The MLB Draft is the lifeblood of the Milwaukee Brewers organization. The Brewers have a draft model to find the right kind of players they're looking for. The leader of the National runners up Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, Caden Bodine fits a lot of the traits the Brewers love to target in first round picks.
8 MLB Draft Prospects That Would Be Perfect Fits for the Brewers originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The MLB Draft is the lifeblood of the Milwaukee Brewers organization. It is the way that such a small market team can remain competitive year in and year out. If the Brewers fail in the Draft, their whole system of success collapses from the ground up.
That makes it imperative that the Brewers draft well and get the right kind of players into the organization. They've done that quite a bit in recent years, landing first round talents such as Brice Turang, Garrett Mitchell, and Sal Frelick and later gems like Jacob Misiorowski, Aaron Ashby, and Logan Henderson that are helping the big league club win games.
The Brewers have a draft model to find the right kind of players they're looking for. While we don't know what all exactly goes into that model, there are certain traits they historically have appeared to target. In the 2025 MLB Draft, these eight players exhibit those traits.
- Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina
The leader of the National runners up Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, Caden Bodine fits a lot of the traits the Brewers love to target in first round picks. He plays an up-the-middle position at catcher, he's a strong defender, and he makes a ton of contact with excellent swing decisions.
The Brewers have taken a position player in the first round in each of the last five drafts and eight of the last nine. Six of those eight position players have been from the college ranks.
Bodine is a switch-hitter, which is incredibly rare for a catcher. He also has struck out just 68 times in his entire college career that spans more than 700 ABs. He also drew 112 walks in those three seasons at Coastal Carolina.
All of that combines to make Bodine a bona fide option for the Brewers with the 20th overall pick.
2. Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek (GA) HS
The Brewers don't go the high school route often with hitters, but they took a high school shortstop in 2018 with Brice Turang and that's worked out pretty well. If they go that route again, Daniel Pierce would be a logical choice.
Pierce has a very similar profile to Turang as a hit-over-power shortstop with plus speed and excellent defense up the middle. His approach at the plate is mostly hitting the ball to all fields and finding ways to get on base.
Pierce is a player that's trending up with the growth he's made at the plate this year and if the Brewers want him, they'll have to get him at 20. He's committed to Georgia.
3. Charles Davalan, OF, Arkansas
If Pat Murphy could design a player from scratch, it might look something like Charles Davalan. Standing at 5-foot-9, the lefty-swinging Davalan has a knack for making contact and getting on base. This year for the Razorbacks, Davalan hit .346 with a .443 OBP. He also slugged 14 homers.
Davalan has the versatility to play all three outfield spots and certainly has the speed to make an impact on the bases and play in centerfield. His arm strength may move him to left, but there's decent enough power for him to maybe stick in a corner or even move to the dirt at second base.
Davalan originally grew up in Montreal, and the Brewers have a history of selecting Canadian players in the Draft. He might be a target for the Crew with that 2nd round pick at 59 overall or if they don't think he'll last that long, he'd be an under-slot target at 32.
4. Gavin Kilen, 2B, Tennessee
The Brewers plucked the first baseman from the Tennessee Volunteers last year with Blake Burke and they could very well go back to the SEC powerhouse with Gavin Kilen in 2025. A middle infielder, Kilen has built a reputation as one of the best contact hitters in this draft class, a trait that Milwaukee adores in college players.
He took steps forward in improving his swing decisions this year, which have vaulted him to first round consideration and he'd be an excellent choice at 20 to lead the class.
In his lone season at Tennessee, Kilen hit .357/.441/.671 with 13 doubles, 15 homers, and 30 walks to just 27 strikeouts. He split time at second base and shortstop, but is likely a better fit at second base at the next level. His plus hit tool will be very attractive to the Brewers at either position, especially as a more polished college player.
Oh and Kilen hails from Milton, Wisconsin to boot.
5. Jack Bauer, LHP, Lincoln Way-East (IL) HS
The Brewers like to take calculated upside risks when it comes to young pitchers. They don't generally do it with their first pick, but with their second or third selection? Absolutely. They've done it with Jacob Misiorowski, Josh Knoth, and Bryce Meccage in each of the last three drafts. Jack Bauer could be that pick in 2025.
No, not the Kiefer Sutherland character, this Jack Bauer hails from the Midwest, an area the Brewers have targeted heavily in recent years, and happens to throw 103 MPH as a left-hander. Imagine a slightly shorter left-handed version of Misiorowski.
Like Misiorowski, and most lanky, young pitchers with high velocity, control is certainly a concern. He's also struggled to maintain that big velocity deep into games. However, the raw talent is clearly there, and he also is able to post high spin rates on his secondary pitches, a trait that the Brewers have targeted over and over again in recent years.
If the Brewers can get him in their pitching development system, they can teach him how to control and harness his power arsenal. He'd be a very intriguing and unique addition to the system and should be a target at 32 overall. He'll have to be signed away from a Mississippi State commitment.
6. Matthew Fisher, RHP, Memorial (IN) HS
Again, we're going back to the Midwest, an area the Brewers have pulled a lot of recent players from, and we have Matthew Fisher, the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Indiana.
Fisher has a low-mid 90s fastball, but it has high spin rates and a good movement profile. He pairs that pitch with a high-spin slider and curveball. The Brewers love, love, love high spin rates. Fisher is also a fluid athlete, and the Brewers do prioritize athleticism in their draft picks as it makes it easier for them to adapt to whatever changes need to be made as they develop.
He's a very projectable young pitcher at 6-foot-3 with a lot of weight he can still pack onto his frame, which should add to his velocity. He'd be in a similar mold of the Brewers other young, projectable righties - Josh Knoth, Bryce Meccage, Bishop Letson - they've taken from the high school ranks. Keep an eye on Fisher for the Brewers at 32 overall.
7. Matt Barr, RHP, Niagara CC
There are few things the Brewers love more than a Junior College pitcher and Matt Barr out of SUNY Niagara is the best one in this year's class. Not only is he from the same JuCo that the Brewers' 2023 fifth round pick Ryan Birchard hailed from, everything about him on the mound is exactly what the Brewers tend to target in pitchers.
Long and lean at 6-foot-6 and 195 pounds, Barr has a fastball up to 97 MPH and everything he throws has elite spin rates. He'll need to learn some command, but the Brewers have never shied away from that kind of project before and he's still just 19 years old. The projectability is perfect for what the Brewers do best.
He was one of the best strikeout arms at the NJCAA DIII level and it would not be a surprise to see the Brewers select him late on Day 1.
8. Cade Obermueller, LHP, Iowa
Before you ask, yes, Cade is the son of former Brewers pitcher Wes Obermueller, who also happens to be a pitching coach for the University of Iowa.
Cade Obermueller is a bit undersized, but is a left-handed starter with pitch data that the analytics people in the Brewers front office are going to love. He can reach back for the upper 90s on his fastball and has shown the ability to manipulate his pitches and create nightmares for hitters.
He could move quickly as a fastball-slider guy out of the bullpen, but the chance is still there for him to start. Obermueller's ground-ball stuff, with improved command and strikeout ability this season should have him rate well in the Brewers model, plus the added sentimental benefit of him being a second-generation Brewer makes him a very possible selection for Milwaukee in this Draft.
Related: 5 Prospects the Brewers That Could Be Attractive Trade Chips at 2025 Trade Deadline
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
