[BirdWatcher]

About those 1965 first-rounders that the Brewers are stockpiling.
The first of course is the guy we picked that year, at #16 overall, Jaden Francis. Although Francis was picked as a starting pitcher it is clear that he will never be developing an effective third pitch and he has mostly pitched out of the bullpen in the minors. His results have been inconsistent and his numbers often pretty bad, but the scouting staff believes that he is developing well and should eventually be a solid member of the Brewers bullpen, likely as a set-up man.
The other three all came to the Brewers through trades in the past two years.
The player closest to being a Brewer is reliever Dave Harder, who was the 11th overall pick in 1965 (by Brooklyn). Harder, a Denver native, has also had a bit of roller-coaster ride in the minors, but the feeling at this point is that he is destined to be an effective closer in the majors once he matures a bit more.
Starting pitching prospect Rob Ibarra was chosen #8 overall in 1965 (by Milwaukee) and is currently listed at #23 on the WPK Prospects list. Ibarra has been plagued by a series of not terribly serious injuries the past few seasons but has put up pretty solid numbers when healthy.

Most intriguingly, the Brewers recently acquired George Alexander in trade. Alexander was the #3 pick in the 1965 draft and the player most coveted at the time by the Brewers. When he was drafted out of Nazareth Academy High School by the Washington Night Train he looked like a can't-miss prospect. And indeed he put up great numbers his first season in Rookie ball. He took a bit of a step backwards when he was elevated to the next level (Short-season A) that year and spent time in 1967 in both Rookie and S A levels with decreasing results. In April of 1966 Alexander was considered the 17th best prospect in the WPK. And then, for reasons somewhat mysterious, his stock just started falling. He's a guy with still decent raw tools. He is reputed to have a great approach to the game and is loved by fans for his hustle and smarts. But at this point it appears that his ceiling is a bench role in the majors. The Brewers are hoping, against the odds likely, that he can rekindle some of his former glory and they will be giving him every chance to move up the ladder and put on the Brewer purple in the future.