Atlanta Braves Day 1 Draft Recap: It's a bunch of righty arms, of course
Day one of the 2023 MLB Draft has wrapped for the Atlanta Braves, and they've selected three righty pitchers - Hurston Waldrep of Florida, Drue Hackenberg of Virginia Tech, and Cade Kuehler of Campbell.
Here's some thoughts on why Atlanta may have taken those guys and what to look for going forward.
RHP Hurston Waldrep, Florida
RHP Drue Hackenberg, Virginia Tech (no picture available)
RHP Cade Kuehler, Campbell
Day One takeaway
The big takeaway here is that Atlanta's identified a type that they feel like they can properly evaluate and develop, and that's a lot more than most organizations can do.
I still want to see some more bats enter the organization, but you see a method to the madness here. When you have as many long-term contracts at the major league level as Atlanta does, you don't necessarily need quantity, you need quality. The Braves don't need players - they need good players. And they're doubling down on pitching because they can make these guys - righties with specific traits, like fastballs with ride and a standout secondary pitch - into valuable assets either in trades or as reinforcements for the rotation.
It's a great strategy, and it's worked so far for Atlanta. Let's see how much they do on Day Two.
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