2021 Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 11-20

[CheeseheadInQC]

Will be interesting to see how many of these guys sign. It is weird to think the Brewers have drafted more JUCO pitchers than 4-year college pitchers thus far. I wonder if the Brewers weren’t the biggest fans of the depth in this year’s college pitching crop of if the Angels just drafted them all.

[JDBrewCrew]

They may want the younger arms that come from the JuCO ranks so they can get them into the "pitching lab" earlier in their developmental years.

[JDBrewCrew]

The Brewer Nation

@BrewerNation

 

20s

With the 507th overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft, the Milwaukee #Brewers select Will Rogers, C, Mounds View HS (MN).

 

Rogers may not get drafted high enough to divert him from college but could develop into a premium prospect at Arizona State. He's a right-handed hitter with solid power and arm strength who needs to polish his hitting and receiving. He helped his cause by performing well at the inaugural MLB Draft Combine.

 

Carlos Collazo

@CarlosACollazo

1m

The guy whose BP impressed me the most at the MLB Draft Combine was Will Rogers. Just barrel after barrel and long line drives and fly balls up the middle. An

@ASU_Baseball commit.

#MLBDraft #Brewers

 

Baseball America

@BaseballAmerica

Jun 24

Keep an eye on Will Rogers (

@willrogers219

He had moved up more than 100 spots in our latest draft rankings.

And he posted some of the best BP exit velos of any prep hitter at the MLB Draft Combine.

Scouting report: https://baseballamerica.com/rankings/2021-mlb-draft-top-prospects/?Position=&Keyword=Will+Rogers

[PeaveyFury]

Looks like we may possibly ruin the season of ASU, should things go in the Brewers' way.

[Jose Cardenal1]

Given the 1 day break I would think they did enough signability homework to have some confidence that they could sign their 11th round pick. If they can sign him it raises this draft for me a lot because it’s another guy in the top 20 prospect discussion.

 

 

Isn't Yelich from Thousands Oaks (like Riggio). Have him reach out to Riggio to make him feel loved and wanted to be part of the Brewers contingent of California Strong.

[JDBrewCrew]

MLB Draft Tracker

@MLBDraftTracker

·

41s

18 (537):

@Brewers

select Old Dominion (VA) P Ryne Moore. https://mlb.com/draft/tracker/drafted/team/brewers #MLBDraft

[damuelle]

Here are some articles on Will Rogers. Sounds like he’s a catcher-first, pitcher-second with good pedigree, but appears excited about attending ASU. We’ll see what happens:

 

https://www.presspubs.com/shoreview/sports/local/state-s-top-baseball-prospect-savoring-last-hometown-season/article_49242b60-bdbb-11eb-a6af-5785142bf510.html

 

https://www.mnbaseballhub.com/news_article/show/1169322

[JDBrewCrew]

MLB Draft Tracker

@MLBDraftTracker

17m

19 (567):

@Brewers select Benedictine Military School (GA) P Carter Holton. https://atmlb.com/366DYEt #MLBDraft

 

MLB Draft Tracker

@MLBDraftTracker

1m

20 (597): @Brewers select Cisco JC (TX) RHP Samuel Mendez. https://mlb.com/draft/tracker/drafted/team/brewers #MLBDraft

[JDBrewCrew]

Holton, Carter

Benedictine Military School (GA)

P

L/L

HS SR

5' 11" 195lbs

DOB:09/04/02

--

player-headshot

Benedictine Military School (Savannah, Ga.) has produced a pair of big leaguers in Hawk Harrelson and Mike Fitzgerald, but the Cadets have never had a pitching prospect of Holton's caliber. He has repeatedly dominated on the showcase circuit and can flash four plus pitches, though he comes with relief risk because of his size. He's the best pitcher in Vanderbilt's recruiting class, but may be more signable than a typical Commodores recruit and could land in the top three rounds. Holton ran his four-seam fastball up to 96 mph last summer at the Perfect Game All-American Classic and usually favors a two-seamer that sits in the low 90s with sink. He has two distinct breaking balls, with scouts slightly preferring his upper-70s slider to his mid-70s curveball, and both pitches have been more consistent this spring. He also has a low-80s changeup with some sink and keeps hitters off balance by mixing his pitches. Holton is doing a better job of staying more under control and pitching with less effort than he did last summer. He has some crossfire in his delivery that adds deception, especially against left-handers. He has a quick arm and throws all of his pitches for strikes, so the only real concern about him remaining a starter is his 5-foot-11, 195-pound frame.

