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Grading how Atlanta Braves NL East rivals navigated the 2020 draft

By Alan Carpenter

In draft grades, the Atlanta Braves are looking up to the Miami Marlins.(Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
In draft grades, the Atlanta Braves are looking up to the Miami Marlins.(Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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The Phillies picks were riskier than those of the Atlanta Braves. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

While the Atlanta Braves mulled over their 4 picks, the NL East got pitching.

Thanks to the signing last Winter of two free agents holding Qualifying Offers, the Atlanta Braves had a limited draft on Wednesday and Thursday. They were able to select just four players in the five rounds.

Still, there are ways to manage a limited number of bullets, and the Braves seem to have done a good job of balancing upside vs. signability.

Meanwhile, what were their NL East rivals doing?

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Phillies were in the same boat as Atlanta, having inked Zack Wheeler over the Winter. However, they still drafted ahead of Atlanta by a few slots.

Philadelphia started with pitching, though they didn’t go after a college pitcher — the archetype of the 2020 draft class. Instead, they took the consensus best high school pitcher available: Mick Abel, a right-hander from Portland, Oregon.

Despite the top-of-rotation upside that evaluators place on Abel, there was some concern about him since Abel’s team never got onto the field at all this Spring, and thus he hasn’t pitched competitively for a while.

The Phillies could perhaps have benefited, too, from a collegian who might be ML-ready sooner than Abel will be. Nonetheless, they opted for the long-term look here.

They also selected:

  • SS Casey Martin (Arkansas) (has the tools, but sometimes fails to apply them with consistency. Despite a Baseball America ranking of 38, he slid all the way to #87)
  • RHP Carson Ragsdale (U. South Florida). Fringy starter; possible reliever.
  • OF Baron Radcliff (Ga Tech). Extra points for the cool-sounding name. Huge power… if he connects… and that’s the big question here.

GRADE:  B-.  Points for getting Martin where they did, but their final picks are throw-ins in an attempt to sign Abel and Martin.  Both are wild cards to some extent, though Abel has significant possible upside.  The risks drop their grade a notch.

Note: all scouting/ranking information comes via Baseball America’s draft resources (subscription required).

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