2025 MLB Draft

[MilwaukeeBeers]

You don't draft for need in the MLB draft. What your system "needs" this year might have an adequate amount of talent the next. You never know how guys will develop.

You draft who you think has a punchers chance at making the big leagues. I believe the brewers have recently gone with a model based on traits (I am purely speculating based on INTL. signings and draft picks) So far it has worked extremely well. You draft the guy that you think has unique, plus traits, and try to unlock the others to make them a complete prospect. Bishop Letson is a good example of this. ELITE extension with poor to middling stuff coming out of H.S. Sort of a unique arm slot too. Now take a look at the jump the stuff has taken after being in the lab. 

I really like the approach 

[jesusoftheapes]

5 hours ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

I disagree for a few reasons:

1. You are never going to be able to become the NFL Draft because one of the things that makes the NFL Draft interesting is imagining how the picks fit into your team's depth chart this season. No other sport has that to the extent that the NFL does. Unless your team is drafting an MLB-ready college player in the top 5 or you are an Angels fan, you are probably going to have to wait a year and a half minimum before seeing them in your team's uniform for anything other than a spring training game.

2. The chaos is usually after the first round (always going to be the most marketable one). In 2024, which was always going to be a weird draft because it was seen as pretty lacking in talent overall, four players from outside the top 35 on MLB.com's predraft list were chosen with a true first round pick. In 2023, there was only one, Brice Matthews, the 28th and final true first round pick. The NFL draft isn't even as predictable as that one was.

3. The players pushed up the board are usually the college players, who, if they can ever figure out a way to make college baseball more marketable, would be the names people would recognize anyway once you get past the top-tier prep phenoms.

4. The baseball method actually adds suspense to the later rounds. If a player slips multiple rounds in the NFL draft it is usually for something performance related that hasn't leaked yet (i.e. injury, college coach saying he needed to assign a coach to make sure the guy showed up to games let alone practice). With MLB, you can see a high school player falling and think is he going to college or is some team stringing him? Is it us? Do we have enough money left? I say this as someone who used to do 7-round NFL mock drafts, the later rounds of the MLB draft are more fascinating for me than the NFL one, especially now that you can't play the "When will Bill Belichick's board run out of players and he just starts drafting long snappers?" game.

I am glad you think this because if someone did not think like you there would be no balance in the fanbase.  LOL .  Thanks for posting.    I respect your list and it was well put together and I understand your liking it but it just is not my speed.     As for me who really gets into scouting the NFL (before this Brewers team took my heart and forced me to love baseball again) ) I see a huge mess that is next to unscoutable and every player drafted is miles away from helping the Club so it is almost uncomparable in my eyes.     

 What you see as a fun challenge in money management I see as a horrible way to add players for a roster for both parties.     So much is uncertain for the player and even being drafted by a team does not ensure you are going to that team at the end of the day and that's nuts to me.   

 I can see why you like it though.   The fact following the draft takes a Masters Degree makes it less fun to follow Vs the NFL for me at least but as a scouting junky in the NFL for most of my life I get the draw to evaluate young talent and following them into pro sports is very fun for me in the NFL so it has to translate to the MLB for some fans like yourself. I really do get that part.        I am super glad you can follow it though because I sure cannot and I watch a lot of college baseball and still cannot follow the MLB draft model enough to understand it completely.   Teamwork even at the fanbase level makes for a better franchise !    Go Crew!   

The NFL draft system is superior for me because of how well it has been developed to make it more digestible for people to involve themselves with the process.     Plus getting college All22 film is miles easier than scouting baseball prospects.     I also like the value system and the defining end to the pick being where he was drafted by a team instead of the player getting MLB drafted and getting sniped by another team with money managing techniques.   

I like the late rounds and the UDFA process better too.   However the amount of good players who get left out of the draft due to its lack of rounds is a knock against the NFL draft.  It misses talent more than the MLB for sure.   The Belichick Long Snapper statement is lost on me because I see massive value in late rounds and undrafted rookie free agents who have made Packers rosters over the years.     Guys like Sam Shields and Tyrone Williams all came from that part of the draft and became all time great Packers.     Bart Starr was a 15th round pick all those decades ago.      

