Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 40 | Cutter: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40

The Brewers have set up a connection in New Jersey by taking four pitchers from the state in the past two Drafts, including top-70 picks Bryce Meccage and Chris Levonas in 2024 and Cairone and Sean Episcope in ’25. Cairone joined the organization from Delsea HS as the 68th pick last year -- the same selection Milwaukee picked up for not inking Levonas -- and signed him below slot for $1,097,500.

The 6-foot-2 left-hander struck out 94 batters in 44 innings as a senior and helped his cause with a nice showing at the MLB Draft Combine in Arizona. His fastball touches 95 mph but plays up with ride generated from a low release, and his extension close to 7 feet puts that heater right on top of batters. Holding the velocity will be a test on the pro side. Cairone’s low-80s slider sat between 2,900-3,000 rpms during the Combine, making it easy to dream on the breaking ball as a future plus pitch with good sweep. A solid cutter acts as a bridge pitch, and he can kill spin with a mid-80s changeup that still sits behind his other pitches in quality.

Only 17 on Draft Day, Cairone fits a lot of the Milwaukee bill when it comes to Draft arms: young for the class, projectable and armed with pitches that plug nicely into models. Unfortunately, he was hospitalized after a serious car accident in the middle of the offseason, and while reports have been good about his initial recovery, he’ll likely need to be eased into his first full season. Once fully healthy and built up, Cairone will get plenty of runway to take off as a Brewer.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 40 | Cutter: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40

You might not expect much of a Wisconsin-New Jersey pipeline in the game of baseball, but it appears one is certainly forming in recent years. The Brewers took two Jersey arms in the 2024 Draft in Bryce Meccage and Chris Levonas (only Meccage signed) and went back to the state for two more in 2025. The highest among them was Cairone, who struck out 94 batters in 44 innings for Delsea High School. Taken 68th overall with the comp pick the Brewers received for not signing Levonas, the 6-foot-2 lefty signed for below slot at $1,097,500.

Cairone certainly helped his case at the MLB Draft Combine in Arizona back in June, putting his stuff and mechanics in front of more eyes. His fastball can run up to 95 mph, and it’s aided by solid ride from a low release and tremendous extension close to seven feet, putting Cairone right on top of hitters. But as an amateur, he couldn’t always hold that velocity deeper into outings, leading to pause from some evaluators. His low-80s slider is a potentially special pitch. It had between 2900-3000 rpms during the Combine and swept nicely across the zone for whiffs and called strikes, and he can bridge between that and the heater with a solid cutter. Cairone can kill some of that spin with his mid-80s changeup, but it’s not up to the same standard as the other offerings. 

With all that movement, Cairone could blow the ball past Jersey prepsters, but he’ll be tested against the advanced approaches of the pros. He added 15 pounds of strength as a senior but will need even more to make sure he can maintain his velocity throughout starts. The good news is he was only 17 on Draft Day and will have plenty of runway in Milwaukee's system.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/04/2025	ACL Brewers activated LHP Frank Cairone.
	07/25/2025	LHP Frank Cairone assigned to ACL Brewers.
	07/24/2025	Milwaukee Brewers signed LHP Frank Cairone.
	06/03/2025	LHP Frank Cairone assigned to College Workout.
	06/18/2024	LHP Frank Cairone assigned to High School Workout.