Instant Takeaways: Brewers draft pair of high upside prep pitchers to finish Day 1

To round out Day one of the 2024 MLB Draft, the Milwaukee Brewers have drafted Pennington (NJ) HS pitcher Bryce Meccage and Christian Brothers (NJ) HS pitcher Chris Levonas. Here are some instant takeaways.

Brewers draft Bryce Meccage

• Bryce Meccage is the first pitcher the Brewers have taken in this year's Draft. A right-hander, Meccage has a four pitch mix.

• Meccage is a prototypical Brewers pitching lab selection. He spins the ball really well, with a 2,800 RPM slider and curveball. His fastball spins well also and has a changeup to work with. Those spin rates should make his slider and curveball plus pitches as he develops.

• Meccage has ideal starter's size at 6'4" and 210 pounds. There's still room for him to fill out and grow as well.

• Meccage is committed to the University of Virginia. It's likely to take an above-slot bonus in order to keep him from going to school. The Brewers likely saved money on their first two selections for them to use on Meccage.

• The Brewers had a number of prep arms on the board here with Joey Oakie, Dax Whitney, and Dasan Hill as highly rated options available, but the Brewers rated Meccage higher than them and jumped on the chance to take a talented young arm.

Brewers draft Chris Levonas

• The Brewers go back to back New Jersey high school pitchers with Meccage and Levonas. Both are expected to sign for more than slot value and are pretty similar players.

• Levonas stands 6'2" and 170 pounds, leaving plenty of room for him to fill out his frame, but he already packs a punch on the mound.

• Levonas' fastball is in the mid-upper 90s and he spins in some nasty breaking balls with a slider and curveball coming in above 3,000 RPMs. He also has a changeup that needs some work that gives him a four pitch mix.

• There is some reliever risk with Levonas due to the effort in his delivery and the command still needs some work.

• Levonas is committed to Wake Forest and the Brewers will have to sign him away from that strong commitment. Taking him in Competitive Balance Round B here means they're very confident they will be able to.

• The Brewers know what they can work with in their pitching lab and the types of pitchers they can help maximize. They targeted Levonas and Meccage here because they fit that archetype they can work with.

This completes the first day of the Draft for the Brewers. They're on the clock next on Monday with the 93rd overall selection.