Atlanta Braves Mock Draft Monday, Version 4.0

Benjamin Chase

Jun 24, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Virginia Cavaliers first baseman Pavin Smith (10) hits an rbi single during the fifth inning against the Vanderbilt Commodores in game three of the College World Series Finals at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Braves Mock Draft Monday: Round 4

The Atlanta Braves went on a winning streak to finish the 2016 season and close out Turner Field, and while for many fans that was fun, it meant that the club will be selecting #5 overall in the upcoming June draft.

Many sites have begun to release their top 100 lists and mock drafts. I spent most of the last month+ getting in contact with as many possible people as I could to get an idea of how the draft is shaping up this year, who to look at, who should be looked at but isn’t, and last, but certainly not least, who the Atlanta Braves are looking at.

We’ll have one of these mock drafts at least every other week until the draft comes. The selections here are based on a number of hours of research into the players themselves, team strategies, and any insights I’ve been able to gleam from those around the game I’ve chatted with this spring about this very interesting class.

We will look at the entire first round through the competitive balance round A selections, then we’ll examine the Braves’ strategy for round 2 if the first round set out would happen, and finally, we’ll consider what direction the Braves could go after those two selections.

I hope you enjoy, and please feel free to comment below!

Next: The First Round

Atlanta Braves Mock Draft Monday: The Draft

More from Tomahawk Take

The Braves selection will be discussed further on the next slide.

1. Minnesota Twins – Kyle Wright, RHP, Vanderbilt
2. Cincinnati Reds – Brendan McKay, LHP/1B, Louisville
3. San Diego Padres – Hunter Greene, RHP/SS, California HS
4. Tampa Bay Rays – Austin Beck, OF, North Carolina HS
5. Atlanta Braves – Royce Lewis, IF/OF, California HS
6. Oakland Athletics – Adam Haseley, OF Virginia
7. Arizona Diamondbacks – Jordan Adell, OF, Kentucky HS
8. Philadelphia Phillies – Shane Baz, RHP, Texas HS
9. Milwaukee Brewers – Nick Pratto, 1B, California HS
10. Los Angeles Angels – Alex Faedo, RHP, Florida
11. Chicago White Sox – Jeren Kendall, OF, Vanderbilt
12. Pittsburgh Pirates – MacKenzie Gore, LHP, North Carolina HS
13. Miami Marlins – J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, North Carolina
14. Kansas City Royals – Pavin Smith, 1B, Virginia
15. Houston Astros – Trevor Rogers, LHP, New Mexico HS
16. New York Yankees – Bubba Thompson, OF, Alabama HS
17. Seattle Mariners – DL Hall, LHP, Georgia HS
18. Detroit Tigers – Sam Carlson, RHP, Minnesota HS
19. San Francisco Giants – Evan White, 1B/OF, Kentucky
20. New York Mets – David Peterson, LHP, Oregon
21. Baltimore Orioles – Keston Hiura, IF/OF, UC-Irvine
22. Toronto Blue Jays – Griffin Canning, RHP, UCLA
23. Los Angeles Dodgers – Blayne Enlow, RHP, Louisiana HS
24. Boston Red Sox – Seth Romero, LHP, Houston
25. Washington Nationals – Logan Warmoth, SS, North Carolina
26. Texas Rangers – Tristan Lutz, OF, Texas HS
27. Chicago Cubs – Tanner Houck, RHP, Missouri
28. Toronto Blue Jays – Jake Burger, 3B, Missouri State
29. Texas Rangers – Matt Sauer, RHP, California HS
30. Chicago Cubs – Alex Lange, RHP, LSU
31. Tampa Bay Rays – Brian Miller, OF, North Carolina
32. Cincinnati Reds – Heliot Ramos, OF, Puerto Rico HS
33. Oakland Athletics – Drew Waters, OF, Georgia HS
34. Milwaukee Brewers – Nate Pearson, RHP, Central Florida JC
35. Minnesota Twins – Brendan Little, LHP, State JC of Florida
36. Miami Marlins – Mark Vientos, IF, Florida HS

Next: Discussing the Braves' Choices

Atlanta Braves Mock Draft Monday: The Braves’ Picks

5. Royce Lewis, IF/OF, California HS

Lewis is arguably as large a talent as you could possibly find in this year’s class. Jon Heyman reported this week that the Braves were specifically on Lewis in a recent California trip. Lewis has the elite defensive skills to stick up the middle, though his arm will likely lead to him either moving off of short in the end and toward second base (if he stays in the dirt) or out to center field.

Lewis’ best skill is his speed for sure, but he is an advanced athlete that could be a guy with good power to go along with that speed and the bat skills to post good contact numbers as well.

I’ve been told that the Braves have been very interested in a number of California prep players, but that Lewis and Nick Pratto have been getting a lot of Braves attention in California.

You may notice that I rarely give the Braves the same pick twice in mocks over the course of draft season, mainly because I want to play out the guys that would be available if one player was picked, but also because in this season’s class, there is a significant amount of depth in the class without a lot of surety about who should be slotted where within about #4 through about #25-30 in the class.

Round 2, Pick 41 overall: Hagen Danner, RHP/C/IF

In this scenario, the value would be in prep pitching at this spot, though Danner brings in the value of a bat that is a worthy pick. Some worry about his funky delivery as a full-time pitcher, but Danner certainly has the stuff to work as a starter.

Danner was considered a legit first round prospect as a hitter as well, working as a catcher in show case season, but playing primarily infield in tourney play to keep his legs fresh for the pitching his team needed from him in tournaments. He could work well on the infield, but he has legit skills behind the plate that could develop into a high-end defensive catcher.

I had one scout tell me that he could see Danner developing akin to Carson Kelly defensively as a catcher. However, the offensive profile for Danner is more of a power over anything else profile. He likely profiles as a .250-.270 hitter with big power if his current tools keep projecting forward as they sit.

Rest of Draft

I mentioned in the first mock that the Braves do have pretty loaded rookie league teams, so it’s possible that they go in heavy in their first few picks, then go for signability picks soon in the draft rather than waiting until the 5th-6th rounds to start that process.

Going after two guys with strong talent levels out of California will likely eat up significant bonus pool. That will lead to a likely injured player or under slot guy in the 3rd round and 4th round before going to the point of signability picks through the 10th round.

I’ve noted a few scouting trips recently of upper level Braves brass, including one for high school players in Florida and another doing some scouting of college and high school players in the northeast.

Florida has a deep prep class that could intrigue in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th rounds. The northeast could be a very odd mix, though, as in the BA top 200, there are a small amount of players, like outfielder Quentin Holmes of New York and prep righty Matt Tabor from Massachusetts, that are even top-50 type of players.

Next: Braves Minor League Database

What would be your thoughts on this situation? Leave a comment below!!

Benjamin Chase

I live in rural South Dakota, where I picked up the love of baseball from my great grandmother and my grandfather. I've enjoyed passing on the game to my nephews and now to my own children. I love evaluating the minor leagues and often have a game on the computer and the TV at the same time!