With a power arm in right-hander Ryan Cusick in the stable after the first round, Atlanta goes into Day Two looking to make the most of each pick as they try to build out depth in their somewhat depleted system.
Other Entries In This Series:
Second Round
Spencer Schwellenbach, RHP/SS
Age: 21
School: Nebraska
Hometown: Saginaw, MI
Atlanta used their 2nd-round pick on a player that many had projected to them in the first round. A UCL repair surgery in his senior year of high school took him off the mound until his junior year at Nebraska. As a shortstop, Schwellenbach hit .282/.405/.423 in his three seasons, showing good exit velocities but groundball tendencies. When allowed back to the mound, Schwellenbach impressed with mid-90s velocity, touching as high as 99, with a solid curveball and a change-up. Schwellenbach exhibits good control, only walking 8 batters in 31.2 innings while striking out 34.
With major league teams likely facing roster limitations to 13 pitchers on the active 26-man roster, the Braves may be looking ahead to see if they can develop some legitimate two-way players in the mold of Reds RHP/OF Michael Lorenzen.
Third Round
Dylan Dodd, LHP
Age: 23
School: Southeast Missouri State
Hometown: Bismark, IL
Dodd was one of the top-rated college seniors in the draft, and the first one off the board. Dodd gets good marks for his athleticism and for the life on his low-90s fastball. He pairs with with a curve, slider, and change-up, all pitches that rate at least average with the slider and change-up potential plus.
Teams draft college seniors in the top-10 rounds to save draft pool slot money to slide to other picks, and there’s no reason to think that’s not what will happen here. That said, the Braves struck early and got one of the best ones in the draft, one with legitimate major league possibilities as a back-end starter or left-handed relief pitcher.
Fourth Round
Cal Conley, SS
Age: 22
School: Texas Tech
Hometown: Union Township, OH
The son of former minor leaguer Trevor Conley, Cal has been a strong performer in two seasons at Texas Tech, hitting .339/.405/.600 with 18 home runs in his college career. A switch-hitter with some pop and from both sides, Conley has good feel for the bat and should make solid contact. Defensively he has good hands and lateral movement, but the knock on Conley is his arm strength, and he may have to eventually move to second base.
Conley is a high-motor, high baseball-IQ player that the Braves tend to like in this area of the draft. Conley is a player who could potentially slot into the in field at low-A Augusta shortly after signing and immediately helps the Braves’ flagging depth in the middle infield.
Fifth Round
Luke Waddell, SS
Age: 23
School: Georgia Tech
Hometown: Loveland, OH
For their second senior-sign, the Braves look in their backyard and nab Waddell from Georgia Tech. A solid all-round player with a feel to hit, and his senior year he hit .309/.402/.474 with 8 home runs. Waddell likely fits the mold of long-term organizational infielder due to his lack of carrying tool. Waddell has a solid arm and enough range to likely stick at shortstop for the time being
After not taking a college senior in the top 10 picks of 2019, Dana Brown flips this strategy and will re-coup a good amount of pool value going in to Day 3. The question now is, what are the Braves reserving their pool for.
Sixth Round
Justyn-Henry Malloy, 3B
Age: 21
School: Georgia Tech
Hometown: Bergenfield, NJ
After two partial seasons at Vanderbilt, Malloy transferred to Georgia Tech for the 2011 season and proceeded to hit .308/.436/.558, drawing 46 walks against only 40 strikeouts. Scouts think he may have more power and speed than he’s shown in college, so this is a pick with some potential upside. Malloy has soft hands and a strong arm but was error-prone in his year at Tech, and he may eventually move to second base to shorten the throw.
Perhaps the most interesting pick of Day 2, Malloy is the third consecutive infielder, a must-fix area of concern for Atlanta.
Seventh Round
AJ Smith-Shawver, RHP
Age: 18
School: Colleyville Heritage HS
Hometown: Frisco, TX
And… this may be where some of that bonus pool money will go to. Smith-Shawver was a two-way football/baseball start in high school who had numerous Division I scholarship offers but made a baseball commitment to Texas Tech. He’s a raw talent with a mid-90s fastball and a slider with spin and a knuckleball.
This is a high-risk, high-upside pick that will likely be at- or over-slot to get him out of his college commitment.
Eighth Round
Tyler Collins, OF
Age: 18
School: Boyd HS
Hometown: McKinney, TX
The second Texas prep star in a row, Collins is a speed merchant on the bases and in centerfield. His current hitting mechanics have him choking up on the bat to slap the ball, so the Braves will have to develop a professional approach, but the tools are there to be a stand-out lead-off hitter.
Collins had a commitment to Oklahoma State so this may be another at- or over-slot pick.
Ninth Round
Liam McGill, C
Age: 23
School: Bryant University
Hometown: Wakefield, RI
A five-year senior after going four years to Columbia then transferring for his COVID bonus season to Bryant University in Rhode Island, McGill was a 3-time All-Ivy League selection before hitting .471/.541/.746 with 9 home runs for Bryant in 2021, leading the NCAA nationally in batting average and on-base percentage.
The Braves have taken high-contact hitters from smaller colleges in the last several drafts, with Andrew Moritz and Greg Cullen examples from 2018. McGill seems cut from the same the same mold.
Tenth Round
Dylan Spain, RHP
Age: 23
School: University of Hawaii at Hilo
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Spain pitched three seasons for D2 Hawaii-Hilo, pitching to a 3.80 ERA his junior year in 2019. He redshirted during the 2020 COVID-shortened season and still retained draft eligibility despite graduating before the 2021 season. The Braves obviously kept up with him however, and there’s video on YouTube of attending an Atlanta open try-out in 2018. Spain has a mid-90s fastball and a curve with solid control.
A fourth senior sign, the Braves will have draft pool money for over-slot signing the two prep prospects, Smith-Shawver and Collins, and have a war chest to take into Day 3.
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