Brewers take college pitchers with No. 40 and No. 55 overall picks in MLB draft

MILWAUKEE -- After selecting prep outfielder Trent Clark with their first round pick, the Milwaukee Brewers added a pair of college pitchers with their next two selections in the Major League Baseball Draft.

The Brewers added University of Virginia left-hander Nathan Kirby with the No. 40 overall pick in the lottery round A and Cal Poly Pomona right-hander Cody Ponce at No. 55 overall in the second round.

"This was a productive day today," Brewers director of amateur scouting Ray Montgomery said. "I feel good with where we ended up with at the end of the day. The excitement in the room is really good about the first three guys that we've added.

"A lot of hours went into this and we are thrilled with where we ended up."

A 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior, Kirby is 5-2 with a 2.28 ERA and 75 strikeouts over 59 1/3 innings in 10 starts for the Cavaliers this season.

Kirby was named a first-team All-American by multiple outlets and was the ACC co-pitcher of the year in 2014 after going 9-3 with a 2.06 ERA and in 18 starts for NCAA runner-up Virginia.

After opting out of the draft to attend Virginia, Kirby posted a 6.06 ERA out of the bullpen as a freshman in 2013.

Kirby has been out since April 17 with a strained lat muscle, but he could return to pitch for Virginia in next week's College World Series.

"We're not sure," Montgomery said of Kirby pitching in the College World Series. "There's talk about that. He is back throwing bullpens and he is . . . I'm sure the competitor inside of him thinks that the best thing for him to do is to help his team win the College World Series. We've all been faced with that.

"It's out of our control, obviously. The University of Virginia handles those kinds of things. So hopefully they'll proceed with caution with their guys, like they do normally. But I know talking with his group that he's going to anxious to pitch and be a part of what's going on out there because he's a competitor."

Ranked No. 26 overall by MLB.com and Baseball America, Kirby features a 89-91 mph fastball with life that has topped at 94 mph along with a slider and a changeup.

"Nathan's a tremendous competitor," Brewers area scout Dan Nellum said. "Obviously a mature kid, has aptitude and picks things up quickly and goes out and competes. I talked to him briefly after the selection and he was excited and ready to get going."

Ponce, ranked No. 32 overall by MLB.com and No. 36 by Baseball America, went 5-3 with a 1.44 ERA over 62 1/3 innings in 12 starts and one relief appearance for the NCAA Division II Broncos in 2015.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound right-hander elevated his draft stock with a strong showing in the Cape Cod League this past summer. According to Brewers area scout Josh Belovsky, Ponce touches 96 mph with his fastball but sits in the 92-94 range.

"He has a curveball that has some sharp down break," Belovsky said. "He has a hard slider that started as a cutter. It can be anywhere from 85 to 88 (mph). He has a great feel from the change. I don't think he utilized it like he will in the future.

"This is a guy that will be able to hold a lot of innings and just go out there and be a force."

The Brewers will make seven selections Tuesday on Day 2 of the first-year player draft with rounds 11-40 taking place Wednesday.

"We have a big day (Tuesday)," Montgomery said. "We start back up with the third round. We have to work through the issues preparing. It is a short turnaround in this window. We'll spend a couple hours up there now and come back in the morning and work through the next group."

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