   There is no world competing for the same prospect pool in football like there is in baseball .  The Global market in baseball makes things exciting but is also a reason the draft is not as meaningful as it is in the NFL.  

The biggest reason the NFL draft is better is those players help these teams day one .   In Baseball no matter where they are drafted those players won't be helping this team win games that year  so it makes little to no difference for a franchise.      The NFL a draft can flip a teams fait in one weekend.    In the MLB no matter how good these prospects are they are just that.   Long term developmental  players who have a long time before they ever help the team win games if ever.       It takes to long to see results . That is my biggest issue with the MLB draft.       

either way I appreciate your conversation and I love that someone is paying attention on your level with the MLB draft so I know it is covered well.  

Go Brewers. 

[jesusoftheapes]

30 minutes ago, MilwaukeeBeers said:

You don't draft for need in the MLB draft. What your system "needs" this year might have an adequate amount of talent the next. You never know how guys will develop.

You draft who you think has a punchers chance at making the big leagues. I believe the brewers have recently gone with a model based on traits (I am purely speculating based on INTL. signings and draft picks) So far it has worked extremely well. You draft the guy that you think has unique, plus traits, and try to unlock the others to make them a complete prospect. Bishop Letson is a good example of this. ELITE extension with poor to middling stuff coming out of H.S. Sort of a unique arm slot too. Now take a look at the jump the stuff has taken after being in the lab. 

I really like the approach 

yup and that is why I hate that draft.  The magic of the NFL draft is no matter the outcome of the previous season you can change your franchise fate with one draft class and it happens instantly .   Just look at the Washington Redskins.  in 2023 they were a joke.   With one draft class that hit on a QB the team almost made a Super Bowl run in 2024 .      

I also hate including money into the draft.   Swiping players who have already been drafted by others makes it kinda a big joke like the MLB is with money in general .    

I get why you all have reasons to like this system because you all have taken the time to understand it as much as you can understand a MLB draft that is.    I am glad you guys are there to fill us all in when it goes down because it takes a very committed fan to understand the MLB draft mess.  If not for you guys like me would be lost .     So keep up the good work .

The NFL drafts trates too.    The difference is they draft grown men while the MLB is drafting prospects who have miles to go before they can ever establish if they can ever make a profession roster.        

The long term nature of the MLB draft makes it less fun for me and it also holds back the magic that comes from one draft changing a teams fate.  That is a magic of drafting completely lost on the MLB and its the best part of any talent acquisition.    

It is also why I prefer drugs to drinking .  Instant gratification.     lol .  ( I kid) 

[CheeseheadInQC]

On 3/2/2025 at 5:09 PM, jesusoftheapes said:

I am glad you think this because if someone did not think like you there would be no balance in the fanbase.  LOL .  Thanks for posting.    I respect your list and it was well put together and I understand your liking it but it just is not my speed.     As for me who really gets into scouting the NFL (before this Brewers team took my heart and forced me to love baseball again) ) I see a huge mess that is next to unscoutable and every player drafted is miles away from helping the Club so it is almost uncomparable in my eyes.     

 What you see as a fun challenge in money management I see as a horrible way to add players for a roster for both parties.     So much is uncertain for the player and even being drafted by a team does not ensure you are going to that team at the end of the day and that's nuts to me.   

 I can see why you like it though.   The fact following the draft takes a Masters Degree makes it less fun to follow Vs the NFL for me at least but as a scouting junky in the NFL for most of my life I get the draw to evaluate young talent and following them into pro sports is very fun for me in the NFL so it has to translate to the MLB for some fans like yourself. I really do get that part.        I am super glad you can follow it though because I sure cannot and I watch a lot of college baseball and still cannot follow the MLB draft model enough to understand it completely.   Teamwork even at the fanbase level makes for a better franchise !    Go Crew!   

The NFL draft system is superior for me because of how well it has been developed to make it more digestible for people to involve themselves with the process.     Plus getting college All22 film is miles easier than scouting baseball prospects.     I also like the value system and the defining end to the pick being where he was drafted by a team instead of the player getting MLB drafted and getting sniped by another team with money managing techniques.   

