Grading Atlanta Braves’ 2019 MLB draft: Picks 10-1
It will be several years until we can fully appreciate the Atlanta Braves’ 2019 draft, but it’s the perfect time to look back at each draftee’s performance this past season.
Four days and four posts bring us to the finale of our Atlanta Braves 2019 Draft Grades series, as we wrap this exercise up with the Braves top-10 picks.
What really sticks about this group of 10 players is that a large percentage of them absolutely excelled during their first year of pro ball, perhaps giving an early indication of just how successful the Braves’ 2019 draft was.
Of course, it’s still too early to call the draft a win, as several of these young players still have years to go in their development. However, it’s always a good thing when an organization’s top-10 picks perform the best in a draft class, which is exactly what happened for the Braves this past season.
To look back at the players we’ve covered so far in this series:
- Post #1: Picks 41-31
- Post #2: Picks 30-21
- Post #3: Picks 20-11
Also, let’s review what it is we’re trying to accomplish in this series…
The Method
In this series, we will look at each and every player drafted (and signed) by the Braves in 2019, though to break this up a bit we’ll cover the class in four pieces, with today’s column covering picks 10 down to 1.
The group of 10 will include a table featuring each player’s last minor league level reached, and most importantly — as a way to characterize each player’s 2019 performance — I will give each player a grade:
- A — excelled
- B — held his own
- C — struggled
This may seem like an oversimplified way to go about such a thing, but the focus here is less about the actual grading rubric and more about simply determining how each player performed in their first professional season.
Choosing A, B and C obviously allow for only three different grade outcomes, which is plenty for such a small sample of results (most of these players played no more than 30-35 games).
We must remember that these players were drafted for a reason and giving a struggling 18-year-old an ‘F’ in his first taste of minor league baseball probably doesn’t accurately represent his actual skills on a baseball field.
So don’t interpret each grade as a description of the player’s talent level.
Braves’ 2019 draft: picks 11-1
| PLAYER | LAST LVL | GRADE |
|---|---|---|
| 2B, Cody Milligan | Danville | B |
| RHP, Ricky DeVito | Rome | A |
| RHP, Darius Vines | Danville | B |
| RHP, Tanner Gordon | Danville | A |
| OF, Stephen Paolini | GCL | B |
| RHP, Kasey Kalich | Rome | A |
| OF, Michael Harris | Rome | A |
| SS, Beau Philip | Danville | B |
| SS, Braden Shewmake | Mississippi | A |
| C, Shea Langeliers | Rome | B |
(all ages listed are for 2020 season)
No. 10, Cody Milligan, 2B
21-years-old — 5’10”, 185 lbs.
Grade: B
2019 stats: 59 games, .252 AVG, 1 home run, 7 doubles, 12 RBI, 12 stolen bases
Listed as a utility player on some sites, Milligan hit .453 and was 30-for-30 in steals at Cowley County Community College in 2019 (he transferred from OK State), before being taken in the 9th round by the Braves. His performance in Danville wasn’t earth-shattering, but he held his own at the plate and showed off his speed by successfully converting 12 of his 18 stolen base attempts. Milligan is projected as a second baseman, but has experience in the outfield and even behind the plate at catcher.
No. 9, Ricky DeVito, RHP
21-years-old — 6’3″, 195 lbs.
Grade: A
2019 stats: 8 starts, 4 app., 36.2 innings, 3.44 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 3.9 BB/9
The 2018 Big East Pitcher of the Year has already made it on a Braves’ prospect ranking lists, with his sinking 94-mph fastball and plus-secondary pitches. DeVito had a strong showing in his first taste of pro ball, starting in the GCL and ending the 2019 season in Single-A Rome. He certainly had a tougher time at the latter level (his K rate fell from 10.9 to 5.9 batters nine), but he maintained his ability to prevent runs, sporting a 3.78 ERA in 16.2 innings at the full-season level (on par with his overall mark for the year). 2020 will be DeVito’s age-21 season (turns 22 in August).
No. 8, Darius Vines, RHP
22-years-old — 6’1″, 190 lbs.
Grade: B
2019 stats: 11 starts, 1 app., 32.1 innings, 6.68 ERA, 9.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9
Vines was finally drafted high enough to actually sign in 2019, as the Braves took the 6-foot-1 righty in the 7th round. He made one appearance in the GCL (1 IP/ 1 ER) before being moved up to Danville, where he finished out the year and ran into some rough luck. Vines’ 6.00+ ERA looks bad, but the 21-year-old pitched to a much more respectable 4.38 FIP in 31.1 innings at the Rookie-Advanced level.
No. 7, Tanner Gordon, RHP
22-years-old — 6’5″, 215 lbs.
