Seth Stohs

I love these videos of players hearing the news that they're heading to the big leagues!! Brice Turang:

#TeamVarland

Oh, what a fun, cute story... and I did NOT see that ending coming!! Please thank your contact for letting you share the story. As a kid from Minnesota that is old enough to remember the mid-to-late '80s, Teddy Higuera was so good. He seemed to always do well against the Twins, though I guess I could verify if that's true or not. I know in 1988, Twins soft-tossing LHP Allan Anderson won the AL ERA title over Higuera by percentage. In an interview a couple of years ago, I could tell that Tom Kelly was still irritated that Anderson didn't want to make his final start the year to win that. OK, I had to look. Higuera made 11 starts against the Twins and went 7-2 with a 2.99 ERA, 4 Complete Games and 1 shutout.

I can't be the only one who had to look up what "Pyrrhic Victory" meant... right?

I really enjoyed this... and to see that @Matthew Trueblood's analysis was fairly similar to mine in November, I feel pretty good about it because Matthew is way smarter than me.

Every year, MLB ballclubs scout players all over the world. They get to know intriguing prospects from the Caribbean, South America, Australia, and around the globe. On Sunday, teams could start signing players who had turned 16 years old. The Milwaukee Brewers were one of the busiest teams in baseball. For the 2022 international signing period, the Brewers' pool stands at $6,366,900. On the first day, the Brewers signed 29 players. We don't know for certain what the total expenditure for the day was, but we know three of the values. The goal, of course, is to find the next Jackson Chourio or Abner Uribe? The Brewers signed three players that were among MLB Pipeline's Top 35 international period prospect rankings. Number 22 on their rankings was outfielder Yophery Rodriguez from the Dominican Republic. He signed with the Brewers for $1.5 million. He just turned 17 in early December and is a very toolsy player. He has a good feel for hitting and over time he could develop a lot of power. He's got a good approach to the strike zone and has been training with former big leaguers Carlos Guillen. How much will he grow, and how much strength will he gain? That may determine whether he remains a viable centerfield option. Filippo Di Turri ranked #33 by MLB Pipeline. He is a shortstop from Venezuela who turned 17 early in November. He's all about projection. He stands about 5-10 and weighs in at just 150 pounds, maybe. Di Turri is a very solid all-around player already at this stage. He has really good instincts at shortstop to go with soft hands, quick feet and range, and a strong arm. While he is not very big and will have to gain a lot of strength over the coming years, scouts have been impressed by his swing from both sides of the plate and believe that he could develop some power from both sides. The Brewers also signed MLB Pipeline's #35 international prospect, shortstop Kevin Ereu on Sunday. Another shortstop from Venezuela, Ereu won't turn 17 until the end of May. He is already 5-11 and 170 pounds. While he is very solid and makes the routine plays at shortstop, and they will want to keep him there as long as they can, he may be a guy who switches positions down the line. He is right-handed and hits the ball hard from gap-to-gap and has already exhibited the ability to hit the ball over the fence. Both Di Turri and Ereu signed for between $1.2 million and $1.3 million. With these three top prospects, the Brewers have accounted for approximately $4 million. That leaves an additional $2.2 million or so to spend. Here are 26 other players that the Brewers signed on Sunday: Pitchers Nestor Mena, RHP, Nicaragua Saul Sanchez, RHP, Nicaragua Melvin Hernandez, RHP, Nicaragua Enniel Cortez, RHP, Nicaragua Jesus Flores, RHP, Venezuela Eric Prado, RHP, Mexico Gabriel Colmenarez, RHP, Venezuela Aldrin Gonzalez, RHP, Venezuela Luis Guevara, RHP, Venezuela Linbel Jimenez, RHP, Dominican Republic Lenin Mendez, RHP, Dominican Republic Ismael Yanez, RHP, Venezuela Oliver Camilo, RHP, Dominican Republic Catchers Freider Rojas, C, Venezuela Infielders Luis Lameda, SS, Venezuela Luiyin Alastre, SS, Venezuela Pedro Ibarguen, SS/OF, Venezuela Joan Gutierrez, SS, Venezuela John Bencosme, SS, Dominican Republic Eduardo Charles, SS, Dominican Republic Roderick Flores, SS, Dominican Republic Tyler Rodriguez, SS, Dominican Republic Outfielders Pedro Tovar, OF, Venezuela Danny Puerta, OF, Colombia Smarlin Espinal, OF, Dominican Republic Antony Gomez, OF, Dominican Republic It is very hard to find shortstops. That is why you see teams sign dozens of shortstops knowing how difficult it is to develop big-league shortstops. Sign a bunch. Let them play a lot at shortstop and other places. Athletes can always move around. But finding guys who will hit enough while playing good shortstop defense is very difficult. As for pitchers, we are still talking about 16 to 18-year-old kids. You can't just look at velocity. Scouts look at a pitcher's frame, their height, their mechanics. It's really a lot like scouting high school players. You are trying to find players that you think can develop into big leaguers in the next six to eight years. While most of the Brewers' Day 1 signings come from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, they signed guys from other countries too. They also signed an outfielder from Colombia and a pitcher from Mexico. They also signed four pitchers from Nicaragua, a country that hasn't exactly been a hotbed for baseball talent. Seven players from Nicaragua signed with MLB organizations on Sunday. Enniel Cortez is fairly experienced. He has pitched professionally in Nicaragua. He tops out around 92 right now and is said to have a tremendous slider. Melvin Hernandez is also 5-11. He went on a tour of the Dominican in November and showed a fastball at 92 and the ability to spin a couple of really good breaking pitches. Nestor Mena stands 6-1. He is a little bit more raw than some other pitchers. However, he has worked very hard and now it touching 90 mph with his fastball and has developed a big curveball as well. Saul Sanchez is 5-11 and also hits 90 mph. The search will continue and teams can sign eligible players within their allotment throughout the year. View full article

