The Brewers are set up to make an unusual kind of first-round decision in 2026.
Milwaukee will pick 25th overall, which puts the club at No. 25 or later in the first round for only the second time this decade. It’s the team’s latest first-round slot since 2022, when Eric Brown Jr. went 27th overall. And that matters, because the Brewers’ recent draft pattern has been pretty clear: they’ve used their first overall selection on a position player in each of the last six drafts, beginning with Garrett Mitchell in 2020 and continuing through Sal Frelick in 2021, Brown Jr. in 2022, Brock Wilken in 2023, Braylon Payne in 2024, and Andrew Fischer in 2026.
Milwaukee has still taken pitchers early in the draft during that stretch, but the first one off the board among those picks was Josh Knoth, who went 33rd overall in Competitive Balance Round A in 2023. The last time the Brewers used their true first-round pick on a pitcher came back in 2019, when Ethan Small was selected 28th overall.
That’s why 2026 stands out. With at least four high-upside college arms expected to be on the board when Milwaukee is on the clock, the Brewers have a real chance to break from their recent first-round script.
One name to watch is Tennessee right-hander Tegan Kuhns, who is currently MLB Pipeline’s No. 24 draft prospect. Milwaukee has already drafted a player from Tennessee with one of its first two picks in each of the last two years, taking Blake Burke at No. 34 in 2024 and Fischer 20th overall last year. If Kuhns is still available at No. 25, the Brewers could make it three straight drafts with a Volunteer in the system.
Kuhns, 21, still needs development, but the upside is obvious. At 6-foot-3, he spins the ball well and has reached 98 mph with his fastball.
He piled up 106 strikeouts over 81.0 innings this season, doing most of his damage with that heater and his curveball. The questions are just as real, though: he still needs a reliable third pitch, and his delivery has created command issues at times because of some extra movement.
Milwaukee has worked through similar problems before, including with Jacob Misiorowski, which makes Kuhns a logical fit if the Brewers want to bet on the talent.
Another arm with real appeal is Arizona State left-hander Cole Carlon. MLB.com recently projected him as the fifth southpaw to come off the board, and the numbers explain why.
He struck out 133 batters in 83.2 innings this year, a rate of 14.3 strikeouts per nine. The 6-foot-5 lefty works with a four-pitch mix, led by a fastball that can touch 98 mph but usually sits in the mid-90s.
Carlon’s slider lives in the upper 80s and plays as a real bat-misser, while his curveball-changeup combination rounds out the package. The athleticism is part of the draw too.
Milwaukee has long liked to bet on athletes, especially among position players, because those players often take to development more naturally. Carlon would still need time in the minors, but the ingredients are there for him to grow into a solid major league starter.
Ole Miss sophomore Cade Townsend is another possibility, and he’s the kind of arm whose stock could force a decision. His college ERA sits at 4.78, but that number is weighed down by a rough freshman season.
He took a big step forward as a sophomore, cutting his ERA from 6.35 to 3.94 and stringing together stretches where he was nearly impossible to hit. In April, he followed back-to-back starts against LSU and Tennessee by throwing 12.0 innings, allowing seven hits and striking out 15.
Against Tennessee, he worked six shutout innings and allowed just one hit.
The draft boards are split on Townsend, which only adds to the intrigue. MLB Pipeline and Baseball America both have him at No. 27, while Kiley McDaniel of ESPN ranks him No.
- He brings a serviceable mid-90s fastball and three above-average secondary pitches, giving him little reliever risk and a profile that could move quickly through the minors.
Then there’s UCLA right-hander Logan Reddemann, one of the biggest risers in this class. He began his college career at the University of San Diego before becoming UCLA’s Friday night starter this season, and he delivered. In 10 starts, he posted a 2.87 ERA and averaged 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
Reddemann’s best trait might be his command. He walked only 11 batters in 59.2 innings while also bumping his sinker up to 95-96 mph.
He complements it with a changeup, cutter, and sweeper, a mix that gives him a starter’s look in pro ball. He also has the kind of track record that matters in a draft room: he has already shown he can improve and absorb feedback, which is a big part of eventually becoming an effective big-league arm.
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