Braves Today MLB Mock Draft 1.0: Atlanta takes experience over youth

Here's an idea of how the 1st day of the draft might shake out for the Atlanta Braves

Believe it or not, the MLB Draft is just under a month away. July 9th-11th, Atlanta will be making their selections and looking to improve the talent level of a farm system that's regarded as one of the worst in baseball (owing to how many prospects they've either graduated or moved out in trades for big leaguers), as well as acquire prospect capital for any trades that are needed to supplement the big league roster. 

Here at Braves Today, we decided to hop into the Prospects Live Draft Simulator and give it a whirl, making selections for Atlanta's first three picks, using our knowledge of Atlanta's player preferences, past selections, and organizational specialties. 

Round 1, Pick 24: C Kyle Teel, Virginia 

2023 stats: 65G, .407/.475/.655 w/ 13 HRs, 38 XBH, 32 BB to 36 Ks

Teel is generally considered to be the premier college catcher available in the draft, and I did not expect him to be available at 24. There were a few places that made sense for him to get snagged - Kansas City at #8 has a giant organizational need for catchers, as well as #15 to the White Sox and #21 to the Cardinals, but their loss is Atlanta's gain. 

Teel's a good athlete - not for a catcher, but good athlete period. His speed is above-average, good enough for him to have played some corner outfield in both college and in the Cape Cod summer league. That kind of athleticism is rare to find in a backstop, and it has to be making Sal Fasano salivate at the possibility of getting his hands on Teel. The arm is average to above average, but the athleticism lets you mitigate that somewhat with a good pop time, and he did enough to hold college runners from running at will. 

The bat is the real star here, though: Easily projecting as plus at the next level, the bat speed is above average and the swing covers the entire zone, allowing his above average power to show up in games. 

Atlanta has Sean Murphy signed long-term, but Travis d'Arnaud is thirty-four and the selection of Teel, while not made with that in mind, would work out perfectly for the backside of TDA's tenure with Atlanta, with the possibility of playing him in left field were he not needed (or not capable enough) behind the plate. 

Other options on the board here: RHP Charlee Soto, prep; LHP Thomas White, prep; RHP Cade Kuehler, Campbell

Round 2, Pick 59: LHP Hunter Owen, Vanderbilt

2023 stats: 4-0, 3.52 ERA in twelve starts covering sixty-four innings, with seventy-six strikeouts (10.7 K/9), seventeen walks (2.4 BB/9), 9 homeruns allowed 

Lots of directions Atlanta could have gone here with this 2nd round pick - there were some prep shortstops and outfielders on the board here, but we stuck with what this farm system does best and took an arm to develop. 

Owen has fantastic raw stuff, but it's just that - raw. The fastball is impressive, sitting in the upper-90s, and doubly so when you consider it's from a lefty. He's got a changeup and a curve ball to go along with it, and they all play pretty well together - the fastball/changeup tunnel is practically textbook perfect, and the curveball plays off of both those pitches to create a lethal trio. The extreme approach angle generated from his 6'6 height makes everything tougher to hit, giving Owen an unusual combination of velocity, extension, and deception that allows his tools to play up.

He's got to work on stamina and efficiency - while he did throw a complete game shutout against Ole Miss on March 17th to open SEC play, striking out eleven on only 96 pitches, a lot of his starts were abbreviated outings: Of his twelve starts, only six went five innings and only three went seven or more, with an average pitch count of 77 when he was lifted. 

Other options on the board here: Atlanta prep SS Antonio Anderson; RHP Alonzo Tredwell, UCLA; RHP TJ Nichols, Arizona

Round 2C, Pick 69: RHP Jackson Baumeister, Florida State

2023 stats: 5-5, 5.09 ERA in fifteen appearances (fourteen starts) covering sixty-nine innings, with ninety-five strikeouts (12.4 K/9) to twenty-nine walks (3.8 BB/9), five homeruns allowed

Surprise, it's another pitcher! Leaning into what Atlanta does well, it's a taller (6'4) pitcher with great raw stuff that needs refinement. The fastball for Baumeister sits in the mid 90s, touching 97, and he features two fantastic breaking balls, with the slider grading out the better of the two. A changeup is a clear fourth pitch but has promise. The thing here is the future - unlike a lot of college pitchers, Baumeister has a shorter track record (draft eligible sophomore) with less mileage on his arm (117.1 total innings combined between college and summer ball on the Cape). There's plenty of simple development to be done here, too: Improving the shape of the fastball and working on the sequencing, specifically pitching backwards, are simple things Atlanta can work with him on to see immediate results upon getting him in the organization.

Other options on the board here: SS AJ Ewing, prep; SS Myles Naylor, prep

This year's MLB Draft is July 9th through 11th, and Locked On MLB Prospects will be LIVE on Sunday night for the first round with immediate analysis of the selections. Stay you can find Locked On MLB Prospects, the #1 daily minor league baseball podcast, wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. 

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