Grading the Milwaukee Brewers first round picks from the last five years

2022 - SS Eric Brown Jr, 27th overall

2022 saw the Brewers go underslot to pick another player with a strong record of on base ability in Eric Brown Jr. out of Coastal Carolina University. But while he had a history of success in college, there were reasons for concern based on one aspect of his hitting approach.

Brown Jr. had solid offensive production in college, as most first round picks do, and is a very gifted defensive shortstop, something the Brewers organization highly values. The questions came with his batting stance, which was unique and reminiscent of ex-Brewers manager Craig Counsell in ways.

The Brewers were insistent that they had no plans to mess with what worked for Brown Jr. in college, and at first that seemed to work just fine. He battled some injuries in his first full season as a pro in 2023 but finished the season slashing .255/.358/.354 with 39 steals in 72 games.

2024, on the other hand, has not gone nearly the way Brown Jr. would have wanted. In 63 games, all at Double-A Biloxi, he has slashed just .195/.281/.258 with nine doubles and a pair of home runs while stealing 14 bases in 21 attempts. To be fair, the month of July has gone much better for him with a .324/.415/.382 slash line in nine games.

Brown Jr. still has plenty of time to bounce back for his career at just 23 years old, but the fact of the matter is the Brewers may have gambled a bit when they selected a player with a funky stance who was ranked outside of the first round. The next year or two will be critical to see what type of player he will turn out to be. Grade: C+