Milwaukee Brewers Have Now Reportedly Signed All 5 Draft Picks

Pending a physical from first-round pick Garrett Mitchell, the Milwaukee Brewers will have signed all five of their 2020 draft picks.

It was first reported by Adam McCalvy of MLB.com that the Milwaukee Brewers had finally agreed to terms with their 2020 first-round selection, Garrett Mitchell of UCLA. A physical is still pending before the deal is final, but according to McCalvy, it will come in right around slot value at $3,242,900.

The Brewers landed Mitchell at 20th overall, and this selection is regarded by many as one of the steals of the draft. A former top high school prospect, 2019 was a breakout year for Mitchell as he slashed .349/.418/.566 for the Bruins and heading into the draft, he was MLB Pipeline’s sixth-ranked prospect.

Considered by many a possible top-10 pick, Mitchell may have fallen down some draft boards because he does have Type-1 diabetes. In addition to that, while his power has developed at UCLA, there’s still work to be done. However, this didn’t scare the Brewers off, and as a result, they landed one of the best all-around players in the draft.

With the eventual signing of Mitchell, the Milwaukee Brewers have now locked up all five of their 2020 draft picks. The first to sign was third-round pick and utility-man Zavier Warren, who played all over the field defensively while at Central Michigan. He was announced by the Brewers as a catcher, where he spent some, but not a lot of time in college.

However, while we know that David Stearns and Craig Counsell covet defensive versatility, it’s Warren’s bat that really makes him a special player. During his 2019 season, the switch-hitting Warren would slash .363/.498/.571 with eight home runs and a school-record 23 doubles.

Warren would sign for $575,000, which was under the slot value of $637,600.

Meanwhile, fourth-round pick, Joey Wiemer, was signed for $150,000, which came in well below his slot value of $473,700. At the plate, Wiemer is still a bit raw slashing just .264/.379/.408 in 2019, but he’s a “toolsy” prospect, and if his bat can catch up to his speed, athleticism, and defensive ability, he will develop into a very nice prospect for the Brewers.

Milwaukee’s fifth-round pick, Hayden Cantrelle, would end up signing for $300,000, once again, below his slot value. During his 2019 season, Cantrelle recorded a .930 OPS, and he was one of six college players to hit 25 or more extra-base hits and steal more than 25 bases.

Cantrelle knows how to find his way on base with a career OBP of .405, and he knows how to swipe bases as well, stealing 50 during his college career. MLB Pipeline graded Cantrelle as the 118th overall prospect in this draft, and he has the potential to be an absolute steal for the Brewers.

Then there is second-rounder, Freddy Zamora, who will earn $1.15 million, which is, you guessed it, below slot value. Zamora had a tough start to the 2020 year as Miami suspended him for skipping class, and shortly after, he’d tear his ACL in practice.

This led to his tumbledown draft boards, but there were some scouts and draft analysts who considered him a potential top-10 pick prior to this season that never ended up happening. Zamora was perhaps the best defensive shortstop in this draft and combined, he slashed .300/.391/.429 during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Although it will be several years before we know whether or not this was a successful draft for the Milwaukee Brewers, at this point, it’s difficult not to be excited about the crop of young prospects they landed. It’s a strong defensive group with college experience and loads of potential.

All contract info courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.