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Atlanta Braves draft tracking; Six signings announced

By Fred Owens

SECAUCUS, NJ - JUNE 5: Representatives from all 30 Major League Baseball teams fill Studio 42 during the MLB First-Year Player Draft at the MLB Network Studio on June 5, 2014 in Secacucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
SECAUCUS, NJ - JUNE 5: Representatives from all 30 Major League Baseball teams fill Studio 42 during the MLB First-Year Player Draft at the MLB Network Studio on June 5, 2014 in Secacucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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Representatives from the Atlanta Braves and the otheer 29 Major League Baseball teams fill Studio 42 during the MLB First-Year Player Draft at the MLB Network Studio on June 5, 2014 in Secacucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Representatives from the Atlanta Braves and the other 29 Major League Baseball teams fill Studio 42 during the MLB First-Year Player Draft at the MLB Network Studio on June 5, 2014, in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Monday the Atlanta Braves added six more names to the list of draft selections signed. That brings the total officially signed to nine.

The six signees were all selected after the first ten rounds and all signed for the full $125,000 slot allowed for those selections.

Today’s group included two starting pitchers, a first baseman, second baseman and an outfielder.

Part of the information that comes from my initial draft-day report.

Jake Higginbotham Left-handed starter

The Atlanta Braves took Higginbotham in the 11th round. The 6’, 175-pound lefty from Buford Georgia, made fifteen starts for Clemson this season, throwing 77 innings at a 3.27 ERA.

Higginbotham’s 94 mph fastball and a 70 mph curve helped him strikeout 62 while walking 30. Baseball America scouting report suggests that concentrated work on his mechanics will make his stuff play up.

". . . 90-93 mph with his fastball and touching 94 mph with a loose arm . . . creates some deception with his delivery . . . (spins) an average, upper-70s breaking ball and serviceable, low-80s changeup . . . control is ahead of command. . . loses his release point and gets underneath the ball, creating some Jekyll and Hyde innings."

Brendan Venter 1B/3B 13th round

Venter is a 6’2 205-pound right-handed hitting first baseman, originally from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. After his parents immigrated to Texas where he attended Marcus High School in Flower Mound.

According to his Auburn Bio page,  Venter hit .417 with 30 RBI his senior year at Marcus, Those numbers earned him the 2015 Offensive District MVP award. He as well as recognition an All-State honoree and All-Area selection as well as an Academic All-State selection.

Undrafted out of high school he attended McLennan Community College (Texas) where he hit .385/.447/.698 slash his freshman season and led the team with 15 home runs and 69 RBI.

He followed that by hitting .353/.437/.634 as a sophomore, once again hitting 15 homers with 69 RBI.

Transferring to Auburn last season he started at third base and hit.317/.395/.529 with 12 homers and 15 doubles in 240 AB.

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