Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: Box, Insurance Angles, Draft
Aug 29, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; A general view as the sun sets during a game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Ask BA: Who Is In The Mix To Go No. 1 In The 2016 Draft?
J.J. COOPER / BASEBALL AMERICA (AUG 17)
Q: How good of a prospect will the No. 1 overall pick be relative to other years?
Steven Cohn @spcohn
Q: What is the 2016 MLB Draft strengths? More pitchers or hitters depth to pick from?
@EKaminski9
BA: We’re obviously a long way away from next June. At this time last year, no one was mentioning Arkansas’ Andrew Benintendi as a potential top 10 pick–some teams hadn’t even fully realized he’d be draft eligible–but after taking the summer off, he quickly rocketed to near the top of the draft class, thanks to an amazing sophomore season.
But as the summer showcases and college leagues wraps up, it is late enough in the process to have a solid idea of how next year’s draft class will shape up.
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The good news? There are a number of realistic candidates to go 1-1. The bad news, especially if you’re a Phillies or Marlins or Rockies fan (since those three teams currently battling to pick first next year [as of 2 weeks ago]) is that there is no clear, slam-dunk top draft prospect like there was when Stephen Strasburg or Bryce Harper were readying for their final amateur seasons.
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But when it comes to position players, the pickings are much slimmer. There is no high school middle infielder who standing out this summer like Brendan Rodgers did last year. The high school outfield class doesn’t compare to last year’s depth and the catching class is even thinner.
On the college side, it does look like a good year for college outfielders led by Louisville’s Corey Ray, Florida’s Buddy Reed and Texas A&M’s Nick Banks. But the ranks of infielders looks less impressive than last year’s deep group of shortstops and no catcher currently projects as a top-five pick.
Overall this looks to be a reasonably deep class so far with some strengths (high school pitching, college outfielders) and some significant weaknesses (catching, high school and college middle infielders.
[ A more complete answer is available at the link above, complete with several names. Personally, Alec Hansen of Oklahoma – a 6’7″ power pitcher with excellent secondary offerings – is one that certainly fits the Braves’ profile. Right now the Braves are in the 4th slot for drafting, though it’s very close between the bottom 5 clubs. ]