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Atlanta Braves MLB Draft: 10 best 1st round picks of last 30 years

By Jake Mastroianni

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 05: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves tips his helmet to the crowd before his final at bat before the Braves lose to the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 during the National League Wild Card playoff game at Turner Field on October 5, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 05: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves tips his helmet to the crowd before his final at bat before the Braves lose to the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 during the National League Wild Card playoff game at Turner Field on October 5, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MAY 15: Austin  Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves is interviewed after his MLB debut in their 4-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at SunTrust Park on May 15, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MAY 15: Austin  Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves is interviewed after his MLB debut in their 4-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at SunTrust Park on May 15, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

10. Austin Riley (0.1 WAR)

Again, there are a lot of swings and misses for the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the MLB Draft.

The last three guys on this list are still a little unproven at the Major League level, but based on what we’ve seen so far, they belong on this list.

Austin Riley is one of those sandwich picks as he was take in Competitive Balance Round A at pick 41.

And by the way, that 2015 MLB Draft is turning out to be a great one for the Atlanta Braves.

There is obviously a lot of talk about Riley at the moment with him making is Major League debut on Wednesday and going deep in his second at-bat.

It certainly looks like he will be the third baseman of the future for the Braves.

Over parts of five minor leagues seasons he’s hit .284 with 86 home runs in 1,748 at-bats. He also had an OBP of .350.

The biggest concern for Riley is his strikeouts, but he had done a great job of limiting those at Triple-A before getting called up.

We certainly don’t want to overreact to one game in the big leagues and a three week hot streak in Triple-A, but I think there is a chance for Riley to move up this list rather quickly.

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