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Former Ankeny star Brody Brecht is projected to be a first-round pick in the MLB amateur draft that gets under way on Sunday.
Iowa’s all-time and single-season strikeout leader is considered one of the top collegiate pitching prospects in this year’s draft. While his command could push him into a relief role at the next level, his big-time stuff is the reason he’s the No. 21 draft prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
As a junior, Brecht posted a 4-3 record with a 3.33 ERA in 15 starts. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound righthander racked up 128 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings, ranking fourth in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (14.71).
Brecht has drawn some comparisons to Paul Skenes, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft and one of the most hyped pitching prospects ever.
“When he’s on, Brecht’s fastball and slider are comparable to those of Skenes,” MLB Pipeline writes in Brecht’s report.
Brecht’s fastball consistently sits in the upper 90s and has reached as high as 101 mph, while his slider sits 87-89 mph and peaks at 91 mph. As Pipeline says in the report, Brecht is not commanding those pitches as well as Skenes, but there aren’t many pitchers in this draft class with this kind of raw stuff. Brecht also has a low-to-mid 90s splitter that is inconsistent at present, but could be a big out pitch in the future.
Brecht could become just the second Iowa pitcher to be selected in the first round. He would join Cal Eldred, who was picked 17th overall by the Brewers in 1989 and went on to win 86 games in his MLB career.
Ankeny Fanatic had a chance to catch up with Brecht earlier this week. Here are five questions with Brecht as the MLB draft is now just two days away:
Having gone through the draft process once already, has that made it easier for you this time?
Although the draft processes have been a little different, I would definitely say it has helped me having already gone through a similar situation. I would say I am less nervous than I was when I was in high school, but maturity is also a big part in that.
You obviously went to Iowa three years ago to try to become a two-sport athlete, and you were able to accomplish that goal. Was having that option at the time the biggest difference between the last draft and this one for you?
Yes, wanting to chase my dream of playing football at Iowa was really the only thing that kept me from not going to the draft out of high school. I felt like I had to at least give football a shot, and I’m glad I did.
How busy have you been interviewing with teams, and do you know how many of the teams you have talked to?
I was at the combine down in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago and had meetings with teams down there for about five days. I think I had around 18 team meetings. Since then, my advisor has been handling a lot of the communication with teams.
What is the most common question that you are asked by teams?
The two most common questions were how can you improve your command and how do you think you will adapt to pro ball.
Do you get the sense that there are certain teams that are highly interested in drafting you?
I would definitely say there are a few teams that have shown more interest than others. A lot of it depends on how they view you in their organization and what they value, but we will see what happens Sunday!