Atlanta Braves sign first round pick Braden Shewmake

The Atlanta Braves agreed to terms with their second first round pick (No. 21), Brandon Shewmake, Tuesday afternoon.

The Atlanta Braves are not wasting time getting their draft picks signed, as in a span of two days, both first round picks have agreed to terms.

It was reported that fellow first rounder Shea Langeliers agreed to a $4.4 million dollar signing bonus Sunday, which was under slot (by $549,000) for a ninth overall selection.

The common belief was Shewmake’s bonus would be below the recommended slot figure, too, but according to Jim Callis of Baseball America, his contract will pay the full value for the 21st pick, which is $3,132,300.

Ready for any role?

Baseball America had Shewmake ranked as the 27th best draft prospect; MLB Pipeline placed him 32nd and fangraphs had him as the 54th best prospect.

Playing the majority of his time at shortstop at Texas A&M, it has been suggested that Shewmake will be a utility-type player in professional ball, mainly due to his skills being playable all over the diamond.

Offensively, Shewmake had a productive 2019 season for the Aggies as he slashed .309/.364/.480 with six home runs and 48 RBIs.

Our full look at Shewmake’s makeup from draft day can be reviewed here.

Getting these top picks under contract – and under contract early in the process – is an important milestone.  This is particularly true given last year’s drama that resulted in the loss of #1 pick Carter Stewart.

Shewmake was in attendance at Sun Trust Park Tuesday and spoke to the media about becoming a part of the Braves organization.  This from Fox Sports:

This pair of top signees together will account for $7,532,300 of the Braves’ total bonus pool allotment of $11,532,200.