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Atlanta Braves: what to expect from the 2018 MLB Draft

By Alan Carpenter

Omaha, NE - JUNE 26: Pitcher Brady Singer #51 of the Florida Gators delivers a pitch against the LSU Tigers in the first inning during game one of the College World Series Championship Series on June 26, 2017 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Omaha, NE - JUNE 26: Pitcher Brady Singer #51 of the Florida Gators delivers a pitch against the LSU Tigers in the first inning during game one of the College World Series Championship Series on June 26, 2017 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, CANADA – APRIL 4: General manager Alex Anthopoulos of the Toronto Blue Jays talks to media before MLB game action against the New York Yankees on April 4, 2014 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA – APRIL 4: General manager Alex Anthopoulos of the Toronto Blue Jays talks to media before MLB game action against the New York Yankees on April 4, 2014 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

We are just over 5 weeks from Alex Anthopoulos’ first draft as the Executive President and General Manager for the Braves.  Let’s check his past to guess at the future.

When Alex Anthopoulos was hired by the Atlanta Braves, he told us that his priorities were all about scouting, defense, and winning.  On June 4th we will get to see what he has been able to find with his (hopefully) augmented scouting department.

I’ve been looking at some past history – almost entirely with the Blue Jays, since there was a six year period (2010-2015) in which AA was solely responsible for his team’s draft and its results.

JaysJournal.com, our sister FanSided site for ‘all things Blue Jays’, did an analysis of his drafts 3 years ago, and I do recommend that post to you as well.

Here’s a couple of takeaways from that piece:

"…as Gerry of Batter’s Box stated, it led to an “increase the size of the amateur scouting ranks from 28 to 54”, quite a jump in numbers and something that put the Jays ahead of any other MLB team at the time.  … After looking at the current scouting department, since 2010, one aspect I noticed is that the Jays have increased the number of International scouts from 8 to 13, and have reduced the number of scouts in Canada from 4 to 2."

Oddly, though, despite the increased numbers, compensation, and reduced travel time for each of his hires, JaysJournal also noticed that only about 25% of the scouts on the payroll for Anthopoulos’ first draft remained with the club in 2015.

That’s a curious stat, and JaysJournal couldn’t assess whether there was some fundamental issue with how they were treated, but it is something to pay attention to going forward.

According to the Braves’ website, the main scouting team remains in place at that point, which is good to see:

  • Scouting Director – Brian Bridges
  • Sr. Advisor to Amateur Scouting – Roy Clark
  • Special Assignment Scout – Billy Ryan
  • Amateur Scouting Coordinator – Chris Lionetti

Regardless, we definitely expect to see more eyes out on baseball fields across the continent, as hopefully that means a better draft overall.

Now left’s see AA’s draft history…

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