A Way-too-Early Look at Some Atlanta Braves Draft Options for 2017

The Braves are picking no better than second for next year’s regular player draft. Mathematically, this could drop as far as the 7th pick by the end of the season (though something in the 3-5 range is most likely). Let’s get an early look at some of the candidates that they could be looking at.

The Atlanta Braves have already been beating the bushes in search of their next crop of players. Brian Bridges and his staff have been on the road almost constantly – literally since the week after the last draft ended. That task is never-ending.

Late last month, Baseball America started ranking rising high schoolers that will be draft-eligible in the coming year. When looking at draft picks in this kind of rarefied air, everyone always wants to know “Is there a ________ (insert name of Mike Trout or Clayton Kershaw) out there to find?”

The short answer is almost always “no” – simply because those kinds of players do not come along every single year. At the same time, though, if your team does happen to recognize such a talent… he may not be drafted in the top 2-5 picks.

Kershaw: 1st round, 7th pick (2006)
Trout: 1st round, 25th pick (2009)

BaseballAmerica essentially admits this with a strong warning – even as they rolled out their own list:

"it’s a very early juncture for a Draft prospects ranking, as evaluations of teenaged baseball players can and will change dramatically in the span between now and next June"

I will add another caveat: their list represents the players BA has seen or otherwise heard about – typically from showcase circuit squads and the like. They simply don’t have the resources to scout the nation like the professional staffs of the 30 major league teams, so this will not be all-inclusive by any means.

By definition, this list also does not include any college players. That said, it is no secret that the Atlanta Braves tend to favor high school players over their collegiate counterparts.

2016: Top 3 picks – high school
2015: Top 4 picks
2014: Top 2 picks
(2013: A mixture)
2012: 2 of Top 3 picks (with Alex Wood in between)
(2011: heavy college emphasis)
2010: Top 1, then heavy college picks

At this point in the process, the Braves will be in an almost-odd position: they only have 1 first round pick. I know, that’s what they are supposed to have, but that hasn’t been the case for a couple of years.

So this first pick will be important…. whether it’s from the #2 position or something lower. Let’s see what BA thinks thus far.

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HUNTER GREEN, SS/RHP

RIght away, this is where I’m glad this is not my job. “Greene is a first-round talent as a shortstop, but the industry prefers him on the mound…”. Great – a potential 1-1 overall pick and somebody will be faced with figuring out exactly where he’ll play. But a mid-90’s fastball, plus slider and better-than-average change-up might be enough… along with the prototypical body size for a pitcher.

The industry doesn’t typically like high school guys going this high in the draft… but there’s also signs that this thinking is changing… and Atlanta took 3 such pitchers early in the 2016 draft.

More from Tomahawk Take

JORDAN ADELL, CF/RHP

Yeah, another 2-way guy, but this time we might be thinking “position player”. 70-grade speed, bat speed, and power… if he can consistently make contact. If there’s a Mike Trout in this group, he might be the guy. Yes, he can pitch, but that’s just too many tools to ignore for a field position.

BRADY McCONNELL, SS

At 6-2/169, Brady looks the part of a shortstop… and BA thinks he might have some pop in his bat while being able to stick at short in the future. Of course, this isn’t an evaluation – certainly not from this altitude – but for Atlanta’s purposes, I would probably say “Pass” since there’s plenty of shortstop talent to go around at several levels.

ALEX SCHERFF, RHP

From the writeup, Scherff is a typical high school pitching prospect: has some skills that need polishing, but the projectable form to be able to refine those skills. Decent fastball, change, and curve that have the building blocks of something more.

ROYCE LEWIS, INF? OF?

Apparently Lewis can glove the ball from a number of possible positions, but if he ends up being drafted high, it could be due to his bat. He’s got power and bat speed… along with speed and an arm. Kind of sounds like a Ben Zobrist profile.

DL HALL, LHP

Right away it’s important to note that Hall is a Georgia boy – the Warner-Robins/South Macon area, specifically. He’s a little smallish as pitcher for “the usual profile” at 6-1/179, but (a) is a lefty; (b) has a really good curveball, and is still from Georgia. And left-handed.

ALEX TORAL, 1B

Think of a shorter version of A.J. Reed and you’ll have Toral figured out. If I’m reading this correctly, BA is thinking of a cleanup hitter that doesn’t strike out like one of today’s cleanup hitters. He will restricted to DH or first base… and Reed was drafted 42nd overall. Sounds like BA thinks Toral will go higher.

TREVOR ROGERS, LHP

I skipped a couple of names on the BA list, but put Rogers in here exactly because he’s a raw high schooler. This kid sounds like he has the kind of projectable arm that the Braves often love. He’s 6-5/190 and hasn’t figured out consistency in his delivery yet… possibly because he’s 17 and he’s 6’5″. If he slips in the draft, I could definitely see Atlanta trying to snag him at some point after the first round.

JORDAN ANDERSON, CF

On the list because he’s almost literally in my own backyard. When baseball starts up here in Alabama, I’ll go see him for myself… but of more note: I also know that Bridges is quite aware of him.

Next: Morning News Roundup

Posts like this – that is, the one from BaseballAmerica, which has much more on this subject – will be updated frequently as the off-season circuits continue.

High school seasons will obviously take a bit longer to produce noteworthy news, but next June’s draft will be here before we know… mostly because of so much that will be going on in Braves’ Country between now and then.

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