A pitchability lefty plus
The Atlanta Braves third pick went to Dylan Dodd (ESPN number 173, MLB Pipeline number 177), a left-handed pitcher out of Southeast Missouri State.
FASTBALL 50 CURVEBALL 45 SLIDER 50 CHANGEUP 60 CONTROL 60 OVERALL 40
Dodd played both ways for Kankakee (Ill.) CC, when they won the 2017 Division II JuCo World Series, moving to pitcher permanently for SE Missouri State. The Braves love high-spin-rate pitchers and Dodd’s four-seam fastball fits the bill.
It sits in the low 90s, but late-life allows it to play up and miss bats. His secondaries include a plus changeup he’ll throw in any count to any batter and an average mid-80s slider that need a bit more bite, and throws an upper 70’s curve that needs work.
| Year | Age | ERA | G | IP | HR | BB | SO | WHIP | BB9 | SO9 | SO/W |
| 2019 | 21 | 5.33 | 14 | 76 | 13 | 22 | 77 | 1.355 | 2.6 | 9.1 | 3.5 |
| 2020 | 22 | 3.38 | 4 | 26.2 | 1 | 7 | 36 | 1.088 | 2.4 | 12.2 | 5.14 |
| 2021 | 23 | 3.17 | 15 | 96.2 | 10 | 17 | 120 | 1.055 | 1.6 | 11.2 | 7.06 |
| 4.02 | 33 | 199.1 | 24 | 46 | 233 | 1.174 | 2.1 | 10.5 | 5.07 |
Dodd’s mechanics are simple and repeatable, helping him throw strikes consistently. In his start against the number one ranked Arkansas Razorbacks, Dodd threw six innings allowing two runs and striking out 10. He’s an advanced arm who should move quickly.
Dylan Dodd is a Round 3 senior sign and likely underslot. Polished LHP with a CH and fills the zone in the low-90s.
— David Lee (@David11Lee) July 12, 2021
Did someone say, shortstop?
The Atlanta Braves moved away from pitchers in the fourth round to select switch-hitting shortstop Cal Conley (BA Number 185) out of Texas Tech.
Conley’s a 5’-10, 185-pound, switch-hitting shortstop, ranked as the number 14 prospect in Texas this year by BA.
He never gives away an at-bat and shows the ability to take a pitch the other way when needed. He’s flashed pull power in college but will need to work to adapt to a wooden bat and projects as an average gap-to-gap hitter.
Defensively, Conley has a fine-tuned internal clock and makes plays to his left with ease, but will probably have to move to second base because he lacks the arm strength to throw from deep in the hole while moving away from first.
The Atlanta Braves returned home to grab their next two picks.