5 players Brewers could take with first-round pick

A shortstop is probably what the Milwaukee Brewers will target.

Scouting director Tod Johnson has yet to stray from drafting up the middle in the past five drafts he has run. Also, he has only taken one high school player when the Brewers took Brice Turang in the first draft Johnson ran.

Before that, he was part of Ray Montgomery’s scouting staff. Montgomery’s drafts were also focused on getting players up the middle in the first round.

It makes sense for a small-market team to draft catchers, shortstops, second base, pitcher, or centerfielder.

Those position groups provide the most positional versatility. A catcher can always be moved to first base or left field. A shortstop can always be repositioned to third base–provided the prospect has the arm strength. A second baseman can always go to the outfield and a center fielder can always be moved to the corner spots.

Those groups provide the most value to building a Major League roster. Even if you have a weak-hitting shortstop or catcher, you might have a really good (and cheap) utility infielder or backup catcher.

Pitchers can always be used out of the bullpen. Plus, teams are always looking for those positions in the trade market.

That draft strategy has allowed the Milwaukee Brewers to keep themselves competitive during Mark Attanasio’s ownership.

There are three shortstops the Crew has been linked to.

ESPN’s mock draft has Johnson and Arnold taking Jacob Wilson out of Grand Canyon.

He is the 10th-best prospect on MLB Pipeline’s best draft prospects.

Wilson can rake at the plate.

Hitting is his highest-graded trait.

He hit .411 last season with a .461 on-base percentage and a .635 slugging percentage.

Wilson only hit six home runs last season but belted 12 during his sophomore season. He has a career .558 slugging percentage.

Wilson’s glove is pretty good, too. He won the WAC Defensive Player of the Year last season.

His starts are comparable to Chicago Cubs’ third baseman Nick Madrigal. The hope is Wilson can hit for more power in the Major Leagues and run the bases better.

The Sporting News thinks the Milwaukee Brewers will take Matt Shaw out of Maryland.

Shaw is MLB Pipeline’s 16th-best draft prospect.

He was the 2022 Cape Cod Summer Player of the Year. His slash line last season was .341/.445/.697. He has a lot of power in his bat.

Shaw blasted 24 home runs last season and 22 in his sophomore season. He is Maryland’s all-time home run leader. Shaw was named the nation’s best shortstop when he won the Brooks Wallace Award.

If the Brewers went with the best available player, and everything went according to the rankings, MLB Pipeline’s 18th-best prospect is Mississippi’s Jacob Gonzalez.

He hit .327 with a .435 on-base percentage and a .564 slugging percentage last season. He had 40 career home runs at Ole Miss.

He was the National Freshman of the Year and won the College World Series in 2022. In his sophomore season, he hit just .273, but he smashed 18 home runs.

Gonzalez proved he is a well-balanced hitter last season.

He has good athleticism and arm strength to play shortstop in the big leagues. He only committed five errors last year after he had 29 in his two seasons in college.