The Brewers went back to the same well and signed Trey Ebel, the California prep shortstop they took 25th overall, for a $2.8 million bonus. That's actually a bit under the assigned slot value of roughly $3.696 million for that pick, which tells you Milwaukee had some flexibility to spread money around elsewhere in this draft class.
Jim Callis broke the signing news and laid out exactly who Trey Ebel is and where he comes from.
Here's where it gets fun. Trey isn't just some random prep shortstop with a good swing. He's the son of Dino Ebel, the Los Angeles Dodgers' third-base coach, and the younger brother of Brady Ebel, whom Milwaukee drafted 32nd overall a year ago out of the very same Corona, California high school. The Brewers picked up that 32nd pick as compensation for losing Willy Adames to the Giants in free agency, and Brady ended up signing for $2.75 million.
So in back-to-back drafts, the Brewers front office looked at the Ebel family tree and said, yeah, we'll take another. That's not an accident. Scouts have been on this family for years given the bloodline and the pedigree, and Trey reportedly brings quality at-bats and refined instincts to go with the shortstop tools -- the same profile that made Brady a first-round-caliber player before he even got there.
There's also a real chance this turns into something historic. With both Ebel brothers now in the Brewers system, Milwaukee is positioning itself for a shot at fielding siblings together in the majors down the line, something that doesn't happen often and almost never happens by design like this. Trey was committed to Texas A&M before signing, so the Brewers had to buy him out of a real college option, not just a formality.
For Dino Ebel, this has to be a strange kind of full circle. He's coaching third base for the Dodgers while both of his sons build their careers in a division rival's farm system, wearing the same crest, working through the same low levels of the minors together. Corona High has already produced serious draft talent in recent cycles, and now it's produced two first-round-area picks who happen to be brothers and happen to have landed with the same team.
The real story going forward is development, not the bonus check. Bonuses like $2.8 million grab headlines for a day, but where this gets interesting is watching whether Trey and Brady climb the ladder together, get assigned to the same affiliate, and whether either profile holds up as advertised against actual professional pitching. Milwaukee's player development track record with premium prep talent gives this some real intrigue beyond the cute family angle.