Complete breakdown of Milwaukee Brewers' Day 1 2025 MLB Draft selections

The first three rounds of the 2025 MLB Draft occurred last night, and between their normal picks and several compensatory picks for meeting various incentives, the Milwaukee Brewers made five selections. It was a balanced mix of position players, pitchers, high schoolers, and college players for Matt Arnold and the Brewers' front office on day one, highlighted by a first-round pick of slugging corner infielder Andrew Fischer, who played his college ball at the University of Tennessee.

Before rounds 4-20 begin, at 10:30 a.m. CT today, let's first break down the five selections that the Brewers made on Sunday night, and predict how each of their signing bonuses might compare to the slot value of the picks at which they were selected. For a reminder on how the financial side of the MLB Draft (which had a major impact on the first three rounds) works, this hyperlinked article from Baseball America does an excellent job of breaking it down.

1. 1B/3B Andrew Fischer (No. 20 overall pick) - University of Tennessee

With their first pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the Brewers took corner infielder Andrew Fischer out of Tennessee. Fischer has a chance of playing third base in the Brewers' farm system, but more than likely will end up as a first baseman due to his limited range. As a hitter, Fischer is best known for his violent left-handed swing that results in a 60-grade power tool, but he also has impressive plate discipline. In fact, in his final college season, a year in which he slashed a ridiculous .341/.497/.760, Fischer collected 21 more walks than strikeouts.

Interestingly enough, Fischer replaced Blake Burke, the Brewers' 2024 Competitive Balance Round A pick, as the everyday first baseman for the Volunteers in 2025, with Burke graduating to pro ball. Now, just a year later, the two will be playing in the same organization and could very well be playing on the same team by season's end.

Fischer is a polished high-upside bat who doesn't add much value in the field or on the basepaths. As a first-round college bat, he will likely sign for slightly under slot value, similar to how Burke and fellow first-round corner infielder Brock Wilken did in the previous two drafts.

2. SS/3B Brady Ebel (No. 32 overall pick) - Corona HS (CA)

With the Brewers' second selection in the 2025 MLB Draft — the pick they were awarded after losing Willy Adames to free agency — Matt Arnold and company selected high school shortstop Brady Ebel out of Corona High School in California. Despite being the 32nd overall pick, Ebel was the third player selected from Corona HS in this year's draft, with his teammates Seth Hernandez and Billy Carlson being drafted with picks No. 6 and 10, respectively.

Ebel, the son of Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel, is a solid all-around player whose high baseball IQ — a product of being around the game his entire life — sticks out among the rest of his attributes. He played third base in high school, mostly because his teammate Carlson was manning the shortstop position, but also because his arm is better than his athleticism. The Brewers will no doubt try him at short, but it's more than possible he ends up at the hot corner. At the moment, his hit tool is strong, but his power tool could use some improvement. However, that could change as he continues to develop, and his 6'3" frame is a good indication that there's more power to be tapped into.

Though Ebel is currently committed to LSU, it likely won't take an overwhelming offer for the Brewers to sign him into their organization. In fact, a season ago, HS shortstops Griff O'Ferrall and Wisconsin-native J.D. Dix were similarly ranked draft prospects to Ebel who were drafted at 32 and 35, and both signed under slot value.

3. LHP J.D. Thompson (No. 59 overall pick) - Vanderbilt University

With the Brewers’ third selection of the night, their standard second-round pick, they drafted left-handed pitcher J.D. Thompson out of Vanderbilt University. Thompson just completed his third season of college ball, all with Vanderbilt, though he only pitched as a starter during the previous two years. This past season, he made 16 starts for the Commodores and posted a 4.00 ERA. However, what sticks out are the 122 strikeouts that Thompson collected in just 90 innings pitched.

Thompson, who stands at 6'0" tall, features a four-pitch mix, of which his best offering is a low-90s fastball with good run that allows it to play up more than its actual velocity would indicate. According to MLB Pipeline, Thompson also spins a 55-grade slider at 77-81 mph, and can mix in a slower curve and a changeup as needed.

College arms generally come in around or slightly slot value, and with Thompson being MLB Pipeline's 66th-ranked draft prospect, it's fair to assume that his eventual signing bonus should give the Brewers some extra money to spend elsewhere.

4. LHP Frank Cairone (No. 68 overall pick) - Delsea Regional HS (NJ)

A season ago, the Brewers missed out on signing their 67th overall pick, HS pitcher Chris Levonas, after he elected to attend Wake Forest rather than sign with Milwaukee. As a result, the Brewers were awarded a compensation pick in this year’s draft, which they used to select left-handed HS pitcher Frank Cairone out of Delsea Regional HS in New Jersey.

Cairone became more and more popular as the draft neared with several impressive showcase performances, but still failed to appear on MLB Pipeline's top 250 draft prospect list. But it's difficult to see how that was the case. Cairone is a 17-year-old southpaw who can touch 96 mph on the radar gun and has a high-spin breaking ball to go along with it, according to Prep Baseball Report.

With a commitment to Coastal Carolina, Cairone has a decision to make, but the fact that he wasn't included on the top draft prospect lists suggests that the Brewers don't need to overwhelm him with an offer in order to get him signed into their organization. It's likely that an offer below the $1.25 million slot value of the 68th overall pick will be enough to keep Cairone’s intriguing talent in the Brewers' organization.

5. RHP Jacob Morrison (No. 94 overall pick) - Coastal Carolina University

The Brewers’ final selection of the night was right-handed pitcher Jacob Morrison out of Coastal Carolina University. Morrison stands at a towering 6'8" and was touching 95 mph as a freshman in college, according to MLB Pipeline. Morrison has already endured a Tommy John surgery and recovery, but he has regained his velocity and put together an impressive 2025 campaign for the Chanticleers.

In 18 starts this past season, Morrison posted a 2.42 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. Despite his tall frame and intimidating over-the-top delivery, Morrison isn't a big strikeout pitcher, but rather, maybe shockingly given the profile, has exceptional command. In 107.2 IP in the 2025 season, he struck out 104 batters, but walked just 23. Currently, his secondary offerings are very average, but even still, it's not difficult to envision a bright future for the 22-year-old, who has landed in one of the best organizations for his development.

Morrison continues a trend of Brewers day one picks who likely won't require an above-slot signing bonus offer in order to agree to a contract with Milwaukee. As an older college arm who has already experienced a major injury and was the 173rd-ranked draft prospect according to MLB Pipeline, the Brewers likely saved some money by selecting Morrison in the third round.

Day two of the MLB Draft begins at 10:30 a.m. CT today, and given the Brewers’ first five picks, the team should have plenty of money to make some exciting later round picks. Matt Arnold and company have historically done quite well on day two of the draft, so be sure to check in for more coverage and analysis on the new talent entering the Brewers' minor league system.