MILWAUKEE -- Passing on available college pitchers, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Texas prep outfielder Trent Clark with the No. 15 overall pick Monday in the Major League Baseball first-year player draft.
Clark, a 6-foot, 200-pound outfielder, hit .552 with three home runs and 24 RBI and 11 stolen bases as a senior at Richland High School in North Richland Hills, Tex.
"We're excited, obviously, with Trent," Brewers vice president of amateur scouting Ray Montgomery said. "Those that will get to know his history, he's done nothing but swing the bat for years. He's a good defender. He's a potential five-tool player in the outfield. Really excited to get that type of player at 15."
Baseball America ranked Clark as the No. 10 overall prospect in the draft, while MLB.com had him No. 12 overall.
Clark, who was watching the draft with family and friends at Pluckers, a wings chain in Texas, said he didn't become aware of Milwaukee's interest in him until a few minutes before the pick was announced.
"I was overwhelmed with emotions I had never felt before," Clark said. "I was really calm and ready for whatever to happen. The emotions hit me. Everybody was around me cheering. I had very close family and friends there, so that was a great celebration. Just overwhelmed with emotions."
Clark led Team USA's under-18 team with a .565 batting average and a .694 on-base percentage and hit three home runs over eight games during the U18 Pan American Championships in Mexico this past fall.
"The consistent sweet-spot contact that he makes, it's uncanny," Brewers national crosschecker Stephen Riha said. "He's a natural hitter, and that's what you're looking for.
"He's an advanced high-school hitter. He squares the ball up every time, he can drive the ball out to all fields. He's got a special bat and he's a special kid as well, so we're excited to have him."
Clark's calling card as a prospect is his hit tool, which he has proven on the national level at multiple different events and showcases.
Montgomery said 15 or 20 guys on his scouting staff have seen Clark play multiple times, while Riha estimated he saw 20 of the center fielder's games this season. K.J. Hendricks is Milwaukee's area scout for North Texas.
"A lot of it is self-taught," Clark said of his approach to hitting. "Had a few mentors to teach me the mental side of the game, and the mental approach to hitting. But most of it is, the mechanics, as far as me swinging and my grip, that is all hitting in the cage and grinding it out and being what's good for me and not worrying about what it looks like or trying to look like something else. I've lived and died by that, going to the cage and working hard and doing my thing every single time."
As expected, the Brewers went with the best player available on their draft board, even if it meant going with a prep player instead of a college player closer to helping the big-league team.
Many draft experts had Milwaukee taking college pitchers such as Missouri State right-hander Jon Harris or Louisville right-hander Kyle Funkhouser.
"You have to go down every avenue," Montgomery said. "You just don't know what's going to be available to you when you pick. Obviously, college pitching available, with some of the guys who have gone off and some of the guys that are still yet to go, is always attractive.
"For us, you're looking for the best talent available at a different spot. You don't know who's going to be there, so you just want to be prepared for whatever possibilities arise."
Montgomery said some within the organization think Clark will stick in center field, while others feel he may have to move to a corner outfield spot. Once signed, Clark will begin his professional career as a center fielder.
"He's something we've been looking for," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. "He's a legitimate hitter, left-handed. He has good plate discipline. He has some power. He can play center field. We're pretty excited about getting a real professional hitter. That's something we felt we've lacked in our system recently.
"We didn't think he would be there. It is a good pick for us."
Clark uses an unorthodox golf-like grip on the bat he picked up when he was 13 years old. It is mentioned in every scouting report written about him but doesn't seem to impact his ability to hit at a high level.
"It's basically a golf grip without fingers crossing the bat," Clark said. "When I was younger, I was a weaker kid. The bat (sat) in the back of my hands, and moved around a lot, so I didn't have a lot of bat control. I put it in the top of my hands, got a firm grip on it, kept the thumbs on there to keep it balanced and (that) gave me more bat control. And ever since then I've used it."
Clark, who won't turn 19 years old until November, is committed to Texas Tech University.
"That's a decision I have to discuss with my family and we have to figure out with my close people around me," Clark said of his signing with the Brewers or going to college. "I couldn't tell you at this point, but I'm just really excited to have the opportunity to start my professional career."
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