I would argue that the fact that he has about 8-9 years of team control, including another minor league season or even two, 3-4 years of cheap cost, and then 3-4 arbitration years. Woodruff is very valuable in 2023 and probably will cost around $10 million, but he's only got two years of service time yet. In a trade, the Brewers could get more for dealing just Chourio than probably anyone but Burnes and Adames...

I agree with this. I was thinking the same thing as I read it. But then I saw Chourio at #6 and thought if he's at #6, this organization is in a great spot!

I put the appropriate BR link in there. Doesn't have the link to the article on Baseball Reference, but at least it links to the right Joseph Hernandez.

No doubt. After reading more on him and watching some more video tonight, the Brewers scouting department deserves a ton of credit for this!

On Saturday evening, the Milwaukee Brewers announced that they have traded right-handed reliever Justin Topa to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for minor-league righty Joseph Hernandez. It has been widely known that the Mariners were looking to add to their bullpen. One would have to assume that they are still looking for relievers, but they did add 31-year-old Justin Topa from the Brewers on Saturday. Topa made his MLB debut with the Brewers in 2020 and over the past three seasons has worked in a combined 17 games for Milwaukee. Joseph Hernandez is a 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic originally signed back in 2017. In 2022, he went 9-5 with a 3.39 ERA at Low-A Modesto. He made 22 starts (and two relief appearances and tossed a total of 116 2/3 innings. He walked too many (54), but his strikeout total of 143 was quite impressive. While Hernandez was not listed among MLB Pipeline's Top 30 Mariners prospects, the strikeout rate make him an intriguing sleeper prospect. . View full article

On Wednesday afternoon, the Milwaukee Brewers acquired infielder Owen Miller from the Cleveland Guardians for cash or a player to be named later. To make room on the 40-man roster, catcher Mario Feliciano was Designated for Assignment. Owen Miller was born in Mequon and went to Ozaukee High School in Fredonia where he starred on the diamond, and on the court. He went to Illinois State and was the Padres third round pick in 2018. In August of 2020, he was traded to Cleveland in a huge trade that sent Mike Clevinger and Greg Allen to San Diego while the Guardians also received Austin Hedges, Josh Naylor and Cal Quantrill. He made his MLB debut in 2021 and played in 60 games. He hit .204/.243/.309 (.551) with eight doubles and four homers. He was much better in 2022. In 130 games, he hit .243/.301/.351 (.652) with 26 doubles and six home runs. As a rookie, he split his time between second base and first base, but he played all four infield spots. In 2022, he played 80 games at first base, 25 games at second base and four more games at third base. How will he fit with the Brewers? A right-handed hitter, he can team with Rowdy Tellez and Jon Singleton at first base. He can provide depth around the infield, but especially at second base where Brice Turang will likely play. On the other side of the transaction, the Brewers will need to send a Player to be Named Later to Cleveland or simply send some Cash. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Brewers Designated catcher Mario Feliciano for Assignment. With the acquisition of William Contreras this week, the Brewers 2016 second round pick became expendable. He played in one game for the Brewers in 2021, walking in his lone plate appearance. In 2022, he played in two games and went 1-for-4 with a walk. In 77 games at Nashville, he hit .274/.326/.386 (.712) with 14 doubles and six home runs. Presumably the Brewers will attempt to trade Feliciano. Join us in welcoming Owen Miller back home to Milwaukee, and then discuss the role you can see him playing in the COMMENTS below. View full article

Yeah, I wouldn't take it negatively at all.

