Recapping the Braves 2010 Draft: Day 2, Part 1

The Braves nabbed two infielders with their first two picks, Matt Lipka and Todd Cunningham. That trend of drafting infielders and hitters continues with the next few picks.

Andrelton Simmons (2nd round, 70 overall), RHP - From the island of Curacao, by way of Western Oklahoma State. He's a two way player, listed as both a shortstop, where he is a plus-plus defender, and a right-handed pitcher. As a pitcher he can reach the mid to high 90's with his fastball, which he complements with a plus slider. He's still very raw on the mound, but he's more raw at the plate, and the Braves took him as a pitcher. Kevin Goldstein quotes one scout as saying that Simmons "has huge shit out of 'pen." He's said to be another player who will sign quickly. This continues a trend in recent years by the Braves of taking hard-throwing relievers in the early rounds, as they have selected David Hale, Craig Kimbrel, and Josh Fields in the top three round each of the last three years.

Joe Leonard (3rd round, 101 overall), 3B - A solid pick for Atlanta, as they take a polished defender at the hot corner with a good bat. He still needs to develop more power in his swing, but the intangibles are there, especially the 6'5" 220 lbs. frame. A college Junior from Pittsburgh University, he is rated as the top prospect in Pennsylvania, and is the son of a former first round pick. He doesn't have any truly plus-plus skills (maybe his defense), but he is a well-rounded player who should be competitive at the next level. He is said to be willing to sign quickly for slot money.

David Filak (4th round, 134 overall), RHP - Part of the huge depth of right handed pitching in this year's draft. Filak was rated by some to go higher -- including Keith Law who had him as his 58th-best overall prospect -- but some health issues after he tweaked his elbow dropped him to the fourth round. He's another big-framed guy at 6'5", 220, but wirey. The injury dropped his velocity a few MPH, but he still posses a plus fastball and one of the best curve balls in the draft that rates as plus-plus (it's actually a knuckle curve). The Braves get good value with this pick, as Filak was projected to go higher and profiles as a number-2 starter if he can work on his command. He may be the toughest sign up to this point in the draft for the Braves, as he's only a Junior, and may choose to return to school and improve his draft position.

Philip Gosselin (5th round, 164 overall), 2B - A Junior second sacker from the University of Virginia. He doesn't have any plus tools, but he's described as a gamer, and has good baseball instinct which makes up for his lack of raw talent. He's listed as a second baseman, but he only recently moved there from the outfield, and he may find himself back out there in the long run. He was drafted about where he was expected to go and is considered signable.

Joseph Terdoslavich (6th round, 194 overall), 3B - The beginning of a couple of hard names to pronounce that the Braves will draft. He's also the first big power prospect the Braves have taken this year, and along those lines he does sacrifice some batting average for power. He transferred from Miami to Long Beach after his Freshman year and had to sit out 2009, but he came back strong this year. He might be a tough sign, but he was expected to go a bit lower in the draft so the Braves may hope that drafting him early helps him sign. He's a below average defender at third and will likely end up at first base.

Matthew Suschak (7th round, 224 overall), RHP - This University of Toledo Junior profiles as a reliever in the pros, and can touch 96 MPH with his plus fastball with good command. He has two other above average pitches and has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen in college. The Braves may try a similar route with him that they did with David Hale, by starting him out in the rotation with the intention that he'll eventually end up in the pen. He was ranked as the fifth-best prospect in Ohio, and around 150 overall, so this is a good value for Atlanta at 224. He's considered likely to sign, though the under-draft may hurt that some as he has another year of eligibility.

More draft updates to come later this afternoon.