When the 2020 MLB Draft gets underway on Wednesday, it will be interesting to see what sort of strategy the Atlanta Braves go with for their first round pick. Most mock drafts have had them linked with college pitchers early that would potentially be signed underslot which would allow them to focus on some high ceiling high school talent in the later rounds. Atlanta took a similar approach last season so it could certainly be in play again particularly with just four picks in the entire draft.
With that in mind, we take a look at Jonathan Mayo’s latest mock draft offering for MLB Pipeline. Mayo projects Texas Tech right-hander Clayton Beeter to the Braves at No. 25.
The stuff is there, though there’s not a lot of history because of injuries. This could be a real steal.
Baseball America has Beeter as the 58th best prospect in the draft in their rankings. He was a freshman All-American in 2019 while working mostly in relief. He transitioned to a starter this season and pitched well posting a 2.14 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 21 innings. He had Tommy John surgery in high school but his stuff has improved as he has been further removed from the injury. He has a fastball that touches 97 and a hammer curveball that has plus potential.
It is also worth mentioning that Mayo had High School right-hander Jared Kelley coming off the board one pick ahead of the Braves at No. 24. Will be interesting to see what Atlanta does if Kelley happens to be available to them.