Brewers Draft: Recapping Day 2 Of The Crew’s 2022 MLB Draft

Day 2 of the 2022 MLB Draft is in the books and the Milwaukee Brewers have made their selections in rounds 3-10. Here’s who they selected and some quick thoughts on each selection.

Through the course of this draft, the strategy of the Brewers front office has become clearer. It’s a strategy that fans will like.

Here’s who the Milwaukee Brewers selected on Day 2 of the 2022 MLB Draft.

Round 3 (102): Dylan O’Rae, SS, Northern Collegiate (ON) HS

This was the first seemingly out of nowhere surprise of the draft. Dylan O’Rae was not on MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 or on Baseball America’s Top 500 lists. The reason for that is not because he’s bad or that this was a massive reach, but that he was a Canadian high school prospect so there was very little attention paid to his area by the media pundits.

But the Brewers were paying attention.

Speed is O’Rae’s standout tool with 70 grade speed, but he also has excellent contact skills and a keen eye at the plate. He draws his walks and is a menace on the basepaths. When strikes do get thrown to him, he makes consistent contact and high quality contact.

He can play all over the field and may not stick at shortstop strictly long-term, but he has a hit tool to dream on. There’s some good upside here. I like this pick. This is the earliest the Brewers have selected a high school player since 2018 when their class led off with prepsters Brice Turang, Joe Gray Jr, and Micah Bello.

Round 4 (132): Matthew Wood, C, Penn State

A college performer, Matthew Wood had a great season for the Nittany Lions this year, hitting .379/.480/.667 with 15 doubles, 12 homers, 36 walks, and just 26 strikeouts while winning the Big Ten batting title.

Wood is a left-handed hitter, power over hit profile, but the hit tool is solid. The walks outnumbering the strikeouts is a key indicator of that and is a trend with this Brewers draft class.

He should be able to stick defensively behind the plate, and the Brewers historically have been good at developing backstops defensively.

If all goes well, Wood is a left handed hitting catcher with pop and on-base skills, and that is an extremely valuable commodity.

Round 5 (162): Will Rudy, RHP, Cal Poly Pomona

Will Rudy strikes guys out, had a 10 K/9 rate this year with a miniscule 1.6 BB/9. He dominated this year, although at a smaller school in Cal Poly Pomona.

His stuff at present isn’t super exciting. Low 90s fastball at best, some decent secondary stuff but no true plus pitch. Has good command of the strike zone however, but he’ll need to improve the quality of his pitches as he moves up the system.

That sounds like another good project for the Brewers pitching lab in Arizona as they try to make Rudy filthy on the mound. The upside is limited, maybe at best a back end of the rotation starter, otherwise potentially a relief arm.

Round 6 (192): Tyler Woessner, RHP, Central Arizona College

Woessner is a little old for a JUCO selection, already 22 years old. He’s big at 6’4″ and 230 pounds, giving him a starter’s build to work with.

Had 122 strikeouts in 96.1 IP, so another JUCO strikeout artist intrigues the Brewers front office. His fastball can hit 97 MPH and he has a quality slider to pair with it. He has a changeup and a curveball as well, but they both lag behind the fastball and slider.

Again, limited upside here, if it all comes together maybe a back end, no. 5 starter as his ceiling.

Round 7 (222): Ben Metzinger, 3B, Louisville

Ben Metzinger battled injuries at Louisville but was finally healthy in 2022 and was able to play everyday. He ended up hitting .312/.427/.591 with 14 doubles, 19 homers, 69 RBIs, 51 walks, and 45 strikeouts. Another hitter that makes consistent contact and walks more than he strikes out.

He controls the strike zone well, has good bat speed, and has power to go along with his hit tool. There should be some more power to tap into but he’s focused on his bat-to-ball skills lately.

Metzinger is also a quality defender at third base with a strong throwing arm and good actions at the position. He’s athletic, another quality the Brewers love, and could be the third base prospect the Brewers have been looking to develop for years.

Round 8 (252): Nate Peterson, LHP, Illinois-Chicago

Another senior sign, Nate Peterson has a high strikeout rate and a low walk rate. In 88 IP this year, he struck out 102 while walking just 21. Back in high school, Peterson threw three no-hitters in a row.

Peterson is a pitchability lefty, has four pitches and mixes them well even though none of the pitches stand out as above-average or plus. He has some analytical traits on his fastball that the Brewers will be able to utilize to improve his stuff that can help him play up.

It’s another project for the pitching lab to get more velocity out of Peterson’s low-90s fastball and improve his secondary stuff. The command is there for these pitches, and he could be a back-end starter if it all comes together.

Round 9 (282): Tayden Hall, C, State College of Florida – Manatee – Sarasota

Another pick not many people knew the name of, and even fewer knew that his school existed. The pride of the State College of Florida – Manatee-Sarasota Manatees team this year was Tayden Hall. Hall was drafted as a catcher, but also played infield and outfield this year. His defensive versatility is another trait Milwaukee loves.

He’s an athletic 6’4″ left-handed hitting backstop with excellent bat-to-ball skills, keeping with the trend. Hall hit .364/.484/.636 for the Manatees with 16 doubles, nine homers, 40 walks, and just 22 strikeouts.

There’s upside with the bat and while his long-term position could be anywhere, the Brewers believe in him as a catcher, where a productive bat is even more valuable.

Round 10 (312): Brian Fitzpatrick, LHP, Rutgers

The second Big Ten selection for the Crew, Brian Fitzpatrick rounds out Day 2. Like Jacob Misiorowski in Round 2, Fitzpatrick stands 6-foot-7 but throws with his left arm.

For his size, the velocity is underwhelming. His fastball sits low-90s at best, he has a slider and a changeup. He’s been dominating in the Cape Cod League this summer, however.

The Brewers will probably send him out as a starter, but he’s most likely a reliever long-term. Another good foundation for the pitching lab to work with.

The draft finishes on Tuesday with rounds 11-20.