If you read my stuff or follow me on twitter, you’ll know I’m a big Brady McConnell fan, so it’s been fun watching his stock skyrocket. Many people had McConnell as a late to fringe round 1 name during the 2017 draft. But he fell a bit due to an uneven summer of 2016 and reportedly turned down $2 mil from Cincinnati to play for the Gators. An injury sapped his freshman year, but as a draft-eligible sophomore, he has been right with JJ Bleday for the most impressive bat in the SEC. McConnell showcased his 65 raw power by finishing with 11 HR in conference play (Bleday had 13) and slg% (615) against the best pitching in college baseball. McConnell flashes a 60 arm and 60-70 speed depending on who you ask. Scouts vary widely on how they view the hit tool and defense. I’ve seen both graded between 40 and 60. MLB pipeline says McConnell may need to move to CF due to defense, but Perfect Game rates him as a top 5 college defender in the whole draft. Some scouts give McConnell a 50-60 hit tool and he did manage to hit for a .341 average this year. Others like Kiley McDaniel give it a 40. Almost everyone agrees on 3 things. 1) BMC flashes top of the draft tools. 2) he will be fairly expensive to sign as he would likely be a favorite to be a top 10 pick next year. 3) some people loooooove BMC and view him as having 5 60 tools. McConnell is definitely susceptible to getting out of sync, opening up the shoulder and getting beat outside. He flashes highlight reel, gold glove plays, but will make mental errors at times. And he doesn’t use his 70 speed on the basepaths yet. But he has the best player in the draft upside. And the Brewers have a history of loving high ceiling guys Round 1.