Mississippi State lefthander Ethan Small is the first university pitcher the Brewers have chosen since 2011. (Photo: Bruce Thorson / USA TODAY Sports)

Left-handed throwers have been a rarity in the Milwaukee brewer system for several years, but added one in the first round of the major league playoff on Monday night.

And then, for good measure, they took another left-hander in the second round.

In the first round, the Brewers chose the left-handed Ethan Small of the state of Mississippi, the same college that produced Brandon Woodruff, currently excels in the Milwaukee rotation. Arizona won Small on day 26 as an eligible second-year player.

"He's the accomplished pitcher," said Tod Johnson, director of amateur scouting at Brewers, about choice number 28. "He's throwing a ton of strikes, getting a ton of swings and missing. He is not the guy who throws the most, but he has speed when he needs it. He really succeeded in the most difficult conference in the country, especially for pitchers.

"We are very excited about this. We had worked a lot on him. Our scout, Scott Nichols, knows the boy well. Doug Reynolds, our supervisor there, also spent time with him. So we worked a lot with him.

In the second round, with the No. 65 pick, the Brewers took on Antoine Kelly, left-handed, from Wabash Valley Junior College in Mount Carmel, Illinois. Kelly was selected for the 13th round as a high schooler last year by the San Diego Padres.

It was the first time the Brewers had taken a pitcher in the first round in the three events led by Johnson. The last time they took a pitcher in the first round, it was in 2014 when they took out the Kodi Medeiros southpaw from high school in Hawaii. The Brewers did not first pick a university pitcher since 2011, when they had two choices and drafted Taylor Jungmann of Texas and Jed Bradley of Georgia Tech.

Tommy John had undergone an elbow reconstruction operation after his first year in the state of Mississippi, but he has been in good health since his convalescence and the Brewers have thoroughly inspected his medical record. Small is still active with the Bulldogs, who are organizing a super regional NCAA Division 1 playoff round this weekend.

Small was named the SEC's bowler of the year after leading the conference with 160 strikeouts in 96 innings and a 9-2 record with a 1.88 ERA in 16 starts. Known for his command, he only scored 27 goals and forced his opponents to a batting average of .190.

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The junior in the 6-foot-3 and 190-pound red jersey launches his fastball in the '90s. He has an effective change and mixes to form a solid curve.

"We are quite happy to add someone who is quite advanced," Johnson said. "We hope to see it evolve rapidly in the system. Of course, it's still David (Stearns), president of the baseball operations, and Tom (Flanagan), farm manager.

"He's still playing, which is great for them … He's been very tough. We are simply excited to add a person who we believe will be an important (starting) rotation for us. "

Although left-handed pitchers are undoubtedly a necessity in the organization, Johnson said the Brewers remained true to their philosophy of placing the best remaining player at the top of their table in both rounds.

"It was certainly not a plan," he said. "That's how things happened. We liked these guys a lot, but that's how it got all wrong with our board. They both have very good things, and they're both left-handed, but these are the only things that the two left-handed guys we've had tonight have in common. "

Most drafts of publications contained far fewer things in the rough draft, but rather a second round, but Johnson said the Brewers appreciated how Small had improved since last year.

"Ethan is a person we have been watching quite a bit," Johnson said. "We were interested (last year) but he did not have the level of domination he had this year. We've certainly known him for a while.

"He is a few years away from Tommy John's surgery, he has discovered how to better use his arsenal, he has improved as a pitcher, he is a pitcher, with a pretty good fastball."

Kelly, a skinny 6-foot-6, 205-pounder, went 9-0 with a 1.88 ERA in 13 starts for Wabash Valley. It was a huge pitcher in the background, which was 112 hitter in just 52 2/3 finals, with 21 hits and 31 goals allowed.

"He has a speed well above average," said Johnson about Kelly, who regularly launches in 90 degrees. "We are going to have to work to develop it.It has a lot of raw ingredients, though.It is a very good arm.

"He already has a solid slider, so he has two really useful pitchs.He will have to work to develop (his evolution) .We are rather enthusiastic because it's one of the best pure left-handed stuff in the world. draft., getting this guy at # 65 is pretty exciting. "

The project will resume Tuesday with rounds 3-10, the remaining 30 rounds on Wednesday.