Two final 2026 MLB mock drafts have Brewers taking this electric college arm in the first round

The Milwaukee Brewers haven't selected a college arm in the first round of the MLB Draft since 2019 when they picked left-hander Ethan Small out of Mississippi State University. In fact, the Brewers haven't selected any pitcher, college or high school, with their first selection since that pick seven years ago.

In recent seasons, the Brewers' strategy has been to save money during the early rounds of the draft by selecting players who they believe they can sign for under-slot value. As a brief reminder, each pick in the MLB draft is awarded a monetary value, and those add up to a team's overall "bonus pool money" which can be spread across all of their picks. As a result, if a team signs a draft pick to an "under-slot" signing bonus (under the value of the pick at which they are selected), that money can be used to sign an "over-slot" player at a later time in the draft.

One of the best examples of this strategy was how the Brewers were able to draft Cooper Pratt in the sixth round of the 2023 draft. Most teams expected Pratt, who was projected to be taken in the second round of the draft, to honor his commitment to Ole Miss and not sign with the team that selected him. As a result, Pratt slipped to the sixth round where the Brewers, who had saved a ton of money in the early rounds of the draft, selected him and were able to lure him away from college ball with a signing bonus that was more than $1 million above than the value of the pick.

The Brewers once again used this strategy in the 2024 draft when they selected high school outfielder Braylon Payne, who hardly anyone expected to be taken in the first round, with the 17th overall pick. Payne signed for more than $1 million less than the value of his pick, and that money was used to sign high school arms Bryce Meccage, Jayden Dubanewicz, and Tyler Renz.

All that to say, it would be surprising to see the Brewers select a highly-rated college arm with their first pick in this year's draft, especially considering they have less bonus pool money than usual to work with because they traded their Competitive Balance Round B pick, and therefore the money tied to it, to the Boston Red Sox in the Kyle Harrison trade. However, two leading draft experts expect the Brewers to stray from tradition and select right-hander Cameron Flukey out of Coastal Carolina University with the 25th overall pick this afternoon.

Right-hander Cameron Flukey would be an exciting, albeit uncharacteristic first-round pick for the Brewers

Flukey is the No. 15-ranked draft prospect according to MLB Pipeline, but after missing much of the 2026 college season with a stress fracture in his ribs, two draft experts believe he could fall to the Brewers in the first round. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN and Carlos Collazo of Baseball America each released their "final mock drafts" this morning, and both had the Brewers taking Flukey with their first-round pick.

As uncharacteristic as it would be for the Brewers to select a college arm in the first round, Flukey offers an intriguing profile, and would likely end up signing for slightly below the slot value of Milwaukee's first-round pick, which does fit the team's recent draft strategy.

Flukey is 6'6" and sits in the mid-90s with his 60-grade four-seam fastball, but can touch the upper 90s with his velocity at times. He pairs the heater with a pair of strong breaking balls -- a curveball and a slider -- that induced plenty of swing-and-miss in college. His changeup remains a work in progress, but he features above-average control despite having a long arm path. Flukey has the tools to become a really strong major league starter under the right guidance, and with no organization better than the Brewers' at developing pitching, the pick could work out for both sides.

The 2026 draft board, and Milwaukee's position in the first round could lead them to break from their recent mold and take a college arm with their first selection. Reviewing the Brew's Tyler Koerth wrote about four arms outside of Flukey who could end up landing in Milwaukee in the first round, so be sure to check that out before today's draft begins. Koerth's article is free to read over at ReviewingTheBrew.com and linked below for your convenience.

Brewers' 2026 MLB Draft position may cause them to break from recent first-round strategy

The MLB Draft kicks off at noon CT today, and coverage will begin on NBC and Peacock (for picks 1-10) before flipping over to MLB Network for picks 11-40. The first four rounds of the MLB Draft take place today, and rounds 5-20 will occur tomorrow. We will have extensive coverage here at Reviewing the Brew, so be sure to check in to see what exciting talent the Brewers add to their top-ranked farm system this year.

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