MLB Draft Day Two: Atlanta Braves Updates
By Steven Teal
Round 5, Pick 162 - Isaiah Drake (OF) - North Atlanta HS (GA)
Drake is listed as 5' 10" and 180 pounds and is apparently known for his power and elite speed. He was apparently impressive in the Draft Combine in Arizona and his performance in the MLB Draft League.
Isaiah is the younger brother of Baltimore Ravens running back and former Alabama Crimson Tide star, Kenyon Drake. Isaiah is also a Georgia Tech commit and the only question surrounding him is if he will be able to cut down on the swings and misses and become a more consistent hitter.
The Atlanta-Journal Constitution spoke with Hudson Graham who is the scouting director for Prep Baseball Report for the state of Georgia. He thinks Drake has a lot of power potential and that he helped his stock by performing well in the Draft Combine.
"“... He’s doing pretty well (in the draft league), so I think his Combine performance along with his draft league performance is really, really upping in his stock.”"
- Hudson Graham
He has the potential to be one of the most exciting hitters in the Atlanta Braves system and could become an impact player for the team in the future.
Round 6, Pick 189 - Lucas Braun (RHP) - Cal State Northridge (CA)
Braun is another college pitcher selected by the Braves. He was excellent in 2022 for Cal State Northridge with a 2.91 ERA but that ballooned on him a bit in 2023 as he carried a 4.83 ERA. That brings his career ERA to 3.97 over those two seasons. Braun was 6-5 through 91.1 innings with 30 walks and 100 strikeouts.
Lucas Braun left it all out on the mound today
— CSUN Baseball (@CSUNBaseball) May 26, 2023
His 8th strikeout ends the 8th inning pic.twitter.com/TYkVccrlje
Lucas has also pitched in the summer leagues over the years. In 2020 and 2021, he was with the La Crosse Loggers and earned a 2.27 and 3.76 ERA respectively. He was with the Anchorage Glacier Pilots in 2022 and posted a 0.75 ERA through 24 innings with 2 walks and 28 strikeouts.
The LA native was named to the All-Big West Second team in 2022 and 2023. His 100 strikeouts in 2023 were the third most in the conference and he produced eight quality starts during the season as well.