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Atlanta Braves Top 100 Prospects Scouting Report: 15. Max Fried

By Benjamin Chase

Oct 9, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of a ball and glove on the field before the Kansas City Royals and the Houston Astros play in game two of the ALDS at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of a ball and glove on the field before the Kansas City Royals and the Houston Astros play in game two of the ALDS at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 9, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of a ball and glove on the field before the Kansas City Royals and the Houston Astros play in game two of the ALDS at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of a ball and glove on the field before the Kansas City Royals and the Houston Astros play in game two of the ALDS at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta Braves Left Hander Max Fried

Who Is He?

Fried was the 7th overall selection in the 2012 draft by the San Diego Padres out of high school in California. His draft season, he pitched for the Padres rookie league team in Arizona and threw 10 games, totaling 17 2/3 innings with a 3.57 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 7/17 BB/K. The promise was obvious, even in that short burst, so much so that he was rated as the #46 prospect by Baseball America after that season, the #53 prospect by MLB.com, and the #61 prospect by Baseball Prospectus.

He spent the next season in the Midwest League with Fort Wayne, making 23 starts and hurling 118 2/3 innings with a 3.49 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and a 56/100 BB/K. Some of the peripherals took a step back, but for a high school kid taking the leap into full-season ball, it was a pretty good showing, and he received similar rankings, with BA placing him #53, MLB.com #43, and BP #55.

In 2014, he came out of the gate and just didn’t look right, he was held back due to injury, trying to avoid surgery, but after 5 starts, it was decided that he would have to undergo Tommy John surgery. Overall, his 2014 numbers were 10 2/3 innings pitched with a 5.06 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, and a 5/10 BB/K. The surgery scared off the prospect hounds, and he wasn’t ranked in any major publications.

This didn’t scare off the Braves, who acquired him as part of the package for Justin Upton with the Padres in December of 2014. They knew he’d be out all of 2015, and they had no intentions of rushing Fried back. Now, this season, he’s started with Rome in the South Atlantic League, and so far in 5 starts, he’s hurled 23 innings, with a 3.52 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 12/23 BB/K.

Next: Fried's scouting report

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