2022 Milwaukee Brewers Mock Draft Roundup 1.0

The 2022 MLB Draft is now just a few weeks away as it takes place on July 17th and our Milwaukee Brewers hold the 27th overall pick in that first round.

When it comes to the MLB Draft compared to the NFL and NBA for example, teams are taking a longer-term approach in baseball than in the other leagues. While in football and basketball, teams can find immediate help in the early rounds of the draft, that isn’t the case in baseball, with players having to work their way through the minor league system.

So although at the moment, the Brewers have a major need for additional help in centerfield, that need could be completely different in three to five years when their 2022 first-round pick may be making his big league debut–meaning, simply taking the best player available and increasing your odds of finding a future big league contributor is the prudent move.

Now, having said that, if we take a 30,000-foot view of the Milwaukee Brewers organization, hitting remains a much larger need than pitching. At this point, it is safe to say that the Brewers have a proven pitching model when it comes to development but that isn’t the case for hitting.

Sure, Milwaukee has some exciting offensive prospects in Joey Wiemer and Jackson Chourio, but as a whole, this is a minor league system that could use an infusion of added talent on offense.

In recent years we’ve seen the Brewers favor hitters over pitchers in the first round, with Ethan Small in 2019 being the only pitcher taken in the first round by Milwaukee since 2016. It’s also important to note that Milwaukee favors up the middle defense, usually selecting either a second baseman, shortstop, or centerfielder with that first selection.

So with all of that in mind, here is a look at who several MLB draft analysts have the Milwaukee Brewers selecting in the first round of this year’s draft–with two players, in particular, standing out.

Jonathan Mayo – MLB.com

The pick: Drew Gilbert, OF, Tennessee

"“He can hit and play center and could get the edge over someone like Brock Jones, who has more swing-and-miss issues.”"

Mike Axisa – CBS Sports

The pick: Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison

"“DeLauter and Vanderbilt’s Spencer Jones are both lefty hitters with power and some swing-and-miss, but they appeal to different groups. Analytical models like DeLauter more than scouts because of his performance and exit velocities. Scouts like Jones more than analytical models because he’s a tremendous athlete and looks so natural on the field. The Brewers lean heavily on analytics and that makes DeLauter the mock pick over Jones.”"

Joel Reuter – Bleacher Report

The pick: Drew Gilbert, OF, Tennessee

"“Gilbert raised his OPS a whopping 350 points this spring, hitting .362/.455/.673 with 36 extra-base hits and more walks (33) than strikeouts (32) as one of the breakout players of the college season. He is a clean fit in center field defensively, and his bat speed gives him some sneaky power potential despite an unassuming 5’9″, 185-pound frame.”"

Joe Doyle – Prospects Live

The pick: Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison

"“The Brewers seem to have circled three players with this pick (for the time being). We think DeLauter is the prohibitive selection as things currently stand.”"

Kiley McDaniel – ESPN

The pick: Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison

"“DeLauter is model-friendly given his Cape performance, exit velos and raw tools, but isn’t loved by more traditionally leaning scouting organizations due to a bad spring and injuries that limited his looks versus good pitching this year. It’s a safe bet that a numbers-leaning team will take DeLauter, and the Brewers are that sort of team at the right juncture of the draft.”"