Brewers’ 2025 first-round pick continues to prove Milwaukee made right choice in last year’s draft

The 2026 MLB Draft is fast approaching. One week from Saturday, the Milwaukee Brewers and the rest of MLB will welcome a new class of talent to the world of professional baseball. Rounds 1-4 will take place on Saturday, July 11, beginning at 12:00 p.m. CT, and Rounds 5-20 will occur the following day beginning at 10:30 a.m. CT.

The Brewers' strategy in this year's draft may differ from previous years', as they have fewer early-round picks than they've had in recent drafts, and the draft board may force them into a first-round pick that strays from their recent prototype. However, as uncertainty lies ahead in regard to what position the Brewers will prioritize in the first round of the 2026 draft, and whether or not said player will be a high schooler or college player, one thing that is far more certain is just how strong Milwaukee's first-round selection in last year's draft was.

With the 20th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the Brewers took corner infielder Andrew Fischer out of the University of Tennessee. Even at the time, despite Fischer falling 20 spots in the draft and the Brewers eventually signing him for well below the slot value of his pick, many cited the left-handed slugger as the top college bat in the draft class. In the year since, Fischer has certainly lived up to that analysis.

The hype began last summer when Fischer posted an .848 OPS in 19 games with the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers after officially signing with the Brewers' organization. During the offseason, the then-21-year-old Fischer was selected to be a part of Team Italy's World Baseball Classic roster. The young infielder impressed with three extra-base hits and five RBI in four games played, while helping Team Italy reach the semifinals, which is the farthest the team has ever made it in the WBC.

Fischer's performance on the international stage understandably had Brewers fans calling for him to start the season in at least Double-A, but Milwaukee took a conservative approach and sent him back to High-A to start the 2026 campaign. However, the 2025 first-round pick quickly proved that the Brewers need not be as conservative with him, as he crushed 20 homers and posted 50 RBI in 54 games with the Timber Rattlers en route to a ridiculous slash line of .298/.443/.675.

That performance led to a promotion to Double-A on June 15, and it's safe to say Fischer hasn't skipped a beat since advancing to the second-highest level of the minor leagues.

Andrew Fischer's combination of power and on-base ability overshadows the strikeout concerns still present in his profile

Since the promotion, Fischer has played 10 games with the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers, and in that time he's slugged four homers, two doubles, and a triple all while reaching base in every game. In fact, if you include Fischer's time in High-A, his on-base streak extends to an unbelievable 41 games. While his recent home run binge certainly plays a role in that ridiculous on-base streak, so too does Fischer's knack for drawing free passes. The now-22-year-old third baseman posted an 18.3% walk rate in High-A and has a 17.5% walk rate in his small Double-A sample size (league average is generally 8-9% at the MLB level).

The main concern still remaining in Fischer's game is his proclivity for striking out. He struck out in one-third of his plate appearances at the High-A level, and that rate has climbed to 37.5% since joining the Shuckers, resulting in a season-long K% of 33.9%. For reference, Kyle Schwarber has the worst strikeout rate in the major leagues at...33.9%. Schwarber is what is referred to as a three-true-outcomes hitter, as a majority of his plate appearances end in either a walk, strikeout, or homerun. It's not an easy profile to sustain at the big-league level, but Schwarber was the runner-up in the NL MVP race last season, due in large part to the fact that he hit 56 homeruns.

Being a three-true-outcomes hitter at the major-league level and still being a valuable player requires one to maintain both elite power numbers and an elite walk rate, which Schwarber certainly does. Fischer is falling into the three-true-outcomes territory, but it's possible he possesses the necessary power and walk metrics to become a valuable big-leaguer even with his big strikeout numbers.

Schwarber's level is obviously the best-case scenario for a player like Fischer, and any three-true-outcomes hitter for that matter, and this is by no means suggesting that the Brewers' prospect will one day get to the level of the Phillies' slugger, but it's just a reminder that high strikeout numbers can be sustainable at the major league level so long as they're accompanied by strong walk and home run numbers.

However, being a three-true-outcomes hitter in the big leagues is a tough needle to thread, so the Brewers would much prefer that Fischer get his strikeout numbers in check before he reaches the big leagues. Already with eye-popping power and head-turning walk numbers, if Fischer cuts down on the strikeouts just a little bit, it's exciting to think what he could become at the major league level.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow