Spencer Michaelis

Figured it would be better to post these in a separate thread from the actual draft pick signing thread RHP Peyton Niksch is signing out of Kankakee Community College, from Ginger Poulson's neck of the woods. He was committed to Purdue as a transfer. UTIL Malachai Halterman, is signing out of Lipscomb Academy (HS) and appears to play *everything* listed on Perfect Game's website as: MIF/3B, C, IF, OF, RHP, UT. Halterman was committed to play at Lipscomb in college.

In this context, that is what I'm meaning yeah

Image courtesy of © Dylan Widger-Imagn Images The Brewers finished their draft class with 16 selections on day two, beginning with a player from a familiar high school. Round 4: RHP Joshua Flores, Lake Central HS (IN) Ranked 243rd by MLB Pipeline, Flores struck out 70 batters in 38 innings this past season, though he also walked about a batter an inning. Flores was drafted out of the same high school as 2023 pick Josh Adamczewski and 2024 pick Griffin Tobias, making it three years in a row the Brewers went to the well at Lake Central High School in Indiana. MLB Pipeline's write-up said, "Flores' hammer curveball ranges from 82-85 mph with downer break, grading as a well above-average pitch at times but also moving so much he has difficulty landing it in the zone. He has better command of a tighter slider with similar velocity. Hitters can't really guard against his breaking balls because his fastball sits at 92-95 mph and touches 97 with some armside run and carry. Flores barely utilizes his mid-80s changeup, which flashes some interesting tumble. The Kentucky recruit has a long arm action and effort in his delivery, which hampers his ability to throw strikes, let alone locate his offerings with much precision. He'll be an intriguing project for a team that believes in its ability to develop pitchers." Finding a way to get Flores in the zone more often is going to be important if the Brewers hope to maximize his skillset, but this is one of the most talented arms in the draft, and Flores only recently turned 18. Round 5: RHP Sean Episcope, Princeton Episcope was off to a fantastic start to his second season at Princeton, posting a 3.15 ERA over his first four starts and amassing 26 strikeouts in only 20 innings. Included in that stretch was a very impressive nine-strikeout performance against Wake Forest, over only five innings. He would, unfortunately, leave his fourth start with bicep tightness and eventually undergo internal brace surgery (another form of Tommy John Surgery) in May. Episcope was ranked 215th by MLB Pipeline and 265th by Baseball America. Pipeline wrote the following regarding his pitch mix: "Episcope does have the pitch mix to potentially start when healthy. He was topping out at 97 mph with his fastball and averaging a touch over 94, while maintaining that velocity throughout his starts before he got shut down. He has two legitimate breaking balls, with a mid-80s gyro-like slider and more of a 12-to-6 power curve up to 82 mph that registered elite-level spin rates north of 3,000 rpm. Combined, the two breakers elicited a 60-percent miss rate over his four starts, according to Synergy." Episcope has an intriguing blend of stuff and showed an ability to attack the zone, but coming off a second elbow surgery, you never quite know what you will get. The Brewers do have a history of success with these types, going back to Drew Rasmussen. Round 6: 2B Daniel Dickinson, LSU The Brewers selected Dickinson out of LSU, where he won a national championship in his first season in Baton Rouge, having spent the previous two seasons at Utah Valley. Dickinson was ranked 81st on the Consensus Big Board. Our @Jamie Cameron wrote: "A compact frame underpins a direct, adjustable swing. Dickinson controls the barrel of the bat well and has good bat speed. Dickinson is able to leverage all fields in a profile that is well-balanced. It's a good approach at the plate, with almost as many walks (13.1%) as strikeouts (13.8%) through the end of the 2025 season. Dickinson swatted 12 home runs and carried a 125 wRC+ to boot." Cameron also says, "Dickinson shows good bat-to-ball skills and fringe-average power. Defensively, it's likely a second base profile long term. It's a solid but unspectacular defensive package. Offensively, though, this is a well-rounded hitter who does a little of everything well." Battling through a broken hamate bone during LSU"s run to the College World Series championship, Dickinson is unlikely to be a significant power threat at the next level, but he shows the ability to be a hit-first second baseman who brings a scrappy attitude and playing style to the field, which is a profile that the Brewers have found plenty of success with. Round 7: OF Josiah Ragsdale, Boston College The Brewers selected Sal Frelick out of Boston College in 2021, and went back to the Eagles for this selection. Ragsdale is another speedy, left-handed hitting outfielder, though he's a lesser defender than Frelick. Most evaluators expect Ragsdale to end up in left field, as his speed does not play as well in the outfield as it does on the bases, where he went 30-for-36 on stolen base attempts for BC this year, and followed that up by going 15-for-18 in the Cape Cod League. On the offensive side of things, Ragsdale's setup and swing are reminiscent of Curtis Granderson, and Ragsdale has a bit more pop than his five home runs on the season would point to. Still, it's a hit-over-power profile, and he has shown improved swing decisions year-over-year. In a step up in competition from Iona to Boston College, Ragsdale posted a .915 OPS this past season, and followed that up with a .918 OPS in 60 plate appearances in the Cape Cod League this summer. Ragsdale ended up being the lone outfielder selected by the Brewers in this draft—a bit of a surprise, considering the lower-level outfield depth is limited right now. Round 8: RHP Hayden Vucinovich, Bloomington Jefferson HS (MN) Like Flores, Vucinovich is another pick from Ginger Poulson's area, which has become a staple of Day Two and (formerly) Day Three of the draft in recent years. The righty has been up to 95 MPH in games and has touched 96.8 MPH in a bullpen setting. Standing 6-foot-1, Vucinovich throws his fastball from a low release height with above-average extension, which helps it play up above the pure shape of the fastball, which could use some tinkering. Perhaps he's a candidate for adding the other fastball variations that the Brewers love. His curveball is his best pitch currently, thrown in the low-80s, spinning around 2,900 RPM and averaging around -10 inches of induced vertical break and 14 inches of sweep. He also turns a slider that has a shorter break than the curve and is thrown in the upper 80s, with a spin rate of around 2,600 RPM. He rounds out the current repertoire with a solid-looking changeup that is thrown in the upper 80s, as well. He kills the spin on the pitch well and generates around 15-17 inches of run. Young for the class, Vucinovich only turned 18 about a month before the draft. The Brewers will likely need to tinker with the fastball shape and improve the command. Still, there's room to add to the frame, potentially reaching even more velocity, and a strong starting point with his secondary offerings. Round 9: LHP Andrew Healy, Duke The left-handed Healy got off to a fantastic start to his college career, posting a 2.32 ERA in 42 2/3 innings his freshman season. He struck out 24.7% of the hitters he faced and walked only 3.8% of them, pitching out of the bullpen as well as making some starts. He continued that swingman role his sophomore year, still posting a strong 3.76 ERA, keeping his strikeout rate steady at 24.7%, but his walk rate nearly tripled, going up to 10% in 2024. This season went off the rails for him, as he posted a 7.76 ERA, and his strikeout rate went down pretty significantly to 18.9%. He was in the portal this offseason before the Brewers selected him. Healy throws a fastball in the low 90s but shows flashes of being able to reach back for more, even getting up to 97 at times. The shape of the pitch is solid, but unspectacular, and his command of it regressed during his time at Duke. His changeup is his best pitch, and did the best job of generating whiffs of all his pitches. He has shown a level of comfort with the pitch against righties and lefties. He rounds out the repertoire with a slurve-type breaking ball, which he shows an ability to spin but which is lacking in shape and command. The Brewers are likely banking on helping Healy find his freshman form, and will hope to better weaponize his ability to spin the breaking ball. For a college arm, there is untapped potential here, as he could probably stand to add a bit of weight to his frame, potentially helping him find more consistency in his velocity. Round 10: RHP Braylon Owens, UTSA Owens garnered some attention during UTSA's run in the College World Series, closing out their upset win against Texas with seven strikeouts in four innings. He finished the season with a 4.47 ERA, a 25.4% strikeout rate and a 10.2% walk rate. He's a true, four-year senior who spent his entire career at UTSA and likely will be an underslot signee. He has an interesting pitch profile, throwing five pitches and getting up to 96 MPH on his fastball. He has the three-fastball combination that the Brewers value, throwing his four-seam and two-seam in the 90-93 range but getting into the mid-90s in shorter stints and in bigger moments. The two-seamer has an intriguing shape to it, with some good armside life. His cutter is thrown in the upper 80s, and all three variations work off of each other pretty well, though he can struggle with the command of all of them at times. For his secondaries, Owens mixes a slider in the 82-83 range, which he spins up to 2,800 RPMs and can get some swing-and-miss with, particularly against righties. He also mixes in more of a downer curveball in the upper-70s, with good feel for spin on that as well. His changeup needs work, which could cause some platoon split concerns. Still, for a likely "senior sign", there are intriguing characteristics here—not to mention his competitiveness, which was on full display down to the end of his career, as he (unsuccessfully) attempted to pitch through a 108-MPH comebacker off his throwing elbow. Round 11: SS CJ Hughes, Junipero Serra HS (CA) The Brewers made CJ Hughes their 11th-round selection, beginning a run of prep picks in the rounds that formerly made up day three of the draft. Hughes is a shortstop with the makings of potentially being a plus defender in the bigs someday. His actions and his feel for the game at short are very strong for his age, and his athleticism is on full display on the infield dirt. His arm is strong enough to handle short, as well. Offensively, he's a switch-hitter with really good bat-to-ball ability from both sides and a twitchy swing, to complement a strong approach. He has shown flashes of power from the left side, but very little from the right. He will need to add good weight to his frame over time to get to some extra-base power, while also maintaining his plus speed and athleticism. This will certainly be an overslot bonus for the 17-year-old, but the odds of signing Hughes away from his UC Santa Barbara commitment would seem to be high, as the Brewers don't tend to use 11th-round picks on players they don't expect to sign. Round 12: LHP Cooper Underwood, Allatoona HS (GA) Underwood fits the Brewers' mold as a high schooler. The left-hander only sits in the upper 80s with his fastball, though that was up to 91-92 in spring, but the shape of the fastball is tremendous, getting well above-average carry on the pitch. He spins a curveball and a slider in the near-3,000 RPM range, with two very different shapes and some difference in velocity. He also throws a changeup that has a good shape to it, but would benefit from separating a bit further from the fastball in velocity. Underwood had a very strong senior season, pitching 73 2/3 innings, striking out 148 batters and posting a 0.48 ERA, according to Max Preps. Committed to Georgia Tech, this could be a tough sign for the Brewers, but he seems like a great potential fit for the organization. Round 13: RHP Gavin Lauridsen, Foothill HS (CA) Drafted as a pitcher, some evaluators liked Lauridsen's bat more than his arm. A USC commit, he could be a tough sign for the Brewers, but the stuff on the mound is very intriguing. His fastball has been up to 97 and, while it can have inconsistent shape, it will flash carry of up to 19 inches of induced vertical break. His curveball and slider are both interesting offerings that, like the fastball, show inconsistencies in their shapes. Lauridsen also mixes in a changeup that has the potential to be his best secondary down the road, though the feel for it is currently touch-and-go. The delivery is very clean, and Lauridsen generates a lot of extension without much effort. The pitch shapes would need to be cleaned up in pro ball, but he would be a very interesting arm to add to the system. Round 14: C/OF Brendan Brock, Southwestern Illinois College (IL) He can windmill dunk a basketball, he stole 70 bags the last two seasons, and he catches. Brock is one of the best athletes in the entire draft, He has spent most of his time as a catcher in junior college, but could easily move to the outfield if needed. Brock has 70-grade speed, something you don't see from catchers. His receiving reportedly needs work, though he has a pretty good arm, and is obviously an athletic mover behind the plate as well. Offensively, he shows the ability to hit for power and a solid hit tool. He's the all-time homerun champion at Southwestern Illinois by a healthy mark in just two years of play and his .431/.541/.844 career slash speaks to just how dominant he has been in college so far. An Oklahoma commit, this could be a tough sign for the Brewers, but Tod Johnson told the media that Brock was open to negotiating. Round 15: 1B/3B Dominic Cadiz, Notre Dame HS (CA) A late riser on draft boards, Cadiz is a bat-first prospect out of Notre Dame High in California. Likely a first baseman long term, Cadiz has done nothing but hit all spring, and into the summer, where he has dominated a collegiate wood bat league. He has slashed .375 /.464/650 for a 1.114 OPS in 140 PA for the Walla Walla Sweets of the West Coast League. He has seven home runs, more walks than strikeouts and has already posted exit velocities of up to 112 MPH with a wood bat. As a late bloomer, it's unclear where his mindset is at in terms of whether to sign or not, but a UCLA commitment often proves to be too enticing for a player to decline. Round 16: LHP Parker Coil, Arkansas Coil had great results out of the Arkansas bullpen this season, posting a 1.27 ERA in 22 innings, with a 24:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Comign from the left side, Coil's fastball is usually in the upper 80's, though he's touched 94 at times. He frequently mixes in a cutter with similar velocity, only a tick or two slower. Coil will also mix in a a big sweeper with big time spin rates, and a changeup that plays well off of his fastball. It seems likely that Coil will remain a reliever, but the Brewers have a history of trying these types of pitchers out as starters. Coil seems like the safest bet of the 11-20 picks to sign with the Brewers. Round 17: RHP Luke Roupe, Grace Christian School (NC) Roupe's repertoire is largely built around his fastball and his curveball. Those two offerings helped him pitch his way to a 2.01 ERA over 62 2/3 innings, striking out 100 along the way. The fastball gets up to 94 MPH and has good carry and is pretty high spin. The curveball spins in the 2400 RPM range, and has some good depth and sweep to it, in the low-80s. Roupe will also mix a sweeper in at times, thrown a bit harder than the curve, and has a changeup that will need development. Committed to South Carolina, Roupe will likely be looking for a pretty big bonus to sign. If he does, his pitchability and the starting point of his fastball and curveball combination will make him an interesting name to follow. Round 18: Rylan Mills, Oran HS (MO) A potential sleeper selection for the Brewers in the 18th round, Mills is a catcher from a small school in Missouri. He is committed to Southeast Missouri State. Mills has posted exit velocities of up to 110 MPH, and shown bat speed of up to 83 MPH using Blast sensors. There is tremendous pop in the bat, and he showed it with his 1.794 OPS, and 1.145 slugging percentage in high school his senior year. He had 39 hits, 23 of which were the extra base variety. 10 of those were home runs. Defensively, he looks a little slow on the trigger to make throws, but has a strong arm. Cleaning up the footwork and the exchange a bit could lead to consistent pop times under two seconds. The commitment to a smaller school would seem to make it more likely that he will be one of the players to sign from this group of 11-20 selections. Round 19: RHP Chase Bentley, IMG Academy (FL) Bentley had a tremendous season at IMG Academy this past year, posting a 0.94 ERa and striking out 62 to only five walks. Equipped with an upper-80s fastball with some carry, and a changeup that is pretty high spin and shows late fade. The changeup is a pitch he shows really advannced feel for. Bentley also mixes in an interesting slider that flashes as an above-average pitch at times. Bentley is seen as someone who could add velocity down the line and already possesses an interesting three pitch mix. A Texas A&M commit, who is also signed to the Klutch agency would seem to be an unlikely sign, but you can never rule it out. Round 20: RHP Ma'Kale Holden, Thompson HS (AL) The Brewers final selection on Monday, Holden is another two-way in high school that the Brewers drafted as a pitcher. He's also another that seems unlikey to be signed away from his Alabama commitment. That said, he has an intriguing repertoire. He has touched 95 MPH on his fastball and sits in the low-90s consistently. His curveball is thrown about 20 MPH slower than the fastball, and he splits the difference with his slider, which he throws in the 78-81 MPH range. He spins both of them well, with the slider being a true put-away pitch for him. He also flashes a low-80s changeup that he shows good feel for. Holden is likely to make it to Alabama, where he appears to be on track to be a two-way player in college. Perhaps the Brewers will revisit Holden when he is back in the draft in a few years, but for now, he seems pretty likely to make it to campus. That wraps up day two of the Brewers draft. It was a prep-heavy day, and it will be very interesting to see which players wind up signing with the organization over the next couple of weeks. Join the conversation below, by asking questions or throwing out favorite picks from the 2025 Draft class for the Crew. View full article

Image courtesy of © Dylan Widger-Imagn Images Rounds six through 10 of the MLB Draft have concluded, and the Brewers have made five more selections, with 10 remaining in rounds 11-20. Round 6, 185 Overall: 2B/SS Daniel Dickinson, LSU -- 81st Player by Consensus The Brewers selected Dickinson out of LSU, where he won a national championship in his first season in Baton Rouge, having spent the previous two seasons at Utah Valley. Dickinson was ranked 81st on the Consensus Big Board. Our Jamie Cameron wrote, "A compact frame underpins a direct, adjustable swing. Dickinson controls the barrel of the bat well and has good bat speed. Dickinson is able to leverage all fields in a profile that is well-balanced. It's a good approach at the plate, with almost as many walks (13.1%) as strikeouts (13.8%) through the end of the 2025 season. Dickinson swatted 12 home runs and carried a 125 wRC+ to boot. Cameron also says, "Dickinson shows good bat-to-ball skills and fringe-average power. Defensively, it's likely a second base profile long term. It's a solid but unspectacular defensive package. Offensively, though, this is a well-rounded hitter who does a little of everything well." Dickinson is unlikely to be a significant power threat at the next level, but he shows the ability to be a hit-first second baseman who brings a scrappy attitude and play-style to the field, which is a profile that the Brewers have found plenty of success with. Round 7, Pick 215 Overall: OF Josiah Ragsdale, Boston College The Brewers selected Sal Frelick out of Boston College in 2021, and have gone back to the well with this selection. Ragsdale is another speedy, left-handed hitting outfielder, though Ragsdale is a lesser defender than Frelick. Most evaluators expect Ragsdale to end up in left field, as his speed does not play as well in the outfield as it does on the bases, where he went 30-36 on stolen base attempts for BC this year, and followed that up by going 15-18 in the Cape Cod League. On the offensive side of things, Ragsdale's setup and swing are a bit reminiscent of Curtis Granderson, and Ragsdale has a bit more pop than his five home runs on the season would point to. Still, it's a hit over power profile, and he has shown improved swing decisions year-over-year. In a step up in competition from Iona to Boston College, Ragsdale posted a .915 OPS this past season, and followed that up with a .918 OPS in 60 plate appearances in the Cape Cod League this summer. Round 8, Pick 245 Overall: RHP Hayden Vucinovich, Bloomington Jefferson HS (MN) Vucinovich is another pick from Ginger Poulson's area, which has become a staple of Day Two and (formerly) Day Three of the draft in recent years. The righty has been up to 95 MPH in games and has touched 96.8 MPH in a bullpen setting. Standing 6'1, Vucinovich throws his fastball from a low release height, with above average extension, which helps it play up above the pure shape of the fastball, which could use some tinkering. Perhaps a candidate for adding the other fastball variations that the Brewers love. His curveball is his best pitch currently, thrown in the low-80s, spinning around 2,900 RPMs and averaging around -10 inches of induced vertical break, and 14 inches of sweep. He also turns a slider that has a shorter break than the curve and is thrown in the upper 80s with a spin rate of around 2,600 RPMs. He rounds out the current repertoire with a solid-looking changeup that is thrown in the upper-80s as well. He kills the spin on the pitch well and generates around 15-17 inches of run. Young for the class, Vucinovich only turned 18 about a month before the draft. Brewers will likely need to tinker with the fastball shape and improve the command, but there's room to add to the frame, potentially reaching even more velocity, and a strong starting point with his secondary offerings. Round 9, Pick 275 Overall: LHP Andrew Healy, Duke The left-handed Healy got off to a fantastic start to his college career, posting a 2.32 ERA in 42 2/3 innings his freshman season. He struck out 24.7% of hitters he faced and walked only 3.8% of hitters, pitching out of the bullpen, as well as making some starts. He continued that swingman role his sophomore year, still posting a strong 3.76 ERA, keeping his strikeout rate steady at 24.7%, but his walk rate nearly tripled, going up to 10% in 2024. 2025 went off the rails for him, as he posted a 7.76 ERA, and his strikeout rate went down pretty significantly to 18.9%. He was in the portal this offseason before the Brewers selected him. Healy throws a fastball in the low-90s that shows flashes of being able to reach back for more, even getting up to 97 at times. The shape of the pitch is solid, but unspectacular, and his command of the pitch regressed during his time at Duke. His changeup is his best pitch, and did the best job of generating whiffs of all his pitches. He has shown a level of comfort with the pitch against righties and lefties. He rounds out the repertoire with a slurve-type breaking ball, which he shows an ability to spin, but is lacking in shape and command. The Brewers are likely banking on helping Healy find his Freshman form, and will hope to better weaponize his ability to spin the breaking ball. For a college arm, there is untapped potential here, as he could probably stand to add a bit of weight still as well, potentially helping him find more consistency in his velocity. Round 10, Pick 305 Overall: RHP Braylon Owens, UTSA Owens got some attention during UTSA's run in the College World Series, closing out their upset win against Texas with seven strikeouts in four innings. Owens is a true, four-year senior who spent his entire career at UTSA and likely will be an underslot selection. He has an interesting pitch profile, throwing five pitches and getting up to 96 MPH on his fastball. He has the three fastball combination that the Brewers value, throwing his four-seam and two-seam in the 90-93 range, but getting into the mid-90s in shorter stints and in bigger moments. The two-seam has an intriguing shape to it, with some good armside life. His cutter is thrown in the upper-80s, and all three variations work off of each other pretty well, though he can struggle with the command of all of them at times. For his secondaries, Owens mixes a slider in the 82-83 range, which he spins up to 2,800 RPMs and can get some swing-and-miss with, particularly against righties. He also mixes in more of a downer curveball in the upper-70s, with good feel for spin on that as well. He lacks a changeup, which could cause some platoon issues. Still, for a senior sign there are intriguing characteristics here, not to mention his competitiveness, which was on full display down to the end of his career, as he attempted to pitch through a 108 MPH comebacker off his throwing elbow. The Brewers will finish their draft with rounds 11-20, which will begin at 3:10 CT today (July 14th). We will be back to wrap up Day Two for you later on! View full article

