Milwaukee Brewers Make All the Right Moves in First Round of the 2011 MLB Draft
"No!"
"No!"
"No!"
I found myself disappointed when my three favorite players that could have fell to the Milwaukee Brewers at pick number 12 were all drafted in succession last night.
It happened at picks seven, eight, and nine with Archie Bradley, Francisco Lindor, and Javier Baez.
However, I quickly refocused and saw the Brewers could still make a splash by landing any combination of talented pitching available and that's just what they did.
Let's take a glance at the two selections and why they were good fits for the Brewers going forward.
With the 12th Overall Pick, the Milwaukee Brewers Select RHP Taylor Jungmann
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Taylor Jungmann has been a household name dating back to his dominant high school days. He then proceeded to display his talent at baseball powerhouse University of Texas.
Jungmann came to Texas a tall, skinny right-hander but quickly dominated the Big 12 as well as the rest of the college ranks. Though Jungmann did not play competitively in the offseasons, he used his time wisely working on secondary pitches and adding 40 pounds of muscle and height from his freshman to junior year.
Jungmann now stands at 6'6" tall and 220 pounds. He uses that frame wisely, getting downhill action on his mid 90s fastball. He also commands a 12 to 6 curveball and has an improving changeup.
Though Jungmann does not have the reputation of a strikeout pitcher, he has dominated every year he has pitched, including this year where he boasts a 13-1 record with an ERA. at a mere 1.39.
He is athletic and competitive and holds the honor of being a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award given to college baseball's top player.
With the 15th Overall Pick, the Milwaukee Brewers Select LHP Jed Bradley
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In any other draft, Georgia Tech lefty Jed Bradley would have been a steal at No. 15. A 20-year-old Bradley has shown vast improvement in his pitching recently.
Scouts have always had their eye on Bradley but it wasn't until his performance last year in the wooden bat Cape Cod League that made Bradley a household name. He was impressive enough to leave many scouts suggesting he was the best pitcher in the Cape League by far.
While his numbers don't jump off the page at you this year, he has few flaws. Bradley is 7-3 with a 3.49 ERA, but maintains excellent command of the traditional four pitches (fastball, curveball, slider, changeup).
His fastball stays in the low 90's but has touched 94. His changeup has a nice sinking action to it, making it a strikeout pitch.
His mechanics are excellent and don't need to be altered at all.
Why They Are the Right Men for the Job...
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The draft, at least at first glance, unfolded unfortunately for the Brewers. They lost out on hitters Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez, whom they were even rumored to have a pre-draft deal with.
The collection of pitchers they had to choose from at picks No. 12 and 15 all had some kind of issues. Some of the college pitchers like Alex Meyer have issues with consistency and command. Others like Sonny Gray likely need a third pitch to excel as a starter. The available high school pitchers may have had similar issues and greater upside, but they needed time to go through the farm system.
When Milwaukee selected the competitive and strike throwing Jungmann and Bradley, they had their eyes focused on the near future. Both players could start next year in AA, which is important due to Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and Randy Wolf all being eligible for free agency after the 2012 season.
The Brewers would like to extend Greinke or Marcum to a new deal and absolutely should, but Jungmann and Bradley can be nice insurance policies as potential second and third starters in the near future in case that doesn't happen.
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