Atlanta Braves: what to expect from the 2018 MLB Draft
Conclusions?
Again, it’s hard to peg anything with certainty, though clearly Anthopoulos has favored pitching – perhaps with motivation from the usual adage that you have to draft 10 pitchers to get 1 to the majors.
There seems to be a slight edge toward high school talent – but it is hardly a landslide margin.
There were no 2B or 1B players drafted in those early rounds. He tried hard for catchers in 2014… that hasn’t worked out well, but the picks were defensible.
Of note: Russell Martin was signed to a 5-year deal with the Jays that same November.
It’s interesting that the Jays had several players fail to sign. I have no information about whether that was because AA played a hard line with negotiations or something about Toronto as a destination… or whatever. It does suggest that he may have been drafting without enough regard on the signability of players.
Predictions?
The Braves will draft 8th and 49th overall before skipping their 3rd round pick – due to the MLB-imposed penalty.
More from Tomahawk Take
- Braves News: Braves sign Sean Murphy to six year, $73 million deal
- Braves News: Braves re-sign Stephens, Will Atlanta extend Max Fried?, more
- Notable Atlanta Braves Reunions Since 2003: Pitcher Edition
- Braves News: Braves re-sign Jackson Stephens
- Braves News: Braves prospect rankings, Correa deal with Mets at risk, more
MLB.com has a publicly-available pre-draft ranking of the Top 100 players available in June.
Auburn’s Casey Mize won’t be available… he’s the definite #1. Even if he somehow fell to #8, the Braves wouldn’t be able to afford his price.
Half of the MLB-ranked Top 10 are pitchers, with 2 infielders, 2 outfielders, and a college catcher.
IF one of these is the Braves’ first pick, there’s probably a few positions that we could eliminate: catcher, 2B, 1B being among them. Beyond that, I’m not seeing a lot that screams ‘draft me’ in those top-ranked players.
Anthopoulos drafted Brady Singer in 2015. Now he has a chance to do it again. If he like Singer well enough for a 2nd round pick in high school, he might still like him enough as a member of the top-ranked Florida Gators.
Next: Braves might have lost more than a game on Friday
I’d bet on Singer if he’s still on the board at #8… which is probably a stretch to expect. If not him, then perhaps rotation-mate Jackson Kowar, who is close behind.