Evaluating Milwaukee Brewers’ First Round Pick Brock Wilken
Photo From Wake Forest Athletics
On Sunday night, with the 18th pick in this year’s draft, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Brock Wilken of Wake Forest. For Brewers’ fans, there is a lot to be excited for. Wilken is a power hitting third baseman who set the ACC record for career home runs with 71, and set the Wake Forest single season record with 31 home runs this past season while leading the Demon Deacons to the top national seed and their first College World Series appearance since 1955.
This marks the fourth straight year that the Brewers have gone with a collegiate bat in the first round of the draft. With their recent drafts, it seems the Brewers are finally building a farm system that will produce major league players for years to come. Wilken joins a farm system that includes five top 100 prospects led by outfielders Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick who are both in the top 20. Several of their young players including Brice Turang, Joey Wiemer, and Garrett Mitchell have also gained valuable major league experience already early on in their careers.
Wilken’s frame and skillset make it seem likely that he will stick at third base for the long run. His power tool may be one of the best in the draft and his arm will certainly make him serviceable at third base. The biggest question yet to be answered is whether or not Wilken will hit well and with a high enough average in his professional career to show off the power he possesses. In his junior year at Wake Forest, he set the record for walks in a season with 69 and had an on base percentage over 0.500, showing that he is continuously improving in this area of his game. Looking forward, it appears that Wilken and the Brewers are close to agreeing on a signing bonus which means that Wilken could debut in one of the lower levels of the minor leagues later this season, although he could also wait until next season.
