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Atlanta Braves Final Mock Draft Monday

By Benjamin Chase

Aug 15, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; National pitcher Riley Pint (27) pitches during the first inning in the Under Armour All America Baseball game against the American team at Wrigley field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 15, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; National pitcher Riley Pint (27) pitches during the first inning in the Under Armour All America Baseball game against the American team at Wrigley field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 15, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; American team Carter Kieboom (22) is greeted by Joey Wentz (17) after scoring a run against the National team during the first inning in the Under Armour All America Baseball game at Wrigley field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 15, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; American team Carter Kieboom (22) is greeted by Joey Wentz (17) after scoring a run against the National team during the first inning in the Under Armour All America Baseball game at Wrigley field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta Braves Mock Draft Monday: The Braves’ Picks

3. Riley Pint, RHP, Kansas HS

I’ve mocked Pint, Groome, Lewis, and Moniak here, and in the final mock, I’ll go back to the original mock and go with the guy who I’m finding more and more is the Braves’ favorite guy at #3, but for new reasons since my original mock of him in this spot.

Pint is a big, athletic kid with a fastball that people get scared by, because they hear 102 MPH. Yes, Pint did touch that sort of velocity in the showcase circuit last summer, but he’s reportedly touched over 100 only a handful of times all season this year as he sits primarily between 96-98, still plenty high in velocity, but that sounds much different than a guy throwing 100+.

Pint’s breaking pitches have received much better grades as the season has gone on, and one scout told me that his change up at 88-91 was a near unhittable pitch, and when Pint located it from the thigh to the knee, hitters were constantly frozen. I’ve heard from scouts that Pint could have as many as four plus pitches with all four considered above average for sure.

40. Joey Wentz, LHP, Kansas HS

Pint has become more and more the top choice as a pairing with Wentz has become a more possible option. There are reports that the Braves are working on two pitching pairings of reported friends that will be their choices at 3/40. The first pairing is Jason Groome and Ian Anderson, the second pairing is Pint and Wentz.

The Braves prefer Pint, and they’ve seen Wentz many times now, and have come away raving about him, so there’s definitely a match there as well. Wentz had reports of his stuff not being as solid this season, but part of that is simply that scouts are primarily focused on his pitching now instead of his bat.

Before this spring, Wentz was viewed as more of a power-hitting first base prospect that happened to pitch as well. Then last season in the showcase circuit, he blasted home runs and posted the top velocities from a lefty both, which caught a lot of eyes. With a change up that is already considered advanced and breaking pitches with high grades, Wentz could be a great fit in the system.

Wentz pitched amazingly well this season, but he was pitching more than just throwing, which is why some people reported his stuff “backed up” over the season. If those same folks took a look at the results rather than the radar gun, they’d see that Wentz went into his 5th start of the season before he had allowed more hits than starts. He had a total of 10 base runners through his first 4 starts. Wentz was pitching to the game, not to the radar gun, and for some reason, many scouts down graded him for it. Instead, the Braves guys have reported how much they were impressed.

Next: Who Is Left?

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