Atlanta Braves draft day three: looking for hidden gems
By Fred Owens
An Ozzie-sized shortstop
Caleb Durbin is a 5’-8, 175-pound shortstop out of Washington College in St Louis, Missouri. The Schools’ website notes that Durbin earned D3 Baseball’s Central Region Rookie of the Year award and was named UAA Rookie of the Year in 2019.
In three seasons with the Bears, Durbin batted .386/.477/.608/1.085, smacked 33 doubles, nine triples, and ten homers, walking 42 times while striking out only 10.
The video below is from batting practice for the 2020 South Florida Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game.
There’s no real scouting data for Durbin; his eye for the strike zone appears his best tool. His hit tool may well improve in a professional setting.
Outfield assistance
Looking for strength up the middle, the Atlanta Braves selected Christian Robinson, a 6’-2, 211-pound, outfielder (center fielder), and psychology major out of Stanford. His Stanford web page notes – and BBR confirms – that Robinson led the team by batting .318/.398/.500/.898 with 12 doubles and eight home runs and stole eight bases in eight attempts.
He enjoys the big moments in a game, batting .407 (22-54) with runners in scoring position. He drove in four runs and scored twice in the opening game of the Super Regionals at Texas Tech on June 11 and drove in two runs while going 3 for 5 when Stanford beat Arizona at the College World Series on June 21.
His numbers weren’t as gaudy in the wooden bat leagues, but he continued to hit .250 and slug .414.
The video is from a June 2020 practice at Stanford. Robinson has a good arm and looks like the guy you’d put in center field if you didn’t know who the center fielder was (hey, It makes sense to me).
Robinson knows the strike zone and puts the bat on the ball. He looks like a useful player with some upside.