A Milwaukee Brewers hat and glove. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The 2022 MLB draft is underway. In the first round a lot of college players fell and the Brewers had plenty of pitching and hitting options to choose from. They ended up selecting shortstop Eric Brown Jr with the 27th pick.

Eric Brown Jr played college baseball at Coastal Carolina University. He was ranked 63rd on MLB’s draft board, but is one of the top shortstops in the draft. His biggest strength is his defense. Offensively, he makes very good contact, knows the strike zone well, and advanced stats show he frequently barrels up the baseball.

As a defender, Brown can cover a lot of ground and looks smooth while playing the field. He does have experience playing second and third base, but long term he should be able to stick at shortstop.

Another interesting aspect of Brown’s game is his batting stance. At first glance there is a lot of similarities to the Brewers current manager and former player Craig Counsell.

Over the past two MLB drafts the Brewers selected college outfielders. This year they went with a college infielder. The last infielder, excluding Tyler Black who was taken in the competitive balance round last year, taken in the first round was Brice Turang in 2018.

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