[Eye Black]

The Angels used all 20 draft picks on pitchers, 19 of which were college pitchers. That seems incredible.

[damuelle]

Carter Holton was apparently holding out for a certain $$ figure in the early rounds, so I guess the Brewers are taking a flyer here in case we fail to sign some other players and have excess cash to win him over. He’s a dominant pitcher first, but also hits well.

 

https://www.wjcl.com/amp/article/former-benedictine-standout-carter-holton-turns-down-mlb-offers-headed-to-vanderbilt/37003250

 

https://www.savannahnow.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2021/07/10/carter-holton-benedictine-savannah-2021-major-league-baseball-draft-vanderbilt-pitcher/7906786002/

 

http://baseballprospectjournal.com/carter-holton-presents-intriguing-potential/amp/

[markedman5]

Brewers last pick was possibly the oldest guy ever drafted.

 

[brewcrewdue80]

This fits the mold of drafting more than likely un-signables but because you drafted them get to be the team getting to know them deeper for a future draft potential. Would be surprised if the signed 5 or more of these kids. Basically you check on the top 10 you want to sign and work your way down with what you have to offer til 1 or more agree to it. Which is a great thought process in my opinion. Land a kid that you wouldn't have expected signing and likely with the restrictions, for less than expected. Gain your lottery ticket that possesses talent vs filler that fizzles at A ball talent. You save money on the kids that don't sign vs that filler you paid.

[Jenkins5]

Brewers have been very good about locking up picks up. They pay close attention to the money as they go. Looking at Johnson’s track record, we can probably assume we will get at least 5 of these picks signed.

 

Riggio & Vire will probably top priority & they must know price could fit in budget.

 

 

Avina & Low are very interesting, hope we can at least land one of them

 

 

Rogers & Holton are late flyers on guys you probably can’t sign but build relationship & who knows…. Something goes wrong with Riggio & Vire… throw that money at one & see what happens.

[Jenkins5]

From article with interview Avina

 

With a spot on the Wolf Pack's roster available to him next season, Avina said his ultimate goal is to be drafted and sign with a pro team in the coming months. It's a dream that has only come into focus as a potential reality in recent months

 

Looks like he is wanting to sign & get started.

[TURBO]

So our draft card looks like this so far:

 

10 pitchers

4 outfielders

2 short stops

2 2B

2 catchers

1 3B

 

I guess we will just remain in 1B/3B hell for all eternity...

[damuelle]

From @BrewerNation: #Brewers VP of Domestic Scouting Tod Johnson clarified on Low that they see him primarily as a 1B if he signs and would send him out that way to begin his pro career, but he also hits 97 MPH on the mound so they wanted to use the new "two-way player" designation on him.

 

[Jenkins5]

SS Kay-Lan Nicasia has cool background

 

My name is Kay-lan Nicasia a High school Class 2021 graduate. I am originally from the island of Curacao and I do come from a baseball family, my grandfather and my father played and baseball. I was part of different national teams during the years I played baseball and did represent the island of Curacao proudly. My grandfather was a big coach on the island which had coached current MLB players such as Andrelton Simmons, Didi Gregorious, Kenley Jansen, Jurickson Profar and former MLB pitcher Jair Jurjens. My dad did follow my grandfather footsteps and did take over the baseball organization my Grandfather founded together with my mother and my goal is to get as much knowledge and play at the highest level I could play and to come back to help the younger generation pursuing their dream.

[Jenkins5]

So our draft card looks like this so far:

 

10 pitchers

4 outfielders

2 short stops

2 2B

2 catchers

1 3B

 

I guess we will just remain in 1B/3B hell for all eternity...

 

1B

Clarke (He will not stick at C but Brewers like to try guys there 1st)

Low (Johnson said mainly first but will try pitching)

 

3B

Black (played 2B because of shoulder surgery but can & has played 3B)

Binelas (May end up at 1B but Johnson said they’d give him every chance)

 

Draft gave couple options

[Never Outhustled]

The Mendez story is really something. A 28 year old basketball player turned baseball player getting drafted. Throws 97, so who cares how old he is.

