The Milwaukee Brewers departed from their usual standard of college arms by selecting high school shortstop Jacob Gatewood with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft.
Brewers tab prep shortstop Jacob Gatewood with 41st overall pick
Once a top-five talent, Gatewood’s slide stops in Milwaukee.
Gatewood was seen as a future top five pick after the conclusion of his junior year thanks to his prodigious power displays. However, his stock slowly eroded over the course of his senior year as his approach worsened and his mechanics followed suit. He’s rebounded a bit -- enough to become a top-50 pick in the draft -- but the mechanics are still going to require some fixing.
Gatewood often sells out to access his impressive power, which results in a lot of swing and misses or weak contact as he's way out in front of a pitch. Defensively, he'd be one of the biggest shortstops ever, in the mold of prospect Corey Seager at 6'5, 190 pounds. He has good actions for the position, but some scouts question whether he has the work ethic required to stay there as the footwork can get sloppy. Third base makes sense given his size and power profile, but a corner outfield spot would work as well.
There’s 30-plus home run power in Gatewood’s bat, but he’s a raw product who will require a lot of patience and development before he gets there. Professional observers have questioned whether Gatewood has the makeup to reach that ceiling, as he doesn’t like to think of himself as a flawed player. That kind of confidence can be a good thing, of course, but he needs to make sure to put in the work to improve himself, not just assume he’s the best guy on the field. At 18 years old, there’s plenty of time for maturity to come, however, and the Brewers made a nice gamble on a talent that could have gone significantly higher.
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