Brewers take California high schooler in draft

• Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers

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MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Brewers took high school pitcher Dylan Covey of Pasadena California in the first round of the Major League Draft last night.

Scouting director Bruce Seid says the 18-year-old right-hander fits the Brewers’ goals of creating pitching depth while building for the future. General manager Doug Melvin said he was happy the scouts looked to the long term instead of grabbing a college pitcher as a quick fix for a team with the National League’s second-worst ERA. Melvin said college pitchers can make the Majors early, but they often leave early as well. And the GM said the Brewers kept their promise of taking the best available player in the first round.

Dylan Covey went 7-1 as a senior this year at Maranatha High School in Pasadena. He was named the Gatorade player-of-the-year for the state of California, with 138 strikeouts in 70-and-two-thirds innings. His fastball goes up to 94 miles-an-hour, and he has a power curve in the range of 85. Covey has a scholarship at the University of San Diego, but he’s thinking about turning pro now. He says he wants to sign and play. If the recent past means anything, Covey can expect a signing bonus in the one-point-seven million dollar range.

The draft continues today for the next 29 rounds. Rounds 31-to-50 will take place tomorrow.

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