The Milwaukee Brewers have been a small-market success story over the last decade. Milwaukee’s made the playoffs in six of their last seven seasons and their ability to scout and develop talent is precisely why. The Brewers have found several elite pitchers over the last 10 seasons, including a former Cy Young Award winner. Here’s a look at the Brewers’ best and worst MLB Draft picks of the last decade.
Best Brewers Draft Picks Over Last 10 Seasons
| Name | Position | Year Drafted | Round | Career bWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Woodruff | P | 2014 | 11 | 17.4 |
| Trent Grisham | OF | 2015 | 1 | 11.2 |
| Corbin Burnes | P | 2016 | 4 | 17.2 |
| Bowden Francis | P | 2017 | 7 | 2.5 |
| Brice Turang | 2B/SS | 2018 | 1 | 6.1 |
| Drew Rasmussen | P | 2018 | 6 | 6.6 |
| Reese Olson | P | 2018 | 13 | 2.8 |
| David Hamilton | SS | 2019 | 8 | 2.5 |
| Garrett Mitchell | OF | 2020 | 1 | 3.6 |
| Sal Frelick | OF | 2021 | 1 | 3.3 |
Milwaukee struck gold with Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff, both of whom turned into elite starters. However, both found success in different ways.
Woodruff fought control problems at Mississippi State and spent a good chunk of his time out of the bullpen. Milwaukee took a chance on Woodruff in the 11th round in the 2014 MLB Draft and turned out to be one of the best players taken that year. The 31-year-old became a two-time All-Star who posted 30%+ K% in 2020 and 2022.
Burnes was a fourth-round pick out of Saint Mary’s in 2016. The 2021 Cy Young Award winner didn’t start out as a starter but rather a reliever. Burnes was an ace-in-the-hole for the Brewers’ bullpen in their 2018 run to the NLCS, as he posted a 2.61 ERA through 38 regular season innings and a 2.00 ERA in the playoffs.
Then, Burnes struggled. His ERA jumped to almost 9.00 in 2019. However, Burnes’ career took off after he found comfort with his now-signature cutter. That pitch helped propel Burnes to three 200+ campaigns and four All-Star nominations.
Aside from Burnes and Woodruff, Milwaukee hit on other pitchers. Drew Rasmussen fell to the Brewers in the sixth round of the 2018 MLB Draft. Rasmussen was a former first-round pick of the Rays and Milwaukee sent him back to Tampa for Willy Adames. Reese Olson, traded to Detroit in 2021 for Daniel Norris, turned into a strong ground-ball pitcher.
Bowden Francis was one of the game’s best pitchers in the second half of 2024 but with Toronto. Francis, who owned a 1.80 ERA over 65 second-half innings with Toronto in 2024, was packaged to the Jays for Rowdy Tellez.
The Brewers also found several pieces who helped Milwaukee win the NL Central in 2024. Brice Turang, a second-generation MLB player, stole 50 bases and led the NL in dWAR (2.7) in 2024. Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick became speedy, valuable MLB outfielders.
Some notable names who didn’t make this section of this list were Lucas Erceg (2nd, 2016), Weston Wilson (17th, 2016), and David Fry (7th, 2018). Fry turned into a valuable utilityman for the Guardians, six years after Milwaukee signed him for $10,000. The Northwestern State University of Louisiana product was a 2024 AL All-Star.
Erceg, meanwhile, showed promise as a power-hitting infield prospect during the 2010s. However, his bat slowed in the upper Minors and Erceg fought alcohol abuse. He wound up turning into a strong pitching prospect and found success with the Athletics and Royals in 2024. He struck out 72 over 61.2 IP and notched 14 saves.
Worst Brewers Draft Picks Over Last 10 Seasons
| Name | Position | Year Drafted | Round | Career bWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kodi Medeiros | P | 2014 | 1 | Never played in MLB |
| Jake Gatewood | SS | 2014 | 1 | Never played in MLB |
| Monte Harrison | OF | 2014 | 2 | 0.1 |
| Nathan Kirby | P | 2015 | 1 | Never played in MLB |
| Cody Ponce | P | 2015 | 2 | -0.6 |
| Corey Ray | OF | 2016 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Tristen Lutz | OF | 2017 | 1 | Never played in MLB |
| Joe Gray | OF | 2018 | 2 | Never played in MLB |
| Ethan Small | P | 2019 | 1 | -0.3 |
| Antoine Kelly | P | 2019 | 2 | Never played in MLB |
Milwaukee’s work in the later rounds saved many of their drafts in the 2010s. Between 2014-2019, just one player (Trent Grisham) posted a bWAR above 7.0. Four first-round picks from that span didn’t make it to the Majors.
Two of those were from the 2014 MLB Draft. Kodi Medeiros succeeded at Double-A Biloxi in 2018 (107 K over 103.1 IP) and traded that July for Joakim Soria. After that trade, Medeiros struggled with command and capped out at Triple-A.
Infield prospect Jake Gatewood shot up draft boards in 2014 after an impressive summer run in 2013, which included a showcase at the 2013 MLB Home Run Derby. Gatewood hit for power in the Minors but also had problems with strikeouts. He posted a 31.1% career K% in the Minor Leagues.
One round later, Milwaukee selected toolsy outfielder Monte Harrison. Harrison showed the makings of a five-tool player but Milwaukee didn’t hold on to him. The Brewers shipped him to Miami in the Christian Yelich trade, which worked incredibly well for the Brew Crew. As for Harrison, the 29-year-old accrued only 74 MLB plate appearances. Harrison retired to play college football at Arkansas in 2024.
Two years later, the Brewers picked Louisville outfielder Corey Ray with the fifth overall pick. Ray, like Harrison, was a five-tool player as an amateur. He hit .310 with 15 home runs and 44 stolen bases in his junior season. However, he hit .235/.306/.416 over seven Minor League seasons and received three MLB plate appearances.
Ethan Small, a deceptive lefty who posted gaudy strikeout numbers at Mississippi State, made four appearances in the Majors between 2022-23. Small never had the easiest delivery to repeat and it showed in his walk numbers, as he averaged over 4.0 BB/9 in 2021-23 at Nashville (AAA).
Draft picks who did not sign are included in these lists. bWAR figures as of October 2024. Check out how other NL Central teams, including the Cubs and Reds, have done in the MLB Draft recently.