Milwaukee Brewers Take Wake Forest INF with No. 18 Pick in MLB Draft

Picking No. 18 on Sunday in the first round of the MLB Draft, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Wake Forest infielder Brock Wilken.

He helped lead Wake Forest to a No. 1 ranking this year and a berth in the College World Series.

He was ranked the No. 25 overall draft prospect by MLb.com and here's a portion of his MLB.com draft profile:

Wilken burst onto the college baseball scene in 2021, setting a Wake Forest freshman record with 17 homers during the spring and winning Cape Cod League MVP honors during the summer. He encored by slamming 23 homers as a sophomore and breaking the school mark with 31 (second in NCAA Division I) this spring, also setting Demon Deacons and Atlantic Coast Conference records with 71 career blasts while burnishing his reputation for having as much raw power as anyone in his class. He fits the classic third-base profile with his pop and arm strength, giving him the chance to become Wake's first first-round position player since Will Craig in 2016.

Wilken is geared to crush balls to left field with the strength and leverage in his 6-foot-4 frame and the bat speed and loft in his right-handed stroke. His strikeout rate jumped in 2022, when he struggled with breaking balls in the zone, but he has made more contact this spring. He has shown a more disciplined approach, finishing third in D-I with 69 walks while making better swing decisions that allowed him to make the most of his prodigious power.

His selection follows Paul Skenes (No. 1, Pirates), Dylan Crews (No. 2, Nationals), Max Clark (No. 3, Tigers), Wyatt Langford (No. 4, Rangers), Walker Jenkins (No. 5, Twins), Jacob Wilson (No. 6, A's), Rhett Lowder (No. 7, Reds), Blake Mitchell (No. 8, Royals), Chase Dollander (No. 9, Rockies), Noble Meyer (No. 10, Marlins), Nolan Schanuel (No. 11, Angels), Tommy Troy (No. 12, Diamondbacks), Matt Shaw (No. 13, Cubs) Kyle Teel (No. 14, Red Sox), Jacob Gonzalez (No. 15, White Sox), Bryce Eldridge (No. 16, Giants) and Enrique Bradfield Jr. (No. 17, Orioles).

At the major league level, the Brewers are 49-42 and in second place in the National League Central.

Follow Fastball on FanNation in social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.