Brewers Bet Big on High School SS Trey Ebel in 2026 MLB Draft

It was a big weekend for the Milwaukee Brewers, to say the least.

On the negative side, the Brewers were swept in a three-game series by the Pittsburgh Pirates to officially end the first half of the season. The All-Star break is here and Milwaukee has a few days to decompress before they return to action on Friday against the Miami Marlins in a three-game series.

There was more to the weekend than just the Pirates series, though. The 2026 Major League Baseball Draft was also held. One thing that has been true about the Brewers in recent memory is that they know what they are doing when it comes to prospects. Milwaukee has the best farm system in baseball and has had success over and over in developing homegrown talent. Take a look at the big league roster right now, for example. It's loaded with homegrown stars, including Jacob Misiorowski, Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and Sal Frelick, among many others.

The Brewers have earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to prospects, to say the least. Even when they make surprising selections, like they did in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft. The Brewers had the No. 25 overall pick in the first round and selected shortstop Trey Ebel out of Corona High School (CA). MLB.com had Ebel ranked as the No. 107 prospect in the draft class.

The Brewers Selected Trey Ebel With The No. 25 Overall Pick

Apr 5, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; General view of a Milwaukee Brewers logo on seating within American Family Field prior to the game between the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

So, who is Ebel and why the Brewers take him so early?

He's a 17-year-old infielder with good size, listed at 6'0'' and 180 pounds out of California. He comes from a good baseball background. His dad, Dino Ebel, is the third base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He's also not the first Ebel to be selected by the Brewers. Last year, Milwaukee selected his brother, Brady Ebel, with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. He's 18 years old and is currently playing with Class-A Wilson and has six homers and is batting .245 in 79 games.

"We did it bro" 🥹

Brewers prospect Brady Ebel's reaction to finding out we drafted his brother, Trey, is incredible

CC: @wilsonwarbirds pic.twitter.com/AlFZHy36Bl
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 11, 2026

The younger Ebel is a very intriguing prospect in his own right. He's a bat-first prospect and his hit tool is graded as 55, per MLB.com. His arm is also graded as 55. He put up some monster numbers this past season for Corona High School and slashed .417/.496/.796 with 10 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 47 RBIs in 31 games as a senior.

One thing that is always interesting about the MLB Draft is seeing which guys rise and drop in large part because of slot values. Each pick has a certain projected value, but if you go down in one place, it makes it easier to spend above slot value elsewhere.

One prospect to watch from this perspective would be Milwaukee's second-round pick: Sawyer Strosnider. He was listed as the No. 22 overall prospect in the class by MLB.com, but he fell to No. 66. Milwaukee reached, on paper, in the first round and then struck in the second round on someone falling in Strosnider.

Arguably, two very good rounds to kick off the draft. In Sports Illustrated's final mock draft, Ryan Phillips had Strosnider going at No. 33 to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Brewers were able to get a first-round talent in the second round. Plus, a prospect in the first round that they know very well in Ebel. You can't ask for much more than that.

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