First-rounder Fischer signs with Brewers, takes BP

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers on Friday announced deals with first-round Draft pick Andrew Fischer and all of their other selections through the first 10 rounds. The signings were announced by VP of amateur acquisition Tod Johnson.

In Fischer, 21, a power-hitting corner infielder who hails from New Jersey and played college ball at Tennessee, Johnson said the Brewers feel they landed the best college hitter in the Draft. Fischer played previous seasons at Duke and Ole Miss before posting a .341/.497/.760 slash line with 25 home runs in his junior season with the Volunteers, reaching base in every game the team played.

Now he’s poised to begin his professional career with an organization that’s unfamiliar to a lifelong Yankees fan, who said he’d need a crash course on the Brewers and the rest of the National League.

He described the Brewers, from what he’s seen since being drafted, as a “gritty team.”

“You know you’re going to have a tough game against the Brewers. These guys just want to win,” Fischer said in a session with reporters prior to Friday afternoon’s game against the Marlins.

Fischer took batting practice with some of the franchise’s former first-round stars like Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun in the building. They are among the alumni in town to celebrate 25 seasons at Miller Park/American Family Field.

“It’s a pretty surreal feeling,” said Fischer, whose mother, father and sister were in attendance. “You get a chance to get out here on the field and hit in front of some of these guys. You’ve got [Christian Yelich] leaning on the cage.”

Fischer described his reaction to being drafted by the Brewers as a “pretty emotional moment” and repeatedly stressed his enjoyment for the game.

“That’s kind of the idea. Show up to the park and have fun every day,” he said. "You’re playing a kid’s game at the highest level.”

Fischer signed for $3.5 million, according to MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis, which is below the slot value for the 20th overall pick ($4.2681 million) and, combined with other below-slot deals for each of the Brewers' first five selections, continues a strategy in recent years in which the club uses pool savings from the early rounds in an effort to sign some high-ceiling high school players picked later on.

For example, the Brewers’ agreement with Indiana prep right-hander Joshua Flores is for $722,500, above slot value for that fourth-round pick ($599,600) to keep him from playing college ball at Kentucky.

“I think we’ve done pretty well with this strategy,” Johnson said after the Draft.

As for the top pick’s timeline on getting to the Majors, Fischer expressed confidence in his abilities.

“I feel like I can compete against these guys right now, but obviously you’ve got to show that first,” he said.

Fischer said he expects to play third base.

“They announced my name as a third baseman on Draft day, so maybe that’s some sort of clue,” he said. “Wherever they tell me to play, I’m ready to do it.”

Prior to Friday's announcement, supplemental first-round pick Brady Ebel, a high school infielder from Los Angeles and who is the son of Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel, was the only draftee who had inked a deal. Brady Ebel signed while the Brewers were at Dodger Stadium for the first series following the All-Star break.

But that’s not unusual. The Brewers typically wait to announce their signings in batches and like to introduce their first-round picks at home. Coming off a 5-1 road trip to L.A. and Seattle, the Brewers returned home on Friday for a homestand against the Marlins and Cubs.

In addition to Fischer, the Brewers announced the signings of the following players from their 2025 Draft class: LHP J.D. Thompson (Round 2), LHP Frank Cairone (Round 2 Supplemental), RHP Jacob Morrison (Round 3), Flores (Round 4), RHP Sean Episcope (Round 5), SS Daniel Dickinson (Round 6), OF Josiah Ragsdale (Round 7), RHP Hayden Vucinovich (Round 8), LHP Andrew Healy (Round 9), RHP Braylon Owens (Round 10) and C Rylan Mills (Round 18).

Milwaukee also has signed the following non-drafted free agents: RHP Jarrette Bonet, RHP Thomas Conrad, C/OF Malachai Halterman, RHP Caleb Nieman, RHP Peyton Niksch and RHP Tanner Perry.