During the course of history, the Atlanta Braves as a franchise have made some terrific draft picks over the years. Chipper Jones worked out pretty well as the #1 overall pick in 1990 and even now, the Braves current roster is littered with draft successes including Austin Riley, Michael Harris II, and Spencer Strider among others. However, not all of their picks have worked out the way that they may have hoped.
There are a lot of reasons why draft picks don't pan out. Especially in the early days, scouting was a lot more primitive and led to a lot of misevaluations. Other picks have injury problems that derail their careers and then there are the guys that just didn't ever improve enough to be a big league ready. While the Braves have had a lengthy list of draft prospects not pan out, there are a few that stick out for how bad they ended up.
Here are the 15 worst draft picks in Atlanta Braves history
Depending on how old you are and who you were aware of at the time that they were drafted, you may have strong feelings as to which picks were the worst of the worst. This is a loose ranking from worst to less worse but still sucked, but there are arguments for a lot of movement up and down here and we won't stop you. The only thing to note is that players who are currently still active ranked lower just because they COULD turn into something still as unlikely as it seems right now.
Tim Cole - LHP - 1977
There are a lot of 1970's picks that are worthy here, but Cole deserves a special nod due to being the #4 overall pick and having a great last name. Cole never made it to the major leagues and had a 5.55 ERA over a very lengthy career in the minor leagues. Ozzie Smith and Tim Raines went in the fourth and fifth rounds respectively of that draft.
Brad Komminsk - OF - 1979
Komminsk at least made it to the big leagues after also being the #4 pick in 1979, but it is hard to get excited about 2.2 rWAR and a .218 batting average for his career. Komminsk showed promise as a prospect in the minor leagues, but got eaten alive by MLB pitching throughout his eight-year career as mostly a part-time player.
Carter Stewart - RHP - 2018
Okay, this one is cheating as Stewart famously did not sign with the Braves after getting picked eighth overall and the Braves DID get a compensation pick for him. However, you don't pick a guy in the top 10 if you don't want him and it feels like Atlanta may have screwed up their medical due diligence here before signing him. Stewart ended up pitching over in Japan with some success.
Ken Smith - 3B - 1976
The 70's strike again with the third overall pick in 1976. Smith played pretty well in 1982, but was never able to carve out a full-time role with the Braves and ended up fading out of the minors and finishing his playing days in the Mexican League.
Tyler Houston - C/Util - 1989
Getting picked #2 overall is usually means a guy is immensely talented and Houston DID end up playing eight years in the big leagues. However, he wasn't able to make it to the big leagues until 1996 and ended up being a journeyman bat that accumulated just 1.4 rWAR in his career.
Cody Johnson - OF - 2006
Braves fans of a certain age remember how exciting and weird Johnson was as a slugging prospect after Atlanta picked him #24. He had insane raw power, but Johnson also struck out at a frankly impressive rate that would make Joey Gallo in a Yankees uniform blush. Johnson never made it to the big leagues and was out of baseball by 2013.
Jason Hursh - RHP - 2013
Sorry Jason, but getting drafted one pick before Aaron Judge is going to get you on the list. Hursh made it to the big leagues, but never was able to stick with the Braves or anyone else. The pick was understandable at the time as Atlanta needed pitching that could be ready quickly, but this one was still a whiff.
Matt Lipka - OF - 2010
This one is sad because Lipka was actually an insane athlete that had a real chance to be one of those toolsy prospects that takes the world by storm after getting selected 35th overall in 2010. Unfortunately, he suffered a severe hamstring tear a couple years later and was never the same. He was still playing in the minors as recently as 2022, but never made it to the majors.
Mike Kelly - OF - 1991
The #2 overall pick being a guy who you may have forgotten played for the Braves is never a good sign. Kelly did win a ring in 1995 and hung around the majors for a few years, but never remotely approached the production that his draft position suggested it would.
Braxton Davidson - OF - 2014
Davidson got picked 32nd overall in 2014 and had some parallels with Johnson in that he had loads of raw power, but never made enough contact to make use of it. He started showing signs of turning into something, but broke his foot celebrating hitting the walk-off homer to win the AFL championship. He has never played affiliated baseball since and has toiled in independent ball hitting bombs as recently as 2024.
George Lombard - C/OF - 1994
Lombard ended up being a heck of a coach which is good because he sure wasn't worth much as a player after being the Braves' second round pick. Lombard makes the list because he had some hype behind him after hitting in the minors, but he flamed out as soon as he got to the big leagues. His son, George Jr., is a hell of a prospect for the Yankees, though.
Brett DeVall - LHP - 2008
Once you get into the 40's in terms of picks, the success rate goes down and DeVall ended up getting picked 40th back in 2008. Long story short, DeVall never pitched above A-ball, took five years off before trying to give the independent leagues a try, and never pitched professionally after 2015.
Braden Shewmake - SS - 2019
We have gotten to the section where players are still active, but Shewmake still belongs after being picked #21 overall in 2019. His glove was better than expected, but he never hit enough after his draft year in the majors or minors and Atlanta shipped him off to the purgatory that is the White Sox.
Ryan Cusick - 2021
Cusick could still turn into something, but it seems unlikely. The #24 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft certainly throws hard, but has never figured out how to make his pitches go where he wants. He is still in the A's minor league system, but he has more walks than strikeouts and does not seem overly close to a big league call-up.
Jared Shuster - 2020
Another Wake Forest alum that didn't work out, Shuster still has a terrific changeup that was a big reason why the Braves picked him in the first round in 2020. The problem is that his fastball lacks velocity and is very, very hittable. He has since moved to the bullpen with the White Sox and is hanging around, but he won't ever reach the starter ceiling Atlanta envisioned.