Brewers sign top Draft picks Payne, Burke
Adam McCalvy
@AdamMcCalvyCHICAGO -- One is a speedy, 17-year-old outfielder from Southeast Texas who was one of the youngest players eligible for this year¡¯s MLB Draft.
The other is a 21-year-old, power-hitting first baseman from Northern California coming off the pinnacle of amateur baseball -- a College World Series win with the University of Tennessee.
Braylon Payne and Blake Burke come from different places, play different positions and are at different stages of their development, but as of Tuesday, they share one trait: They play professional baseball for the Brewers.
The club announced it had signed both Payne, Milwaukee¡¯s first-round Draft pick at 17th overall, and Burke, drafted 34th overall with the Competitive Balance Round A pick the Brewers received in the Corbin Burnes trade, and introduced both players at American Family Field on Tuesday afternoon.
"I've been dreaming about this since I was five years old, and now that it's reality, it hasn't sunk in yet. But it's starting to sink in a little bit," Payne said. "I know that [the Brewers] develop young athletes really well, love doing hands-on work and take care of every single person who comes through the organization. The ballpark is amazing. I know the ball flies here."
Payne signed for $3.44 million, a source told MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis, while Burke's bonus was not immediately known. The assigned value of the 17th pick was $4.5341 million, and the 34th pick had an assigned value of $2.6983 million ¨C part of an overall pool of $12.9844 million with which to sign Draft picks before Milwaukee begins incurring penalties. Bonuses for players drafted within the first 10 rounds count against the pool, as do the overages of any bonus from Round 11 and beyond that exceed $125,000.
Payne, a left-handed hitter, is coming off a record-setting senior season at Elkins High School in Missouri City, Texas, where he broke Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter¡¯s school record for hits during a senior season in which Payne batted .531 (51-for-96) and stole 32 bases. He was the first high school player selected by the Brewers in the first round since Brice Turang went 21st overall in 2018.
He'll travel to the Brewers' complex in Arizona on Thursday.
"I bring every single thing to the field. I'm a true, five-tool player," said Payne, repeating a phrase he used last week. "I can hit, I can run, I can track every single ball down and my power is still developing. As I get older, it's going to get even better. And my arm strength is developing still to this day."
Burke batted .379 (108-for-285) with 30 doubles, 20 home runs, 61 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 72 games as a junior at Tennessee in 2024. In six games during the College World Series, Burke went 11-for-27 with two doubles, a home run, five RBIs and seven runs scored to help the Volunteers win the first national championship in program history.
"It's pretty cool going from a national championship to being drafted to signing this contract," Burke said.
Asked to describe his game, he said, "I'd say I play like a Little Leaguer. I'm an exciting player. I play very hard, I compete. I show a lot of emotion."
Payne and Burke are the first two Draft signings announced by the Brewers so far, but more are to come. Tulane University already released photos of Milwaukee¡¯s sixth-round pick, right-hander Chandler Welch, signing his pro contract. Welch¡¯s bonus wasn¡¯t immediately known.
The deadline for teams to sign Draft picks is Aug. 1.