Brewers: Complete grades of their 2021 MLB Draft Class

The 2021 MLB Draft concluded on Tuesday and the Milwaukee Brewers selected 21 players in the 20 round format to add to the organization.

The Brewers had quite the mix of hitters and pitchers and went heavy on college players until the final day of the draft. You can check out our draft class and signing bonus tracker as well.

None of these players have officially signed yet but the majority of them will soon. While final grades won’t be determined for a few years, let’s look at the initial grades for each Brewers draft pick.

Brewers 2021 MLB Draft grades: 1st round (15th overall): Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College

Seen as a clear member of the 2nd tier of college hitters in this draft, Sal Frelick wasn’t connected much to the Brewers through the draft process, but they were excited to land him. Frelick has a lot of the traits the Brewers have loved in recent years, including a strong hit tool, good defense, and an ability to play in the middle of the field.

The Brewers essentially doubled down in centerfield after selecting Garrett Mitchell in the first round in 2020 even though this selection is in no way related at all to Mitchell.

Frelick won’t hit for too much power, but is speedy and can fit more in the leadoff spot as a table-setter.

There were a number of options on the board, including prep shortstop Kahlil Watson, who many expected to go much higher and a far better overall talent, and a bevy of college arms, but the Brewers chose a safer pick in Frelick. When we look back on this draft class a few years from now, we can decide who would’ve been the best choice based on hindsight.

But for right now, the focus should be on who Frelick is as a player and what he brings to the table, which is a solid toolset.

Grade: B

Brewers 2021 MLB Draft Grades: Comp A Round (33rd overall): Tyler Black, 2B, Wright State

Another advanced college hitter with a strong hit tool. Black played second base this year for Wright State, but he was their third baseman last year. He made the move after undergoing shoulder surgery for a torn labrum in 2020. The shorter throwing distance helped his arm recover although towards the end of the season he said his arm was feeling 100%.

Perhaps Black could be a third baseman going forward, which the Brewers certainly need. Black can hit, and although he doesn’t have huge home run power, he can punish the baseball.

The bat is the carrying tool for him, and he hit extremely well for Wright State in 2021, posting a .383/.496/.683 slash line. He’s the type of polished bat that could move quickly through the farm system.

Grade: A-

Round 5 (147): Ethan Murray, SS, Duke

Round 6 (177): Carlos Rodriguez, RHP, Florida Southwestern State

Round 7 (207): Tristan Peters, OF, Southern Illinois – Carbondale

Round 8 (237): Zack Raabe, 2B, Minnesota

Round 9 (267): Brannon Jordan, RHP, South Carolina

Round 10 (297): Wes Clarke, C, South Carolina

The rest of Day 2 was filled with some more college talent that don’t particularly have the highest ceilings. Ethan Murray was a shortstop at Duke but likely can’t stick there long term at the big league level, and his hit tool isn’t very polished either. Murray projects as more of a utility guy with some pop.

Carlos Rodriguez has a mid-90s fastball that can get up to 97 MPH. He also has a good slider and a decent curveball and changeup. He’s also a little undersized to be a starting pitcher going forward, even though he has the pitch mix to be able, he just has to learn how to use it and refine his stuff. If the rotation doesn’t work out, Rodriguez could be a solid bullpen arm.

Rodriguez is another addition with traits the Brewers love and some projectability and untapped potential Milwaukee believes they can tap into.

In the 7th round, the Brewers grabbed another outfielder with a strong hit tool in Tristan Peters. He’s also a small school guy, but he walks more than he strikes out and finds the barrel more often than not. Peters has some home run pop, but it’s more doubles and gap power for him.

Peters will have some competition to stand out among the Brewers crop of outfield prospects littered throughout the system.

Zack Raabe can hit. He was hitting over .400 for a while this year on a not-so-great Minnesota team and carried the team, both emotionally and in the stat sheet. He’s shown some good power and has a very advanced approach at the plate. Raabe’s a bat-first second baseman with just average defensive skills.

Brannon Jordan is likely a reliever going forward and didn’t have the greatest year for South Carolina in 2021. His command took a step back this year and he gave up a lot of walks, but he also struck out more than 12 batters per nine innings. There’s some things to work with, but he could be useful if they help him find that command again.

Wes Clarke led all of NCAA Division 1 in home runs this year with 23 long balls. He hits baseballs a long distance quite often. His defensive skills are limited. He was a catcher previously and the Brewers will send him out as one, but he’s not a great defender there. Clarke is more likely a first baseman or DH at the next level. If he can hit enough bombs and make enough contact, he can move his way up.

Grade(s): B

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

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

Round 13 (387): Quinton Low, RHP/1B, Chatfield (CO) HS

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

This is the “high upside” portion of the Brewers draft. After neglecting high school talent in the first ten rounds, Milwaukee started Day 3 of the Draft with four prep players.

