Atlanta Braves: Top 5 First-Round Draft Picks Since 1980

When you think about the Atlanta Braves and first-round picks, do you think Chipper Jones or Mike Kelly? Adam Wainwright or Chad Hutchinson? We dive into the top picks since 1980.

The Atlanta Braves have had 32 picks between 1980-2015. Today we will take a look at some interesting numbers from those players and take a closer look at the top five players drafted in the first round by the Braves since 1980.

• The 32 first-round picks have generated a total rWAR of 251.1.
• Of the 251.1 rWAR, 162.7 is attributed to Chipper Jones, Adam Wainwright, and Jason Heyward.
• The top five players in rWAR make up 77.34% of the total rWAR of the 32 players.
• Outside of the top five, the average career rWAR was 2.1 per player.
• Only seven of the 32 players broke double-digits in rWAR.
• 43.75% of all of the first-round picks between1980-2015 posted a total rWAR of zero or below.

Before we get to the top five first-round picks since 1980, let’s take a moment to give a nod to some players who were recently selected in the first round but haven’t had time to prove themselves yet.

Ian Anderson was taken third overall in 2016. Anderson is currently rated as MLB.com’s 37th best prospect in the game.

Kolby Allard was taken 14th overall in the 2015 draft, 14 spots ahead of Mike Soroka. With so much starting pitching in the pipeline, the Braves were able to trade Allard to Texas last season for their closer, Chris Martin.

This next guy could find himself inside the top five very soon. After just one full season, Mike Soroka has the 11th most rWAR of these 32 first-round draft picks.

Notables: In case you were curious, Jeff Francouer was taken 23rd overall in 2002 and finished his career with a 6.8 rWAR, which placed him ninth on the list.

For your viewing pleasure, I’ll provide a full list of all 32 players on the final page. In the meantime, enjoy the Braves’ top five first-round draft picks since 1980.