Contreras clearly excited to be traded. Nah, I'm sure he just sad to be leaving a good thing in Atlanta with teammates and where he's been in his whole career. But he's got a good opportunity with the Brewers. I'm still in awe of this trade from the Brewers perspective.

The trade market had been dead during the Winter Meetings, but it's a new week and the hot stove warmed up quickly on Monday afternoon with some catcher trades. The Brewers, in need of a catcher, acquired All Star William Contreras from the Atlanta Braves as part of a three-team deal. In a somewhat surprising move, the Atlanta Braves were the team to acquire catcher Sean Murphy from the Oakland A's on Monday. The Braves already had a couple of All Star catchers on their roster. Veteran Travis d'Arnaud has been an All Star, and William Contreras was an All Star in 2022, his first full season in the big leagues. A month ago, @Nate Palmer discussed the possibility of the Brewers finding a catcher from Atlanta, and today that has happened. Less than a week after his brother, fellow catcher Willson Contreras, signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Brewers brought in William. The 24-year-old played in four games for the 2020 Braves. In 2021, he hit .215/.303/.399 (.701) with four doubles and eight homers in 52 games. He broke out in 2022. In 97 games, he hit .278/.354/.506 (.860) with 14 doubles, 20 homers, and his first All Star appearance. Now, how much will Contreras actually catch is to be seen. He is not a great defensive backstop, but he's solid. He caught in 60 games for Atlanta in 2022. He threw out just 14% of would-be base stealers. However, in 49 games in 2021, he threw out 37% So, he will be a work-in-progress, but he can also provide a right-handed DH option to the Brewers. In addition to Contreras, the Brewers will receive Joel Payamps and Justin Yeager. Right-hander Payamps is 28 years old and has already pitched for the Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Royals and A's since his big-league debut in 2019. In 2022, he posted a 3.23 ERA over 55 2/3 innings between the Royals and A's. He had just 16 walks and just 41 strikeouts. Justin Yeager is a right-handed relief pitcher. The 24 year old was the 33rd round pick of Atlanta in 2019. He split 2022 between High-A and AA. Combined, he worked in 52 1/3 innings over 49 games. He had nine saves. In 52 1/3 innings, he walked 32, but he had an impressive 81 strikeouts(13.9 K/9). While we will find out that there are more pieces, we know right now that the Brewers are sending Esteury Ruiz to the A's. Ruiz came to the Brewers at the trade deadline from the Padres in the Josh Hader deal. Or maybe not?? Is it really possible that the Brewers acquired a young catcher with great family ties and an All-Star season already under his belt, an MLB reliever, and intriguing minor-league reliever for speedy outfielder Esteury Ruiz?? Former Brewers catcher Manny Pina is heading to Oakland in the deal. What we know so far: Oakland to Atlanta: Sean Murphy Atlanta to Milwaukee: William Contreras, Justin Yeager Atlanta to Oakland: Manny Pina, Royber Salinas, Freddy Tarnok (24 year old RHP), Kyle Muller (Braves #1 prospect). Oakland to Milwaukee: Joel Payamps Milwaukee to Oakland: Esteury Ruiz View full article

It used to be a big thing... Kind of before all the summer national events became a big deal. It was a huge thing when the Twins took Joe Mauer #1 out of high school in St. Paul. But he was a more rare Minnesota kid who did play for Team USA teams so scouts were able to see and evaluate him against the top players from the southern states. So along with cold climates and usually only 14-20 games to watch, it was particularly hard to get scouted, plus the quality of play was simply so much lesser. The positive about those regional and national events (Perfect Game, Area Code Games, Prep Baseball Report, etc.) is getting more high school players exposure to college and pro scouts. The number of players from Wisconsin and Minnesota who are now heading to big-time baseball schools in the south or even getting drafted is really impressive. Wisconsin: Jared Kelenic, Ben Rortvedt, Daulton Varsho, Owen and Noah Miller. Feel free to add to this list.

