ATLANTA -- You can never have enough pitching, but the Braves also have a definite need to start adding some premium position players to their farm system.
It will be interesting to see how Atlanta navigates this year’s MLB Draft, which will begin Sunday at The Roxy within The Battery Atlanta. The club has taken a pitcher with its first selection in each of the past five years and in six of the seven Drafts that have been staged since president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos assumed his current role.
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More on the top picks:
1. WSH: Willits | 2. LAA: Bremner | 3. SEA: Anderson | 4. TEX: Holliday | 5. STL: Doyle
6. PIT: Hernandez | 7. MIA: Arquette | 8. TOR: Parker | 9. CIN: Hall | 10. CWS: Carlson
Shea Langeliers, the ninth overall selection in the 2019 MLB Draft, was the only position player the Braves have taken with their first pick since Braxton Davidson was taken 35th overall in 2014. The last time Atlanta took a position player first when having one of the first 25 selections was 2007, when Jason Heyward was the 14th overall selection.
The Braves’ first pick will be this year’s 22nd selection.
Atlanta has been pretty successful with its selections from recent MLB Drafts. Cam Caminiti, the teenage left-hander the Braves took in the first round last year, is MLB Pipeline’s No. 61 prospect.
Hurston Waldrep has struggled with his command at Triple-A, and it might seem like the Braves reached when taking him in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. But he still ranks No. 2 in Atlanta’s system, and he has plenty of time to develop. Charlie Morton, who limited the Braves to two runs over 5 1/3 innings on Friday, spent two seasons in Single-A ball, produced a 5.40 ERA at the High-A level and was moved to the bullpen with the Double-A Mississippi Braves in '07.
JR Ritchie and Owen Murphy, the club’s top selections in the 2022 MLB Draft, have had Tommy John surgery since they were selected, but both are trending in the right direction. The gem of that Draft Class is Drake Baldwin, a third-round selection who is a top NL Rookie of the Year candidate.
COMPLETE BRAVES PROSPECT COVERAGE
- Braves Top 30 prospects
- Prospect stats: Today | Last 10 | Last 30
- Draft pick stats
- Highlights
- Day 1 picks: 22, 60, 96
- Bonus pool allotment: $9,081,100, eighth-lowest total among 30 MLB teams
- Last year’s top pick: Caminiti, SP, No. 24 overall. Scouts are raving about the 18-year-old lefty, who got a late start this season because of some left arm discomfort during Spring Training. He has a 36 percent strikeout rate and a 2.95 ERA through his first five starts for Single-A Augusta. He is the Braves’ No. 1 prospect, and his ranking among all MLB prospects could soon improve.
- Breakout 2024 pick: Herick Hernandez, SP, fourth round. The left-handed University of Miami product struggled through mid-May, but he has a 2.87 ERA over his past seven starts. His 14.2 percent walk rate during this stretch is concerning.
Who might the Braves take with this year’s top selection? Here is Jim Callis’ prediction from his latest MLB.com Mock Draft:
Gage Wood, RHP, Arkansas
The Braves are one of the few teams mentioned with more pitchers than hitters. Wood has one of the best fastballs in the Draft and threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter at the Men's College World Series in his final start, but he also missed two months with right shoulder issues. Other arms to consider: Louisville right-hander Patrick Forbes, Alabama righty Riley Quick and the top prep left-hander, Kruz Schoolcraft.