Atlanta Braves lack of pool money drove Rule 4 draft selections

The Atlanta Braves suggest Bryce Elder was always the target; that looks like spin.

As the Atlanta Braves took a coffee break during round-two, a lot of high upside prospects found a team to love them… for a while anyway. The departure of those high-ceiling prospects is important.

As I noted yesterday, Dana Brown suggested that saving money in the early rounds would allow the addition of round-two prospects with a higher upside who fall farther down for one reason or another.

When it came time to announce the Brave’s third-round selection, I was a bit surprised to hear Jesse Franklin’s name.  He has a definite upside as a 20+ homer, corner outfielder, but he also has a history of injuries that could mean an injury-prone future lay ahead. Choosing him in round-three looks like another chance to sign someone under slot.

Someone suggested that the Braves could have selected Shuster with the 97th pick.  Sorry, that dog won’t hunt. Teams looking for an inexpensive power lefty (who, if all else fails, becomes a closer), would select him long before the Brave had a chance again.

If he doesn’t get selected at the right price, he has another year of college eligibility available for more than $600K.

If you sign Kelley at slot value, and then give Coby Mayo or any level two talent a pick equivalent bonus, you have two prep prospects and about $100K left to sign two more without paying a fine.