Experts’ Guesses on the Braves Draft

baseballamerica.com’s latest mock draft is going with a shortstop for Atlanta:  Ti’quan Forbes of Columbia High School (Mississippi).  Ti’quan is interesting:  he’s a 3-sport guy, he’s 6’4″, and it looks like he could hit a ton – eventually – since his baseball skills are still on the raw side, and that includes hitting. Scouts are counting on him being able to work into baseball as he concentrates solely on that sport.  Longtime Braves’ fans may recall another highly-drafted athlete who didn’t ever quite get that done, though:  George Lombard.

Besides getting more baseball-refined, the other question will be this:  where will he actually end up on the field?  Shortstop will not be his final destination:  more like third base or possibly the outfield.  Either way, the Braves could make good use of his skills, which include a strong arm and speed.

Last year, Atlanta picked up Victor Caratini, who started out playing third, but has been catching a lot more this year.  Getting a toolsy third baseman would make some sense – and perhaps mesh with the timing of Chris Johnson‘s new contract, if you want to project that far.

Conclusion:  if he can actually hit, this could be a steal.