Grading Milwaukee Brewers' Top Picks in the MLB Draft Since 2018

For the Milwaukee Brewers, the 2018 season wasn’t just the culmination of building a team that came within a game of the World Series. It was the beginning of a golden era. One of the big reasons for this is their farm system, which they've built by hitting on a lot of their top picks each June.

The current Brewers active roster features three first-round picks, with another one that has seen a few cups of coffee. So, how have the Brewers’ first-rounders (including Competitive Balance A and compensation picks) fared? Let’s grade them.

2B Brice Turang, 2018 1st-round pick
GRADE: A+
In 2018, as the Brewers made big memories with a Game 163 win over the Cubs to secure the NL Central title and top seed in the playoffs, they also drafted Brice Turang in the first round and gave him a little over $3.4 million as a signing bonus. In three-plus seasons, he’s arguably become the best second baseman in franchise history. The real question is how long he will be in Milwaukee.

LHP Ethan Small, 2019 1st-round pick
GRADE: D+
Ethan Small’s signing bonus was only $1.8 million, but early on, he rose rapidly through the system, earning a spot in the 2021 Futures Game. However, he also started having injury trouble. In 2022 and 2023, he wasn’t quite the same, and after four games with Milwaukee, he was purchased by the San Francisco Giants, but never got to the majors with them.

OF Garrett Mitchell, 2020 1st-round pick
GRADE: B
Garrett Mitchell’s got talent; that is undeniable. But he’s also missed large parts of two seasons with injuries, and there is an offensive vulnerability to strikeouts. Still, he is under team control through 2028. With a lot of prospects in the minors, the Brewers may need to make a decision about whether to hold onto him for the longer term, but he's been productive—especially this year.

OF Sal Frelick, 2021 1st-round pick
GRADE: A-
Frelick was selected in the first round of the 2021 draft and collected a cool $4 million as a bonus. He first made the majors in 2023, earned a Gold Glove in 2024, took an offensive step up in 2025, and has been solid (though far from spectacular) in 2026. Like Mitchell, there is a fair bit of team control left, and the Brewers may need to make a similar hold-or-deal decision on Frelick, but not quite yet.

OF/1B/DH Tyler Black, 2021 CB-A pick
GRADE: C+
After his breakout 2023 season at Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville, Black seemed poised to make inroads with the team in 2024. He started getting reps at the hot corner, and at first base. Then the Brewers acquired Oliver Dunn and Joey Ortiz, while his path at first base was blocked by Rhys Hoskins and Jake Bauers. Since then, he’s been on the Nashville-Milwaukee shuttle, and his last option year has been used. In fairness, though, he also hasn't seized the few chances he's gotten.

IF/OF Eric Brown Jr., 2022 1st-round pick
GRADE: C-
Eric Brown Jr. was seen as an exciting pick when selected in 2022, but he missed significant chunks of the 2023 and 2025 seasons with injuries and struggled at Double-A Biloxi in 2024. He’s seen a bit of a resurgence since, even as he was caught behind Jesus Made and Dylan O’Rae, but he’s still showing enough to make his way to Milwaukee as a more potent version of Andruw Monasterio, who became a cult hero out of nowhere. Still, the Brewers could have had Dalton Rushing at that spot, setting up a nice 1-2 punch behind the plate with William Contreras and/or Jeferson Quero through the rest of this decade.

3B Brock Wilken, 2023 1st-round pick
GRADE: D+
Brock Wilken looked like a very potent right-handed slugger at the hot corner when selected in 2023. The next April, he suffered facial fractures when he was hit by a pitch, and his career seems to have never really recovered. After a decent 2024 at Double-A Biloxi, he missed more time with a knee injury in 2025. In Triple-A Nashville, he’s hitting 25 points below the Uecker line. Colt Emerson and Kevin McGonigle were drafted later, and both are contributing in the majors.

OF Braylon Payne, 2024 1st-round pick
GRADE: B
Braylon Payne was one of the youngest prospects in the 2024 MLB draft, and the Brewers managed to sign him for a $3.44 million bonus. Although he had some relatively high strikeout totals in 2025 at Single-A Carolina, he’s had an offensive breakout at Advanced-A Wisconsin, and looks to be ready to make his climb to the majors relatively quickly.

1B Blake Burke, 2024 CB-A pick
GRADE: B+
The pick the Brewers used to select Blake Burke was acquired in the Corbin Burnes trade, and there’s a chance it may be the best asset they got in that deal. Burke has a chance to be a better version of Bauers at the plate, which could enable him to provide Milwaukee the most stability at first base since Prince Fielder came up to the majors for good. That's not yet likely, but it's possible, which is impressive.

3B/1B Andrew Fischer, 2025 1st-round pick
GRADE: B
Andrew Fischer just got a promotion to Double-A Biloxi in his first full season of pro ball, after he mashed 20 homers for Advanced-A Wisconsin, posting a 1.118 OPS there. That, in turn, came after he made a name for himself in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. If there is a concern, it’s his high strikeout total, but so far, he’s looking very good.

SS Brady Ebel, 2025 compensation pick (for SS Willy Adames)
GRADE: B
Ebel had a rough start, but has since taken his season OBP to .401 as of June 24. He’s adding some speed, a little pop, and proving to be a solid defender. So far, he’s also working out well for the Brewers, who have several other talented players in the middle infield in the system.

2025 CB-A Pick (Traded to Boston for RHP Quinn Priester)
GRADE: A+
While the trade for Quinn Priester was a worst-case scenario for the 2025 Brewers due to the rotation's injury situation, Priester broke out for the team, becoming a stopper in their rotation. While he will miss the rest of 2026 with thoracic outlet syndrome, he remains under team control through 2030, and given the track record the Brewers have shown in helping pitchers revitalize their careers after various forms of adversity, the Brewers can feel good about the use of this pick. If you think about it as a draft pick that actively helped the team win that year's division title, the deftness of the move comes into focus.

How would you grade the Brewers’ top picks since 2018? Let us know in the comments below!

Check out our 2026 mock draft board, updated regularly, and with detailed player write-ups!