Brewers Predicted To Land Speedy Shortstop With Upcoming 1st-Round Pick

The Major League Baseball Draft is only a month away, so the Milwaukee Brewers front office is surely doing a lot of multitasking.

Gone are the days when the draft took place months before the trade deadline, allowing the baseball operations department the ability to segment their time. They now happen two weeks apart, and as the Brewers mull some high-profile buy/sell decisions, they also have to deep dive on the prospects.

Choosing whether to go high school or college with their first selection is a particularly interesting call for the Brewers this year. They don't have a vise grip on the National League Central this season like they have in years past, so they could be looking for players to help the playoff push within the next couple of years, or later down the road.

Keith Law of The Athletic released his latest mock draft on Thursday, and he sees the Brewers selecting shortstop Daniel Pierce from Mill Creek H.S. in Georgia with the 20th overall pick.

"I’ve heard Pierce as high as 12 to Texas, although I think the back half of the round is more likely. I can’t imagine the Brewers passing on Gavin Kilen or Gavin Fien, given the way their draft model seems to work, although they could also start off the next tier of college pitching," Law wrote.

MLB Pipeline has Pierce rated as the 18th-best prospect in the draft class, grading him above average on the 20-80 scale in all attributes except power. His speed, which earned a 60 grade, could help differentiate him from other shortstops moving forward.

The 18-year-old is also committed to the University of Georgia, so it would be interesting to see what sort of signing bonus it would take for the Brewers to lure him away from the college ranks.