Erceg among high picks to agree with Brewers

June 15th, 2016

LOS ANGELES -- The Brewers have agreed to terms with at least eight of their 11 selections in the first 10 rounds of last week's MLB Draft, according to a variety of reports and the players' own Twitter feeds. The team has yet to formally announce any agreements.
The highest-picked player to reach a deal is second-rounder Lucas Erceg, a power-hitting third baseman from Menlo College who signed for $1.15 million, according to MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis. The slot value for the 46th overall pick is $1,386,900.
Brewers' 2016 Draft picks
Erceg, 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, is a left-handed hitter with a strong arm that he also used to throw 94-mph fastballs as Menlo's closer. He will focus on third base exclusively as a pro, Brewers scouting director Ray Montgomery said.
Erceg reminds some of a young Chase Utley in terms of body type. He hit .308/.351/.639 with 20 home runs, 15 doubles and 56 RBIs this season. He is on the preliminary roster for Helena, Milwaukee's Rookie affiliate.
2016 Draft signing and bonus tracker
Other selections in the first 10 rounds who have already signed:
• Fourth-round pick Corbin Burnes, a right-hander from St. Mary's College, posted a photo with Montgomery and Brewers GM David Stearns after signing his contract at Miller Park on Wednesday. He said he was being assigned to the Brewers' affiliate in the Arizona Rookie League.

According to Callis, Burnes signed for $536,400, which was slot value.
Brewers focus on pitching early in Day 2 of Draft
• Fifth-round pick Zack Brown, a right-hander from the University of Kentucky, signed for slot value at $401,700, according to Callis.

• The Brewers applied their savings on Erceg to sway sixth-round pick Payton Henry away from a commitment to Brigham Young University. The catcher -- whose pick carried a value of $300,800 -- signed for $550,000, as first reported by the Salt Lake Tribune, and the Brewers will also pay for Henry's college education, a common perk for top prep talents. Henry is being assigned to the Arizona Rookie League, according to the newspaper.
• Seventh-round pick Daniel Brown signed for slot value at $225,500, according to Callis. He is a left-hander out of Mississippi State.

• Eighth-round pick Francisco Thomas, a prep shortstop from Florida, changed his Twitter bio to reflect that he plays in the Brewers organization, an indication he'd signed instead of opting to attend San Diego State. His signing bonus was not immediately known; the slot value for that selection is $183,200.
• Tennessee television station WJHL reported that ninth-round pick Trey York, a second baseman, had signed and was working out in Arizona. Slot value for that pick was $171,100.
• Tenth-round pick Blake Fox, a 6-foot-4 left-hander from Rice University, was listed on the Brewers' preliminary Helena roster with Erceg and other, later-round selections, an indication they were all signed. The slot value assigned to that pick was $159,800.
The only Brewers selections in the first 10 rounds yet to be accounted for are University of Louisville outfielder Corey Ray (first round), prep catcher Mario Feliciano from Puerto Rico (Lottery Round B) and University of South Carolina right-hander Braden Webb (third round).