I think the "North" angle is legit, but probably not so much in these cases just because they're both 26-27. For Varland, the angle is that by moving him to the bullpen, he could cut down the number of pitches he throws to just the fastball and slider. Those pitches took off for Varland after his move to the bullpen and his profile now sure looks like a profile of a potential solid MLB reliever. If not, you offer him back to the Dodgers or work out a trade to keep him in AAA Nashville and keep working on his bullpen game. As for Collins, he spent three years at Creighton, and certainly he played a lot of ball there, and he's got a few years of pro ball under his belt. The upside of this pick seems to be his performance in 2021 at two A-Ball levels. If he can put up numbers like those at AA in 2023 (or even close to it), he becomes a possible prospect in that he's putting up decent offensive numbers while providing versatility that includes multiple infield and outfield positions. VERY few minor-league Rule 5 picks get to the big leagues. The Brewers added some depth to their minor-league rosters for $24,000.

A lot of the playoff contenders made Rule 5 selections today. The White Sox, Orioles, Brewers, Phillies, Padres, Mariners, Cardinals, and Mets all made a pick in the MLB portion. Philadelphia took SEVEN players in the minor-league portion.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Brewers made a selection in the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft taking right-handed pitcher Gus Varland from the Dodgers organization. As the Winter Meetings came toward a close in San Diego, the Rule 5 draft took place. A year ago, due to the lockout, there was no Rule 5 draft, so there were a lot of questions as to how this year's draft would go. Ultimately, just 15 players were selected in the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft this year, pretty typical of what we have seen in recent years. With their pick, the Milwaukee Brewers selected right-handed pitcher Gus Varland from the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. A quick look at his 2022 numbers at Double-A Tulsa likely won't get fans too excited. In 41 games (7 starts), he went 4-4 with a 6.11 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. In 70 2/3 innings, he walked 37 (too many), but he struck out 85 batters (intriguing). Here is a 2021 Varland strikeout from Dodgers spring training. However, it is his two-pitch mix that got several MLB teams interested in Varland. He has been a starter most of his career, but midseason, he was moved to the bullpen. As a starter, his fastball sat between 92 and 94, touching 95. Out of the bullpen, he was regularly hitting 96, 97, and even hit 98 a few times in the final month of the season. Likewise, his slider - already considered a strong pitch - saw its velocity jump from the mid-80s to touching 90 out of the bullpen. He is now on the Brewers 40-man roster and per the rules of the Rule 5 draft, he will head to spring training in Arizona. He will need to remain on the Brewers active roster throughout the 2023 season or be offered back to the Dodgers. Background Gus Varland grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. He went to North St. Paul High School before heading to Division II Concordia University, that's right, in St. Paul. He was a starter for the Bears for three season. He spent the summer of 2017 in the Northwoods League. Pitching for Willmar. he went 6-1 with a 1.42 ERA in the college wood bat league. In his junior season of 2018, he went 7-1 with a 1.04 ERA over 10 games and 60 1/3 innings. He had 79 strikeouts and 15 walks. More important, especially for a Division II guy, he was showing the stuff that would impress scouts. He is strong, and he showed a low-90s fastball. He also had the solid slider. In 2018, he was the 14th round pick of the Oakland A's. That summer, he posted a 0.95 ERA over 38 innings. He jumped up to High-A Stockton in 2019 and in five games, he went 2-1 with a 2.39 ERA and had 27 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings. However, his season ended early and he underwent Tommy John surgery that summer. The 2020 season was likely to be lost for him while rehabbing. Before the 2021 season began, the A's traded Varland and Sheldon Neuse to the Dodgers in exchange for lefty Adam Kolarek and outfielder Cody Thomas. He was brought back slowly in 2021 at Double-A Tulsa. He pitched in 16 games and made 14 starts, and he worked just 34 2/3 innings. Most games, he would work two innings, and later in the season, he went to three innings. That led to his 2022 season, back in Tulsa, and shifting to the bullpen. Brotherly Love Gus's younger brother, Louie Varland, joined him at Concordia University and they pitched together for two seasons. A year after Gus was drafted, Louie was the 15th round pick of the Twins. Varland was the Twins minor-league pitcher of the year in 2021, splitting his season between Low-A Ft. Myers and High-A Cedar Rapids. In 2022, he began his season at Double-A Wichita and moved up to Triple-A St. Paul for a handful of starts before ending his season with five starts with the Twins. Fortunately for the Varland family, during Louie's time in Wichita, they played Tulsa... a lot. In fact, the two started against each other in a game early in the season. (although, it was supposed to happen sooner, but it kept getting rained out!) When Louie Varland made his MLB debut for the Twins at Yankees Stadium, the Dodgers allowed Gus to head to New York to be there. When Louie recorded his first MLB strikeout (Aaron Judge), cameras panned to the Varland family and you can see Gus cheering loudly. (holding the sign, white t-shirt, backwards cap) Depending on where Louie starts his 2023 season, hopefully the Twins will allow him to find his way to watch Gus debut with the Brewers. However, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, Varland will need to get to spring training and make the team. It will be interesting to see how his upper-90s fastball and upper-80s could play in the Brewers bullpen. Check out this Twins Spotlight video with both brothers. Minor-League Rule 5 Draft Pick In the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 draft, the Brewers selected infielder Isaac Collins from the Colorado Rockies organization. Another Minnesota native, Collins grew up in Maple Grove. At Maple Grove High School in 2019, he became the first player since Joe Mauer in 2001 to be named a finalist for both Mr. Minnesota Award in both baseball and football. He went to Creighton University for three seasons. As a junior in 2019, he played in 54 games and hit .293/.366/.479 (.846) with 13 doubles, seven triples and six homers. The Rockies selected him in the the 2019 draft. After the lost 2020 season, he split 2021 between Low-A Fresno (17 games) and High-A Spokane (78 games) and hit .308/.407/.475 (.882) with 25 doubles, five triples, and nine home runs. He also stole 21 bases in 27 attempts. He spent the 2022 season with Double-A Hartford where, in 110 games, he hit .221/.337/.347 (.684) with 24 doubles, four triples, and five homers. He also stole 30 bases. Because he was selected in the minor-league Rule 5, there are no 2023 roster restrictions. The Brewers can send him to any level and don't have to return him if he doesn't make a certain level. However, he played mostly second base in 2022, but he also spent time at all three outfield spots. View full article