The best of these is 11th round selection Roc Riggio. Seen by many as a potential 2nd or 3rd round talent, Riggio was actually ranked just four spots behind Brewers second rounder Russell Smith on MLB Pipeline’s big board. He fell to the 11th round due to signability concerns with his commitment to Oklahoma State.

However, the Brewers know Riggio very well. He’s been on their Area Code teams, their scout league teams, and has even been to workouts at Miller Park/American Family Field. With the money they saved on the college picks early on, they should be able to make a strong offer to Riggio.

Riggio is a very talented hitter with lots of raw power as well. Defensively, he could be a second baseman or an outfielder, but the bat is what has the Brewers excited. If they sign him, that’s a huge coup in the 11th round.

Another talented prepster is Caden Vire. He’s what you call a “projectable” lefty given he’s listed as 6’6″ and 170 pounds. There’s a lot of physical growth and maturity left in him that remains to be seen and developed. If Vire and the Brewers feel comfortable trying to develop that at the professional level instead of going to Arizona State, then perhaps a deal can be made.

There’s a lot of risk in Vire given how much projection is left for him, but the Brewers know they will have to be patient with his development if he signs.

Quinton Low was announced as a two-way player, and his position as a hitter is at first base. He has a big bat and some big power and can also throw heat from the mound. You don’t typically see too many high school first basemen drafted, but we’ll see if the Brewers sign him. Plenty of upside there if they sign him away from Santa Clara University.

Jace Avina is another Brewers draftee that’s a great athlete and has a strong hit tool. He can stick up the middle of the field and provide some production offensively. He’s signed to University of Nevada and is not a guarantee to forego college.

There’s plenty of upside in this group, and the Brewers are likely to sign at least one or two of them and if they had to choose just one, Riggio is the one Milwaukee would prefer.

Grade(s): A+ if Riggio signs

B+ if Riggio doesn’t sign

Round 15 (447): Hunter Hollan, LHP, San Jacinto JC

Round 16 (477): Kaylan Nicasia, SS, Champagnat Catholic (FL) HS

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

Round 18 (537): Ryne Moore, RHP, Old Dominion

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

Round 20 (597): Samuel Mendez, RHP, Cisco JC

There’s quite the mix of talent here at the end of the draft. Hunter Hollan made 16 starts for San Jacinto this year, posting a 3.08 ERA with 104 strikeouts in 73 IP. The Brewers have had a lot of success with JUCO talents in recent years and there’s a strong foundation to work with here.

Kaylan Nicasia, according to his latest Perfect Game showcase report, is a very strong defender at shortstop and projects to stick there going forward, but can also play some outfield. Nicasia is a switch hitter, but is more comfortable from the right side.

He has a good frame, and could fill out a little more and has a lot of projection remaining.

Nicasia is from Curacao, where his grandfather runs a baseball program. He moved to Florida for his senior year to get drafted and it doesn’t seem like he has a college commitment to fall back on either. This could be a likely sign for the Brewers.

Will Rogers performed well at the Draft combine, but is raw as a catching prospect and as a hitter. He has a strong commitment to Arizona State and is likely to head there. Would be an interesting sign, and might only happen if they have leftover money if Riggio chooses not to sign.

Ryne Moore is a college senior from Old Dominion. He had a good year, posting a 3.16 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 85.1 IP. He could move quickly through the system if he continues to put up good numbers but is a likely reliever going forward.

Carter Holton is another Top 200 draft prospect the Brewers selected on the final day of the Draft. He will not sign. Holton tweeted on Monday, after the 10th round came to a close that he was following through on his college commitment to Vanderbilt. This was more of a ‘courtesy/get to know you/hey we like you’ selection.

Samuel Mendez is the oldest drafted player in the history of the MLB Draft. He’s 28 years old and a freshman at Cisco JC in Texas. He throws in the mid-90s, has a tall and wiry frame, and could move quickly through the system as a reliever if his stuff plays. The Brewers get relievers out of seemingly nowhere and Mendez could be another one.

Moore and Mendez are the guaranteed signs in this group. Hollan also is likely to sign and Nicasia sure seems likely to. Rogers and Holton probably won’t join the Brewers but there’s some good upside in this group. They can never have enough pitching and Nicasia has potential in the middle of the field.

Grade(s): B+

Overall Draft Grade: A-

The Brewers added some high upside pitchers with little polish, depending on the player development system to turn them into valuable assets. They also brought in some polished hitters at the top with strong contact skills and some power bats. Milwaukee also chased some upside later on, rounding out a pretty solid draft.

This Draft will look fantastic if they’re able to sign Riggio from the 11th round, if not, it’s still solid. We’ll see how these initial draft grades look a few years down the road, however.