Grade: A
2019 stats: 13 app., 24.1 innings, 2.22 ERA, 13.3 K/9, 4.4 BB/9, 2 HR
Fresh off an 87.1-inning year as a starter at Indiana University, Gordon mowed through the Appy League as one of Danville’s best pitchers in 2019. Gordon, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound righty, features a mid-90s fastball and was actually projected as more of a pitch-to-contact type, but ended up striking out 36 batters in just 24.1 innings. His extraordinary K rate should return closer to his level in college (9.3 K/9) as he faces stiffer competition in the minors.
No. 6, Stephen Paolini, OF
19-years-old — 6’2″, 195 lbs.
Grade: B
2019 stats: 35 games, .192 AVG, 6 doubles, 8 RBI, 2 stolen bases
Paolini just turned 19 in November and looks to be an athletic and toolsy outfielder. Playing against guys a year in a half older than him in the GCL, Paolini struck out around 30% of the time and hit under .200, but he played all over the outfield (including CF) and has the potential to be a solid player as he matures. A full season in 2020 will tell us more.
Braves’ 2019 Picks: 5-1
No. 5, Kasey Kalich, RHP
22-years-old — 6’2″, 220 lbs.
Grade: A
2019 stats: 14 app., 21.2 innings, 1.25 ERA, 10.0 K/9, 4.6 BB/9
Like DeVito above, Kalich made a prospect list of the Braves in 2019, as he pitched very well in his debut as a pro player. Kalich was a shutdown closer at Texas A&M, using his mid-90s fastball and filthy slider to strike out 13.5 batters per nine in his finals season with the Aggies. He’s a big guy (6’3″. 220 lbs.) and seemed extremely comfortable making the transition from the GCL to Single-A Rome this past season, after making Just one one-inning appearance at the former level.
No. 4, Michael Harris, OF
19-years-old — 6’0″, 190 lbs.
Grade: A
2019 stats: 53 games, .277 AVG, 2 home runs, 8 doubles, 27 RBI, 8 stolen bases
A lot of teams liked Harris as a left-handed pitcher, but the Braves drafted him as an athletic outfielder, taking a flyer on an 18-year-old prep player from Georgia. Harris didn’t disappoint, hitting .349 in his first 31 games in the GCL, with 3 home runs and 5 stolen bases to boot. His initial performance earned him a promotion to Single-A Rome where he struggled to the tune of a .183 AVG, but held his strikeouts in check (26.8 K%) and finished with three more XBHs in 22 games in full-season ball. Harris will turn 19 in March.
No. 3, Beau Philip, SS
21-years-old — 6’0″, 190 lbs.
Grade: B
2019 stats: 55 games, .193 AVG, 4 home runs, 6 doubles, 20 RBI, 5 stolen bases
At 6-foot and 190 pounds, Philip didn’t seem to possess a ton of power at Oregon State, especially considering he hit just 5 home runs for the Beavers in 2019. However, he did go viral with this shot in late May:
This home run by Beau Philip ... 483 feet and 107 mph off the bat.
— Oregon State Baseball (@BeaverBaseball) May 25, 2019
Wow.#GoBeavs pic.twitter.com/nF5w6KrQEF
Philip’s .311 batting average didn’t exactly carry over to the pros, where the then-20 year-old couldn’t seem to get comfortable with the Danville Braves. Like a few others in the draft class that posted poor contact rates, fortunately Philip kept the strikeouts down (24.6 K%) and walked at a nice rate (12.5 BB%).
No. 2, Braden Shewmake, SS
22-years-old — 6’4″, 190 lbs.
Grade: A
2019 stats: 65 games, .300 AVG, 3 home runs, 18 doubles, 40 RBI, 13 stolen bases
Another candidate to take home the award for best 2019 Braves’ draftee performance this past season, Shewmake absolutely raked in his first pro season, making it all the way to Double-A Mississippi, where he slowed down to a .217 AVG in 14 games with the M-Braves. Still, in his age-21 season, the Texas A&M product took to the pros about as good as a player can. Also, at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, Shewmake’s body has plenty of room to fill out, meaning power could potentially be yet another tool to add to his tool belt.
No. 1, Shea Langeliers, C
22-years-old — 6’0″, 190 lbs.
Grade: B
2019 stats: 54 games, .255 AVG, 2 home runs, 13 doubles, 34 RBI
Not all draftees hit the pros on fire like Shewmake or Bryce Ball, as Langeliers struggled starting out, hitting just .227 in his first 30 games in Single-A Rome (his starting point). Luckily, he turned things around by hitting .281 in August, finishing the 2019 campaign with a respectable .255 AVG, especially for a catcher that’s known more for his defense and pitch framing. Other prospect reports predict a better hitting Austin Hedges when it comes to Langeliers, and the 2020 season will be interesting as we see if such predictions have a chance of being true. Langeliers will most likely battle against William Contreras for the starting spot in Double-A Mississippi this coming season. He might’ve already won the job.
Next. Questions left to be answered. dark
That does it for our grades on the Atlanta Braves 2019 draft class. Check back later this week as we start to roll out our top 30 prospects list.