The Brewers had the 18th pick in the first round of the 1973 amateur draft, and they chose 18-year old Jose Figueroa. Figueroa comes out of USC having played everywhere in the infield other than first and all three outfield positions, but the team has already signaled their intention to have him focus on learning third base for now.
Figueroa profiles as having the potential to be an above average contact hitter with slightly above average power. He will probably only draw an average number of walks and his speed is mostly average to below average. But he has a strong arm in the infield and should be able to become a strong third baseman defensively and has the ability to be an above average corner outfielder as well. He is young and a hard worker and could develop into a starting third baseman in the league but some in the organization see him as being more suited to a super-sub role in the WPK.
In the second round the team chose a bat-first power hitting first baseman, Richard Escamilla out of Manitowoc Lutheran High School in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Escamilla will never wow anyone with his glove or his legs, but he has the potential to turn into a big league slugger with decent contact skills and a decent eye.
Third round pick Bobby Stewart profiles quite similarly to Escamilla. While Stewart will be given a chance as a corner outfielder many believe that his ultimate home is first base as well, where he has the chance to be at least average defensively. Stewart is slow and his plate approach is questionable, but he is known for his great baseball smarts and as another 18-year old the hope is that he might develop over time to be a useful big league power hitter.
In the fourth round the Brewers chose their first pitcher, in a weak draft for pitching. 18-year old Mike Blackstone has the stamina and durability to be a starter but will likely be relegated to the 'pen should he ever reach the bigs due to being essentially a two-pitch pitcher. But his curveball projects to have the potential to be elite and should be paired with a solid cutter. He has a poor change-up that is never expected to be anything but sub-par. Still, his stuff has a chance to be above average, his movement is already pretty well developed towards above average, and his control has the potential to be acceptable. He is a ground ball pitcher which fits into the organizational pitching philosophy.
With their fifth round pick, the Brewers selected 21-year old Glendale College right fielder Justin Hawes. Hawes is a speedy player with good base stealing and running skills, a great bunter, and profiles as a solidly above average defensive outfielder with a strong arm. He is unlikely to ever hit for power the way one would expect from a corner outfielder but he could be a decent contact hitter with an above average eye at the plate. He comes to the organization pretty well developed with a ceiling that isn't that great but a floor that isn't particularly low either. There is a good chance he will eventually earn at least a small role in the WPK.
Overall the Brewers selected 6 pitchers- all starters at this point though surely some will be transitioning into relief work. They picked 5 shortstops, though as previously mentioned at least one will be moving to third base. They chose 4 first baseman and 4 right fielders in a draft that featured an inordinate number of power hitting but defensively challenged players. They drafted 3 center fielders, a smaller number than usual for the Brewers. And just 2 catchers. Only 1 third baseman was drafted, though that number has already doubled with the move of Figueroa from short. And just 1 left fielder was chosen. Not a single player who was primarily a second baseman was picked, though positional changes could surely still be in the works.
It should be noted too that one of the players they selected is a two-way player, Ron Bates, who plays first base while also being a starting pitcher. He is unlikely to have the talent at either position to make the big leagues, but he's a smart guy and durable and should at least be an asset at the minor league levels.