I like the late rounds and the UDFA process better too.   However the amount of good players who get left out of the draft due to its lack of rounds is a knock against the NFL draft.  It misses talent more than the MLB for sure.   The Belichick Long Snapper statement is lost on me because I see massive value in late rounds and undrafted rookie free agents who have made Packers rosters over the years.     Guys like Sam Shields and Tyrone Williams all came from that part of the draft and became all time great Packers.     Bart Starr was a 15th round pick all those decades ago.      

   There is no world competing for the same prospect pool in football like there is in baseball .  The Global market in baseball makes things exciting but is also a reason the draft is not as meaningful as it is in the NFL.  

The biggest reason the NFL draft is better is those players help these teams day one .   In Baseball no matter where they are drafted those players won't be helping this team win games that year  so it makes little to no difference for a franchise.      The NFL a draft can flip a teams fait in one weekend.    In the MLB no matter how good these prospects are they are just that.   Long term developmental  players who have a long time before they ever help the team win games if ever.       It takes to long to see results . That is my biggest issue with the MLB draft.       

either way I appreciate your conversation and I love that someone is paying attention on your level with the MLB draft so I know it is covered well.  

Go Brewers. 

A couple of notes:

I'm well aware of the importance of the Day 3 NFL Draft picks, and I follow it closely because I am me, I'm just saying that the ability to move the money around adds a layer of intrigue that the final day of the NFL draft doesn't have, like you know you traded down a few picks in the second round but you don't know until the next day whether the team netted a fourth rounder or two fifth rounders (and the team gets to decide). The Bill Belichick line referenced how Belichick notoriously had a much smaller board of players he considered worth drafting than everyone else so at some point, inevitably, the Patriots would either begin trading their picks for ones in the following draft or doing wacky things like taking a long snapper in the fifth round.

Back onto baseball, I guess I don't understand what you mean by a player being sniped by a team with better money management techniques. I mean a player can choose to go to (or go back to) college, but another team can't simply step in and snag that player without the draft process playing out again (and in the case of many prep players, that won't happen until three years later).

And really, cases like Levonas this year with the Brewers are exceedingly rare these days. More than 99% of the picks in the first 10 rounds usually sign. After round 10 it is more of a coin flip, but it usually isn't a surprise to teams. They are picking guys in case the player changes his mind before the deadline.

If you are talking about teams not being able to pick the guy at the top of the board because of bonus pool restraints, well, while it is less structured the different strategies are not really different than trading up or trading back in the NFL draft. Each of those choices comes with pros and cons, and a team shouldn't expect to have the best of both worlds.

And teams don't have to play the money moving games. Some teams draft almost exclusively college players and hew closely to slot value. It all depends on the strategy employed.

Yes, there are some elements of the MLB draft that are overly complex (like how it is better for your bonus pool to sign a player for $10K in the sixth round and one for $75K in the 11th round than vice versa). The most important differentiators you mentioned, however, have absolutely nothing to do with the draft structure and everything to do with the differences in player development between the sports. A simpler approach like the NFL's hard slotting won't change that while also limiting front offices' creativity. 

[snoogans8056]

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2025-mlb-mock-draft-1-0-anonymous-scout-analyzes-top-40-picks/

Baseball America came out with a scout's top 40 mock draft (paid article).

Steele Hall is going to be a Brewer.

Currently is the 111th prospect on BA's draft board, 80 grade speed shortstop, awesome name, and reclassified from 2026 so he will be 17 when drafted.

[jay87shot]

The mlb draft is more like signing day for college football or basketball with an order than nba or the nfl drafts usually I have watched some college games for those prospects and have an opinion of my own for them.  The MLB draft has no house hold names (outside 1 or 2 guys) that get drafted so for fans like us our perspectives come off a couple minute youtube clips, tweets with a scouting break down, potentially college stats, and whatever write ups are available. There really aren't bad picks, maybe poor strategy depending on who you can/can't sign. There are always a ton of guys underranked or missed just because there is to much baseball to scout everything. HS, all division of college, Juco, some CC, Canada at times, and probably more at times. Even when you factor in like 10+ scouts per team with tons of "draft experts" some guys slip through the cracks or are way overvalued. Even the top guys take like a year and a half to get to the bigs so there is no immediacy with the initial hype, add in that rookie ball now ends when the draft is you don't even get to see most HS guys and some overwork college pitchers until the next season.

