Atlanta Braves fans have been hoping for a while that the Braves would stop only taking arms early in the MLB Draft and they got their wish this year. While their first three picks were under slot, they were still shortstops who are legitimate prospects in the field and it seems like forever that Atlanta has invested in young position player talent like that. That isn't entirely true, but there is a good reason why their more recent attempts have gone unnoticed.
Coming out of the international signing scandal that basically torpedoed their ability to sign international free agents for years, the Braves needed to re-establish themselves in that market. While they did hand out some big time bonuses, there has also been some significant missteps in the international free agency that cast some doubt on their 2025 draft picks.
Braves seem to know what they want from pitchers, but their position player development is questionable
We don't want to paint with too broad of strokes here. Obviously the Braves have a number of homegrown position players currently on their roster (though 2025 hasn't been kind to most of them) and Atlanta has also gone after some arms in international free agency. However, it has been largely true that the Braves prioritize arms in the draft and position players on the international market.
The problem is that a large portion of the international bats the Braves have signed either haven't worked out or are trending in that direction. Shortstop Ambioris Tavarez got a seven-figure bonus and has struggled mightily as a pro. The Braves gave Diego Benitez $2.5 million and the shortstop is still in rookie ball years later and has hit below .200 the last two seasons. Luis Guanipa and Jose Perdomo were recent IFA jewels Atlanta signed and neither are off to great starts to their careers and have dealt with injuries. Diego Tornes looks very promising at least from this year's class, but he feels like the exception to the rule right now.
At some point, one has to wonder if the Braves can't evaluate position player talent and/or they don't know how to develop it properly. Prospects fail all the time and it isn't anyone's fault per se, but Atlanta's consistent inability to get real value from their international free agent bats points to a more systemic problem. Given that the Braves just picked three shortstops with their first three picks in the draft, that should at least be some cause for concern.