Brewers Sign Everyone, Score Huge Coup for Themselves (and the Badgers)

Monte Harrison, future Hall of Famer

The top part of the Brewers draft this year was considered high-risk/high-reward in two senses. Their top three selections (LHP Kodi Medeiros, OF Monte Harrison, SS Jacob Gatewood) are all high schoolers with high upsides (Harrison, selected in the second round at 50th overall, was considered by many to be the best athlete in the draft). In the case of Harrison and Gatewood, they were also considered difficult signs (see MLB Draft explanation below), especially Harrison, a three-sport star who had already committed to Nebraska as a four-star wide receiver recruit. Most draft pundits lauded the Brewers picks as a major haul, with the notable caveat that they were not likely to be able to sign all three.

Instead, the Brewers have moved very quickly to sign both Gatewood and Harrison, and a deal with Medeiros is imminent. The Harrison signing in particular is a major coup for the Brewers, as the general consensus is that he would have easily been a first round pick in terms of mere talent level, and his fall to the second was entirely based on the belief that he would choose to pursue a football career.

Obviously, the success of MLB draft picks is the most difficult to project, and these three players could all become all-stars, or they could all be out of baseball in two years. But for an organization that is routinely criticized for its lack of high-upside talent, the 2014 draft has certainly addressed the issue. Suck it, Keith Law.

As an added bonus for WINsconsin sports fans, the Harrison signing robs Nebraska of one their top five incoming freshmen, who was expected to contribute right away for probably the only legitimate threat to the Badgers in the new East division. See you in the B1G Championship, Urban.

A quick and dirty explanation of the MLB First-Year Player Draft for those unfamiliar with the process: Unlike in the NBA or NFL drafts, with which you are likely infinitely more familiar, players do not declare for the MLB draft. Rather, any high school graduate is eligible to be selected, as is any collegiate player after their junior year (or after they've turned 21). So in a addition to evaluating talent level, teams must also account for the "signability" of a player, since the rights to any player that is not signed (because that student chose to go to school instead) by July 15th are lost, and the draft pick wasted. 
Each draft slot is assigned a bonus amount that, pooled together with a team's other picks, represents their bonus pool for the draft. This is the maximum amount each team is allowed to offer their draft picks in signing bonuses, and there are big luxury tax and potential loss of future draft pick penalties for exceeding that limit.