Fresh 2024 MLB Mock Draft gives Brewers speedy, tooled up shortstop

The 2024 MLB Draft is less than three months away, which means mock drafts are going to be coming out more consistently and more information about who is likely to be taken in the first round is available. The Brewers hold the 17th pick, which means they're in line to grab one of the top talents in the class.

While most of the sports world has Draft Fever right now with the NFL Draft this week, the MLB Draft is even more wild and unpredictable.

Still, the Brewers do have traits they like to target and in the latest mock draft from Dan Zielinski at Baseball Prospect Journal, they land someone who checks all the usual boxes.

Brewers select Kaelen Culpepper, a shortstop from Kansas State, in first round in MLB Mock Draft

Zielinski gives the Brewers Kansas State shortstop Kaelen Culpepper in the first round in his Mock Draft 2.0. His description of Culpepper fits the Brewers mold perfectly:

Culpepper is a 6-foot, 194-pound right-handed hitting shortstop with an intriguing toolset. Culpepper consistently barrels up the baseball and hits line drives. He shows improving power, especially to his pull side. He also boasts an exciting combination of athleticism and speed.

Culpepper is fast and athletic, he plays a premium position, and he's a college hitter. There's great tools here in his approach at the plate and his ability to make contact, a priority for Brewers hitting development. If he's on the board at 17, Culpepper very well could be the pick.

The Brewers have taken a college position player with each of their last four first round picks and six of their last eight. Garrett Mitchell (UCLA), Sal Frelick (Boston College), Eric Brown (Coastal Carolina), and Brock Wilken (Wake Forest) were the four most recent first round picks.

So far this college season, Culpepper is hitting .319 with seven homers, 12 stolen bases, and 20 walks to 29 strikeouts in 39 games.

This is Culpepper's first year as the shortstop for the Wildcats, having spent the last few seasons at third base. He made the slide over for his junior year, his draft eligible season, which is boosting his stock tremendously. The Brewers love athletes that can play premium positions and shortstops can move to anywhere on the diamond.

We're still far away from the Draft and a lot can change between now and then. Come Draft night though, it wouldn't be too surprising to see the Brewers go this direction. He checks a lot of the boxes the Brewers usually look for in their draft picks and would make it five consecutive drafts led by college position players for Milwaukee.