Baseball America has positive review of Atlanta's 2023 draft class after the conclusion of the minor league season

We're apparently not talking enough about 3rd round pick Sabin Ceballos's potential

Now that the Minor League season has concluded, Baseball America is reviewing and discussing each MLB organization's 2023 draft class, and they've got high praise ($) for what the Atlanta Braves did. 

(Also, confusingly, they call it a "report card" but there's no actual grades. There's superlatives, like "Best Pure Hitter" and "Best Fastball", but not actual grades.)

We've talked plenty on the site about the promise of our #2 prospect, Hurston Waldrep, but we're apparently not talking enough about 3rd round pick Sabin Ceballos. Drafted out of the the University of Oregon after he transferred in from San Jacinto Junior College, he got multiple superlatives from Baseball America in the piece including "Best Pure Hitter", "Best Power Hitter", and "Best Defensive Player". 

(The "Best Defensive Player" award came with the caveat that 5th round prep outfielder Isaiah Drake may take that spot over in a few years, owing to his insane athleticism and top-of-the-scale speed.)   

Here's some of what Baseball America said about the offensive tools of Ceballos when giving him both the Best Pure Hitter and Best Power Hitter labels:

The Braves waited until the third round to select the first hitter of their 2023 draft class. Third baseman Sabin Ceballos (3) had two excellent seasons with San Jacinto (Texas) JC before transferring to Oregon for the 2023 season, where he hit .333/.426/.643 with strong walk and strikeout rates. In a 14-game pro debut, Ceballos hit .300/.440/.375 between rookie ball and Low-A Augusta. 
Ceballos (3) also has plus raw power in the tank, with a strong and powerful 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame and he put on a show with pull-side home runs at MLB’s draft combine. He hit 18 home runs with Oregon this spring and had one of the best 90th-percentile exit velocity marks of Atlanta’s 2023 class. 

A lot of the remaining praise went to Drake, our #18 prospect, for his athleticism and to 1st rounder Waldrep for the quality of both his fastball and split-change, his excellent debut, and his proximity to the majors. 

But Baseball America did get a mention in at the end of 14th rounder Mitch Farris, a left-hander that got almost 20 innings combined between rookie ball and Single-A, designating him as the "Best Day Three Pick":

He posted a 2.16 ERA with 21 strikeouts and six walks, while showing great feel for an upper-80s fastball that has above-average carry, and got some whiffs with an upper-70s changeup. 

Read the full piece ($) here: Atlanta Braves 2023 MLB Draft Report Card

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