What to know about each of the Milwaukee Brewers' Day 1 MLB draft picks: Brock Wilken, Josh Knoth and Mike Boeve

The Milwaukee Brewers took two collegiate infielders and a high school pitcher on Day 1 of the MLB Draft Sunday with the selections of Brock Wilken, Josh Knoth and Mike Boeve. 

Here’s what to know about them:

Brock Wilken

Where is Brock Wilken from?

Wilken attended Wake Forest University and he's from Valrico, Florida. He went to Bloomingdale High School.

Wilken, who was the 18th-ranked player in the draft, earned first team all-state honors as a junior when he hit .470 with 26 RBIs and 12 homers in 25 games.

How old is Brock Wilken?

He's 21.

What were Brock Wilken's stats at Wake Forest?

Wilken started 126 games the last two seasons, with a stat line of .345/.506/.807 in 66 games last season for the Demon Deacons. He set an Atlantic Coast Conference single-season record of 31 home runs. He also led the ACC in walks (69), runs (90), slugging percentage (.807) and total bases (192).

Wilken joined teammate Rhett Lowder, who went No. 7 overall to the Cincinnati Reds, as the first pair of Demon Deacons to be selected in the first round.

When did the Brewers select Brock Wilken?

The Brewers took Wilken with the No. 18 overall pick in the MLB Draft. With Wilken’s selection, it marks the first time Milwaukee has taken a corner infielder since Brett Lawrie in 2008.

What are Brock Wilken's position, height, weight, other measureables?

• Position: Third base

• Height: 6-foot-4

• Weight: 225 pounds

• Bats: Right

• Throws: Right

What are Brock Wilken's strengths?

His power, which earned a scouting grade of 60 on MLB.com, and his arm.

It didn’t take long for Wilken to showcase his power as he tied the program record for freshman home runs (17) in 2021, which earned him a spot in the Cape Cod League. Wilken put together an impressive summer on the Cape as he earned the league’s Most Valuable Player award after hitting .302 with 39 hits, 26 RBIs, 26 runs scored, 10 doubles and six home runs.

Wilken put up a monstrous junior season this year for Wake Forest, helping the Demon Deacons to a No. 1 overall seed in the College World Series. He ranked second in all of Division I in home runs (31), three of which came in one game against Alabama during the NCAA Regionals.

Brock Wilken broke several records at Wake Forest

The Wake Forest third baseman etched himself into the record book on several occasions:

• Tied ACC career home run record (71)

• Wake Forest career home run record (71)

• Wake Forest single-season home run record (31)

• Wake Forest single-season run record (90)

• Wake Forest single-season walk record (69)

• Tied Wake Forest freshman home run record (17)

Brock Wilken had a previous connection to the Brewers

One of Wilken’s coaches at Wake Forest, Ty Blankmeyer, was a Brewers area scout from 2017 to 2021. Blankmeyer was a volunteer coach at Wake Forest in 2022. Blankmeyer was the area scout that signed Brewers' No. 1 pick Sal Frelick in 2021.

Wilken comes from a baseball family

His uncle, Kris, played in the Baltimore Orioles organization, reaching as high as Class AAA.

Brewers vice president of domestic scouting Tod Johnson on Brock Wilken:

On picking Wilken: "There was a lot of guys potentially in play there and we landed on Brock. We're just really excited to get probably the best power in the draft. I'm going to say it's the best power in the draft."

On comparison of previous first round picks: “Yeah, it's a different profile but his contact rates have actually improved over time, as well. Everyone knows that, if you're going to take big power, you're going to trade off some contact for that. We think we got a profile power-hitting third baseman who's also a good defender and has a really strong arm over there."

On Wilken playing third: "We're going to send him out to third and develop him as a third baseman and give him every chance to do that. He's very athletic for his size. He's a big human. We're excited by that. He's an athletic mover for being as big as he is."

Josh Knoth

Where is Josh Knoth from?

Medford, New York, on Long Island. He went to Patchogue-Medford High School.

How old is Josh Knoth?

Knoth, 17, is one of the youngest players in this year’s draft class. He'll turn 18 next month.

He's committed to play college baseball at Ole Miss.

When did the Brewers select Josh Knoth?

Knoth was taken during the Competitive Balance A round with the 33rd overall pick in the draft, marking the first time the Brewers selected a high school pitcher in Day 1 of the draft since 2017.

The right-hander went over 60 spots ahead of his original projection according to MLB.com, which had him ranked No. 98 in its MLB Pipeline Draft Prospect Ranking list. 

What are Josh Knoth's position, height, weight, other measurables?

• Position: Pitcher

• Height: 6-foot-1

• Weight: 190

• Bats: Right

• Throws: Right

What is Josh Knoth known for?

The real separator for Knoth is his curveball, which ranked as one of the best off-speed pitches among draft eligible pitchers, according to MLB.com. The 6-foot-1 right-hander’s curveball is nasty and a power-curve, as it has a spin rate of 3,000-plus rpm.

He also has a fastball and a changeup but his go-to-pitch is his curveball.

Is there a player comparison for Josh Knoth?

Some scouts during the pre-draft process compared Knoth to Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers, mostly due to the way Knoth releases the ball.

What were Josh Knoth’s stats in 2023?

Knoth was basically untouchable his senior season, totaling 109 strikeouts while giving up just five hits and one run. He threw two perfect games in his high school career, with the most recent one featuring 19 strikeouts last season.

Josh Knoth went to the same high school as Marcus Stroman

Knoth became the third draftee to come out of Patchogue-Medford High School. One of those other two is 2023 all-star Marcus Stroman, who was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009.

Brewers vice president of domestic scouting Tod Johnson on Josh Knoth:

On selecting Knoth: "We were excited he was there when we got him. We heard from other teams around us that were interested, as well. I think he wasn't necessarily well-known on some of the industry list stuff as somebody who might go that high, but other teams were certainly in play right around where we ended (up) taking him."

On Knoth’s curveball: "That's the pitch that he threw a lot in the summer and it's a really good pitch.”

Mike Boeve

Where is Mike Boeve from?

Boeve (pronounced BO-vee) played collegiately at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where he was a three-time all-Summit League selection and the conference’s player of the year in 2022. He's from Hastings, Nebraska.

How old is Mike Boeve?

He's 21.

What were Mike Boeve’s stats in 2023?

Boeve hit .401 with a .512 on-base percentage this spring for Nebraska Omaha. He struck out just nine times in 211 plate appearances.

When did the Brewers select Mike Boeve?

Boeve was picked in the second round with the 54th overall pick, surpassing two-time all-star catcher Bruce Benedict as the highest pick in Nebraska Omaha history since 1979.

What are Mike Boeve’s position, height, weight, other measurables?

• Position: Third base

• Height: 6-foot-2

• Weight: 210

• Bats: Left

• Throws: Right

What is Mike Boeve known for?

Boeve is known for his contact, something the Brewers have coveted with draft picks in recent years. He doesn’t have a tremendous amount of power and pop to his swing, but does get on base often.

Brewers vice president of domestic scouting Tod Johnson on Mike Boeve

"His contact numbers are elite. He actually hits the ball pretty hard. He tends to hit it on the ground a little bit, but we think the combination of his zone control and ability to make hard contact — he's a bigger guy, as well. We do think the bat has really interesting traits to develop to get him more power."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who are Milwaukee Brewers' Day 1 draft picks?: What to know about each