Brewer Fanatic Draft Preview: Yohandy Morales

Over the next two weeks, we're going to be providing you with profiles of 10 players the Brewers could take with the 18th pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Who is He?
Yohandy Morales is a big (6' 4'", 225 lb) third baseman from Miami. His best tool is his above-average power and strong arm. Morales used to play shortstop. Between that and his measurements, Morales has been compared to Carlos Correa. The depth of this draft will cause Morales to go in the back half of the first round.

Why the Brewers Will Draft Him
As mentioned, the Brewers have shown a preference to draft a college hitter with their first-round pick and if it's a powerful bat you're valuing, Yohandy Morales would be an excellent choice. In three years at Miami, Morales has hit 49 home runs and even though scouts don't project him to be an above-average hitter, he hit .408 in his junior season. Over 240 at-bats, Morales had 98 hits, including 13 doubles and 20 home runs. He put up impressive data with exit velocities as well. Morales walked 30 times and struck out 55 times. A .408/.475./713 (1.187) slash line in one of the toughest conferences in the country is certainly enough to catch your eye.

Additionally, Morales will give you at least average defense at the hot corner and has a powerful arm that will play over the long term. 

Why the Brewers Won’t Draft Him
There are a lot of potential college hitters and, specifically, infielders that could go to the Brewers at pick 18. You can get similar offensive profiles with the upside of potentially getting a shortstop by looking elsewhere. And there's way too much swing-and-miss for Morales. 

Morales hasn't played shortstop since one game in the summer of 2021 in the Cape Cod League. It was in that wood-bat league where Morales went 10-for-55, failed to hit a home run, struck out more than twice as many times as we walked, and stumbled to a .544 OPS. Obviously, that's a very small sample size, but how players do in summer leagues is something that teams tend to look at.

Moving even further down the defensive spectrum, there are scouts who believe that Morales may have to move to the outfield.

In a deep draft, with a lot of options, does Morales do anything well enough to set himself apart from others who the Brewers may consider?

What do you think of Yohandy Morales as a prospect? How would you feel about him being the Brewers' pick at 18 overall? Join the discussion in the comments.