[Eye Black]

This Perfect Game article from October of 2020 includes lots of good information and quotes from Rico Riggio who played for the Brewers Scout Team including in front of Craig Counsell:

 

 

Brewers Scout Team Out to Enjoy the Ride

 

It’s a very long article so I embedded it in a spoiler window below.

 

 

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Craig Counsell seemed quite at ease at the Lee County Player Development 5-Plex Friday afternoon, surrounded by old friends, like former D’backs teammate Luis Gonzalez, while making a whole lot of new friends as well.

 

It was also notable that the current manager of the Milwaukee Brewers happened to be in the same former MLB spring training complex as his son, Brady Counsell, who is playing with the Milwaukee Brewers Scout Team at this week’s Perfect Game WWBA World Championship, the most prestigious and heavily scouted amateur tournament for high school-age prospects in the world.

 

“This is pure enjoyment,” Craig Counsell, who played all or parts of 16 seasons in the major leagues before getting into managing, told PG during an early afternoon break in the action. “I don’t get to see a lot of (amateur) games and I definitely don’t get to see this caliber of competition very often so it’s a thrill for me. The old me is amazed at how good these kids are at this age when I was thinking back to when I was this age.

 

“It’s really impressive the quality of talent that’s assembled here and that our (Brewers) scouts have put together; it’s fun to watch,” he added. “I was really blown away (Thursday) at the level of competition.”

 

There are a whole lot of people who are impressed with the high level of play the Milwaukee Brewers Scout Team showed in itheir first two games of the WWBA World on Thursday and Friday, games that ended with a win and a tie. Those results left this Brew Crew Scout Team in position to secure a spot in the playoffs if they can win their pool-play finale on Saturday.

 

And they boast a young roster to boot, with 18 of the 25 spots filled by underclassmen from the classes of 2022 and 2023. That’s not been totally unheard of at the event known as Jupiter over the years, but the majority of the powerhouse programs are trotting draft-eligible 2021s out on the field.

 

“This is a good first experience for these guys to kind of get their feet wet,” Brewers Central Florida area scout and MBST head coach Mike Burns told PG on Friday. “ We want to try to get them down here a little bit earlier so their first experience with it isn’t going into their senior year when they’re draft eligible. It’s a good experience for them to see the atmosphere of what’s down here.”

 

It’s a national roster with players from coast-to-coast and it was built through a complete team effort that involved the Brewers entire amateur scouting department. And, it has to be mentioned, the endeavor has received the unquestioned support from Brewers executives including President-Baseball Operations & General Manager David Sterns, Senior Vice President & Assistant GM Matt Arnold and Vice President-Amateur Scouting Director Tod Johnson.

 

The area scouts recommend players who they feel will be a good fit on this ballclub and who will be receptive to the messages being relayed from the staff. The goal is to make sure everybody gets enough playing time while also making sure no one is overworked. The players obviously want to come here and compete and play every game to win but it’s not going to be done to the detriment of anyone’s health.

 

“That’s one of our biggest points when we get guys on the team here is that we’re going to take care of them and make sure they get a good experience out of it,” Burns said. “They’re not going to be just a number on the roster.

 

“They’re going to get enough playing time, they’re going to spend time out on the field and it’s going to be a worthwhile experience for them to come down here for a couple of days.”

 

The atmosphere is slightly altered this year with the event being moved from its 20-year home at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Sports Complex in Jupiter, Fla., to multiple venues here in Southwest Florida. Gone are the hundreds of golf carts scurrying from field-to-field at Roger Dean and the almost carnival-like – but also businesslike – atmosphere the event became known for.

 

But make no mistake, no one is disappointed here this weekend. Fort Myers and Lee County have proven to be, as always, perfect hosts and a young squad like the Brewers Scout Team couldn’t be more appreciative of the opportunity it’s been given.

 

“It’s been a great experience; everybody’s been very happy once they got the invitation,” Burns said. “We try to pull from all over the country and bring guys down here that haven’t played together necessarily all the time and that way they get to make new friends and meet new people and we get to spend time with them, which is good.”

 

Charlie Saum is a 2021 catcher/first baseman from Thousand Oaks, Calif., who has committed to Stanford and is ranked No. 107 nationally. This is his first Jupiter experience – seven of these rostered players were with the Brewers Scout Team at last year’s tournament – and he’s settling in nicely.

