Brewers hone in on pitchers on Day 3 of Draft

MILWAUKEE -- After using just five of their first 10 selections in the 2018 Draft on pitchers, the Brewers went all out on adding arms during Day 3.
Starting the afternoon with Auburn right-hander Davis Daniel in the 11th round and finishing with Liberty Christian Academy catcher Wes Clarke in the 40th round, Milwaukee selected 21 pitchers out of 30 picks on the Draft's final day.
• Draft Tracker: Every Brewers selection
"Day 3 is less filling needs and more making sure that you have enough developmental time for the guys you like and are going to sign," Brewers scouting director Tod Johnson said. "Overall, I'm happy about how it went, but it's hard to be sure how it went until we're at the end, and we'll see from there."
Right-hander Alec Barger, a native of Champaign, Ill., who has already had stops at Northern Illinois and Polk State College and is now committed to North Carolina State University, was Milwaukee's 16th-round pick. He has an idea of why the Brewers picked so many pitchers, especially those with only junior college or high school credentials.
"The younger guys, [the Brewers] want to get their hands on them earlier, so they can be the ones to develop them their own way," Barger said. "That's instead of a Division I guy who, when they come, are ready to go in their own way."
• Brewers Draft recaps:Day 1 | Day 2
Quite the height difference
The Brewers added their shortest and tallest draftees -- both pitchers -- within three rounds of each other early on during Day 3, and they might be some of their most accomplished selections.
:: 2018 Draft coverage ::
Clayton Andrews, a left-hander standing at 5-foot-6 and drafted in the 17th round, is one of the most decorated pitchers in Long Beach State history. Andrews became the first Big West pitcher to win four consecutive Pitcher of the Week awards, a feat he accomplished during his final month of his junior year in May (4-0, 0.24 ERA, four walks, 48 strikeouts).
"He does a lot of good things, but he is 5-foot-6," Johnson said. "We took advantage of the opportunity that he's not your standard-sized pitcher."
At the other end of the tape measure is 6-foot-6 right-hander Peyton Zabel. A native of South Dakota, Zabel is committed to Augustana University to play both football and baseball. He led his football team to a state championship, was named the Class AA Basketball Player of the Year and has a fastball that gets up to about 90 mph, according to the Argus Leader. In short, the Brewers added quite the athlete in the 19th round.
Adding potentially impactful position players
The Brewers also added a few interesting position-player prospects on Day 3.
Korry Howell, a shortstop at Kirkwood Community College (Iowa), hit .401 and stole 40 bases in 60 games as a sophomore. Milwaukee selected Howell in the 12th round, and MLB.com's scouting report projects that he could transition into a center fielder.
Johnson loves to add athletic up-the-middle guys to the organization because of the flexibility they offer.
"[Korry] is one of the best players ever to play at Kirkwood," Kirkwood head coach Todd Rima said. "He brings a tremendous amount of athleticism, can really run, has more power than what is expected, and my favorite thing about him is that he's a better kid and will represent any organization the right way."
Howell is currently committed to the University of Iowa, and Rima said Howell and his family will decide whether he signs with the Brewers or goes to college over the coming days.
"I know he wanted to be in a position where he could make a decision," Rima said. "He felt comfortable with the Brewers going in, but he also knows he has a great option at the University of Iowa."
The only other non-pitcher the Brewers picked between rounds 11 and 27 on Day 3 is outfielder Elijah Cabell, a student at TNXL Academy in Florida -- a school that lets athletes focus on baseball while taking online classes. Cabell is committed to college powerhouse LSU and is ranked No. 101 in MLBPipeline's Top 200 Draft prospects. Scouts rave over his raw power and strong arm, but Milwaukee is going to have to convince him to sign now rather than go to college.

The Brewers ended a string of drafting 13 consecutive pitchers in the 28th round with University of Hawaii catcher Kekai Rios.
A Seminole instead of a Brewer
Nander De Sedas, Milwaukee's 29th-round selection out of Montverde Academy, ranked No. 55 on MLBPipeline's Top 200, but he seemed to have a fairly strong commitment to Florida State University.
The shortstop confirmed that commitment later on Wednesday afternoon via Twitter.

"I will like to start by thanking the Milwaukee Brewers organization for drafting me in this year's draft!" De Sedas wrote in a note. "I have decided to attend [FSU]! And keep developing as a student and also as a baseball player!"
For a kid with that high of a ceiling, it was definitely worth a shot for the Brewers to pick him and hope for the best.
"We knew [De Sedas and Cabell] well," Johnson said. "It was a situation that we took the opportunity that if they decide at a later point potentially before the signing deadline that they're interested in starting their pro careers, then we've gotten the opportunity for that to potentially happen."