Atlanta Braves: Nick Loftin the Choice in Latest Baseball America Mock Draft

We take a look at the latest mock draft from Baseball America and who they have the Atlanta Braves selecting in the first round.

While we still don’t know exactly when the 2020 MLB Draft will take place, we do know it will only be five-round with the Atlanta Braves first pick coming at 25th overall.

We’re likely to see a ton of college players taken in this draft, even more than usual, especially at the top of this draft.

And that’s why I think it’s pretty safe to assume the Braves will take a college player in the first round. That also makes sense with where the Braves are right now. They need some impact players that can contribute pretty soon.

Last year they took a college catcher with their first pick and many think he could arrive in the majors as soon as 2021 and possibly take over the full-time catching duties by 2022.

Speaking of Shea Langeliers, he could be joined by a former teammate from Baylor in shortstop Nick Loftin.

That’s who Baseball America has the Braves taking (paywall) in their latest mock draft.

Now, I am not a Baseball America subscriber, so I can’t go into detail on their thoughts about Loftin, but I am a college baseball junkie and have watched Loftin play a ton.

Just to quickly give you his stats from Baylor real quick, he hit .306 as a freshman, .323 as a sophomore, and was hitting .321 before this season ended.

He also brings some solid power with 14 home runs in 510 college at-bats.

One thing I love about Loftin is that he doesn’t strikeout a lot. He only struck out 48 times in those 510 at-bats at Baylor with 42 walks.

Loftin made a change to his swing before the 2020 season to help get more lift on the ball, so we could see him become even more of a power hitter in the future.

As far as where he’ll play, I’ve always viewed him more as a second baseman, but many believe at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds he has the mobility to stick at short and some even think he can play in center.

If you’re thinking Loftin is the shortstop of the future for the Braves, I wouldn’t get too excited just yet. My evaluation of him has always been as a very good utility guy who could start at second or short if needed.

Obviously the Braves are set at second for a while and the jury is still out on Dansby Swanson at shortstop.

Let us know in the comments below what your thoughts are on Loftin and who you hope to see the Braves take with this pick.