Selecting Jason Hursh one pick ahead of now three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge is one of the Atlanta Braves' biggest Draft day blunders in the 21st century. Hindsight is 20/20, and draft mistakes happen from every front office eventually. Thankfully, those types of noticeable mistakes have mostly been avoided in the Alex Anthopoulos era.
Drafting and developing players like Drake Baldwin, Michael Harris II, and Spencer Schwellenbach are just a few of the clear hits the Braves' organization has had since 2019. Fast-tracking these high-round draft picks to the big leagues once they appear ready is a staple of the organization.
On the flip side, Anthopoulos' scouting team has made a few questionable selections. Players who now have the unfortunate "bust" label attached to their name. Despite entering Atlanta's organization with high hopes, these prospects flopped for one reason or another. Let's take a look at some of the biggest MLB Draft whiffs by the Braves' front office during Anthopoulos' tenure.
3 biggest Braves draft busts of the Alex Anthopoulos era
Braden Shewmake
As is the case in this year's draft, the Braves had multiple first-round picks in the 2019 draft. Their first selection in 2019 was Shea Langeliers, who has since blossomed into one of the best catchers in the sport. Sadly, Atlanta's other first-round pick that season did not go as well.
With the 21st overall pick in the 2019 draft, Atlanta selected shortstop Braden Shewmake out of Texas A&M. The Braves were hopeful that Shewmake could add strength to his wiry frame and eventually prove to be a quality big league infielder. Unfortunately, Shewmake's development did not go as hoped; before the 2024 season, he was one of the many players traded to the White Sox in exchange for Aaron Bummer.
Jared Shuster
Because the Braves did not have a second-round pick in the 2020 draft, the assumption was that they would go underslot with their first-round pick. That was proven correct, but the upsetting part was WHO they selected with their underslot pick.
With the 25th overall pick, Atlanta took LHP Jared Shuster out of Wake Forest. Before the draft, Shuster was viewed by many analysts as a third-round talent, and looking back now, that evaluation may have been a bit generous. Shuster struggled to establish himself as a viable Major League arm when he debuted with the Braves in 2023, and his abysmal K:BB made him someone Anthopoulos had no problem trading in the 2024 offseason.
Ryan Cusick
Apparently, the Braves didn't learn their lesson in 2020, because they took another pitcher out of Wake Forest with their first-round pick in 2021. Ryan Cusick was the right-handed pitcher taken with the 24th overall selection in 2021, and today he pitches in the Phillies Triple-A organization to the tune of a 6.25 ERA.
Thankfully, Anthopoulos got out ahead of this failed development by packaging Cusick with other prospects in the blockbuster deal that brought Matt Olson to Atlanta. While each of these first-round picks did not pan out in Atlanta, a savvy GM like Anthopoulos has found a way to turn some of these mistakes into a net positive.
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