Brewers Video
It’s time to get weird. We’re only a couple of weeks out from the 2024 MLB Draft, so we’re going to highlight some potential targets for the Brewers at pick 17th overall.
This is a tough exercise at the best of times. This year, it might be impossible. After the first 10 picks, the first round promises to be an overwhelming mess. We could make an argument for many more players than we have time to cover. Let’s do our best anyway. Instead of looking at these articles as predictive in any way, I’d rather folks view them as a talent barometer. Here’s an overview of the caliber of talent and some of the names the Brewers might target at pick 17.
It should go without saying that if any of the consensus top-10 names fall to 17, I’d think the Brewers would have to consider them. I’d think college hitters like Nick Kurtz, James Tibbs, Seaver King or Cam Smith would appeal to the Brewers, or even prep shortstop Bryce Rainer. Of that group, only King and Smith feel like they have a shot to be around at 17. Here’s some names they might consider, in the order they currently appear on the MLB Draft Consensus Board.
Carson Benge, OF, Oklahoma State (15)
Benge played as a two-way player at Oklahoma State. Despite a fastball that he cranked up to 97 mph, he'll be drafted as an outfielder. Benge has an exciting offensive toolkit led by good bat speed that produces consistently high exit velocities. This is paired with a chase rate under 20% and a contact% over 80%, a potent combination. The thorn in Benge's side in 2023 was a very high ground ball rate that he'll need to clean up in 2024 in order to properly leverage the rest of his offensive skills.
Benge has average speed, a plus arm, and above average glove that should lend itself to a really solid right-field profile defensively. It's been a strong 2024 offensively. Benge hit .335/.444/.665 (1.109) with 18 home runs, 24 doubles, 49 walks and 51 strikeouts through 61 games. He's firmly a middle of the first round prospect, for me.
William Schmidt, RHP, Catholic HS, LA (17)
At 6'4, 185 pounds, there's a ton of projection left on a wiry frame. It's a little bit of an effortful delivery, but Schmidt absolutely has starter traits. He has an above average fastball that's already taken a velocity jump at the beginning of 2024. It sits 92-94 mph but has grabbed as high as 98 mph with late life.
Schmidt's best pitch is his curveball. It's maybe the best prep breaking pitch in the class. He throws it in the high-70s-low 80s and it has hammer downward action that drops away from hitters, regularly hitting spin rates of over (3,000rpms). Schmidt has also shown a feel for a changeup with good fade, although he's needed it sparingly to date.
Schmidt has all the physical attributes you look for in a prep starter (high waist, long limbs etc.) and his ability to spin the ball might be a separator for him come July.
Brody Brecht, RHP, Iowa (18)
Brecht is an exceptional athlete with an incredibly quick arm who has added some deception to his delivery by shortening his arm stroke in his time at Iowa. The stuff is 'Skenesian', headlined by a fastball that averaged 97.5 mph in 2023. He cranks it up to 101 mph, but it sits in the high 90s in games, with plenty of run.
Brecht's best secondary offering is a diabolical slider that he throws leveraging two different shapes, one with more bite, and the other with more sweep. It has the potential to be a double plus pitch and generates a ton of whiffs. Brecht has also added a splitter, which is newer in his arsenal, and thrown a curve, although less frequently than the FB/SL one-two punch.
Entering 2024, Brecht's Achilles heel was control and command, with consistent strike throwing having proven a challenge. He walked 61 in 77 innings in 2023 for the Hawkeyes, and there's significant reliever risk to the profile unless that improves as a pro. Brecht did reduce the number of free passes in 2024, going from 7.1 BB/9 to 5.6. It's tantalizing arm talent, but also feels like one of the widest potential range of outcomes of any first round pick.
Malcolm Moore, C, Stanford (22)
Moore was one of the better prep bats in the 2022 class and one of the highest ranked players not to sign. Moore made it to campus at Stamford and will be extremely young for the class (20) as a draft eligible sophomore in 2024.
Moore had an extremely unusual setup at the plate that he has simplified this season. However strange his operation was, it was effective in his freshman season in Palo Alto, to the tune of 15 home runs and 20 doubles. Moore’s approach and swing decisions have improved in 2024 and he has walked more this season. He has excellent bat to ball skills but seems to have suffered some bad batted ball luck.
Moore has an OK 2024 offensively. Some bad batted ball luck contributed to numbers which don't tell the entire story of his season. He maintained the pop (.967 OPS, 16 home runs), while increasing his walk rate and decreasing his strikeout rate.
Moore is a question mark behind the plate. A solid arm is offset by the need to refine his blocking, receiving, and footwork. Moore has the offensive profile to stick in the first round regardless of defensive position, but if he can develop his catching skills, he has a chance to provide really good value.
Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Kansas State (32)
Kaelen Culpepper is an exceptional athlete who has shifted defensively from 2B/3B to SS in his junior season at Kansas State. With a strong offensive performance in 2024, he could provide a jolt to a weak draft demographic that's usually coveted (college SS).
At the plate, Culpepper has a strong overall skill set. He generates good bat speed, although a flatter bat path hasn't produced much loft to date. Additionally, he has good contact skills, solid plate discipline, although he does expand the zone a little too much at times.
Culpepper has had a solid 2024 season in which he’s walking more and has amassed 32 extra base hits in 61 games, in addition to 17 stolen bases. Defensively, it's a plus arm, with good defensive actions and athleticism. Regardless of whether Culpepper ends up sticking at SS as a pro, or slides over to 2B or 3B, it should be an above average defensive profile.
Culpepper made some mechanical adjustments to his swing that helped him catch fire at regionals, hitting a home run off Hagen Smith and hitting for the cycle in the process. This is a solid all around college hitting profile.
Honorable Mention: Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Kentucky (29)
Whom do you want to see the Brewers take at 17th overall? Join the discussion with a comment below.
Check out our 2026 mock draft board, updated regularly, and with detailed player write-ups!
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