Milwaukee Brewers Give Insight into Drafting Florissant Native

A lot of the right pieces have to be in place with regards to any professional league draft, and a lot has been revealed in the draft of Florissant native and right-hand pitcher Devin Williams.

The Milwaukee Brewers organization has put out a number of statements and information regarding the draft of Williams, who was the No. 54 pick in the MLB draft last week. He was the first draft pick for the Brewers who gave up its first-round pick to sign pitcher Kyle Lohse.

According to the MLB website, Williams went 6-1 with a 1.02 ERA and one save in nine games, with 93 strikeouts in 48 innings and a .102 opponents' batting average during his time at Hazelwood West. MaxPreps ranks him No. 47 with its "Top 100 baseball seniors of the 2013 season.”

He also had a 90-mph fastball clocked during his senior season, and during a pre-draft worked out was clocked at

"He wants to succeed," Brewers amateur scouting director Bruce Seid said on the MLB website. "I remember seeing him in a game where he had to pitch to the last pitch to win the game, 1-0, in the state tournament, and he used all of his arsenal. He pitched like a pitcher, and he showed good stuff, and he was really athletic. To say we're happy he got to us -- I'm really excited about it."

Williams has committed himself to the University of Missouri in Columbia, but he has until early July to make a decision of whether he’ll play college or professional ball.

According to the MLB article, the Brewers have approximately $3.9 million to sign its first 10 picks and assigned $1.02 million for the No. 54 spot where Williams was selected. There has been no confirmation on Williams’ salary, as of publication time.

"He is a high-upside talent," Seid said in a Milwukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel article. "A lot of our scouts have seen him play. From Day 1, we were excited about the athleticism of the player as well as his talent. We feel he has a high ceiling. He's young, has a lot of energy. We're happy he got to us. We're really excited."

Williams has not indicated if he’s made a decision about college or the professional league but has made his intentions clear on the decision-making process.

"If I feel it's the right team that will help me develop and get me to the Major Leagues quickly, and the signing bonus is important, too," he told reporters Tuesday.

He also told FoxSportsMidwest.com, "I want to be in the Hall of Fame. I want to be one of the best to ever do it."