Today Baseball America released their new mock draft, going 35 picks deep instead of 15. It’s definitely quite the shakeup from their last mock draft, where the Braves were taking Kumar Rocker.
It starts out with Auburn pitcher Casey Mize going first overall, in what has become widely expected by most who follow the draft. Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart is being taken second overall, followed by Alec Bohm going third to the Phillies.
That’s where things get interesting, as Florida infielder Jonathan India has moved way up to fourth overall to the White Sox. I have liked India a lot and plan to talk about him more in the coming weeks.
The Reds take Florida pitcher Brady Singer fifth, followed by the Mets grabbing Oregon State infielder Nick Madrigal at six. The Padres at seven take Arizona prep right hander Matthew Liberatore.
That puts the Braves up, and in a move that could surprise some the Braves take Wisconsin prep outfielder Jarred Kelenic over some of the pitching talent available.
From 1-35, here's how we see the 2018 #MLBDraft unfolding...https://t.co/GkmP7gMkgi
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 8, 2018
Per BA:
”Kelenic has been difficult to scout given the weather he’s dealt with this spring, but the Braves have had someone from the organization watching his every move. He had a loud performance last weekend, when he went 11-for-17 with five doubles and a home run against Division I commits. While the Braves will always be in the mix for power arms, they could go with arguably the best prep hitter in the class to add to a system already loaded with pitching. Arizona third baseman Nolan Gorman could fit here as well, as a player with more raw talent at this age than Austin Riley, who has developed well in the Braves system. Still, it would be unwise to count Atlanta out of pitching here and it sounds like the team likes South Florida lefthander Shane McClanahan, as well as high-upside prep arms like Ethan Hankins, Kumar Rocker and Carter Stewart.”
I really would have expected the Braves to take one of the three prep arms(Hankins, Rocker, Stewart), or prep bat Gorman, but would be happy with the very sound hitting prospect Kelenic. He has some concerns about being older for his class, being closer to physically maxed out, and not playing high level competition- he’s not even playing high school ball to play with a travel club instead for better competition.
Some of the others of note include Shane McClanahan at nine, Nolan Gorman 13th, Carter Stewart 15th, Hankins 17th, and Rocker dropping all the way to 22nd. A new name in this mock is Parker Meadows- Austin’s brother, going 19th, and Anthony Seigler at 24th