Latest MLB Mock Draft sees Brewers land potential two way talent in first round

The College World Series is underway and the 2024 MLB Draft is just about a month away. The Milwaukee Brewers will hold the 17th overall pick and a new mock draft has the Brewers selecting an incredibly exciting talent.

MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo released a fresh mock draft on Friday, and in it they projected that Oklahoma State outfielder Carson Benge would be picked by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Who is Draft prospect Carson Benge?

Carson Benge is a two-way talent for Oklahoma State. A previous Tommy John surgery has limited his innings on the mound and led him to focus more on being a hitter for the Cowboys. That has led to plenty of success at the plate. This season, Benge hit .335/.444/.665 with 24 doubles, 18 homers, 10 stolen bases, and 49 walks to 51 strikeouts.

Benge still got action on the mound, appearing in 18 games, including four starts with a 3.16 ERA and 44 Ks in 37 IP. His fastball runs up into the mid-90s and he possesses a four pitch mix. With some work in the Brewers pitching lab, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think his stuff could tick up even further.

Benge's pitching prowess gives him a plus throwing arm in the outfield as well, where he could play all three positions. He has the chance to stick in centerfield, although the current centerfield depth in Milwaukee may make that difficult. Still, the upside on both sides of the plate is high.

The Brewers love to target college athletes that are toolsy with bat to ball skills. Benge fits the Brewers mold almost perfectly. He has great bat speed, makes a ton of contact, draws his walks, and can hit for power. 44 of his 83 hits this year went for extra bases.

While the Brewers haven't successfully developed a two way player yet (granted, no one really has), they've been willing to take on those kinds of projects before. Clayton Andrews was a two-way player for a little while and they selected Jurrangelo Cjintje on Day 3 of the Draft a few years ago as a switch hitting, switch throwing two way player. They weren't able to sign him and he went to Mississippi State and is draft eligible again this year.

Perhaps the Brewers could make Benge a two-way prospect with the likely fallback being that he becomes an outfielder. The Brewers pitching lab can work with a 96 MPH fastball and turn Benge into a viable option on the mound if Milwaukee would want to go that way. If not, the bat certainly plays well enough for Benge to be a first round pick and a potential future option in the Brewers outfield.

The Brewers have drafted college hitters in the first round in each of the past four drafts. They could make it five with Benge. They also haven't selected an outfielder in the last two drafts combined, and Benge could break that stretch.