[Joseph Zarr]

On 3/3/2025 at 8:35 PM, CheeseheadInQC said:

A couple of notes:

I'm well aware of the importance of the Day 3 NFL Draft picks, and I follow it closely because I am me, I'm just saying that the ability to move the money around adds a layer of intrigue that the final day of the NFL draft doesn't have, like you know you traded down a few picks in the second round but you don't know until the next day whether the team netted a fourth rounder or two fifth rounders (and the team gets to decide). The Bill Belichick line referenced how Belichick notoriously had a much smaller board of players he considered worth drafting than everyone else so at some point, inevitably, the Patriots would either begin trading their picks for ones in the following draft or doing wacky things like taking a long snapper in the fifth round.

I just know if I lived in Quad Cities you and I would be spending a number of evenings together enjoying absurd things like Day 3 of the NFL draft.

My sole experiences in and around QC was winning multiple soccer tournaments at the Quad Cities Invitational as a youth and during one of the championship runs seeing 'Jurassic Park' on the big screen shortly after its original release. I fondly recall the 'Dolby Surround' hype. Seems like forever ago. I do have a fondness for the driftless region of Iowa up and around Dubuque and Decorah. The entire driftless region of the upper Midwest, for that matter. Just beautiful beautiful country. 

[CheeseheadInQC]

15 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

I just know if I lived in Quad Cities you and I would be spending a number of evenings together enjoying absurd things like Day 3 of the NFL draft.

My sole experiences in and around QC was winning multiple soccer tournaments at the Quad Cities Invitational as a youth and during one of the championship runs seeing 'Jurassic Park' on the big screen shortly after its original release. I fondly recall the 'Dolby Surround' hype. Seems like forever ago. I do have a fondness for the driftless region of Iowa up and around Dubuque and Decorah. The entire driftless region of the upper Midwest, for that matter. Just beautiful beautiful country. 

Yah, we sometimes will take short trips to the Galena/Dubuque area, and it is gorgeous.

[jay87shot]

I was attempting to look through college stats today and a couple Tennessee guys caught my attention, I get it is extra early and who know what strength of schedule Tennessee has had but 3 guys caught my eye from Tennessee. 

Rank 28) Gavin Kilen 2B/SS 78 pa 8 HR 5 SB 3k 17 bb 448/577/1035, yes slugging over 1000

Not draft eligible (freshman) Levi Clark 1B/C/DH 59 pa 6 hr 1 sb 9k 14bb 488/610/1000

Rank 75) Liam Doyle  LHP   0.44 era 20.1inn 47 k/5 bb   

2 from Wake I like as well

Rank 23) Ethan Conrad OF/1B  85 pa 7 hr 4sb 12 k 17 bb 373/506/791

Rank 16) Marek Houston SS  88 pa 7 hr 9 sb 7 k 16 bb 406/511/797

 

 

[jay87shot]

35K views · 131K reactions | Buddy is ELECTRIC 😂🔥 - #cfb #college...

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Buddy is ELECTRIC 😂🔥 - #cfb #college #baseball #collegefootball #cfbplayoff...

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Everybody loves a good 100mph FB #ncaa #baseball #mlb #sports #wow #pitcher #baseballlife.

5'10" throws 100, has some serious swag. I don't see him in the mlb top 100. Sign me up.

 

[MilwaukeeBeers]

A mock with us getting Gavin Fien?!

 

GIVE HIM TO ME

[Joseph Zarr]

#LetGingerCook

[wiguy94]

Just now, Joseph Zarr said:

#LetGingerCook

Unless Ginger can cook the Brewers up 10-15 spots in the draft, I think this one might even be too much for her. Our heroes have their limits.

[Joseph Zarr]

3 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Unless Ginger can cook the Brewers up 10-15 spots in the draft, I think this one might even be too much for her. Our heroes have their limits.

From the expanded article:

Quote

On our first in-season update of the season, however, Bauer was one of the most notable up-arrow players in the class. He jumped more than two rounds, from No. 155 to No. 68, and is solidly in play among the first two rounds in the class. 

