Milwaukee Brewers' pitching-heavy 2024 draft class paying dividends already

Milwaukee Brewers fans were surely curious to see how top prospects Jesús Made and Luis Peña fared in their first game with Advanced Class A Wisconsin when the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers faced Peoria on Aug. 5, but there was another subplot to the game.

Starting on the hill for the Timber Rattlers: Travis Smith, the Brewers' minor-league pitcher of the month for July, also making his first appearance with the Timber Rattlers. Smith allowed two earned runs on three hits in four innings, with two walks and three strikeouts.

Smith, 22, was selected out of the University of Kentucky in the 2024 draft, and he had a 3.20 ERA in 19 starts this season (76 innings) heading into that outing for Wisconsin. He was taken in the 15th round of the 2024 draft but given a considerable signing bonus of $462,500.

What's crazier is that the opposing pitcher facing the Timber Rattlers also got selected by the Brewers in the 2024 draft.

Mason Molina. a left-hander from Arkansas, was a seventh-round pick. He was traded in January to the Texas Rangers for current Brewers reliever Grant Anderson, then traded again to the St. Louis Cardinals at the deadline as part of the deal for reliever Phil Maton.

Molina had a 3.41 ERA this year in the minors and 82 strikeouts in 74 innings before making his first start with Peoria, where he also allowed two earned runs on two hits in four innings, with five strikeouts and four walks.

The Timber Rattlers won the game, 5-3. But in addition to the exciting returns from the team's international signing classes, the 2024 draft —and particularly the boatload of pitchers selected — is showing some promising signs.

The 2024 Brewers draft class has become known for a couple things: Some intriguing offensive players at the top of the class (Braylon Payne, Blake Burke, Marco Dinges) and the inability to sign second-rounder Chris Levonas, a pitcher who honored his commitment to Wake Forest and left the Brewers without $1.2 million in bonus-pool slot money.

But the team loaded up on pitchers in the draft otherwise. Aside from Payne, Burke and Dinges, all 13 of the other players signed in the draft class were pitchers. They're all finding some measure of success, too. Here's what they've been up to.

Bryce Meccage (second round, $2.5 million bonus)

The right-hander from New Jersey took an above-slot deal and is ranked No. 13 in the organization according to MLB Pipeline. He has a 4.41 ERA in 18 starts with the Class A Carolina Mudcats but a promising 66 strikeouts in 69 innings.

Tyler Renz (18th round, $852,500)

The right-hander from New York has looked good after commanding a significant investment from the Brewers draft pool, with a 3.43 ERA this year in 13 games and a 1.25 ERA between rookie league Arizona and Carolina, all for a player who doesn't turn 19 until November. He has 52 strikeouts in 58 innings.

Jayden Dubanewicz (16th round, $665,000)

It took a lot to sign the Florida high-school right-hander, and the 19-year-old right-hander has delivered at Arizona and Carolina, posting a 7-1 record with a 2.35 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. He's been even better at the higher level, with a 2.15 mark in nine games and a 1.09 WHIP.

Joey Broughton (13th round, $535,000)

The Michigan high-school left-hander was one of the most intriguing names in the draft class, but he's been injured and has yet to make his professional debut.

Travis Smith (15th round, $462,500)

Smith allowed just two earned runs in July with Carolina over a run of 26 innings.

Griffin Tobias (ninth round, $246,500)

The Indiana high-school right-hander has a 4.81 ERA this year overall but has started strong in his first four games at Carolina, with a 3.75 ERA in 12 innings.

Chandler Welch (sixth round, $237,500)

The 22-year-old right-hander from Tulane is on the injured list. He has a 5.87 ERA in 12 starts for the Mudcats and Timber Rattlers this year.

Ethan Dorchies (10th round, $162,500)

The Brewers might have something pretty special here. The Illinois high-school right-hander signed below slot but has been well above average, posting a 1.82 ERA in 14 games (seven starts) and 0.92 WHIP this season. That docket includes nearly 30 innings at Carolina, where he has 34 strikeouts and 13 walks in 29 innings. He's already up to the No. 20 prospect in the organization, according to MLB Pipeline.

Tyson Hardin (12th round, $147,500)

Like with Dorchies, this is looking like a steal. The right-hander from Mississippi State is quickly a top-20 prospect in the organization (No. 19) after the strike-throwing machine posted a 2.34 ERA at Wisconsin and now a 3.38 mark at Class AA Biloxi after five starts. At AA, he has 24 strikeouts and a mere five walks in 27 innings. At Wisconsin: 62 strikeouts and nine walks in 58 innings. He's on the injured list, though.

Sam Garcia (eighth round, $55,000)

The lefty from Oklahoma State has a 4.00 ERA in 20 games (12 starts) with stops in Carolina and Wisconsin this year.

Jaron DeBerry (third round, $25,000)

The 22-year-old right-hander from Dallas Baptist took a well below-slot deal; he has a 4.83 ERA in 15 games (12 starts) with the Timber Rattlers, and he just got promoted to Double-A.

No longer in the organization

• John Holobetz (fifth round, $322,500). The right-hander from Old Dominion was traded to the Boston Red Sox as part of the package to acquire Quinn Priester in April. He's been excellent in his minor-league career, with a 3.31 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, including 93 strikeouts in 87 innings.
• Mason Molina (seventh round, $254,900). He's with his third organization in a little over the year, joining the Cardinals at the trade deadline.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers' pitching-heavy 2024 draft class paying dividends already