers in this draft so far. Signing him is a question mark.

Signing bonus: $125,000

17th round (507): Will Rogers, C, Mounds View (MN) HS

Rogers performed well at the MLB Draft Combine and is an Arizona State commit. It’s unlikely the Brewers will be able to sign him away from college here in the 17th round, but he’s a name to watch over the next few years.

Signing bonus: Did not sign

18th round (537): Ryne Moore, RHP, Old Dominion

A college senior sign, Ryne Moore stands 6’4″ and posted a 3.16 ERA this year for Old Dominion in 85.1 IP. He struck out 80 and walked 22. Had an impressive abbreviated 2020 campaign in 4 starts with a 1.93 ERA.

Signing bonus: $60,000

19th round (567): Carter Holton, LHP, Benedictine Military School (GA)

A highly touted prepster, Carter Holton was seen as a top talent in this class. He fell this far due to signability concerns with his commitment to Vanderbilt. Holton announced the other day he would go to school.

Signing bonus: Did not sign

20th round (597): Samuel Mendez, RHP, Cisco JC (TX)

Another junior college arm to round out the 2021 Brewers Draft class. Mendez stands at 6’7″ and weighs just 185 pounds. So this is a very projectable arm if the Brewers are able to sign him, but he’s also 28 years old, which is unusual for a junior college freshman.

Signing bonus: Did not sign

The Brewers spent just $4,700 over their bonus pool for this draft class. The big signings on Day 3 were the 12th and 13th round selections. Milwaukee spent $10,068,100 on their pool, which they will pay a tax on that $4,700 overage, but they did not exceed the 5% threshold to lose any picks.

In total, the Brewers spent $10,628,100 on signing bonuses for the 16 selections they signed in their 2021 Draft class.

That will put a bow on this Milwaukee Brewers 2021 MLB Draft. We’ll keep this article updated with information that comes in about the signing bonuses for these players.