I'm going to keep dreaming. I want my own Brewers Clemmey who throws even harder dang it!😅

[Joseph Zarr]

On 3/10/2025 at 8:28 AM, snoogans8056 said:

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2025-mlb-mock-draft-1-0-anonymous-scout-analyzes-top-40-picks/

Baseball America came out with a scout's top 40 mock draft (paid article).

Steele Hall is going to be a Brewer.

Currently is the 111th prospect on BA's draft board, 80 grade speed shortstop, awesome name, and reclassified from 2026 so he will be 17 when drafted.

They massively updated their view on him and he is #2 on their Biggest Risers list:

Quote

Steele Hall, SS, Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) HS

• Movement: +88
• Current: 23
• Last: 111

Hall was criminally low on our previous ranking based on the way scouts are talking about him this spring. He’s earning Kellon Lindsey comparisons in terms of his status on draft boards. Hall has used impressive strength gains over the offseason to improve his offensive upside and overall profile and always boasted exciting defensive and speed tools. 

 

[James Zumstein]

On 4/3/2025 at 12:44 AM, Joseph Zarr said:

#LetGingerCook

When I first started looking at 2025 draft prospects, this was the first player that I thought would be a great pick for the Brewers.  I still think he would be, but somewhere along the line (can't find it now) I read that he is very committed to going to Virginia and that he might be a difficult sign.  After getting burned by drafting a different ACC commit last year that didn't sign in Levonas, not sure we would risk that again.  But then again...102 from a high school southpaw might be worth the risk!

[James Zumstein]

One of the more interesting potential side plots of the Brewers draft this year is whether or not that make it three years in a row drafting a player from Lake Central High School in Indiana.  After selecting IF Josh Adamczewski in 2023 and taking RHP Griffin Tobias last year, there's another top prospect from the same school in University of Kentucky recruit Joshua Flores.  He hit 96.8 last month with a fastball at over 2400 rpm, throws two breaking balls with over 2600 rpm each, and a decent changeup.  If we do draft him, it wouldn't just be for the novelty factor.  This kid has talent, and he turns 18 just weeks before the draft.  Would love to get him in the system as well.

Edited April 9, 2025 by James Zumstein
had figh school name incorrect

[nate82]

I like Gavin Fien but not sure he will be signable.  Will probably have to go over slot to sign him. 

[jay87shot]

It would be really nice to get some more high upside arms in the draft early. I kind of think going in reverse of what we have done the past couple years might make sense this year. By that I mean, instead of saving money on the 1st 2-3 picks and then getting 2-3 upside HS prospect to fill that money in, it might be nice to get 2-3 really high end arms. And then go under slot in the 3-4 (maybe 2nd) to save some money if we go over slot early. 

My thought is that with the teenage talent we have in A ball, it would be nice to get some high end arms that can move with them. We have lots of pitching talent in the upper minors that projects as mid to back of the rotation pitchers, we should look to add some top of the rotation upside. After Misi we don't have much 1-2 style pitcher projections, unless Letson, Meccage, or Knoth (when healthy) take off. Since we have been so good on the int. market and later in the draft process, it seems like a great draft to go quality over quantity. Honestly if we were to take 2 college pitchers early we probably wouldn't really go over slot much anyway. For example

1 P Liam Doyle (Tennesse)- Has been on of the better college arms early in the season, throws up to mid 90's as lefty 

1(comp) P Chase Shores (LSU)- At 6'8" there is Misi like stuff, he missed most of 2023 and all of 2024 and has been ok this year but not great.

2) OF Nolan Schubart (OkSt)- If a good college OF falls through the cracks this would be a great spot to snag one, obviously Schubert is higher ranked now. If he fell (or another higher ranked college bat, preferably OF) he would fit into the organization well, even though he isn't really the type of athlete we usually go after.

Honestly something like that probably isn't a whole lot over slot, so we could still be frugil day 2, and then go after HS upside day 3. The couple HS arms that are ranked higher I doubt fall to us so I went with college arms, undoubtedly there will be 2-3 HS arms and a few more college pitchers that jump up in the rankings.

