High school lefty Frank Cairone heads to the Brewers with the 68th pick in the draft

Frank Cairone, a late bloomer on the mound, went to the Brewers at No. 68 overall in the draft

The Milwaukee Brewers landed one of the first surprise picks of Day 1 of the MLB draft by taking high-school lefty Frank Cairone at No. 68 overall.

Cairone was not listed on MLB Pipeline's top 250 draft prospects, though he just snuck onto Baseball America's top 200. Prep Baseball Report had Cairone as the No. 8 prep left-hander in the draft.

A Coastal Carolina commit from Delsea Regional High in New Jersey, an area the Brewers have targeted for prep arms in previous years with Bryce Meccage, Josh Knoth and Chris Levonas, Cairone is a late-bloomer in the class. He had a standout performance at the draft combine in June with an arsenal primarily featuring a low-90s fastball and slider. The fastball has excellent characteristics that Cairone pairs with plus extension coming down the mound.

Delsea's Frank Cairone throws a pitch during his season debut against Highland on Wednesday. He threw three hitless innings, striking out 10.

Cairone will be a project for the Brewers player development system, but they've had success in that area of late, including with multiple late-round high-school arms in last year's draft.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers select Frank Cairone in 2025 MLB draft

Category: Baseball