Johnson now in control of running Brewers’ draft
PHOENIX - When the Brewers start calling out names in the major-league baseball draft on Monday evening, their choices will come via a collaborative effort of everyone in their draft room.
But, when all is said and done, it will be known forever as the first Tod Johnson draft.
That’s the way it works when you hold the title of director of amateur scouting, and Johnson has been around long enough to understand there’s no avoiding it.
“Fairly or unfairly, I know that’s what people will say,” Johnson said. “That’s fine. I’ll be more than willing to take that on.
“And, if it all works out, I’ll make sure the credit is spread equally among everyone involved, which is everybody in that room.”
Johnson, 44, certainly is not new to the draft proc- ess. He served for six seasons as the Brewers assistant director of amateur scouting and has been with the club 10 years overall. Johnson initially worked in the Brewers’ baseball research and development department, so he is quite familiar with the various tools used to evaluate players in this era.
Considering how data analysis has become so important to the game, it’s only fitting that Johnson was a software executive in the real world before getting the baseball bug. He was named amateur scouting director last September when predecessor Ray Montgomery was kicked upstairs to vice president of scouting, becoming the team’s lead evaluator of talent across the entire spectrum of baseball operations, including professional, amateur and international scouting.
“There is so much information available on all of these players,” Johnson said. “You have to find ways to organize it and analyze it. We’re not trying to reinvent things but there are different methods we are using from the way things were done in the past. It’s an ever-evolving process as we continue to look for the best ways to evaluate players.”
Montgomery remains heavily involved in the draft, but the process is truly a collaborative effort, from top to bottom. General manager David Stearns and assistant Matt Arnold have hit the road to look at players, as has former GM Doug Melvin. Zack Minasian, who previously ran the pro scouting department, also has been out in the field, monitoring amateurs.
That’s in addition to the vast array of area scouts and supervisors who form the foundation of the scouting department.
There is a lot at stake for the rebuilding Brewers, who have the No. 9 pick in the first round as well as a Competitive Balance Round A pick at No. 34. The draft will proceed Monday through Round 2, where the Brewers have the 46th pick.
“It will be a group effort to get all the names in the right order,” Johnson said. “We’ll work through the last set of names and see who’s left for us to pick. At No. 9, we’ll come to a decision.
“It’s exciting. There’s some nervousness to it, some anxiety. It’s a huge decision for the organization. It’s not just my decision.”
After assisting Montgomery in the previous two drafts, Johnson admitted it’s different sitting in the lead seat in the room. He makes sure to listen to all the voices — the Brewers have been going night and day since last Monday — but conducting the orchestra is more complicated than playing lead violin.
“You certainly feel a lot more of the weight with the decisions,” he said. “The draft is a critical piece of our organizational philosophy of acquiring and developing young talent. You do feel that importance of sifting through all of the information and getting us to the best decisions possible.
“We have an outstanding amateur scouting staff. A lot of those guys have been here for quite a while. We’ve expanded our staff and moved guys into new roles. We’ve had promotions as well and have moved some guys around. David has been real good about that.
“You can’t over-think the baseball draft in the sense of trying to get too creative or drafting for need. We try to allocate our draft pool the best we possibly can. That sometimes means you get creative with bonuses. Some years that happens; some years it’s a straighter line across with the slots. We’re going to look for opportunities to maximize the talent we get. You usually do that by taking the best guy in your spot.”
So, who will the Brewers take at No. 9, you ask? As always, it will depend on what happens with the teams above them. Three players are expected to go at the top — Vanderbilt pitcher Kyle Wright and a pair of two-way performers, Louisville left-hander/first baseman Brendan McKay and California prep righty/shortstop Hunter Greene.
After that trio, there is a pack of players considered top 10 quality. Many of the mock drafts have linked the Brewers to two prep outfielders with high ceilings — Jo Adell (Louisville) and Austin Beck (Lexington, N.C.). Under Stearns, the Brewers certainly have valued multiple tool sets and middle-ofthe-field players, but they also look for the best values within the entire draft class.
Should the Brewers want more of a sure thing, college outfielders such as Vanderbilt’s Jeren Kendall and Virginia’s Adam Haseley are highly regarded as well as Haseley’s teammate, first baseman Pavin Smith.
Drafting pitchers, particularly from the prep ranks, can be risky high in the first round and the track record certainly is not good for those who do. High school pitchers considered Top 10 material include lefties MacKenzie Gore (Whiteville, N.C.) and D.L. Hall (Valdosta, Ga.) and righty Shane Baz (Tomball, Texas). College pitchers expected to go high after Wright and McKay include North Carolina’s J.B. Bukauskas, Florida’s Alex Faedo and Oregon’s David Peterson.
Johnson admitted that some of the names attached to the Brewers in mock drafts elicit chuckles in the draft room.
“We certainly look at (mock drafts) because as we get closer to the draft, they get a little more accurate and useful from the perspective of trying to get insight into what other teams might be thinking,” Johnson said.
“We’d love to know what’s going to happen above us. We have some feel for it. We’ll have multiple guys we’d be comfortable with at No. 9. If one of the top guys fall there, we’d be comfortable with them as well.
“We feel like there’s some separation in that group. And I think there’s some depth in this draft. It gives us a chance at No. 34 and 46 to get guys who you might consider better than those numbers might suggest otherwise. We’re excited to make these picks.”