In baseball, it’s crucial to develop talent within and build the major league roster through the farm system.
The Milwaukee Brewers are trying to do this, as they’ve entered a rebuilding process in hopes of developing a team that’s consistently competitive. Besides acquiring prospects via trades, the Brewers will have the opportunity to add a high level prospect with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft on June 9.
Despite the draft being less than a week away, it’s challenging to pinpoint which player the Brewers are leaning towards selecting. This is due to two reasons: There is uncertainty at the top of the draft with no consensus No. 1 overall pick and the Brewers are connected to at least six different players.
The Brewers have been linked to Tennessee third baseman Nick Senzel, Mercer outfielder Kyle Lewis, Louisville outfielder Corey Ray, Puerto Rico prep shortstop Delvin Perez, prep left-hander Jason Groome and prep right-hander Riley Pint.
While all six of these players are talented and deserving off being top 10 selections, the Brewers need to take the best player available regardless of the risk associated with the player.
Teams usually selecting towards the top of the draft are skittish when selecting a high school pitcher, but the Brewers should use this as an advantage and draft lefty Jason Groome — if he still on the board.
A New Jersey native, Groome is the top prospect in this year’s draft class. But, due to the risk associated with high school pitchers, he’s sliding down draft boards, which will likely make him available to the Brewers at No. 5.
A 6-foot-6, 220-pound left-hander, Groome has the makings of being a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher, showing the potential to have three exceptional pitches and outstanding command. Groome possesses a mid-90s fastball, a nasty curveball and a respectable changeup.
While Groome should be the Brewers No. 1 choice, if he’s unavailable, they should turn to prep righty Riley Pint. While, Pint has question marks surrounding his delivery and command, he has a fastball that has been clocked as high as 102 mph, a devastating curveball and an above-average changeup.
With the Brewers in a rebuilding mode, they need to take a risk and add a high-level prospect that has a massive ceiling. While they could play it safe and select a college position player, the best move for the Brewers would be to select either Groome or Pint. Not only would they have an elite level pitching prospect, but they’d also have a pitcher who has the potential to be a No. 1 starter at the major league level one day.
Find more MLB Draft coverage here.
Over the last few months I’ve interviewed 31 of the top MLB Draft prospects. Read my profiles on these draft prospects here.
