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Atlanta Braves MLB Draft: Top 5 college bats to target

By Jake Mastroianni

BREWSTER, MA - AUGUST 13: Hunter Bishop, right, and AJ Graffanino of the Brewster Whitecaps celebrate in the seventh inning during game three of the Cape Cod League Championship Series against the Bourne Braves at Stony Brook Field on August 13, 2017 in Brewster, Massachusetts. The Cape Cod League was founded in 1885 and is the premier summer baseball league for college athletes. Over 1100 of these student athletes have gone on to compete in MLB including Chris Sale, Carlton Fisk, Joe Girardi, Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek. The chance to see future big league stars up close makes Cape Cod League games a popular activity for the families in each of the 10 towns on the Cape to host a team. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BREWSTER, MA - AUGUST 13: Hunter Bishop, right, and AJ Graffanino of the Brewster Whitecaps celebrate in the seventh inning during game three of the Cape Cod League Championship Series against the Bourne Braves at Stony Brook Field on August 13, 2017 in Brewster, Massachusetts. The Cape Cod League was founded in 1885 and is the premier summer baseball league for college athletes. Over 1100 of these student athletes have gone on to compete in MLB including Chris Sale, Carlton Fisk, Joe Girardi, Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek. The chance to see future big league stars up close makes Cape Cod League games a popular activity for the families in each of the 10 towns on the Cape to host a team. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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OMAHA, NE – JUNE 22: A general view of Vanderbilt batting helmets at TD Ameritrade Park before game one of the College World Series Championship Series between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Virginia Cavaliers on June 22, 2015 at in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
OMAHA, NE – JUNE 22: A general view of Vanderbilt batting helmets at TD Ameritrade Park before game one of the College World Series Championship Series between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Virginia Cavaliers on June 22, 2015 at in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

SS – Logan Davidson – Clemson

The first time I saw Logan Davidson swing a bat I thought he would be a lock for the first overall pick in the MLB Draft after his three years were up in college.

That was during his freshman year when it seemed like he hit a home run every time I watched him. He finished that season hitting .286 with a .388 OBP and 12 home runs.

The following season he hit .292 with 15 home runs and 46 RBI in 250 at-bats with a .408 OBP, and then this year he’s hitting .294 with 15 home runs, 55 RBI, and a .409 OBP.

There are a couple of things that are really hurting Davidson’s MLB Draft stock.

One, there is a lot of swing-and-miss. In 709 college at-bats he’s struck 174 times — that’s nearly 25 percent of the time.

Secondly, he hasn’t hit well at all in the Cape Cod League, which is what a lot of scouts put the most stock in.

He’s played there twice and hit .210 and .194 respectively with just 3 home runs combined in 263 at-bats. That doesn’t match up at all with what he’s done during the Spring at Clemson.

But the 6-foot-3, 195-pound shortstop is a very toolsy player who is also a switch-hitter. There is a lot of upside with Davidson if the Atlanta Braves want to take a chance on him at 21.

More from Tomahawk Take

A couple of other college bats the Atlanta Braves could target in this MLB Draft include: UNLV shortstop Bryson Stott; Missouri outfielder Kameron Misner; and North Carolina first baseman/outfielder Michael Busch.

My pecking order at nine would be Bleday, Jung, Bishop, and Langliers. I think Bleday, Jung, and Langliers are very safe picks, while Bishop has the most upside.

At 21 I would go Jung, Davidson, and Misner. Again, I think Jung is a very safe pick, and I think Davidson has a ton of upside.

If the Atlanta Braves take a college bat in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft, it’s very likely to come from this list of players.

Next. Best 1st rd picks by Braves. dark

Keep checking back over the next couple of weeks as Tomahawk Take prepares you for the upcoming MLB Draft.

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