I certainly would! Definitely have had this thought as well. Minimally feels like they'll need to promote her to a regional scout position or something soon.

What I can find on Vucinovich to this point. Had heard the name, being a Midwest kid, but that was all I knew of him. #InGingerWeTrust (I am pretty sure this is a Ginger pick) Edit: Ginger liked the tweet, which I take as confirmation of it being her pick lol

Sean Episcope is from the Chicago area originally, but has spent his college career at Princeton. At 6'0, he throws from a higher slot than you would expect. After undergoing Tommy John Surgery his senior year of high school, he is dealing with another elbow injury currently that will likely keep him out for a while. MLB Pipeline has Episcope ranked 215th overall, and their write-up discusses how he, "made 10 uneven starts as a freshman with the Tigers in 2024, but came out of the gate this year like gangbusters, with 26 strikeouts and just four walks in 20 innings, including a nine-strikeout, five-inning start at Wake Forest that opened a lot of eyes. But he came out of his fourth start with his biceps tingling, and it was eventually determined that he required another procedure, getting internal brace surgery in May." They then dive into his interesting pitch mix, saying, "Episcope does have the pitch mix to potentially start when healthy. He was topping out at 97 mph with his fastball and averaging a touch over 94, while maintaining that velocity throughout his starts before he got shut down. He has two legitimate breaking balls, with a mid-80s gyro-like slider and more of a 12-to-6 power curve up to 82 mph that registered elite-level spin rates north of 3,000 rpm. Combined, the two breakers elicited a 60-percent miss rate over his four starts, according to Synergy. Episcope did an excellent job filling up the strike zone this spring, but given the lack of history on the mound and the multiple elbow procedures, it's a little more difficult to pinpoint where he belongs in a Draft class. Some thought he could go as high as the second round as a future starter had his success continued, while others see his size and injuries and see a reliever profile." The Brewers' next selection will come in the sixth round, 185th overall. View full rumor

100% agree. Think they believe they have a market inefficiency in these under-scouted cold-weather states. So far, they certainly seem to be correct in that assessment.

Joshua Flores hails from the same high school as 2023 pick Josh Adamczewski and 2024 pick Griffin Tobias, making it three years in a row the Brewers went to the well at Lake Central High School in Indiana. MLB Pipeline has Flores ranked 243rd overall, and wrote, "Indiana's high school pitching crop runs deeper than usual this year, and Flores has the loudest stuff of the group. He features one of the best curveballs in the national prep class, though he also averaged a walk per inning as a senior. He comes with a high ceiling but also a good deal of reliever risk. Flores' hammer curveball ranges from 82-85 mph with downer break, grading as a well above-average pitch at times but also moving so much he has difficulty landing it in the zone. He has better command of a tighter slider with similar velocity. Hitters can't really guard against his breaking balls because his fastball sits at 92-95 mph and touches 97 with some armside run and carry. Flores barely utilizes his mid-80s changeup, which flashes some interesting tumble. The Kentucky recruit has a long arm action and effort in his delivery, which hampers his ability to throw strikes, let alone locate his offerings with much precision. He'll be an intriguing project for a team that believes in its ability to develop pitchers." The Brewers' next selection will be 155th overall, in the fifth round. View full rumor

Ah, good call. Somehow missed that one.

