The 2017 college baseball season gets off to a start next weekend, meaning that the MLB Draft season is starting to approach. The Braves will be picking fifth this year in a draft that is much more solid at the top than last year’s. It’s also a good draft to get a bat early.
One other thing to remember about this draft unlike last year and the year before, the Braves aren't in as good of a position to manipulate their bonus pool. This year their bonus pool isn't ranked quite as high as some other teams which are ahead of them for their second and third picks. Also the new collective bargaining agreement has taken a little bit of money out of the bonus pools after decreasing slot values. That's not to say the Braves won't find a way to use their bonus pool in order to increase their talent in rounds after the first round, but it's more likely that the team will be picking the best available player.
Here’s a look at 10 players who could be in play for the Braves pick in the first round. Note that this is just an initial pre-season list and players can drop from first round talents to out of the first all together(Alec Hansen last year), or players could come out of no where to emerge as premium talents(Andrew Benintendi in 2015), and there is always the chance of an injury to drop their stock.
This is the first look at the draft. Another preview next month will look at some players with local ties, considering the Braves to like to scout the state and Southeast. Then in April there will be a look at some players who have seen their stock change, before May when a true Braves preview comes out.
Hunter Greene, RHP/SS, California HS
If there is a favorite to go #1 in the draft right now, it's clearly Hunter Greene. One thing to remember about him is that no right handed high school pitcher has ever been taken first overall, and while Greene could end up at shortstop most scouts prefer him as a pitcher. Greene has big power as a hitter and would be a very high pick as a shortstop, but he’s also a potential front of the rotation starter with a 97 MPH fastball which teams won't be able to ignore if they draft him. Greene is a special talent and if the Braves somehow have the opportunity to draft him he would be tough to pass on.
Jeren Kendall, OF, Vanderbilt
Jeren Kendall has been seen as a likely Top 5 pick in 2017 since his freshman year at Vanderbilt. He's a top of the order type of five tool talent with plus plus speed and some power. MLB.com has given him a comp to Jacoby Ellsbury, which feels fair based on their skill sets. Kendall is also a good defender in center field and could be quicker to the big leagues as an advanced player. To compare Kendall to the bats in the 2016 draft, it's very likely that he would have been the top guy on many draft boards if he was eligible.
Royce Lewis, SS, California HS
Royce Lewis is arguably the top high school bat in the draft(excluding Greene who will most likely be taken as a pitcher) and you can make the argument he's the best bat in the draft regardless of prep/college. He’s listed as a shortstop and there are plenty of teams who like him as a shortstop, but there are teams who prefer him as an outfielder. Lewis plays for JSerra High School in Southern California, a powerful prep program with a history of producing top players. He's got a very promising bat with the bat speed to hit for both average and power.
Kyle Wright, RHP, Vanderbilt
Kyle Wright is the top college arm in the draft right now after filling out his body quite a bit and adding significant velocity. He might have filled out a bit, but he's still got some projectability remaining and the fastball which tops out at 97 MPH can potentially add even more. He’s the son of a high school coach and knows how to pitch, using different breaking balls against batters from different sides. He's the type of kid with the stuff and pitchability to become a top of the rotation arm as long as his command continues to develop at an adequate rate.
Jordon Adell, OF, Kentucky HS
Jordon “Jo” Adell is a big time upside prospect out of a high school in Louisville. He's got plus power and speed to rival the power/speed combination of anyone else in the draft. He's a bit of a divisive prospect right now as some see his massive upside and would consider him to be a Top 5 talent, while others see that he's got swing and miss in his game and has struggled with breaking balls at times. Both sides of that argument have something to stand on, which makes this spring very important for him as he tries to solidify his stock. Adell is also a very good pitcher with a 97 MPH fastball, but he's not going to pitch unless he ends up going to college at Louisville as a two way player.
Alex Faedo, RHP, Florida
The biggest competition to Kyle Wright for the top college arm in the draft will come from Florida’s Alex Faedo. Unlike Wright, who emerged more recently for Vanderbilt, Faedo has been a consistent top pitcher for the similarly loaded Gators pitching staff. Faedo has a plus fastball and slider mixed with a change that could become slightly above average with more work and using it more. Faedo’s command is still coming along and if he can improve it he’s got top of the rotation potential.
Tanner Houck, RHP, Missouri
Tanner Houck comes with an electric fastball. A pitch he can dial up to 98 MPH, but gets swings and misses due to the life and sink on it. It’s a potentially plus plus pitch. However his slider and change both need work and use to improve, as they are what's holding him back from being where Wright and Faedo are on the list. With his fastball and above average command, there is some hope that Houck can see his secondary offerings improve and help him better project into a potential top of the rotation arm.
JB Bukauskas, RHP, North Carolina
Another big college arm is JB Bukauskas from North Carolina, a formerly highly regarded prep pitcher who dropped in the draft due to his college commitment. Out of the college pitchers in this group Bukauskas has the biggest fastball, a true plus plus pitch that hits 97 MPH, as well as a slider which flashes as plus plus. His change is still a work in progress right now, but he's given hope that it can become at least an average pitch. Bukauskas has been a successful pitcher in the ACC, and has been one of the better strikeout pitchers in the country. There's no doubt that he's got as much upside as any pitcher in the draft, but he does have a pair of factors working against him. The first is that he’s a 6’0 right hander- an automatic strike against a prospect since it’s tougher for shorter right handers to succeed in a starting role. The other issue is his delivery has some effort to it, another strike against pitchers as it often ends up leading to them having to head to the bullpen. Not that Bukauskas can't be an impact starter, but he does have some factors working against him.
Pavin Smith, 1B, Virginia
Some might remember last year when the Braves took a prep player given a comp of a bigger Pavin Smith- that player was Joey Wentz, who could have been a big power hitting first baseman if he wasn't taken as a pitcher. The real Pavin Smith is a very advanced hitter with plus power. He's a solid defender at first base and while he may not be even average as a runner, he does have sneaky athleticism. First basemen don't usually get drafted in the Top 5 because of the pressure on a bat at first base to produce just to be big league average for the position, but there is some thought that Smith has a chance to play left field.
Blayne Enlow, RHP, Louisiana HS
Blayne Enlow is the best prep arm in the draft outside of Hunter Greene. He’s a projectable young right hander with above average command, and has the stuff to get your attention. Enlow has a pair of plus pitches, a fastball which touches 94 MPH right now, but could bump up a grade once he fills out his 6’4, 180 pound frame. That fastball may not be his best pitch, as his 12-6 curve is considered by many to be the best curve in the prep class this year. The change isn’t something he's needed to use much against his competition, but it could become an above average offering. Enlow has a chance to be a top of the rotation arm.
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