There are very few things more exciting for the prospect sickos than the day of the MLB draft. In the next 48 hours the Atlanta Braves will add potentially 21 new talents to their system, and it all starts with their first round pick. The Braves sit at 22nd overall, and the opinions are actually not all that varied on who they are going to take. All of the recent mock drafts heading into the draft feature Arkansas RHP Gage Wood, and there is a large amount of confidence that the Braves will once again go with a pitcher. That’s a potentially fair deal given how deep the pitching class is expected to be in the 20s this season, however don’t rule out prep arms such as Krus Schoolcraft or one of the many position players with impressive hit tools. The goal of this article is to compile all of the latest rumors heading into tonight’s draft, which starts at 6 PM EST, and hopefully we get a bit more of a variance in projections for the last second mock drafts.
MLB Pipeline
MLB Pipeline got the game started with a very early morning (for the east coast) drop of their final mock draft. Both Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis made their picks separately, and they went in opposite directions. Mayo stayed with his pick from a couple of days ago and projects the Braves to take Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy. Aloy would be a pick I imagine Braves fans find favor in, as an advanced shortstop who could hit for above average power and has a solid chance of sticking at shortstop. Aloy’s hit tool does carry some questions, but he would be by far the highest drafted hitter for the Braves since 2019. Callis has Aloy coming off at 21st. In his stead, Callis has the Braves taking Louisville right handed pitcher Patrick Forbes. Mayo connects Forbes to the Braves as well, and it certainly fits the profile typically associated with Atlanta. Forbes has a power fastball and slider combination that is among the best in the draft class, and carries top tier athleticism, but also has questions about his command and third pitch leading many to project him as a reliever. Both also connect Atlanta to prep arm Kruz Schoolcraft, a common and well-considered connection. Callis continues his connection for Atlanta to pitching with Gage Wood, Tyler Bremner (unlikely to be available that low), Riley Quick, and Zach Root all of which are legitimate candidates for the Braves to pick.
Baseball America
ESPN
The Athletic
