FanPost

The #8 Pick: Looking (Far) Ahead

A fourth consecutive season of finishing with a sub-.500 record is in the books, and ATL holds the eighth pick in the 2018 Draft after finishing 72-90. Suffice to say, I think that's just about what most fans expected this year, with some future talent still waiting in the wings while top prospects like Gohara, Minter, Fried, and Sims (among others) get their first crack in the show. Julio looks like he should bounce back towards the mean next year after a dissappointing campaign, Vizcaino looked good in the 9th inning role down the stretch, and Foltynewicz, though still inconsistent, flashed big-time stuff and should only get better.

Offensively, Freddie is the straw that stirs the drink; he's an absolute force at the plate and one of the best offensive players in the game today. I've long been adamant that Ozzie Albies was the best prospect in the system before Acuna skyrocketed through the system this year (more on him in a bit), and the 20-year-old Curacao native is proving me right. The Wizard of Willemstad looks every bit the part of a franchise player. Ditto for Ender Inciarte, maybe the best defensive outfielder in the National League and a rock-solid top-of-the-order bat. He seems in the mold of a Marquis Grissom in terms of skill set, only better. I'd like to say that Dansby will rebound, though his struggles persistent throughout the year could render him to a bottom-of-the-lineup slot if he doesn't make adjustments. Both Kemp and Markakis are still productive but aging veterans that will likely be shipped out at some point before or during the season, and a catching platoon of Flowers and Suzuki is a strong one.

A lot of what happens in free agency will dictate who the front office will target in the draft. It is apparently a foregone conclusion that Royals GM Dayton Moore will be hired to replace John Coppolella, so Mike Moustakas seems like an obvious link to fix the revolving door at the hot corner via the open market. The back of the rotation will likely be experimented with continuously as the likes of Soroka, Allard, Wentz, Wright, Anderson, etc. are surely not going to be deemed ready until September at the earliest. The bullpen lacks a true lockdown guy, though the sum of all parts between Vizcaino, Krol, Minter, Motte, and others gives the impression of being at least serviceable down the road. Kemp's contract will be tough to move, making Markakis seemingly the odd man out by extension to get moved going into his contract year and with Ronald Acuna knocking on the door. Perhaps trying to continually get younger and biting the bullet on Kemp and/or Matt Adams and their defensive deficiencies seems to be the best way to go, with Adonis capable enough of manning LF alongside Ender and Acuna. That is just how I see things shaking out for this season, and there could be many different things that could happen along the way instead.

In the draft, it's still very early to see who could be the choice at #8 overall. As it stands now, these are a handful of candidates who could fit the mold of our farm system.

===BIG BOARD===

RHP Ethan Hankins, Forsyth Central (GA) HS

RHP Kumar Rocker, North Oconee (GA) HS

SS Brice Turang, Santiago (CA) HS

RHP Brady Singer, Florida

OF Jarred Kelenic, Waukesha West (WI) HS

2B/SS Nick Madrigal, Oregon St.

LHP Ryan Rolison, Ole Miss

RHP Casey Mize, Auburn

SS/OF Kendall Simmons, Tatnall Square (GA) Academy

LHP Shane McClanahan, USF

3B Nolan Gorman, Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ) HS

RHP Jackson Kowar, Florida

RHP Logan Gilbert, Stetson

OF/1B Seth Beer, Clemson

SS Nander De Sedas, Montverde (FL) Academy

C Will Banfield, Brookwood (GA) HS

OF Griffin Conine, Duke

LHP Matt Liberatore, Mountain Ridge (AZ) HS

LHP Ryan Weathers, Loretto (TN) HS

RHP Austin Bergner, UNC

That's my top 20 as of now, and I'm sure it's bound to change. One notable thing I'd like to point out is that the abundant river of talent that flows through Georgia never runs dry, as Rocker, Hankins, Banfield, and Simmons are all legitimate top-10 candidates with All-Star potential written all over them. Also glaring is the severe dearth of college bats (which I think the Braves will likely target on Day 1 at some point); we don't have a demand for a middle infielder like Madrigal, but a masher like Beer or a pure hitter with decent defense like Conine (Jeff's son) would be highly sought after in our system, given our pitching-heavy personnel and the high demand for proven hitters.

As always, I'd love to hear your voices and opinions. Feedback and insight is always encouraged and, since we're already looking to next year, it's never too early.

This FanPost does not express the views or opinions of Battery Power.