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

4. Atlanta Braves 1st Round Draft Pick – Mike Minor

Mike Minor was drafted as the seventh overall pick of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves out of Vanderbilt. He made his debut just over a year later in August of 2010. He entered the 2011 season as Baseball Prospectus’ 26th ranked prospect.

Minor was a polished pitcher by the time he was drafted. He started four games in Single-A before starting the 2010 season in AA-Mississippi. He made six starts in AAA-Gwinnett that season and found himself with the big-league club.

He exceeded his rookie limits in 2011 and pitched well in both 2011 and 2012 posting a 4.14 ERA in 15 starts in 2011 and 4.12 in 30 starts during the 2012 season. In 2013, Minor finally realized his potential, starting 32 games and posting a 3.21 ERA for the Braves in 204.2 innings. He went 13-9 for the division champs en route to a 96-win season.

Minor pitched most of 2014 with pain in his shoulder and his numbers suffered for it. He ended with a 4.77 ERA in 145.1 innings. He walked 44 batters which were close to the 46 he walked the previous season, but he did it in far fewer innings.

In the spring of 2015, he was diagnosed with rotator cuff inflammation and eventually required surgery. He was non-tendered by the Braves following the season and despite signing with the Royals, he did not pitch in 2016 either.

His shoulder caused a subpar season for the lefty in 2014 and then caused him to miss two straight years. When he finally returned to action, the Royals utilized him as a reliever in 2017. For the first time in his career, he didn’t start a game and still pitched significant innings. Minor gave the Royals 77.2 innings out of the pen and posted a fantastic 2.55 ERA while racking up 88 strikeouts.

In 2018, the Rangers signed Minor to a 3-year, $28 million deal and made him a starter again. In his age-30 season, he had overcome the injuries that nearly derailed his career and started 28 games for Texas. He went 12-8 with a 4.18 ERA in 157.0 innings.

This leads us to last season, Minor made his first All-Star game at the age of 31 for the Rangers. He finished the season with a 14-10 record and for the first time since 2013, he hit the 200-inning threshold. He finished with a 3.59 ERA and tied a career-high with 32 starts while striking out 200 batters.

Even though it wasn’t with the Braves, it has been a pleasure to watch Mike Minor reach his potential after overcoming so much adversity. He currently stands as the Braves’ fourth-best first-round draft pick since 1980.