Atlanta Braves Mock Draft Monday!
Atlanta Braves Mock Draft Monday: Introduction
It is rare that the Braves have an opportunity to pick as high as they do in 2016, pick #3 overall. With that in mind, Tomahawk Take writers will be offering you, the reader, an entertaining look into the draft over the next four weeks until the draft on June 9th.
We will offer a weekly mock draft each Monday through the draft week. This will be the first in those offerings. I took the time to read through a number of sources, paid and free, with reviews of team needs and team draft plans and players that teams have been linked to and put all that together into a mock draft. Let me tell you, this was not easy. I can see why the MLB Pipeline guys stick to 10 deep and the Baseball America guys only go through the “true” first round, ending before the compensation picks and the competitive balance picks.
Of course, that doesn’t help Braves fans, as ending there would leave 17 picks until the Braves’ next pick and a whole lot of scenarios could happen between 23 and 40 in this volatile draft. Instead, I chose to take the dive and go even deeper. I’ve completed the first 41 picks, making it through the competitive balance picks.
I’ll also mention some of the top-ranked guys on the board to start the second round and who would be good choices for the Braves. I’ll also highlight why I selected the players I did for the Braves along the way.
This will not be the only draft coverage this week at Tomahawk Take this week, so keep your eyes open later this week for more of a news and notes type of piece later in the week discussing some of the movers and shakers, risers and fallers, and crazy rumors coming out of the draft time as we get closer to the draft.
For now, let’s get to the mock!
Next: The Draft
Atlanta Braves Mock Draft Monday: The Draft
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I’m going to simply post the selections here, no explanations. To see explanations for each Braves pick, you can move forward to the next slide, but reviewing where guys went off the board can help to understand why certain picks were made.
1. Philadelphia Phillies – A.J. Puk, LHP, University of Florida
2. Cincinnati Reds – Kyle Lewis, OF, Mercer University
3. Atlanta Braves – Riley Pint, RHP, Kansas HS
4. Colorado Rockies – Mickey Moniak, OF, California HS
5. Milwaukee Brewers – Delvin Perez, SS, Puerto Rico
6. Oakland Athletics – Nick Senzel, IF, University of Tennessee
7. Florida Marlins – Blake Rutherford, OF, California HS
8. San Diego Padres – Jason Groome, LHP, New Jersey HS
9. Detroit Tigers – Dakota Hudson, RHP, Mississippi State University
10. Chicago White Sox – Corey Ray, OF, University of Louisville
11. Seattle Mariners – Zack Collins, C, University of Miami
12. Boston Red Sox – Josh Lowe, 3B, Georgia HS
13. Tampa Bay Rays – Braxton Garrett, LHP, Alabama HS
14. Cleveland Indians – Joey Wentz, LHP, Kansas HS
15. Minnesota Twins – Ian Anderson, RHP, New York HS
16. Los Angeles Angels – Connor Jones, RHP, University of Virginia
17. Houston Astros – Matt Manning, RHP, California HS
18. New York Yankees – Jordan Sheffield, RHP, Vanderbilt University
19. New York Mets – Alex Kirilloff, OF, Pennsylvania HS
20. Los Angeles Dodgers – Nolan Jones, IF, Pennsylvania HS
21. Toronto Blue Jays – Robert Tyler, RHP, University of Georgia
22. Pittsburgh Pirates – T.J. Zeuch, RHP, University of Pittsburgh
23. St. Louis Cardinals – Matt Thaiss, C, Virginia Univeristy
24. San Diego Padres – Will Craig, IF, Wake Forest University
25. San Diego Padres – Will Benson, OF, Georgia HS
26. Chicago White Sox – Eric Lauer, LHP, Kent State University
27. Baltimore Orioles – Buddy Reed, OF, University of Florida
28. Washington Nationals – Forrest Whitley, RHP, Texas HS
29. Washington Nationals – Zack Burdi, RHP, University of Louisville
30. Texas Rangers – Taylor Trammell, OF, Georgia HS
31. New York Mets – Justin Dunn, RHP, Boston College
32. Los Angeles Dodgers – Cal Quantrill, RHP, Stanford University
33. St. Louis Cardinals – Anthony Kay, LHP, University of Connecticut
34. St. Louis Cardinals – Drew Mendoza, IF, Florida HS
35. Cincinnati Reds – Jared Horn, RHP, California HS
36. Los Angeles Dodgers – Kyle Muller, LHP, Texas HS
37. Oakland Athletics – Alex Speas, RHP, Georgia HS
38. Colorado Rockies – Logan Shore, RHP, University of Florida
39. Arizona Diamondbacks – Anfernee Grier, OF, Auburn
40. Atlanta Braves – Heath Quinn, OF, Samford University
41. Pittsburgh Pirates – Bryan Reynolds, OF, Vanderbilt University
Next: Discussing the Braves' Choices
Atlanta Braves Mock Draft Monday: The Braves’ Picks
3. Riley Pint, RHP, Kansas HS
At the #3 spot, the Braves in this scenario are left with the options of the top high school pitchers, Pint and Groome, along with a host of hitting options. Many fans will likely be after the front office for not taking a mature hitter like Ray or Senzel. Others will wish for the young hitting talent of Rutherford, Perez, or Moniak. Yet, I believe the real choice will be between Pint or Groome in this scenario. As more and more reports begin to come out, the worries about Pint as a simple power arm have been lessened.
Pint has a solid mix of a fastball that runs into the triple digits, seeing as high as 102 this spring, a change up that runs in the 88-91 range with good arm movement and deception, and also a curve ball and slider that work well as well.