Unfortunately, the Rangers took Owens last night, I also was a big fan of his... Here are some names I'll be watching throughout the day today. I'll be tweeting reactions again, if people are interested in following along! I'll also do my best to drop by in here today, but will have a lot on my plate, as I'll be writing articles for the first two picks and then another on rounds 6-10 at least. So a busy day for me 😂

Some video of the HR and double from yesterday if you're interested:

He's been featured in some sandboxes, but I can try to go a bit more in depth at some point! This week was pre-draft talk and next week will be post-draft talk, but I'll do my best to remember to include more talk the week after!

Jack and Spencer give their thoughts on Brandon Woodruff's return, the excellent starting pitching in a sweep of the Dodgers, Pat Murphy's benching of Joey Ortiz over poor swing decisions, and how the Brewers should approach first base with Rhys Hoskins sidelined. Spencer also previews next week's MLB draft. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-brewer-fanatic-podcast/id1740648724 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CY8mWsQayqjDXqw9OT2Td iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-brewer-fanatic-podcast-166534588/ Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ommzz627 Watch On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brewerfanatic View full article

Payne added another HR yesterday, highlighted by BrewersPD today

I think they’ll almost certainly try that with some of the players down the road.

Honestly, had not seen Harold's article yet, but uhhh yeah, we definitely coordinated!

