Atlanta Braves: Grades for Each Pick in 2020 MLB Draft

With the Atlanta Braves final two picks in the draft they used a bit of strategy to try and get a steal in the fifth round.

Or at least that certainly seems to be the case after they took Spencer Strider from Clemson in the fourth round and then highly touted prospect Bryce Elder in the fifth.

126 – Spencer Strider – RHP – Clemson

This is the one that everyone will question if the Braves aren’t able to sign Elder. It’s not that Strider is a slouch by any means as he was drafted out of high school.

But he was not even ranked in Baseball America’s top 500 prospects and is probably somebody the Braves could have signed for $20,000 after the draft if Strider didn’t want to go back to Clemson.

The 6-foot righty posted a 4.76 ERA in 51 innings as a freshman but showed impressive potential with 70 strikeouts in 51 innings.

He missed the entire 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. However, he was able to get back on the field in the brief 2020 season and showed that he still had the velocity on his fastball that can get up to 95 MPH.

The results varied with a 4.50 ERA in 12 innings, but he still had big strikeout numbers with 19.

This is certainly someone the Braves are hoping can stay healthy and put it together once fully recovered from TJ.

But the value of this pick all hinges on whether or no the Braves can sign Elder.

Grade: C

156 – Bryce Elder – RHP – Texas 

If the Braves are able to sign Elder, he may just end up being the best player they took in this draft.

The 6-foot-2 righty was ranked as the 70th best prospect by Baseball America and profiles as someone with a safe floor as a back of the rotation starter.

I watched him pitch this past season against LSU and he gave up just 3 earned runs on 6 hits and 2 walks over 6.1 innings with 10 strikeouts.

Like a lot of Texas pitchers, he’s just a huge competitor and pitches with a lot of passion on the mound, which I love.

In 2019 at Texas he posted a 2.93 ERA in 83 innings with 86 strikeouts. And against a really good schedule of teams in 2020 he posted a 2.08 ERA in 26 innings with 32 strikeouts.

The only reason he fell so far in the draft is that teams felt like they couldn’t sign him. Atlanta is hoping that with the money they’ve potentially saved with earlier picks will allow them to keep Elder.

I’m not saying Elder will be an ace one day, but he’s a pretty safe bet to be a solid starter in the rotation for a long time and you’ll certainly take that from your fifth round pick.

Grade: A 

Overall, the Braves took four college players (three of them pitchers) in this draft. I think that’s a pretty solid strategy considering the limitations of the 2020 MLB Draft.

I thought there were some higher upside players the Braves could have taken with their first three picks, but I’m not going to fault them for playing it safe this year.

And I think all four of these guys taken could move quickly through the system and help the team sooner rather than later.

It also helps strengthen the back-end of the farm system were the team is really starting to see a dip in talent.

Overall Grade: B +

Let me know your thoughts on the Braves 2020 MLB Draft in the comments below. Also, Grant McAuley has a great breakdown on all of the Braves picks here as well if you want to check that out.