 

“It’s really incredible getting to be around just some awesome players from all over the place,” Saum said on Friday. “We’ve got guys from all over the country and it’s a really talented group. There’s a lot of different personalities and it’s fun to be around, for sure.”

 

One of the more distinct personalities on this team belongs to Roc Riggio, a 2021 second baseman and catcher who has committed to Oklahoma State and is ranked No. 87 nationally; he also hails from Thousand Oaks.

 

Riggio is an alumnus of the 2017 PG 14u Select Baseball Festival that was held at jetBlue Park in Fort Myers and was with the Brewers Scout Team at the 2019 Jupiter event. The kid is as high-energy as it gets and he doesn’t necessarily feel like having experienced Jupiter once before gives him any advantage because nerves or high expectations have never been a problem.

 

“For me personally, it’s never really an issue coming in,” Riggio said. “I play to have fun and I play to win and that’s part of my game. I feel like when you have that mentality and you go out there and play your hardest and play to win there’s really no pressure on you at all.”

 

Maxwell Muncy, is a talented infielder and an Arkansas recruit ranked No. 58 nationally in the class of 2021. He also happens to be a classmate/teammate of Riggio’s at Thousand Oaks High School and is another player who was with the Milwaukee Brewers ST in Jupiter a year ago.

 

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to be out here,” Muncy said Friday. “I’m glad they selected us and I’m happy to be with these two guys, Roc and Charlie. Just meeting all these guys has been so much fun, learning about where they’re from and how things are different.

 

“It’s been fun just to talk to them before the game, after the game, in the dugout and just see what’s baseball’s like all over.”

 

And then there’s Brady Counsell, a 2021 top-500 middle-infielder and Minnesota recruit from Whitefish Bay, Wis., and the son of the Brewers’ skipper. Counsell has played almost exclusively with the Wisconsin-based Hitters Baseball program the last couple of years but is really enjoying being with this team here this weekend.

 

“Obviously, this tournament is the best competition you’re going to face all year long,” he said. “We’ve seen that so far with some of the top arms we’ve faced and that’s going to help us get a lot better. That’s kind of the best part of the tournament is seeing that good pitching and helping you get better.”

 

Another top 2021 rostered with the club is righthander/third baseman Luke Holman from Sinking Spring, Pa., an Alabama commit ranked No. 203 nationally.

 

So now seems like a good time to be introduced to the underclassmen, a group that adds the sizzle to the steak provided by the talented 2021s.

 

First baseman/right-hander Yoel Tejeda Jr. (No. 69, Florida), right-hander/first baseman Aiden Moffett (No. 132, LSU), right-hander/third baseman Luke Holman (No. 203, Alabama), left-hander/first baseman Michael Kennedy (No. 247, LSU) lead the way from the class of 2022.

 

The top 2023s include lefties Ervis Solis (No. 92, FIU), Frank Menendez (No. 132, LSU) and David Davila (No. 278, Florida State), who got the start in Friday’s 3-3 tie with MVP United for Change and threw a one-hitter in four innings of work.

 

“I think it’s important to have a couple of those upperclass guys that (the underclassmen) can kind of lean on and see how things are done and how they’re supposed to act and go about their business,” Burns said. “But also to put those younger guys in more of a ‘pro’ environment with how we run our workouts and everything pregame, as well, so they can kind of see what to expect as they move up and become prospects themselves.”

 

Having been there himself a year ago, Riggio understands that many of the newcomers are coming into this highly competitive environment where they don’t know any of their new teammates and may have a tendency to tighten-up and maybe even withdraw to an extent.

 

That’s when it’s time for some senior leadership to take charge and the veterans are more than prepared to take that bull by the horns.

 

“That’s hard for those guys coming in and being the leader that I am and with Max and Charlie being the leaders they are, we tend to loosen up those guys a little bit,” Riggio said. “They start to see, you know what, we’re here to have fun, we’re here to play some games. Right now we’re just playing games but pretty soon it’s going to be a career. So we can loosen up a little bit.”

 

Muncy sees it much the same way. Even though the faces of the underclassmen were unfamiliar on Thursday the page is turning into Saturday and games have already been played. The strangers, well they’re teammates now and the only thing these guys know how to do is be good teammates.

 

“Even though you don’t know a lot of these guys your mindset is just to pull one out for them,” Muncy said. “We’ll do anything to get the win so we can keep moving on. … You learn what it’s like to face the best for four days straight. It’s like a small glimpse of what the MLB season will be like.

