Atlanta Braves MLB Draft grades for first three picks

With day one of the 2019 MLB Draft complete, we grade the first three picks for the Atlanta Braves.

It was a very interesting day one for the Atlanta Braves in the MLB Draft as they didn’t take a pitcher with any of their picks, but instead took three college bats.

This goes against everything the Atlanta Braves have done in the first round of recent drafts, but as we talked about coming into this year’s MLB Draft, the crop of pitching was not very good.

Let’s take a quick look at each of their first three picks and give a grade for each.

9 – Shea Langeliers – Catcher – Baylor

For a more in-depth look at Shea Langeliers, here is the article our Fred Owens produced right after the selection.

There were some mocks that had the Atlanta Braves taking Langeliers at nine, but I never thought it would happen with Hunter Bishop being available.

Josh Jung went at eight, and had he been available I would have much rather preferred him. But I love the Langeliers pick here for the Braves.

I was never as high on Bishop as others, so I’m not made they passed on him.

Langeliers could catch in the big leagues right now, and is someone who could be on a fast track to Atlanta.

Our own Alan Carpenter tweeted right after the pick the it feels like we just selected Brian McCann 2.0. I don’t know that he’ll ever reach McCann’s talent offensively, but he’s already better than B-Mac defensively.

The best comp I heard given was Austin Hedges. Hedges was a top 50 prospect in all of baseball for the Padres because of his defense. And he’s a catcher that has 20 home run potential, but will never hit for a high average.

I could see Langeliers being a Gold Glove catcher who hits .240-.250 with 20-25 home runs. And I can see him doing that in Atlanta by 2022.

Grade: A-

21 – Braden Shewmake – Inf – Texas A&M

This is the one that had a lot of Atlanta Braves fans scratching their heads. It seemed a bit of a reach for a guy who was projected to go in the second round.

The idea is that the Braves drafted Braden Shewmake here in hopes to get him under slot value in order to take a chance on a high school player later in the draft.

We will see how the Atlanta Braves play this, but as for Shewmake, he’s a left-handed hitter who grades as a 65 bat.

I’ve watched Shewmake a lot and I have no doubt that he will hit. I think his ceiling is a Ben Zobrist. He has the potential to hit .270 with 20 home runs one day and play multiple positions.

His floor is a bench player to maybe replace Charlie Culberson in three or four years.

Not a bad selection, but not really what you’re hoping for with the 21st overall pick. I would have liked to see them take someone with a higher upside here.

Grade: C+

More from Tomahawk Take

60 – Beau Philip – SS – Oregon State

After taking two safe selections, I thought this was the pick the Atlanta Braves would do something crazy. Instead, they made another safe selection in picking Oregon State shortstop Beau Philip.

This makes the Shewmake pick even more curious because Philip is basically Shewmake-lite.

He can hit for average atop the lineup and is athletic enough to play multiple positions, but he doesn’t profile as someone who will add power to his repertoire as Shewmake does.

And this is someone they probably could have got in round three or four.

Again, the Shewmake and Philip pick only make sense if the Atlanta Braves spend big to get an overslot guy later in the draft.

Grade: C-

Next. Curious round 2 pick. dark

Keep checking back with Tomahawk Take as we break down the rest of the picks by the Atlanta Braves in this year’s MLB Draft.

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