The 2010 draft was an overall very solid draft for the Braves. They added star shortstop Andrelton Simmons, as well as finding some late magic with Evan Gattis, Brandon Drury, and also Chasen Shreve. They also got Phil Gosselin, Todd Cunningham, and Joey Terdoslavich to the show.
The thing with this draft is that both of the top two picks, Matt Lipka and Cunningham, underwhelmed in relation to expectations. If I was picking as the Braves- at the time of the draft is when I recorded my selections, not in hind sight, things could have been even better.
Also remember that I had the ability to match any of the Braves picks I wanted for whatever reason- some because I loved the pick, some of the later ones because the depth of my draft knowledge wasn’t quite as strong back in 2010.
Here’s a look at how I would have drafted as the Braves back in 2010.
2010
1s - Braves pick: Matt Lipka, SS, Texas HS
My pick: Nick Castellanos, 3B, Florida HS
The Braves were without a first round pick of their own minus the supplemental first rounder. The first rounder was lost because they signed Billy Wagner, and they picked up this pick because the Indians signed Mike Gonzalez. The Braves took a Texas football star in Matt Lipka, and were hoping his speed and raw talent could come together. Lipka stuck with the Braves through 2016, but never had an OPS above .700 after his 2010 stint in the Gulf Coast League. My choice here would have been tough, but it wouldn’t have been Lipka. I say it would have been tough because there were some very good options out there. I was a fan of prep right handers Noah Syndergaard and Taijuan Walker and UConn third baseman Mike Olt, but my pick would have been an overslot deal for Florida prep hitter Nick Castellanos. Castellanos should have been a Top 10 pick, there is zero question about that, but he slipped a bit on draft day because of those bonus demands(remember this is pre-bonus pools). Castellanos has had a solid big league career, though he has never quite met some of the hype around him- but he is in the middle of a breakout in his age-26 season this year. For me taking Castellanos over Syndergaard is definitely a regret now, but either way adding a quality bat into the lineup would have been nice.
2 - Braves pick: Todd Cunningham, OF, Jacksonville State
My pick: Drew Smyly, LHP, Arkansas
The Braves next pick was Cunningham, who really looked good in the Cape Cod League the year before his draft. Unfortunately Cunningham has never shown enough power to do more than get a few cups of coffee. I would have gone in a different direction here, and was hoping for prep arm Stetson Allie and his big fastball- but he just came off the board before the Braves pick and likely would have been too expensive with Castellanos being quite a bit overslot. I remember being particularly interested in a pair of college players here, West Virginia’s slugger without a true position Jedd Gyorko and Arkansas lefty Drew Smyly. I would have selected Smyly over Gyorko because of questions about where Gyorko would have played. Smyly has been an effective big league pitcher when healthy, but injuries have had a role in keeping him from breaking out.
2 - Braves pick: Andrelton Simmons, SS, Oklahoma JUCO
My pick: Same
The Braves stole the best defensive shortstop in the draft in the middle of the second round. It’s almost crazy now to remember that some were considering him as a relief prospect because of his big arm. I would have matched this pick as well because I was already a big fan of his defense and knew he only had to hit a little to be a big leaguer.
3 - Braves pick: Joe Leonard, 3B, Pitt
My pick: Same
The Braves took a third baseman with some power and fielding ability in the third round in Leonard, and he made it as far as AAA. I would have matched this pick as well (disclaimer: I’m a Pitt fan) over Oklahoma prep catcher JT Realmuto and LSU outfielder Leon Landry.
4 - Braves pick: David Filak, RHP, SUNY Oneonta
My pick: Same
The Braves took a chance on a D3 pitcher from a cold weather state in David Filak. I would have taken a chance on him as a sleeper from the Northeast over Louisiana prep third baseman Garin Cecchini (an overslot guy) and Puerto Rican outfielder Eddie Rosario. Filak never panned out and didn’t have much success jumping from D3 to pro ball.
5 - Braves pick: Phil Gosselin, 2B, Virginia
My pick: Same
Gosselin has turned into a decent depth player, one who is good enough to get some big league looks between stints in the minors. I would have taken him at the time because I saw him as a gritty, versatile, winner from an elite program. His college homers off Stephen Strasburg certainly didn’t hurt my perception of him either.
6 - Braves pick: Joey Terdoslavich, 3B, Long Beach State
My pick: Same
The Braves took a chance on a former University of Miami turned Long Beach State slugger Joey Terdoslavich. This is a pick that I would have matched at the time because of his power potential. Terdoslavich made it to the big leagues in three different seasons, but he is more of a AAAA player.
7 - Braves pick: Matt Suschak, RHP, Toledo
My pick: Josh Osich, LHP, Oregon State(didn’t sign)
The Braves grabbed Matt Suschak, who didn’t last long and didn’t have much success as a pro. I would have grabbed Oregon State lefty Josh Osich here, a guy who didn’t sign as well as a guy who will come up again later.
8 - Braves pick: Kurt Fleming, OF, Virginia HS
My pick: AJ Kirby-Jones, 1B, Tennessee Tech
Kurt Fleming had a very small handful of games played above short season ball during his time as a Brave. I would have taken Tennessee Tech first baseman AJ Kirby-Jones instead. Kirby-Jones had some success in the low minors but never got past AA.
9 - Braves pick: David Rohm, 1B, California JUCO
My pick: Same
Rohm showed some potential early on as a Brave, but never did much after leaving Rome despite sticking around for a while. I would have matched this pick as this is where my draft knowledge started to give me few options.
10 - Braves pick: Matthew Lewis, RHP, UC Davis
My pick: Same
Lewis pitched just 16 games over two seasons with the Braves and had little success.
Additional Picks: Chasen Shreve (11th), Brandon Drury (13th), Evan Gattis (23rd)
The Braves did an excellent job after the 10th round as Evan Gattis and Brandon Drury were absolute steals, and Chasen Shreve has been a quality reliever for the Yankees after moving over in the Manny Banuelos deal.
The Braves had an excellent draft in 2010, taking Andrelton Simmons, Phil Gosselin, Evan Gattis, Brandon Drury, and Chasen Shreve in the same draft. If I was the one drafting they would have also had Nick Castellanos and Drew Smyly added to that already impressive haul.