 

“It’s nice to experience it, it’s nice to be out here in Florida where spring training takes place and kind of get a vibe of what it’s really like out here.”

 

The main point of emphasis with the coaching staff – the thing they stress the most to their players – is that they’re here to compete. As long as they’re running hard 90s down the line and not making mental errors on the base paths or while fielding their position, a lot can be forgiven.

 

“If we take care of the little things we think that will lead to positive results out on the field,” Burns said. “At the end of the day do we want to win a championship? Absolutely. I think every team down here definitely wants to do that but we have the longer term future in mind, too.”

 

Saum told PG the coaching staff has been outstanding and very clear with their message:

 

“They’ve done a great job of explaining to us how this is kind of a job interview; we’re trying to showcase ourselves in the best way we possibly can,” he said. “At the end of the day you write it as a learning experience and we’re all trying to do the best we can to showcase ourselves and our abilities while also winning a tournament.”

 

The Milwaukee Brewers Scout Team played its opener Thursday at historic Terry Park near downtown Fort Myers, a four-field complex that Hall of Fame manager Connie Mack first started bringing his Philadelphia Athletics teams to for spring training nearly 100 years ago; others followed. Craig Counsell thought it was a perfect time for a little history lesson when he spoke with these teenagers.

 

“I told them, you guys are about to step on a field that Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth played on,” he said. “To me, it just tells them what a great thing you guys are being allowed to do. And the kids that are playing in this they’re out in front of the race right now among the baseball kids but there are a lot of kids trying to catch them.

 

“The game will teach you a lot of lessons about that but it’s a long race that you guys all want to run. Just being here and watching all these kids chase their dreams is a thrill.”

 

With the WWBA World Championship kicking off on Thursday and with the possibility still alive that the Brewers Scout Team could play into Monday, there’s a chance that Brady Counsell could be slipping on a Milwaukee Brewers jersey and wearing a Brewers cap for five straight days; it’s kind of surreal.

 

“It’s definitely something that I never thought I’d do,” Brady said. “Putting on a Brewers jersey and being able to play, especially in this kind of event, is definitely a dream.”

 

[MadThinker88]

The Angels used all 20 draft picks on pitchers, 19 of which were college pitchers. That seems incredible.

 

Oh but that is not all...

 

- Cleveland drafted 19 pitchers out of its 21 selections, & 18 of the 19 pitchers were college players.

 

- The Dodgers didn't draft a position player until the 16th round and selected 17 pitchers out of 19 picks. The first two of those were high school pitchers, but the rest were college or junior college selections.

 

- The Giants selected pitchers with their first nine selections, with eight of those coming from the collegiate ranks.

 

- Tampa Bay selected 13 pitchers out of 21 selections..

 

 

Not sure about the other organizations but CLE has been position player heavy in its last few International signing classes. Going pitching heavy in this draft helps to balance that out..

[homer]

So our draft card looks like this so far:

 

10 pitchers

4 outfielders

2 short stops

2 2B

2 catchers

1 3B

 

I guess we will just remain in 1B/3B hell for all eternity...

 

You know there are more ways to get prospects than the draft, right

[DHonks]

Not sure about the other organizations but CLE has been position player heavy in its last few International signing classes. Going pitching heavy in this draft helps to balance that out..

 

This makes sense, and fits with previous comments from the organization. About 4-6 weeks ago there was an article on the Indians' success developing pitchers, but struggles with hitters. Basically, they feel they can target certain pitchers and make him better with their pitching lab and analytics, but they have no clue how to guarantee success with developing a hitter.

 

One key is that if they can always develop pitching and trade the surplus for hitters.

[LouisEly]

Looking at the Brewers draft, I assume that their strategy (and if so, a good one) is that by going college early (and possible under-slot signs) they have the flexibility to use that remaining bonus pool on any of the 11-20 HS picks. Yes, they could have taken the HS picks in earlier rounds where there were bigger slot values, but then that bonus slot can only be used by that player. This way, if, say, their 11th round pick doesn't want to sign for what they have available they can shift that bonus pool to their 12th/13th/14th/etc pick. Also puts pressure on the kids to sign if they want to by a "first come, first serve" approach to available bonus pool. Shifts the balance of power to the Brewers and away from the draft pick.