Milwaukee Brewers mock draft round up

With the MLB draft quickly approaching, let’s see who the experts have the Milwaukee Brewers selecting in round-one.

The MLB draft which will be held June 3rd-5th is only a few days away and after posting 96 wins last season, the Milwaukee Brewers will be drafting 28th overall in the first round.

For a small market team like the Brewers, building through the draft is incredibly vital to their success, so hitting on their early round picks is a must.

In the five mock drafts that have been put together, the key word is “upside”, which is exactly the type of player the Brewers have shown they like to select.

Without further ado, here are some potential candidates for Milwaukee in round one of the draft.

The Athletic – Melissa Lockard

Keoni Cavaco, SS/3B – East Lake HS (California)

Cavaco burst onto the MLB draft scene just this season with his outstanding play. The right-hander is a very good athlete and has shown great defensive versatility by lining up at most infield positions, the outfield and has even pitched.

However, given his frame, athleticism, and arm strength, at the big league level he projects to a shortstop or third baseman.

Currently, Cavaco is committed to San Diego State, and here is what Lockard had to say about the Milwaukee Brewers potential selection:

"“Cavaco is very fast and looks capable of playing both shortstop and third base. He has shown significant power potential in prospect showcase settings. There are questions about his contact skills, but his power-speed combination is very enticing. He could go even higher, but the Brewers — who are never afraid to take chances on high-upside talents — seem like a good floor for the Southern California native.”"

Bleacher Report – Joel Reuter

J.J. Goss, RHP -Cypress Ranch HS (Texas)

At 6’3″ – 185 pounds, Goss already has very good size and will continue to grow into his frame whether that be in the minors or at Texas A&M, where he is currently committed.

Goss throws three primary pitches, a fastball, change-up, and a slider, which is particularly nasty. This Spring he has pitched in 36.1 innings and holds a 0.39 ERA, with a whopping 70 strikeouts.

This is what Reuter had to say:

"“The Brewers are in a position to go with the best player available at No. 28 overall. In this hypothetical, that appears to be Goss, a 6’3″, 172-pound Texas high schooler who is among the most projectable arms in the 2019 class. His 60-grade slider is his best present pitch, and his fastball already touches 96 mph. It’s just a matter of refining his changeup and packing on some muscle.”"

MLB Pipeline – Jim Callis

Rece Hinds, 3B – IMG Academy

The LSU commit is known as being a power hitter and was a contestant in the High School Home Run Derby in 2018.

Already at 6’4″ – 210 pounds, Hinds is only going to continue getting stronger and the home run ball is likely to be an integral part of his game, but strikeouts are a concern.

Callis had this to say:

"“Hinds has as much raw power as anyone in the Draft, albeit mitigated by some swing-and-miss concerns and questions about whether he can remain in the infield.”"

CBS Sports – Mike Axisa

Seth Johnson, RHP – Campbell University

As a pitcher, Johnson is fairly inexperienced but based on his mechanics and performances on the mound you wouldn’t know it. Prior to joining Campbell University, Johnson would pitch in only six innings over his two seasons at Louisburg College.

However, this past season with Campbell, Johnson would throw in 61.1 innings, where he would strike out 77, and allow only 32 earned runs and four home runs.

Here are Axisa’s thoughts on the Milwaukee Brewers selection:

"“Johnson spent his freshman and sophomore years as a junior college position player before making the transition to pitching full-time at Campbell this spring. He sports easy mid-90s gas and a quality slider, and, despite his lack of mound experience, his delivery is rather polished. Johnson is the rare college pitcher with projection and upside remaining and the Brewers love upside.”"

Fangraphs – Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel

Maurice Hampton, CF – Memphis University HS

Hampton is one of those rare athletes and is currently committed to LSU to play both baseball and football!

His build and athleticism that makes him a top defensive back in the state of Tennessee, translates over to the baseball field as well. As expected he is built very well and has natural power, while his speed serves him well chasing down balls in the outfield.

However, Hampton is the first to admit that he must improve at the plate as hitting isn’t his strong suit.

Here is what the Fangraphs crew had to say about the selection:

"“Hampton fits the Brewers’ upside type as a young-for-the-class, up-the-middle athlete with big exit velos, though he’s raw enough to get to this pick. Hampton is also an LSU cornerback commit but should be signable in this range.”"

Given that the Milwaukee Brewers lost the 41st overall pick in Competitive Balance Round A with the addition of Alex Claudio and they also lost pick 104 in round-three with the signing of Yasmani Grandal, they have less draft capital than what they normally do. So hitting on their first-round pick is perhaps even more crucial.