Atlanta Braves Draft Review – Who Did We Get?!
Atlanta Braves Draft Review – Day 1!
We all enjoyed the excitement of the live draft thread here at Tomahawk Take on Thursday, and I think the Braves may have created the earliest waves at the draft for sure, as by the time 7PM Eastern came around, the Phillies taking Mickey Moniak was pretty well known. However, when Ian Anderson was selected with pick #3, the industry really was surprised. Let’s take a look at each pick with a brief run down (I did offer more full break downs for the live threads if you go to look for them: Day1, Day 2, and Day 3):
Pick #3 – Ian Anderson, RHP, New York HS – Anderson was a guy who was highly regarded coming into the season, but weather, illness, and injury meant many of the industry insiders never got to see him this spring, so he was dropping down industry boards, but as we found out, most teams still had him very high, and interestingly, the industry guys who saw his last two starts stated that anyone watching those two starts would have picked him as a top 5 selection in the draft class without question, so those stating the pick was an over draft are a bit out of whack on that.
Anderson has a very good pitch mix. John Smoltz compared him to Jacob DeGrom, which should definitely excite Braves fans. I personally think he reminds me more of Felix Hernandez than DeGrom based on his hard curveball movement and his excellent change.
Pick #40 – Joey Wentz, LHP, Kansas HS – Wentz was a big power hitting first baseman coming into the show case season last year, even winning a home run derby at one of the All-Star games last summer. However, what got him most notice was his excellent command and mid-90s fastball in short stints. Many evaluators hadn’t ever seen Wentz pitch a full game, though, so when they went to watch Wentz this season, they thought his stuff was not as good.
That’s not the case at all. Wentz does touch mid-90s, but he works more in the lower 90s for control and command of his pitches to get outs, and he was successful, not allowing a hit until his fifth start of the season! I’ve heard a lot of comps, but the one I like best when watching Wentz is Jose Quintana of the Chicago White Sox.
Pick #44 – Kyle Muller, LHP, Texas HS – Muller ended up as the Gatorade High School Player of the Year. While he’s a tremendous hitter, Muller got his notice from his excellent pitchability, as he struck out 24 straight hitters this season as part of recording 36 straight outs via strikeout.
Muller has a bit of work to do on his slider and change to bring them up to more effective pitches, but he uses his pitch mix very well already. The way he uses his pitches reminds me of Brandon Finnegan of the Reds.
Pick #76 – Brett Cumberland, C, University of California-Berkeley – Cumberland is a switch-hitter with big power. Many have asked about his ability to stay at catcher, and I just don’t see that happening due to footwork issues, especially as he fills into his frame. He does, however, have a better arm than many have credited him with having. I could see him making a successful move to 3B or to the outfield.
Cumberland has power from both sides of the plate as a hitter, though he does have better contact skills from the left side. I think his bat could move quickly, but he’ll likely take some time to figure out his defensive position. I actually liken Cumberland a lot to Victor Martinez in his swing, though he’s not got that build quite yet.
Next: Day 2