MLB held its first-ever Draft Lottery on Tuesday night at the Winter Meetings in San Diego. There was little chance that the Brewers would move up into the top six picks, but every once in a while, crazy miracles happen. Did the Brewers cash in on a miracle? Umm, no. One of the new developments in last offseason's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) was the beginning of a Draft Lottery like the NBA and NHL. Previously, the team with the worst record from the previous season was guaranteed the top overall pick. Now, the worst teams aren’t even guaranteed a top six pick, and those three teams have the same odds of getting the top pick (16.5%). At a high level, the idea is simply to discourage teams from tanking for the worst record. The 18 teams that missed the postseason all have a chance at the top overall pick. The Brewers were eliminated from the playoffs during the final games of the year and were the best team in terms of record that did not go to the playoffs. Because of that, they had just a 0.2% chance of grabbing the #1 overall pick. Additionally, there are restrictions on how often a team can participate in the lottery. Teams that don’t receive revenue sharing (large-market teams) can not receive a lottery pick in consecutive drafts. Revenue-sharing recipients (small-market teams) are prohibited from being awarded a lottery pick in three consecutive years. Teams prohibited from a lottery pick can’t receive higher than the 10th overall pick. Obviously that will not come into play until at least next year's lottery. MLB Draft Lottery Results As expected, the 2023 MLB Draft order shifted because of the Draft Lottery. However, the Brewers kept the 18th overall pick. For 2022, the first 18 picks will follow this order: 1. Pirates (Up 2) 2. Nationals (Down 1) 3. Tigers (Up 3) 4. Rangers (Up 3) 5. Twins (Up 8) 6. A's (Down 4) 7. Reds (Down 3) 8. Royals (Down 3) 9. Rockies (Down 1) 10. Marlins (Down 1) 11. Angels (Down 1) 12. D-Backs (Down 1) 13. Cubs (Down 1) 14. Red Sox 15. White Sox 16. Giants 17. Orioles 18. Brewers Competitive Balance Round Pick Earlier this week, MLB announced the Competitive Balance Draft picks to teams that fall in the bottom 10 in revenue or market size. Competitive Balance Round A takes place after the completion of the first round, and these picks are the only ones that clubs are allowed to trade. Minnesota can hang on to this top-40 pick, or it might be an intriguing piece to trade this winter. The Round A picks are as follows: 1. Mariners 2. Rays 3. Brewers 4. Twins 5. Marlins 6. Tigers 7. Reds 8. A’s General Thoughts First, it's important to note that the Brewers will have the 18th and 33rd overall picks in the 2023 draft. In 2022, the Slot value of those picks were $3,659,800 for the 18th pick, and the 33rd overall pick value was $2,315,100. The Twins were really the big winner in this first MLB Draft Lottery. Despite having just a 0.9% chance to take the #1 pick, the Twins did jump into the Top 6 and will have the #1 overall pick. The value of the fifth pick compared to the 13th overall pick is about $2.1 million. Not only will the Twins have a Top 5 pick, but they have the money to potentially maneuver the system to add a high-ceiling type in a later round. Washington Nationals 55-107 Oakland A's 60-102 Pittsburgh Pirates 62-100 In the past, that would have been the draft order, about 16.5% The Pirates jumped up and took the top pick. The Nationals just fell one spot, so they will take the #2 pick. The A's, on the other hand, dropped four spots and will selected sixth overall. Why? Because the Tigers and the Rangers both jumped three spots, and the Twins jumped eight spots. How do you feel about the new draft lottery. It has been successful in the other leagues. Honestly, it was really fun to watch. It was exciting to see former MLB veteran Raul Ibanez announce the draft order. Even though the Brewers stayed in the same