Depending on which person sees him on which day, I’ve read reports on his slider as a plus pitch, and I’ve seen reports on the curve as a plus pitch. Regardless, both are regarded as above average. So, unlike Tyler Kolek of the Marlins a couple seasons ago, who was 100 mph without much else, Pint has a four pitch mix of at least above average pitches, with a plus-plus fastball, plus changeup, and possible plus slider or curve.
He also gets tremendous marks for his athleticism as Pint is a legit basketball player – not a guy who happened to sit the bench on his high school’s team, but a guy who could possibly play some college ball if he had continued pursuing the sport. At 6’6 and a reported 210-225 pounds, he’s a well-developed athlete with very good marks for his personality and coachability, which are the two major knocks on Groome.
40. Heath Quinn, OF, Samford University
Many will wonder why I went Quinn with Reynolds still on the board. As I’ve looked deeper into the draft, Reynolds is a guy who I could see being a guy who is a perfect Cardinals type of pick, a “safe” guy who will make it to the majors and hit for a decent average, but not hit for much power. I did consider that his teammate being in house could sway things, but instead I went the direction of Quinn.
As I look, I’m not sure the 6’3, 225-pound will even last to the Braves. He’s been getting a lot of look lately due to his big time power from the right side, but he is from a small school in Alabama, and it sounds like the Braves are more and more on him. Quinn has big power from the right side, and while he may not be a guy who will ever be a .300 hitter, he has enough athleticism and arm to be a solid left fielder with big power potential and a good eye.
Being from a small school, he could be a perfect fit to allow the Braves to pay at or even a bit below slot to ensure they can afford Pint at #3.
Next: Who Is Left?
Atlanta Braves Mock Draft Monday: Remaining Options
So the Braves have a high school pitcher and a college power-hitting outfielder. What would they pursue at pick #44 in the second round?
The top 10 guys per MLB.com’s top 100 on the board would be:
Kevin Gowdy, RHP, California HS
Cody Sedlock, RHP, Illinois
Corbin Burnes, RHP, St. Mary’s
Joe Rizzo, 3B, Virginia HS
Jon Duplantier, RHP, Rice
Carter Kieboom, IF, Georgia HS
Daulton Jefferies, RHP, California
Zack Brown, RHP, Kentucky
Zach Jackson, RHP, Arkansas
Ryan Boldt, OF, Nebraska
Sean Murphy, C, Wright State
The top 10 guys per BA’s top 100 on the board would be:
Joe Rizzo, 3B, Virginia HS
Brandon Marsh, OF, Georgia HS
Kevin Gowdy, RHP, California HS
Cody Sedlock, RHP, Illinois
Jesus Luzardo, LHP, Florida HS
Daulton Jefferies, RHP, California
Austin Hays, OF, Jacksonville
Carter Kieboom, IF, Georgia HS
Jeff Belge, LHP, New York HS
Chris Okey, C, Clemson
Best Bats Available?
If the Braves were to pursue a high school, high-upside bat, regardless of position, they could pursue Kieboom, Marsh, Rizzo, Gavin Lux, or Akil Baddoo. Kieboom is a shortstop for his school currently, but he projects more as a third baseman in the major leagues. He also has the Georgia connection, which has been something the Braves have worked well in the past.
Marsh is another Georgia guy who, like Tyler Stephenson last season, is a “pop-up” prospect this year. Marsh is an outfielder with high variance in his hit tool grades, but universal high praise for his power. He’d be a fit as a corner outfielder. Rizzo is more of a contact-driven hitter, one who is more likely to be a doubles power guy with a very good batting average and high-end defense from the hot corner.
Lux is a high school shortstop from Wisconsin that has the skills and instincts to stay at short, but the arm and frame to put on some strength and move to third. He’s a baseball “brat” with a family that coaches college baseball, so he gets high marks for his natural baseball instincts.
Baddoo is another Georgia high school outfielder that has a tremendous balance of athleticism, but his skills are very raw. He has the ability to be a guy with good contact and a nice power/speed combo. Baddoo’s biggest negative is a poor arm, which likely projects him to left field, but scouts believe he’ll provide enough offense to handle that move.
Best Arms Available?
The other idea would be to take a college arm, especially one with some volatility that could end up a major coup at the second round slot due to a first-round arm that had a rough 2016 season or perhaps had some injury in the season.
The guy that obviously catches my eye in this manner is Oklahoma righty Alec Hansen, who was projected as a possible 1-1 pick before command issues around his high-velocity stuff this summer at Oklahoma has caused his value to tumble. Jefferies is also very intriguing as a guy who would likely be a top half of the first round guy if he’d have stayed healthy all season.
Kyle Funkhouser, a righty from Louisville, was drafted by the Dodgers in the compensation round last season, but did not sign. He’s struggled some this season, but he could be a good gamble here as he’s begun to get things back in line as of late, but if he continues to pitch well up to the draft, he may work his way into the top 41.
Lastly, my second choice behind Hansen for this type of a pick in the second round would be Matt Krook, a lefty from Oregon, who is a redshirt sophomore that has a low-90s sinking fastball with a monster curve ball but missed all of the 2015 season with Tommy John surgery.
He’s had much of the typical inconsistency of a first year returnee from the surgery this season, but he’s shown the same velocity and action on his pitches and could be a good gamble either at 44 or 80.
So what would you think about that result if that was how the first two picks went?
Who would you draft at #44 without worrying about who the Phillies and Reds pick ahead of you in the round?