The 2026 MLB Draft gets underway today. Over the next two days, the Milwaukee Brewers will select 20 players to add to their organization and be part of that next wave of young talent.
MLB’s Draft is notoriously difficult to predict, especially the later the Draft goes on. Picks aren’t necessarily about who is the best on the board; it’s about who is there for the best price, so the slot money can be spread around to get the maximum amount of talent. The Brewers have been one of the best teams at spreading out their available bonus money over the past several years.
This year, the Crew has one of their lowest bonus pool totals in a long time — they have a lack of compensatory picks (including trading away the No. 67 pick to acquire Kyle Harrison) and had the best record in baseball last year, pushing their picks toward the end of each round.
The Brewers have their first pick at No. 25 overall, which is the last selection in the first round. Where could they go? Let’s take a look at who the experts have Milwaukee taking in their mock drafts.
The Brewers took a starting pitcher from Coastal Carolina last year with Jacob Morrison in the third round. Carlos Collazo at Baseball America has the Crew going back to the Chanticleers rotation again this year with Cameron Flukey.
Flukey’s success is no fluke. He sits in the mid-90s on his fastball and can reach 98 mph with movement. His curveball is his best secondary and is a high-spin pitch, which is a quality the Brewers have targeted consistently in their pitching selections. Flukey stands 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, so there’s a starter’s frame with room to add on more weight if needed.
ESPN – Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina
Back-to-back Flukey selections here; he should be going off the board right around this range, so it does make sense. However, the Brewers have selected a pitcher in the first round just once in the past decade. That pick was Ethan Small in 2019, and Small didn’t exactly work out very well for the Brewers. There’s a reason they don’t go there often. But could they buck the trend this year?
The Athletic – Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State
The Brewers have drafted corner infielders a lot in recent years, so why not go back to that well again with an SEC third baseman? Ace Reese has big-time power, slugging 24 bombs this year for the Bulldogs while hitting .336. Classic left-handed power bat with a solid feel to hit. The big question will be his defensive home and if he can stick at the hot corner.
CBS Sports – Cole Prosek, SS/C, Magnolia Heights (MS) HS
The nephew of Brewers third base coach Matt Erickson, Prosek has been a heavily connected name to the Brewers through this process. He’s also from the same high school as the Crew’s current shortstop, Cooper Pratt, and plays with Pratt’s younger brother on the team. Prosek is an athletic player who can play both infield and behind the plate. He has a strong feel to hit, with some giving him plus grades, and some pretty good pop as well. He’s committed to Ole Miss, but there’s strong momentum for him in the first round, and the Brewers feel like a great landing spot if he’s there.
MLB Pipeline – Zion Rose, OF, Louisville
MLB Pipeline’s most recent mock draft came back on July 2, and they had the Crew going with a college bat yet again. This is not much of a surprise. Rose is generally above average across the board offensively, and though they may need to work on pitch selection with him, Rose has a pretty good ceiling to work with.
The Sporting Tribune – Cole Prosek, SS/C, Magnolia Heights (MS) HS
Another Prosek pick. The connection is certainly strong. The Brewers do have a history of selecting players who have the potential to stick behind the plate even if they haven’t primarily played there as an amateur. If the Brewers like his catching potential, they could take him and send him out there. Marco Dinges was one such player a few years ago.
Fangraphs – Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State
For many years, the Brewers avoided corner infielders like the plague. They focused on up-the-middle athletes only. Recently, they’ve taken Brock Wilken, Blake Burke, and Andrew Fischer with early selections each of the last three years. They seem to have plenty of future possibilities on the corners, but can you ever really have enough?
Prospects Live – Cole Prosek, SS/C, Magnolia Heights (MS) HS
A very popular pick here. Could it be because of the Matt Erickson connection? Could it be legitimate interest? Could it also be a smokescreen? If too many prognosticators think the Brewers are taking someone, the Brewers generally do something else. They keep things largely tight to the vest.
Back to the college bats, Sawyer Strosnider is another name that has popped up quite a bit with the Brewers. Strosnider is a left-handed bat with a big-time power-speed combination, earning plus grades on both tools. He does have a little bit of a strikeout problem, which is somewhat concerning with any hitter. But in terms of tools and athleticism, few in this draft have more, which makes him a name to watch.
Throughout all these mock drafts, the writers do include other names they considered or names they have heard connected to the Brewers at No. 25. That group includes:
James Clark, SS, St. John Bosco (CA) HS
Tegan Kuhns, RHP, Tennessee
Taj Marchand, SS, James Island (SC) HS
Trey Ebel, SS, Corona (CA) HS
Eric Becker, SS, Virginia
Logan Reddemann, RHP, UCLA
The 2026 MLB Draft gets started this afternoon. We shall see which, if any, of these mock drafters were correct in their selections.
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