spot (which was too be expected), do you feel like the system can be a success? Do you think it will keep teams from intentionally tanking? (Injuries, playing inexperienced players and a team's schedule obviously factor into the W-L record as well.) Brewers' Recent First-Round Picks To thins point, the Brewers haven't had a lot of MLB success from recent first-round picks. However, several of those players will likely play a much bigger role on the team starting in 2023 and 2024. In 2022, the team took Coastal Carolina shortstop Eric Brown, Jr., with the 27th overall pick. After signing, he reached Low-A Carolina. It will be interesting to see how quickly he can move up the ladder. Speaking of moving up, the Brewers drafted outfielder Sal Frelick out of Boston College with the 15th overall pick in 2021. He was the Brewer Fanatic Minor League Hitter of the Year. He continually got better as he moved from Wisconsin, to Biloxi, and ended the season playing very well for two months in Nashville. With the 33rd overall pick in 2021, the Brewers took Wright State second baseman Tyler Black. He also missed some time in 2022 due to injury, but when he played, he was solid for the TimberRattlers, spending time at all three middle-of-the-field positions. He ended the season with six weeks in the Arizona Fall League. 2020 was a strange draft because of the pandemic. Most high school and college seasons were cancelled, and the draft was just five round. However, the Brewers took UCLA outfielder Garrett Mitchell with the 20th overall pick. He struggled early this season and then got hurt, but when he came back, he was pushed to Triple-A, and in late August, he was called up to the Brewers. He played well enough to be selected the Brewer Fanatic Rookie of the Year. In 2019, the Brewers took left-handed pitcher Ethan Small with the 28th overall pick out of Mississippi State. He spent most of the season at Nashville, but he made two starts for the Brewers and should get more time in 2023. 2018 top pick is the only one from the high school ranks. With the 21st overall pick, The Crew selected shortstop Brice Turang out of Santiago High School in Corona, California. He spent all of 2022 at Nashville and was added to the 40-man roster in November. Keston Hiura was the Brewers top pick in 2017 out of UC-Irvine. While 2022 was an up-and-down year, there is a lot of ability here. The Brewers could get some contributions from each of these players in 2023 and beyond. This is even more impressive when you consider they've only had one pick in the Top 14 once. That is a credit to the scouting staff. What thoughts do you have on the first-ever MLB Draft lottery? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Brewer Fanatic Gift Ideas FOCO is back again with a new collection of bobbleheads, but this time with a few twists. Their brand-new Holiday Bobble Bros collection is in stock and ready to ship ahead of the holidays. Unlike most of FOCO's bobbleheads, these are not limited and retail at a much lower price for just $30. This makes them the perfect stocking stuffer and a great addition to any Brewers fan’s home. The collection features team mascots wearing reindeer themed hats. They are also sporting a scarf with a baseball and bat in hand. The Billy Buffalo version is in a seated position and is wearing his team jersey. If you are familiar with some of FOCO's other bobbleheads, you will quickly notice that these don’t have a base, making these really stand out from the rest of their offering. Like all FOCO bobbleheads, each one is handcrafted and hand-painted so no two are exactly the same. As mentioned before, these are not limited and are in stock ready to ship now. They stand at just 4in tall so they should fit in any spot you’d want to display them. Don’t wait to pick up the Milwaukee Brewers Bobble Bro Mascot Bobblehead for yourself or as gift for the upcoming holidays! View full article