Gamecocks signee can make offensive impact 'wherever he goes'

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASEBALL

Brennan Milone is going to have a decision to make sooner rather than later.

Milone, a top 150 prospect in every major ranking, has been skyrocketing up MLB Draft boards the last few years and he finds himself one of the better high school prospects in this year's draft class, likely getting picked at some point early in today's draft coverage.

After that, he'll have a choice to make over the next few weeks deciding on if he'll go pro or opt for at least three seasons at South Carolina.

Before that, though, his head coach at Woodstock High School Jeff Brown—who's known Milone since the sixth grade—talked with GamecockCentral about the player Milone is and how he's handled the draft process this season.

GC: What do you like about Milone's game?

Brown: “He’s a really good competitor. He’s one of those kids that doesn’t want to lose at anything. He’s been our starting shortstop for three years, since he was a sophomore. We’ve had a lot of really good teams and he’s been part of those really good teams; he’s been one of the best players, even as a sophomore, and then obviously this year. He’s one of those kids you want to be up with the game on the line. He’s actually a decent high school pitcher. He throws sidearm so in close games we’d bring him in because we know he’s going to go out there and compete on the mound. That’s his M.O., that’s what he’s going to bring to the table: he’s going to be very competitive, he’s going to be pretty calm and when he needs to get fired up he’ll get fired up. That’s just what he’s bringing to the table. I want to coach a ton of kids like that; I want them to be a little fired up when you need them to rather than be guys who are passive.”

GC: Can you describe his offensive game and where you see him projecting at the next level?

Brown: “As a hitter he’s a gap-to-gap guy with plus power. He’s got a smaller frame for being a guy that can hit the ball really far. I think people that don’t know him, it’s kind of surprising to them, but that’s his approach. He only struck out 10 times this year to 35 walks. That’s a crazy number with that ratio. Offensively he’s looking to shoot the gaps, looking for extra-base hits. Really he’s looking to hit the ball hard somewhere. When he does hit it hard, it’s going to be in the gap or over the fence. Offensively that’s his approach. That’s a guy that’s not going to take a lot of strike threes. He knows the zone; he’s going to be able to work counts. Even when he gets behind he’s going to be able to do what he needs to do to get a pitch to hit. He’s really good at staying with his approach, not expanding the zone and looking for a pitch to drive the ball somewhere.

“Defensively, he’s a really good high school infielder for us. In the infield he can basically play four infield positions. I don’t see him as a centerfielder but he’s a good enough athlete where he could play a corner outfield position to keep his bat in the lineup. If they feel like they have better infielders, he’s a good enough athlete to be able to pick that up. He’s been our shortstop the last three years and is very solid defensively. He’s going to make the routine play, he’s going to make a few crazy plays where you say, ‘Man, you usually don’t see that in high school ball.’ I’m sure you see it a lot with those Wingos and those guys that have come through there.”

GC: You mentioned him knowing the zone really well, is that a skill that not a lot of high schoolers have?

Brown: “He definitely does it better than the average guy; there’s a lot of things he does that are better than the average guy. He just has a really good eye and knows what he’s trying to do. When he gets behind he’s not trying to chase a breaking ball in the dirt. He’s got quick enough hands to where he can adjust to whatever’s coming at him. I can’t tell you how many doubles or homers he’s had with two strikes when a pitcher makes a mistake and he’s there ready to hit.”

GC: How have you seen Milone develop since you started coaching him?

Brown: “He’s definitely gotten a ton stronger, even between his sophomore and junior years. His sophomore year he had three home runs and he was just this little tiny dude playing short for us but he really worked on his body, got stronger. The way these kids play all year round, you have to be pretty durable at a young age to be able to handle all the at-bats and the games out there. He really developed strength over that sophomore and junior season and he’s done a great job maintaining it and adding some body weight to help him out. You can tell that hitting-wise; I think he went from three homers to seven homers to 12 homers. I’m sure the doubles skyrocketed at that. He’s definitely gotten faster over the last three years. He’s always been a really good hitter but I think some of the balls he hit as a sophomore that were fly outs to the warning track are now home runs. And some of those singles that are line drives over the shortstop’s head are now doubles to the fence. I think that’s the biggest growth I’ve seen.”

GC: Milone's obviously skyrocketed up draft boards this season, how has he handled it?

Brown: “He’s handled it really well. He’s a kid that was voted captain of our team. The players voted for him. He’s a team guy. He tries not to draw attention to himself. There were times where we had requests of people wanting to see him hit batting practice on the field and he says, ‘If the team’s not doing it, that’s not something I want to do.’ He doesn’t want to show up his teammates and want to make anyone think he’s better than anyone else. That’s a very enviable quality because when the draft hype that comes along, some people get caught up in that. He tried to stay within himself and do what he thought was best for the team. That’s just the kind of character he has and the kid he is.”

GC: What's it say about his personality and mental makeup to where he's able to kind of manage the draft hype as a senior?

Brown: “I think some kids buy into the hype. It just depends on the type of kid and how they handle that. He’s been playing in pressure situations on high-level teams since he was really little. He played in the big playoff games for us the last three years and played in a state championship his sophomore year. He just goes out there and plays his game and doesn’t try to impress anybody. He’s going to do his thing and if someone likes it, awesome, but if they don’t he’s going to stay true to himself. I think some high schoolers try to put on a performance for people for scouts in the stands or if there are college coaches there watching. He’s never been one to buy into that. He’s always just done his thing and prepared the same way regardless of if there’s 12 scouts in the stands or there’s nobody there watching because it’s 30 degrees and a breeze coming. For the majority of high schoolers, they’d get a little flustered or put on a performance.”

GC: If he ends up at school, what could he bring to a team and how could he impact things as a freshman?

Brown: “I think he’s going to be able to hit wherever he goes. That’s what he’s going to bring: quality at-bats. Any level he plays at he’s going to be able to work counts; he’s going to be able to square up baseballs. He’s going to bring a really, really competitive spirit out there on the field. It’s not something that’s real flashy; it’s not screaming and yelling. Its every time he comes up there the opposing coach is going to know it’s going to be a battle. That’s a guy you want on your team. I think that’s what he’s going to bring: a really good offensive approach and a competitive spirit.”