 

I think this could be some of the front office thinking in the Priester trade as well, the system has gotten deep enough that we can take a couple swings for the fences and then get back to the save money and get 6-7 upside picks in a draft.

[snoogans8056]

I think that comp pick for Levonas is going to be a very signable player. Maybe even a senior.

We lose that pick if we can't sign whoever we take there, and the slot for that pick should be around $1.5mil.

[James Zumstein]

6 hours ago, snoogans8056 said:

I think that comp pick for Levonas is going to be a very signable player. Maybe even a senior.

We lose that pick if we can't sign whoever we take there, and the slot for that pick should be around $1.5mil.

I'm hoping they're considering Mississippi State LHP Pico Kohn.  6' 5", 205, solid three-pitch mix with great control.  Most experts feel he's the highest rated senior available, with some feeling he's a top 100 pick.

[SF70]

8 hours ago, jay87shot said:

It would be really nice to get some more high upside arms in the draft early. I kind of think going in reverse of what we have done the past couple years might make sense this year. By that I mean, instead of saving money on the 1st 2-3 picks and then getting 2-3 upside HS prospect to fill that money in, it might be nice to get 2-3 really high end arms. And then go under slot in the 3-4 (maybe 2nd) to save some money if we go over slot early. 

My thought is that with the teenage talent we have in A ball, it would be nice to get some high end arms that can move with them. We have lots of pitching talent in the upper minors that projects as mid to back of the rotation pitchers, we should look to add some top of the rotation upside. After Misi we don't have much 1-2 style pitcher projections, unless Letson, Meccage, or Knoth (when healthy) take off. Since we have been so good on the int. market and later in the draft process, it seems like a great draft to go quality over quantity. Honestly if we were to take 2 college pitchers early we probably wouldn't really go over slot much anyway. For example

1 P Liam Doyle (Tennesse)- Has been on of the better college arms early in the season, throws up to mid 90's as lefty 

1(comp) P Chase Shores (LSU)- At 6'8" there is Misi like stuff, he missed most of 2023 and all of 2024 and has been ok this year but not great.

2) OF Nolan Schubart (OkSt)- If a good college OF falls through the cracks this would be a great spot to snag one, obviously Schubert is higher ranked now. If he fell (or another higher ranked college bat, preferably OF) he would fit into the organization well, even though he isn't really the type of athlete we usually go after.

Honestly something like that probably isn't a whole lot over slot, so we could still be frugil day 2, and then go after HS upside day 3. The couple HS arms that are ranked higher I doubt fall to us so I went with college arms, undoubtedly there will be 2-3 HS arms and a few more college pitchers that jump up in the rankings.

 

I think this could be some of the front office thinking in the Priester trade as well, the system has gotten deep enough that we can take a couple swings for the fences and then get back to the save money and get 6-7 upside picks in a draft.

This team’s system is so stacked with both pitching & positional talent I don’t think it matters which way the team decides to go. 

The last 4 classes  — 2 drafts / 2 IFA has given the team the best young farm in the game. Then the fact the BL team is controlled for the next 3-5 years gives the team’s farm time to mature before it starts spitting out impact talent @2027.

I do take issue with the description of the farm not having #1-2 potential starters (besides possibly MIs) in the system currently. I think they’ve added enough projectables in the last 2 drafts that this team’s PDS can absolutely develop TOR starter potentials. 

Another draft of positionals early with HS projectables late wouldn’t bother me in the slightest.

[SDBrew fan]

A friend of mine knows Gavin Fien and his family pretty well.  He was telling me that Gavin should be quite signable.  On another note, this same friend has a son pitching at Oklahoma State this season and he's draft eligible, Harrison Bodendorf.  Six foot five lefty sitting about 91 with very good secondaries.  I'm hoping the Crew draft him somewhere in the draft.  I'd love to follow him with our system.

[balsamlaker]

Kohn kind of gives a Russell Smith vibe (which isn't at bad thing) at pick number 68.

[SDBrew fan]

Harrison Bodendorf threw 10 innings in a win against #24 Arizona on Friday night.  The Friday before it was 7 shutout innings against then #22 Kansas State with 12Ks.   Please, Brewers, take him in the later rounds of the draft!