A Schelling For Your Thoughts

MILWAUKEE — For their picks in the 47th and 48th rounds of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft on Wednesday, the Brewers didn’t have to go far to do their research, as they selected the sons of two club employees.

In the 47th round, with the 1,419th overall pick, the Brewers selected left fielder Billy Schroeder, son of former Brewers catcher and current Brewers broadcaster Bill Schroeder.

One round later, with the 1,439th overall pick, left-handed pitcher Marques Kyles, son of bullpen coach Stan Kyles, was the Brewers’ pick.

For Schroeder, a 6-foot, 210-pound senior from Grand Canyon University, the Brewers’ selection is an honor, but it does not appear as though he will join the organization.

“He’s not going to play, he has other irons in the fire,” said Bill Schroeder of his son before Wednesday’s game. “But it was nice of them to do that.”

Kyles, on the other hand, has different plans than Schroeder.

According to his father, there’s a good chance the 6-foot-9 senior out of Limestone College will sign on to play with the Brewers.

“He’s looking forward to it; it’s a good opportunity for him,” Kyles said of his son. “He’s graduated, and with the way the job market is now, there’s not a whole lot of things out there even though he had a double major.

“He’s looking forward to having time to devote just to baseball over the next year.”

According to Ray Montgomery, assistant amateur scouting director for the Brewers, the picks have to do with more than just name recognition, too.

For one, Stan Kyles is a lefty, something the club valued highly in the Draft.

“Left-handed pitching is always in demand,” Montgomery said. “I don’t think you can ever have enough of that.”

Kyles’ size, in addition to being a lefty, make him a prime candidate to be the type of “gem” the club was looking for on the Draft’s final day. With its knowledge of his father’s ability as well, Kyles was the perfect fit for a late-round selection.

“I played with Stan Kyles about 30 years ago, and Stan was a good player,” said Bruce Seid, the Crew’s scouting director. “Marques is a 6-foot-9 lefty. He’s got a ways to go, but he’s got a lot of whip to his arm and he’ll get some time to develop. We’re happy to be able to bring him in to be a Brewer.”

Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.