Atlanta Braves draft: 17 picks and 4 UDFA signed in four days
By Fred Owens
Atlanta Braves UDFA
The Atlanta Braves have agreed to terms with four undrafted free agents so far.
- OF Bryson Worrell East Carolina
- LHP Hayden Harris Georgia Southern
- C Nick Clarno Lenoir-Rhyne (Hickory, NC)
- RHP Hunter Riggins Southern Mississippi
According to a spot on The Reflector, Bryson Worrell turned down a $20K UDFA offer in 2021 and returned to Eastern Carolina hoping for a better deal in 2022 and played like a man in his walk-year, raising his 2021 line of .262/.356/.490/.846 to .335/.401/.631/.1032 with 20 homers in 2022.
According to Georgia Southern’s website, Harris appeared in 19 games, including seven starts, and struck out 36 batters in 26.2 innings of work this year.
According to a post on the Savanna Banana’s website, the Braves tried to contact him on draft day to select him in the draft, but Clarno was lounging beside the pool without his phone. When he did pick up and return the Braves’ call, they signed him as an undrafted free agent.
A post on the Southern Miss website says Hunter Riggins made 16 starts for Southern Miss in 2022, pitching to a 2.59 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, striking out 85, and walking 21 in 97-1/3IP.
Riggins threw 7-1/3 shutout innings, striking out seven to earn a spot on the Conference USA All-Tournament team, and was selected for the ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region Second Team.
That’s a wrap
The Atlanta Braves proved once again that any writer who says he knows who they will select is dreaming. The club also continued to select players in the lower half of the pool rounds they believe will sign well below slot, to pay players, they absolutely have to have.
Next. Movin on up!. dark
That strategy makes sense when you take those players in the first ten rounds as they did with their largest over-slot selections – Maier and Keller. All over-slot bonuses signed so far went to pitchers. Time will tell if that was the right decision.