The Milwaukee Brewers added a familiar name to their 2026 MLB Draft class on Sunday, selecting Carsten Sabathia III, the son of CC Sabathia, with the No. 611 overall pick. It is the kind of late-round choice that carries extra meaning in Milwaukee, where CC Sabathia once pitched himself into franchise lore.
Carsten Sabathia III was taken in the 20th round and arrives as a 22-year-old, 6-foot-4, 245-pound right-handed power bat. The Brewers did not simply add a lineage story; they added a player who has been building a case for himself at the college level, too.
Why the Brewers were willing to wait
Sabathia spent his first two college seasons at Georgia Tech before transferring to the University of Houston ahead of his final year. That move mattered. After coming back from a torn labrum, he put together a senior season that showed real progress at the plate.
He hit.283 with eight home runs and 36 runs batted in over 37 games for Houston, posting an.885 OPS. For a player who describes himself as “a bat first,” that production is exactly the sort of signal teams look for late in the draft.
As Tod Johnson said, “Carsten’s been a prospect for a few years now.” He added that “Back to high school he did all the showcase stuff and ended up going to school,” before noting, “He's always been somebody who swung the bat pretty well.”
A family link back to Milwaukee
The selection also reconnects the Brewers with one of their most recognizable modern figures. When Carsten Sabathia III was about kindergarten age, CC Sabathia was pitching for Milwaukee, and the younger Sabathia said those early trips to the ballpark stuck with him.
“I remember going to the stadium and loving the uniforms, loving the colors, loving the slide,” he said. “All those memories as a kid are flooding back.” He also recalled, “I remember not wanting to leave because it was the summertime,” and added, “Mom, we’re in Milwaukee. I never have to go to school. This is awesome. I never want to leave. Being real young, that’s really all you’re thinking about.”
For Milwaukee, that gives the pick a neat symmetry. The Brewers are not just drafting a player with a well-known last name; they are bringing in someone who already has a personal connection to the city and the club.
What kind of player did the Brewers get?
Sabathia has talked about being versatile enough to stay in the lineup every day. “Corner infield, trying to make my way to a corner outfield spot. Just giving myself as much versatility as possible to be in the lineup every single day,” he said. “Right-handed power bat, but I’ve progressed and become a better hitter. Truly working count and knowing my zone and how guys are going to attack me.”
That evolution is important. He said, “I’ve kind of learned who I am as a hitter and what I can do and what I need to work on. I just think the biggest thing is I love to hit.” That is the kind of confidence a team can work with, especially in the later rounds where upside and development matter as much as present-day polish.
Sabathia also said last year was not the right time for draft expectations because of the injury recovery process. “Last year I knew I didn’t have that good of a shot [to be drafted] because I was just getting done with tearing my labrum and going through that process and a lot of teams saying go back at 100% capacity and show what you can do,” he said.
This time, he approached the day differently. “This year it was not so much nerves because I knew no matter what I was going to get an opportunity to play baseball,” he said.
When the pick finally came, the moment was emotional. “I heard a shout from upstairs and it was my younger sister. I thought something had happened, somebody got hurt. I’m the oldest and I have that third parent instinct,” he said. Then came the reveal: “She was like, ‘Check the tracker!’ and I checked it and my name was on there and it was The Crew.”
He later said he was able to text CC, with both of them in Philly for the all-star festivities. “He was just ecstatic. It’s hard to put into words. It’s surreal. But he’s super excited,” Sabathia said.
For the Brewers, the selection is a late-round swing with a story attached. For Carsten Sabathia III, it is a chance to turn a family connection into a baseball future of his own.
