While a welcome change of pace from previous years where they only took the top pitcher on their board, the picks the Atlanta Braves made on Day One of the 2025 MLB Draft were a little strange. Atlanta went with prep shortstop Tate Southisene who may look like a reach, but was pretty clearly an attempt to sign a guy they like under slot. College shortstops Alex Lodise and Cody Miller both are interesting prospects in their own right, but also were not likely to command massive signing bonuses.
So what is Atlanta doing with all of these bonus pool savings? Well, in years past, they would target a couple players on day two and lure them away from college commitments with overslot bonuses and then settle on cheap lottery tickets the rest of the way.
This year, it appears as though they have gone even more extreme than that as they just picked high school prep lefty Briggs McKenzie and he is going to require a lot of cash to sign.
Braves make massive overslot play to land top high school lefty Briggs McKenzie
Well, that escalated quickly. There is some wisdom to spreading one's bonus pool around a bit to get as much talent in the minor leagues as possible, but scooping up the top talent is going to require opening one's wallet. In the case of McKenzie, that gambit may be worth taking.
MLB Pipeline had McKenzie as the #69 (nice) prospect in this year's draft class. His calling card is his curveball which is among the better ones in the draft this year. His fastball has reached 95 mph, but he usually sits lower than that and will need to add some muscle for his velocity to play against pro hitters. His changeup also already looks to be in a good starting spot despite the fact that he didn't throw it all that much in high school.
The key to this pick is his commitment to LSU which is among the hardest schools to get guys to pass on. However, all indications are that the Braves saved their bonus pool to make a play for McKenzie and they wouldn't be picking him here unless they had come up with a number that is enough for him to forgo campus and turn pro immediately.