The MLB draft changes rules at round 11. Anyone drafted in this range can get a $125,000 signing bonus without pulling from the team’s draft pool allowance. Any bonus over $125,000 will count against the pool, dollar-for-dollar over the standard $125,000. Most of the picks after the 11th are college players, typically juniors, who will likely sign before they lose the last of their negotiation leverage as a senior.
If the Braves believe they have saved any draft bonus pool money, they could take higher-upside selections with some of the early picks in the 11-14 range, as they did last season when they signed the likes of Nolan Kingham, Jake Higginbotham, and Victor Vodnik.
Previous Entries In This Series:
Day One (Round 1-2)
Day Two (Rounds 3-10)
11. Vaughn Grissom, SS, Hagerty HS (FL)
At 6′-3″ and 180 pounds with plenty of projection left in his body, Grissom will probably grow out of shortstop, but he has shown good strength and athleticism and should be able to handle second or third as a pro. Vaughn has work to do on his swing but has good hit and power tools and this represents a strong upside pick.
12. Andy Samuelson, LHP, Wabash Valley College (IL)
Samuelson is a lanky lefty who will likely start in the lower levels of the farm, though he was used exclusively as a match-up lefty reliever at his JUCO, where he only appeared in 16 games, pitching to a 2.93 ERA and striking out 29 in just over 15 innings. Samuelson has a potential plus curveball.
13. Tyler Owens, RHP, Trinity Catholic HS (FL)
Owens has a Florida commitment with a fastball that has been clocked in the high-90s, so will likely be an over-slot signing. Undersized for a power right-hander at 5′-10″ and 188 pounds but with solid mechanics and a potentially plus slider, another pitch could make him a starting pitching candidate. This is the second high-upside pick of Day 3 for Atlanta.
14. Jared Johnson, RHP, Smithville HS (MS)
Coming out of a very small Mississippi community, Johnson didn’t get noticed by scouts until his senior year, but the 6′-3″, 200 pound Johnson quickly became noticed when he started posting fastball readings in the high 90s. Johnson is committed to Mississippi State and only has rudimentary secondary pitches, but would represent a very interesting project for Braves player development.
15. Connor Blair, RF, University of Washington
Blair was a top JUCO player for Butte College before transferring to Washington for his junior year. Blair was hitting .291/.362/.522 with 8 homers as a starter for the Huskies before suffering a broken wrist after getting hit by a pitch. He returned for the final game of the regular season, so the wrist should no longer be a concern.
16. Joey Estes, RHP, Paraclete HS (CA)
The fourth high schooler drafted on Day 3, like Johnson Estes is a small town right-hander that started to get scouting attention late. Estes won’t turn 18 until October, but is already 6′-1″ and 185 pounds with a low-90s fastball and good deception. That and developing curveball and change-ups was enough for Estes to strike out 124 batters in 77 innings pitched.
17. Alec Barger, RHP, North Carolina State
Barger was a 16th-round selection by Milwaukee coming out of his sophomore year at Polk State junior college, but elected to continue his college experience at North Carolina State. Now he is selected one round later by Atlanta after Barger struggled with the Wolfpack despite a rise in his strikeout rate.
18. Mahki Backstrom, 1B, Junipero Serra HS (CA)
Backstrom is a big lefty slugger from the Los Angeles area, but athletic with a stronger hit tool that most would expect from a high school first baseman. Backstrom showed out in workouts and showcases after his junior year, but he had a somewhat disappointing senior season and will need to work getting his tools to play. Backstrom represents the first high school first base prospect drafted by the Braves since Griffin Benson in 2016. Backstrom is committed to Fresno State.
19. Kadon Morton, CF/RHP, Arlington Seguin HS (TX)
Morton’s position could probably be described as “Athlete”. A star quarterback, Morton decided to focus on baseball after his sophomore season. Scouted as both an outfielder and a pitcher, the Braves look to make him a position player full time despite a low-90s fastball and the makings of a solid curveball. At 6′-2″ and 195 pounds, the Braves may be anticipating more filling and improved bat plane to make Morton a reliable right-handed slugger that can handle centerfield.
20. Peyton Williams, RHP, Catawba College (NC)
Williams is a pure relief prospect who handled 9th-inning duties for Pfeiffer in 2018 and Catawba in 2019, pitching to a 2.43 ERA in 31 appearances while striking out 55. The Braves have had a lot of success mining Division 2 rosters for under-scouted talent the last several years, particularly in the South Atlantic Conference.
21. Javier Valdes, C, Florida International
Slightly undersized for a catcher at 5′-11″, 175 pounds, Valdes converted from the infield and became a leader on the Panthers his junior year. Valdes also exhibited a mixture of power and patience, hitting .255/.379/.472 this season with 8 home runs.
22. Alex Segal, LHP, Wichita State
A reshirt junior, Segal struggled with control in 2019 with Wichita State, walking 26 batters in 31.2 relief innings. With two more years of collegiate eligibility, Segal would seem a good bet to remain in school to improve his draft stock. Segal was drafted out of high school by Toronto in the 38th round in 2016.
23. Drew Campbell, CF, University of Louisville
Campbell batted .281/.372/.399 during the regular season for Louisville in his junior season with 2 home runs and 9 stolen bases. Campbell is a strong defender who can play all three outfield positions.
