Grading the Atlanta Braves’ 2019 draft: picks 20-11
By Clint Manry
Braves’ 2019 Picks: 15-11
No. 15, Jared Johnson, RHP
19-years-old — 6’2″, 225 lbs.
Grade: A
2019 stats: 6 starts,15.1 innings, 3.52 ERA, 7.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9
Here’s a potential starting pitching prospect you maybe haven’t heard of, as Johnson wasn’t on a lot of teams’ radars leading up to the draft. As a 6-foot-2, 18-year-old in the GCL this past season, Johnson was terrific and didn’t allow a single run until his third pro start — his worst outing of the year (4 ER). His last three starts: 8.1 innings, 6 hits, 2 ER, 11 Ks. Johnson looks like the real deal.
No. 14, Tyler Owens, RHP
19-years-old — 5’10”, 185 lbs.
Grade: A
2019 stats: 9 starts, 1 app., 27.1 innings, 4.28 ERA, 10.5 K/9, 4.0 BB/9, 2 home runs
A bit undersized and armed with an unusual delivery on the mound, teams perhaps shouldn’t have passed on the hard throwing Owens, who made the Braves look smart by striking out 10+ batters per nine as an 18-year-old in rookie ball. He doesn’t quite have the pitch mix to be projected as a starter just yet, but Owens already has a 98-mph fastball, a strong slider and is currently working on a changeup, meaning starter potential could be on his scouting report as soon as 2020.
No. 13, Andy Samuelson, RHP
21-years-old — 6’4″, 185 lbs.
Grade: B
2019 stats: 8 app., 12 innings, 6.39 ERA, 14.92 K/9, 4.26 BB/9
Samuelson is a potential high-leverage arm in a major league bullpen, though despite his 6’4″ frame only tops out in the low-90s with his fastball. So how did he post such a high K rate? Well, Samuelson may not have high velocity, but he has a filthy curveball he throws in the low-80s. That hard curveball helped the lanky righty rank as the No. 36 prospect on the JUCO Top 100 this past April.
No. 12, Vaughn Grissom, SS
19-years-old — 6’3″, 180 lbs.
Grade: A
2019 stats: 44 games, .288 AVG, 3 home runs, 7 doubles, 23 RBI, 3 stolen bases
No, he isn’t related to former Brave Marquis Grissom, but he was a teammate of 2019’s first round pick (5th overall), Riley Greene, at Paul J. Hagerty High School (Florida). Grissom is said to have all the tools: contact, power, speed and defense, and he put all of those qualities on display in his first pro season in the GCL as an 18-year-old. In fact, he posted very similar numbers to that of Greene, who was selected 332 picks before Grissom.
No. 11, Brandon Parker, OF
21-years-old — 6’1″, 205 lbs.
Grade: B
2019 stats: 48 games, .210 AVG, 4 home runs, 5 doubles, 22 RBI, 4 stolen bases
The industry predicted that Parker would swing and miss a lot in the pros, and he did just that, striking out 37.5% of the time while in Danville this past season. However, as a 20-year-old in the Appy League, Parker did show he could hold his own by posting nine multi-hit games, including a three-hit performance in the last week of the season. As a player out of a community college, Parker performed respectable in his first taste of pro ball.
Next. Not all trades are made in Winter. dark
Up next time: the Braves top-10 picks.