Atlanta Braves May Have to Sweat Out 2017 Draft
Strategy Sessions
If Greene is the #1 talent, then Brendan McKay of Louisville (LHP) seems to be #2. Rumblings that I’m seeing suggest that the draft is not deep in terms of position players, particularly at the college level.
You can freely interpret that to mean ‘the Braves will probably draft a lot of pitchers again’.
But it’s the scrum at the top that’s of most interest right now. Reading between the lines, here’s what I’m guessing for the clubs drafting ahead of Atlanta.
TWINS.
It would ultimately be a surprise if Minnesota opted for somebody not named Greene or McKay, but BA suggests that they are casting a fairly wide net while attempting to pre-negotiate some deals.
This suggests some draft chicanery, but that’s plausible at their 1-1 position. Nonetheless, if they don’t pick one of those kids, then they will (a) become the subject of strong intrigue as the draft progresses, and (b) make the Reds and Padres very happy.
REDS.
They want McKay… but if Greene is there, he may be hard for them to ignore. Still, there’s a lot to be said for getting somebody who actually wants to play for you… and McKay would be much closer to the majors for a team looking for better pitching sooner than later.
PADRES.
If Greene does fall this far, then the Padres will quickly take him with much rejoicing. But if not, then the scrambling starts here. BA leaves the possible options quite widely open in this scenario, though settling for high school infielder Royce Lewis (San Juan Capistrano, CA).
Absent Greene, though, taking another player willing to accept less money for this slot ($6.668 million) would help them to ‘buy out’ some college commitments later in the draft. This is a team building their farm by quantity, so such a backup plan makes sense for them.
RAYS.
Wildcards. BA notes a poor drafting history from their prior first rounders – particularly with high school position players. Of note, if this club is still intending to sell off 1 or 2 of their major league rotation members within the next year or so, then BA’s guess of a college starter – someone closer to the majors – rings true. They are suggesting Vanderbilt’s Kyle Wright for Tampa Bay.