Image courtesy of © Max Correa / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images We're back for another week of farm system observations. This week, we cover a change to Braylon Payne’s stance, a left-handed pitcher from the famous 2023 draft class who may be flying under the radar, and a rejuvenated utility player quietly performing exceptionally well in Biloxi. All statistics are season-long unless otherwise noted Braylon Payne - OF - Carolina Mudcats: 222 PA, 115 wRC+, 28.4 K%, 14.4 BB%, 5 HR The Brewers surprised a lot of people when they selected Payne with the 17th pick in the 2024 draft, though Curt Hogg recently reported that the Dodgers were going to choose him if the Brewers didn’t. After a hot start in Carolina to begin the year, Payne struggled mightily in May, posting a 69 wRC+ with zero extra-base hits. Though he had a better start to June, he still only posted an 80 wRC+ and ended up sitting out the final two weeks of the month. He returned on the first of July and had what I believe was the best four-game stretch of his career to this point. Payne was seen as a slash-and-dash type of player at draft time, but he’s flashed more power in pro ball than most people expected, already posting exit velocities upward of 110 MPH. Payne had a power outage in May, but despite his continued struggles in June, he had an ISO of .216, with five of his 11 hits being of the extra-base variety. He showed his power ability this past week with the above home run, as well as a double, but he also flashed contact skills that had been severely lacking for much of the season—as evidenced by his 35.5% whiff rate. It was a minuscule sample, but in 20 plate appearances this past week, he only whiffed at a 17.6% rate, and he only struck out one time. Unsurprisingly, given his speed and athleticism, getting the ball in play led to a considerable amount of success. It was a nice glimpse at the potential that he possesses. He is capable of hitting the ball hard in the air. He’s also capable of beating out infield hits on balls on the ground. The profile is currently very similar to Garrett Mitchell’s at the plate, both in the batted-ball profile and Payne’s ability to draw walks at a strong rate, and on the negative side: the issues with whiffs. What stood out to me this week was that Payne has also made some changes to his stance and load pattern since the beginning of the year. Now in a more upright, straight-legged stance, he sinks into his hip a bit more during his load, but his head appears to stay a bit more still with this adjustment, which could potentially help him curtail some of those whiff concerns. There also seems to be less drift in his backside with the new setup. See the swing from early in the season below, and compare it to the home run he hit this week. As one of the younger players in full-season ball, Payne’s up-and-down season is unsurprising. Despite the months' worth of struggles, he’s still been 15% better than league average at the plate and has shown his offensive tools all season. I think the new stance and load could help him become more consistent as he moves forward. There’s still room to grow in terms of the optimization of his swing, but I think he's taken a step in the right direction. Tate Kuehner - LHP - Biloxi Shuckers: 76.2 IP, 2.82 ERA, 3.64 FIP, 27.1 K%, 13.5 BB%, 32 Whiff% The Brewers' seventh-round selection in the 2023 draft, Kuehner signed for a below-slot $72,500 signing bonus and spent the majority of his time at Louisville in a relief role. Only 12 of his appearances out of 64 total were starts. Since being drafted, 36 of his 41 have been starts. This season, all 16 appearances have been starts in Double-A. He’s been at his best the last 10 starts, and I’ve watched most of them, including his most recent. Kuehner was sitting in the upper 80s as a junior in college but made a jump into the 92-94 range as a senior. He has ticked that up another mile per hour or so since entering pro ball as well, now sitting 93-95 and touching 97. He holds his velocity late into his starts. Throwing from a low slot—nearly sidearm—he started generating more run on the pitch during his senior year. That slot allows the pitch to play well up in the zone due to the vertical approach angle, and the run helps it play low, too, as evidenced by his 48.1% groundball rate. Building around his interesting fastball, Kuehner yields a secondary mix of upper-80s sliders, mid-80s changeups, as well as an upper-70s curveball. The changeup has evolved from a pitch he rarely used in college (due to an inability to command it) to one of his most effective weapons against right-handed hitters, generating up to 18 inches of armside movement on the pitch. The curveball and slider were more of a slurve-type pitch for him at Louisville, but he has been able to separate it into these two distinct offerings. He shows a comfort level in throwing both of the breaking balls against righties and lefties, which goes a long way. The curve has been a good swing-and-miss pitch for him, while Kuehner uses the slider more like a cutter early in counts, attacking the zone with the pitch. The issue for Kuehner has largely been tied to his struggles to throw strikes, but when I watch him pitch, he seems like a rare pitcher who has better command than control. He seems to throw the ball in the vicinity of where he wants it to go, but his misses are often out of the zone rather than missing in hittable spots. If he attempts to throw a pitch on the outside corner, he’s much more likely to miss outside than over the plate. Having watched Brandon Woodruff on Sunday, constantly on the attack, I couldn’t help but wonder if Kuehner’s walk issues could dissipate with a simple change in mindset. His current approach is closer to that of Jose Quintana, but Kuehner has better stuff than the 2025 version of Quintana. Kuehner generates whiffs at a well above-average clip and is racking up strikeouts. Could a change in mindset and approach improve his command to the point where he can stick as a starter? If not, Kuehner has the type of stuff and delivery that could very easily translate to a bullpen role, where walks can be forgiven a bit more easily. Either way, I view Kuehner as a likely future big-league pitcher, which would be an impressive outcome for a senior-sign, below-slot pick. Ethan Murray - UTIL - Biloxi Shuckers: 170 PA, 161 wRC+, 24.7 K%, 13.5 BB%, 7 HR Murray was the Brewers' fifth-round pick out of Duke in 2021. He climbed the ladder to Double-A rather quickly, but has stalled out there over the last three seasons. Some of this was due to injury, but even after recovering from an injury, there was also a significant drop-off in his performance in 2024. His 61 wRC+ last year (after a 100 mark in 2023) was a bit of a surprise for me, as I had started to view him as someone who could fill an Andruw Monasterio-esque platoon role at some point. His impressive performance this year has me considering that a legitimate possibility again. A high walk rate and average bat-to-ball skills have primarily driven Murray’s offensive profile. Neither of those skills has declined in any way in 2025, but the quality of contact has improved tremendously. Murray hit his seventh home run of the season this week, a career high for him, which he accomplished in only 170 plate appearances. There has been a lot of hard contact this year, after showing very few signs of power in 2024. Last season, he put up an ISO of only .076, mustering only 16 extra-base hits. He’s matched that tally so far in 2025, and he’s done so in 147 fewer plate appearances. He doesn’t quite reach the plate appearance threshold, but Murray’s 161 wRC+ would be fourth among all qualified Southern League hitters. I genuinely believe that Murray’s bat has taken a step forward, beyond the raw stats. If it has, it could unlock a higher level for him, considering defense was always going to be his primary tool. He’s spent the majority of his time this year at second base, letting Cooper Pratt handle shortstop and Brock Wilken handle third before his injury, but he has experience at both spots, including this season. He can handle himself well with the glove at any of the three positions, and his solid-average throwing arm is capable of performing at any infield spot. He’s even added a little outfield versatility to his game this year, making five starts in left field. Murray is 25 years old and probably deserves a shot in Triple-A right now. He's another victim of the infield depth throughout the system. His defensive versatility, improved bat, and all-around baseball acumen—which are regularly on display when you watch him play—make him a prime candidate to be a future MLB utility player. Now, he just needs to stay healthy and get the chance to showcase his abilities at the Triple-A level. That’s all I’ve got for this week; let us know what you think in the replies! View full article