24. Bryce Ball, 1B, Dallas Baptist University (TX)
Ball is a towering left-handed hitter, measuring at 6′-6″ and 235 pounds. Transferring to the baseball factory of Dallas Baptist for his junior year, Ball hit .320/.435/.640 with 17 home runs in the regular season. Ball hit a home run in the NCAA Regional Tournament to help advance Dallas Baptist past Florida.
25. Chad Bryant, RHP, Pensacola State College
Bryant has mostly started with JUCO Pensacola State, this year pitching to a 6.70 ERA in 13 appearances and 9 starts. Bryant is committed to transfer to Alabama for his junior year.
26. Riley King, 3B, University of Georgia
The Braves haven’t drafted a Georgia Bulldog since 2015, but they dream big here with King, a top producer on Georgia’s 46-17 2019 squad and redshirt sophomore. King batted .307/.417/.470 with 8 homers, playing mostly outfield with SEC All-American Aaron Schunk ensconced at third. The Lawrenceville native also played well in the wooden bat Coastal Plain League the last two seasons, hitting .306/.365/.406 with Macon last summer.
27. Indigo Diaz, RHP, Michigan State University
Diaz is a 6′-5″, 250 pound righty with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s, but he had some issues with control in 2019 in his first year with Michigan State after two years at Iowa Western Community College. Diaz had a 5.73 ERA and a 5.93 BB/9 in 2019, but struck out 51 batters in 44 innings, including 4 starts.
28. Ben Thompson, RHP, Chandler Gilbert Community College (AZ)
A native of New Zealand who cut his teeth in the Western Canadian summer league on is way to playing for an Arizona JUCO and now committed to Tulane, Thompson is otherwise another another big-bodied righty that the Braves have traditionally coveted. Thompson is 6′-5″ and 220 pounds who pitched to a 3.36 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 59 innings in 11 starts his sophomore season.
29. James Acuña, RHP, Azusa Pacific University
Acuña is no relation to the younger Ronald. This Acuña is tall and lanky, with a low-90s fastball and a slider that could be above average. Acuña played his first two collegiate seasons with Oregon, pitching to a 6.65 ERA his sophomore season as a swingman. With Azusa, Acuña pitched to a 2.51 ERA in 32.1 innings.
30. Mitch Calandra, C, Eckerd College (NC)
A first-team conference All-Star, senior Calandra batted .382 for Eckerd and set single-season and career school records for hits. Calandra was a team leader on an Eckerd squad that made the NCAA D2 playoffs for the first time since 1987. Primarily a contact hitter for most of his college career, Calandra added more power in his senior season, swatting 6 homers and 16 doubles to go with his .382 batting average and he caught 33% of baserunners attempting to steal.
31. Greg Leban, RHP, Austin Peay State University (TN)
Another big right-hander, Leban is a 6-3″, 238 pound senior who pitched to a 3.50 ERA in 36 innings out of the bullpen for Austin Peay. Leban’s twin brother Zack was selected in the 12th round of the 2018 draft by Miami out of Kansas.
32. Cody Birdsong, 2B, Quincy University (IL)
Another alumni of John A. Logan College along with 2018 5th-rounder Trey Riley and 2019 6th-rounder Tanner Gordon, Birdsong transferred to Quincy of the D2 Great Lakes Valley Conference before the 2018 season and started every game at second base for his two seasons. Birdsong hit .284 with 13 home runs and 14 doubles.
33. Justin Yeager, RHP, Southern Illinois University
A reliever in all three seasons with Southern Illinois of the Missouri Valley Conference, Yeager had a 2.27 regular season ERA with 42 strikeouts in 35.2 innings. Yeager was exceptionally good at limiting hard contact, holding opposing batters to only 5 extra-base hits in his sophomore and junior seasons combined.
34. Willie Carter, OF, Webber International University (FL)
The Lake City, FL native swatted 19 home runs and 13 doubles while batting .382 his junior season at Webber International and has an 80-grade bat flip.
35. Anthony Hall, 1B, Point Loma HS (CA)
After missing his junior season with Tommy John surgery, Hall returned to first base and batted .366 with 4 home runs and 12 doubles. Hall is tall and somewhat lanky with good body projection. Hall has not committed to a college and may be more likely than most prep draftees taken in this area of the draft.
36. Mitchell Jackson, RHP, Marion HS (IL)
Jackson is tall, but not big-bodied… yet. Jackson is 6′-5″ and 175 pounds with a low-80s fastball and developing secondaries. Jackson was also a star for his school basketball team and played first base. Jackson is committed to Southern Illinois.
37. Davis Schwab, LHP, Missouri State University
Just to switch things up, the Braves eschewed drafting another big-bodied right-hander and picked up Schwab, a big-bodied lefty senior with a mid-80s fastball and potentially plus curveball and change-up.
38. Grant Mathews, OF, Tulane University (LA)
Braves scouts likely got a good look at Mathews while scouting third baseman Kody Hoese in the run-up to this draft, and Mathews made the most of the attention, hitting .327/.402/.544 with 10 homers and 13 doubles. A redshirt junior, Mathews does have some leverage and may be a difficult signing.
39. Joshua Rolling, SS, Bishop Manogue HS (NV)
A three-sport athlete, Rolling has a baseball commitment to UNLV. At 6′-2″ and 165 pounds, there’s still projection left in his body but looks to be able to continue to handle shortstop. Rolling would seem to be an unlikely signing.
40. Cade Bunnell, 2B, Indiana University
Bunnell was a part-time player for Indiana the last two seasons, though he’d shown some power as a sophomore in junior college and in the wooden bat Northwoods League.
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