Brewers Nab Brett Lawrie in 1st Round

The Brewers selected Canadian high school catcher, Brett Lawrie with their first round pick. This looks like it could be another good pick for the Brewers. They took the player they felt was the best available as well as filling a need by taking a catcher. This now gives the Brewers three young quality catchers in their farm system with Lawrie, Angel Salome, and Jonathan Lucroy.

There was an article on yahoo that talks about how his stock had been rising coming into the draft. Here is one thing from that article that stood out.

"Scouts rave about his raw power and some believe he may be the most advanced hitter at age 18 in the country's history. But it's the intangibles that really seem to set him apart, what one described as "the ridiculous fearlessness" he shows on the field and a relentless competitive drive to dominate."

Here's what MLB.com's scouting report says on him.

Strengths:	Plus, plus raw power, generated by strong hands and bat speed.
Weaknesses:	His lack of a true position. Catching might be the best bet, but he's behind due to lack of experience.
Summary:	Scouting Canadian players can sometimes be difficult because of the lack of opportunity to see them. But scouts know all about Lawrie and his plus power potential, something he's been able to show off while playing for the Langley Blaze in British Columbia. What they don't know is where he can play, though he's shown the tools -- raw though they may be -- to handle being a catcher. It may take a while, but putting that bat behind the plate could one day make him a premium player.

The Brewers also had two sandwich picks after the first round. With pick #32 they selected high school pitcher, Jake Odorizzi. Here's his scouting report from MLB.com.

Strengths:	Four average or above pitches and the overall ability to command them. He's got a quick, easy arm action and room to grow on his frame.
Weaknesses:	He doesn't always command the four-seamer consistently, his changeup is behind the other pitches and he surprisingly doesn't make hitters swing and miss as much as you'd think.
Summary:	A high school pitcher with "helium," Odorizzi is moving up charts thanks to an excellent repertoire, good command and smooth delivery. He's got four offerings that grade out as average or better, a projectable frame that has room for growth. The only things that could hold him back are some questions about his competitiveness on the mound and a commitment to Louisville.

Then with pick #35 the Brewers selected a left handed college pitcher, Evan Frederickson from San Francisco. The 21 year-old Frederickson is a towering 6'6''. He had a 5-3 record with a 4.54 ERA this season. In 75.1 innings pitched he had 109 strikeouts.

Posted in: News