3 takeaways from Brewers' 2023 Draft

The 2023 MLB Draft is complete, and the Brewers are set to add a wave of young talent to their farm system.

What that final group will look like is to be determined. The deadline to sign picks is July 25, but we already have an idea of the tale of the tape.

• Draft Central | Draft Tracker | Day 1 analysis | Day 2 analysis | Day 3 analysis

Here are a few takeaways from the Brewers’ Draft:

1. A wave of pitching
You could sense a trend with the Brewers’ selections on Day 3 of the Draft.

“A lot of pitchers?” Brewers vice president of scouting Tod Johnson quipped.

Nine of Milwaukee's 10 picks on Tuesday were pitchers. All in all, 16 of the 21 players in the Brewers' class are pitchers. They also selected three shortstops and two third basemen.

After Milwaukee picked six pitchers in Rounds 3-10 on Monday, Johnson noted that the club's philosophy is primarily to select the best player on its board -- certainly for the money in that slot.

Johnson also acknowledged with one less Minor League level than years past, there is more room to give pitchers opportunities than other positions.

“We talked a little bit about it [Monday],” Johnson said Tuesday, “as far as fitting position guys into rosters and getting enough playing time for position guys to develop now, with the new structure in the Minor Leagues, and having fewer spots available and one less affiliate as well.”

As far as all the pitcher selections, Johnson added: “It’s certainly something we probably more actively did [Day 3] than necessarily [Day 2], and certainly not on Day 1.”

2. Unique roads
Each of the 614 Draft picks has a unique journey. Consider these right-handers the Brewers selected.

Jason Woodward (fourth round, 119th overall)
Woodward pitched three seasons at Florida Gulf Coast, posting a 1.32 ERA in three starts (two earned runs in 13 2/3 innings) in 2023. He underwent Tommy John surgery in March, and the Brewers are expecting a 12- to 14-month rehab process.

“The stuff he was showing before he got hurt was really, really interesting,” Johnson said. “He's a really athletic mover as well, so [we're] pretty pumped with that [pick].”

Ryan Birchard (fifth round, 155th overall)
Birchard pitched two seasons at Niagara County Community College in New York, posting a 1.08 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 50 innings in 2023. Nine of his 10 appearances were starts.

Committed to continue his career at Oregon, Birchard raised his profile in the MLB Draft League, allowing one run in nine innings with the Trenton Thunder.

“He was way under the radar, because Niagara is not exactly the spot you want to go to watch baseball all the time,” Johnson said. “[Scout] Steve [Ditrolio] did a great job, and then the kid went to the Draft League. And to his credit, he did exactly what he should there and dominated.”

Craig Yoho (eighth round, 242nd overall)
Yoho spent 2019-20 at the University of Houston -- as a position player -- and appeared in nine games. He transferred to Indiana, and he missed the 2021 and '22 seasons following Tommy John surgery and a knee injury.

Yoho, who went 1,082 days between appearances with Houston and Indiana, posted a 3.41 ERA in 37 relief innings for the Hoosiers in 2023. Johnson credited Brewers area scout Ginger Poulson, who knew Yoho well.

“At that spot,” Johnson said, “even with everything else going on there, it was one of those where we'll take that chance here. Obviously, the medical situation is something that we are aware of, and we'll have to keep track of and all that, but he is back.

“It’s an interesting profile. I’ll be interested to see how that turns out.”

3. Signability
Johnson said he expects conversations about signing to begin “fairly quickly.”

The 10 high schoolers selected must decide whether to turn pro. Among their Day 3 picks, 11th-rounder Bishop Letson (Purdue), 12th-rounder Bjorn Johnson (Auburn) and 17th-rounder Jacob Gholston (Oklahoma) are college commits.

Johnson expressed optimism Monday about Milwaukee’s chances to sign third- and sixth-round picks Eric Bitonti and Cooper Pratt, Oregon and Ole Miss commits, respectively.

When asked specifically, Johnson said he doesn’t have a specific goal in mind necessarily for how many picks he hopes to sign.

“We sort of look at the whole portfolio, and then [we] try and figure out what works,” Johnson said. “It's going to come down to what the young men that we just selected decide they want to do, and we'll work out something that maybe works for both sides. And if [we don't sign them] and they choose to go to school, then that’s a great choice for them as well.”