Braves Given Versatile College Athlete in Latest MLB Pipeline Mock Draft

The Atlanta Braves could continue a trend of finding hidden value with their first round pick in this summer's MLB Draft

Oklahoma State two-way player Carson Benge was mocked to the Atlanta Braves at pick #24 by MLB Pipeline / NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

The Atlanta Braves haven’t really gone outside of the pitching demographic with their recent first-round picks. 

You have to go back to 2019 to find the Braves making a first-round selection that was a position player, and they actually made two that year: Baylor catcher Shea Langeliers at #9 and Texas A&M shortstop Braden Shewmake at #21. Both players have since been traded, with Langeliers starting for the Oakland Athletics (Matt Olson deal) and Shewmake part of the infield mix for the Chicago White Sox (Aaron Bummer deal). 

That’s what makes the latest MLB Pipeline mock draft that was released on Thursday so interesting - they have Atlanta going back to the position player well with a projected pick of Oklahoma State outfielder Carson Benge at #24. 

Here’s what MLB Pipeline writer Jim Callis had to say about the choice of Benge to Atlanta: 

Few players in this Draft can beat Benge's combination of bat-to-ball skills and exit velocities, so there should be more power to come once he learns to lift more balls in the air. He's also an underrated athlete who can run his fastball up to 96 mph on the mound.

And it’s entirely possible that that final mention - being a good athlete with a powerful fastball - might come into play here, as well. 

It reminds of two notable selections for Atlanta that are paying off in a big way, the first being the draft selection of third baseman Austin Riley in 2015. He was seen as one of the best two-way prospects in that year’s class, but was mainly being viewed as a pitcher owing to his mid-90s fastball and powerful frame. The pattern repeated with centerfielder Michael Harris II, who drew significant pre-draft interest on the mound in 2019, where Atlanta took him as an outfielder in the 3rd round. 

Could the pattern be reversed with Benge here? He suffered an elbow injury in 2022 that required Tommy John surgery and kept him out for the entire year. He returned as a position player last season, getting some run on the mound but being carefully managed as he returned from the injury. 

In 2024, Benge has doubled his power output, putting up 15 homers while batting .328/.444/.672 in fifty-nine games. But it’s his pitching numbers that stand out: a 2.45 ERA in 25.2 innings of relief work, striking out thirty and walking just eight (two of those intentionally). Per reports, it’s a legitimate three-pitch mix, with the aforementioned fastball and both a slider and a changeup. 

Could the Braves find another scouting gem via a position change and bucking the industry consensus here? We’ll find out soon enough. 

UPDATE: As our own Jake Mastroianni points out, Atlanta is no stranger to picking up position players and converting them to the mound, either.

Schwellenbach was also a two-way player and the Braves went the other way with him (in reference to the Riley, MH2 comps).

— Jake Mastroianni (@ShortStopBall) May 17, 2024

Jake's referring to Spencer Schwellenbach, Atlanta's 2nd rounder in 2021 out of Nebraska. He was primarily a position player who moonlit as a reliever for his final year of college ball - the Braves disregarded his body of work at shortstop to take him as a starting pitcher.

Schwellenbach was promoted to AA Mississippi just this week and twirled a gem in his first start, going six innings with only three hits and a walk while striking out a career-high nine batters.