Evaluating Brewers' 2018 Draft Class: Two Stars, an NL Wins Leader, and More Still Coming

The 2026 MLB Draft is in the books, and for a bit, most of the names who just paraded past your eyes will now drop off your radar. As we wait for the team to sign its class, though, it's good to remind ourselves of how important this avenue of player acquisition is. If you want a classic example of a draft that goes well, Milwaukee’s 2018 class fits the bill. In one sense, the final grade for this draft still has not been determined, with the effects of trades and free-agent compensation still rippling.

Best Picks: IF Brice Turang and RHP Drew Rasmussen (tie)
We have a tie in this spot, even though one of these players was barely in Milwaukee. For Turang, who’s already staked a credible claim as the best second baseman in Milwaukee Brewers history, the case is obvious. The defense alone has been a game-winner, and he's also become a threat on the basepaths. Since 2025, though, his bat has leveled up, and he’s arguably now the best second baseman in MLB.

Rasmussen, though, has arguably had an equal impact, even though he only made 27 appearances on the mound. In May 2021, he was one of two pitchers shipped to the Tampa Bay Rays for pitcher Trevor Richards and shortstop Willy Adames. Adames, of course, laid his claim as one of the Brewers' all-time greats at shortstop, second only to Robin Yount by the end of the 2024 season when he left as a free agent.

Here's the kicker: Rasmussen actually was a 2017 first-round pick by the Rays, who elected not to sign him. So, the Rays eventually got him, but had to cough up an All-Star-caliber shortstop to do so. But the Rasmussen deal can still benefit the Brewers even more. With the departure of Adames came a compensation pick, and shortstop Brady Ebel has looked very impressive in his first full professional season.

Honorable Mention: LHP Aaron Ashby
Ashby is a great pick, too. He’s a crucial member of the Brewers’ bullpen, even as his contract is slated to jump to $7.7 million in 2027, with $9-million and $13-million team options following that. Injuries did cause a detour from the starting rotation, but a top-end reliever could still fetch a decent trade return in the offseason. More importantly, of course, he's been key to the team's recent success, soaking up innings and putting out fires for a perennial contender.

Ones That Got Away: UT David Fry, RHP Reese Olson
Fry was one of my personal cheeseballs, a potent right-handed bat with low-grade positional versatility. The Crew sent him to Cleveland in March 2022 to complete an earlier trade for J.C. Mejia, who pitched around a dozen innings for them in 2022 and 2023. This is one trade they probably want back. Fry’s been a valuable bench asset for Cleveland, something the Brewers could have used in recent years. To be fair, though, he's been injury-wrecked and inconsistent at the plate since a brief star turn in October 2024.

Reese Olson was a pitching prospect dealt for lefty reliever Daniel Norris, who didn’t work out well for the Brewers. Olson’s occasionally been a decent back-of-the-rotation type for the Tigers. While he's currently on the 60-day injured list, he could have been an asset for Milwaukee and may have helped the team preserve both prospect capital and a competitive-balance pick in early 2025. It's not as though he's proved durable or star-caliber, though, and you have to give up something to fortify playoff-bound pitching staffs.

Still Potentially Helpful: LHP Clayton Andrews
Andrews was another personal cheeseball, who had a two-way stint for the Advanced-A Carolina Mudcats and Double-A Biloxi Shuckers in 2019 (16 starts in center field—take that, Shohei Ohtani!). But even though he had only four games and 3 1/3 innings pitched, he could still give Milwaukee some benefit. In 2024, the Brewers dealt him to the Yankees for right-handed pitcher Joshua Quezada, who has been collecting a lot of strikeouts and could become decent bullpen help for the Brewers down the road. Quezada is 22 and has spent most of the season in Low A, so don't get too excited, but if any organization can one-red-paperclip their way to value in situations like that one, the Brewers are that outfit.

Final Grade: B+
This is an immensely successful draft for the Brewers, who came away with a lot for the picks they made, even as high-ceiling outfield prospects Joe Gray and Micah Bello flamed out and with the trades in which they gave up Fry and Olson not netting them the timely help they hoped for. Still, one cannot really complain about the 2018 draft’s contributions to recent Brewers teams at all. Turang might sign an extension and stick around, but it's more likely he's traded in a couple of years. When he is, it will add new branches to the tree on which the fruits of this class keep appearing.

Check out our 2026 MLB Draft tracker, with scouting reports, player information, total pool allotments, and much more!