Braves MLB Draft: College Arms to Target at 76 and 96
Justin Campbell — RHP — Oklahoma State
With a big 6-foot-7 frame, Campbell profiles as a back of the rotation arm with four pitches that are slightly above average.
Landon Sims — RHP — Mississippi State
Sims, also coming off TJ, is likely destined for a bullpen role. But he’s someone you could easily see becoming a shutdown closer at some point in his career.
Jonathan Cannon — RHP — Georgia
A Georgia kid with great command — only 12 walks in 13 starts this season. He feels like a safe bet to reach his high floor as a back-of-the-rotation starter.
Hunter Barco — LHP — Florida
This could be a great value pick as he likely goes a lot higher if not injured in 2022 and requiring TJ surgery. He has great command of his low-90s fastball and features a plus-plus slider.
Carson Palmquist — LHP — Miami
Like Sims, Palmquist seems destined for a bullpen role at the big league level and is someone who could reach that potential quickly.
Ben Joyce — RHP — Tennessee
If you’re looking for upside at pick 76 or 96 you could do worse than a guy who averages 101 MPH on his fastball. Joyce is a huge development project, but one that could turn into another Spencer Strider if he can stay healthy and put it all together.
Pete Hanson — RHP — Texas
Polar opposite to Joyce is Pete Hanson — a safe bet to reach his ceiling as a backend starter and reach it quickly.
Those are just some of the names Atlanta might be considering. If we’ve learned anything over the last few years, this front office is highly unpredictable as to who they will take. Nobody saw them taking Ryan Cusick or Jared Shuster.
But this is a pretty solid crop of college arms with some that have plenty of upside and others who are pretty safe picks to reach their potential.