Atlanta entered this year’s amateur draft with the 30th-ranked farm system and a draft pool of only $8,341,700. While the success of the major league club and the ability of the front office to lock up so much of the young talent that has propelled the team to 60 wins before the All-Star break has lowered the pressure of needing the farm system to deliver multiple high-impact players per season, we’ve seen Alex Anthopoulos use his remaining prospect capital to fill holes that have arisen in free agency.
The good news is that most draft pundits believe this to be one of the best and deepest draft player pools in recent memory, so even with Day 1 picks at 24, 59, and 70 the Braves should be able to get some good ones.
Other Entries In This Series:
Day Two (Rounds 3-10)
Day Three (Rounds 11-20)
First Round
Hurston Waldrep, RHP
Age: 21
School: University of Florida
Hometown: Thomasville, GA
This year’s first pick is one of the higher ceiling college pitchers, one who has been tagged with 60+ scouting grades for both his fastball, which sits mid-90s and has been clocked at 100 mph, and his splitter-change, which some pundits calling it the best secondary pitch in the draft. Waldrep also has a hard slider and he had a 13.8 K/9 for Florida in 2023. The knock on Waldrup is a lack of command, especially with the fastball. Not being able to get strike-one regularly causes him to have to pitch from behind which can lessen the impact of his splitter and slider, both of which tend to finish outside the zone.
That said, Waldrep is a true potential frontline starting pitcher candidate of the sort the Braves have not taken in the first round since Kyle Wright in 2017, which is a strong indicator of the depth of the draft overall. Waldrep also ticks the vital “grew up a Braves fan” box.
Andy’s Thoughts: One of the things you can count on being of interest to the Braves is high scouting scores, and Waldrup has really high scores in both fastball velocity and in his split-change. Braves player development has recently had some success in getting high-ceiling pitchers to improve command quickly and advance to the majors, most notably 2021 8th-rounder AJ Smith-Shawver. I would expect Waldrup to spend most the rest of his summer in Northport going through a mechanical workshop to get more fastball command with occasional outings for the FCL Braves, but after that he can pretty much dictate how quickly he moves through the system by performing well.
Second Round
Drue Hackenberg, RHP
Age: 21
School: Virginia Tech
Hometown: Charlottesville, VA
A draft-eligible sophomore, Hackenberg struggled his second year for the Hokies but the Braves clearly think his stuff will play up in the pros. Hackenberg is a sinker-slider pitcher who pounds the zone and looks to get groundballs, and Braves assistant director of scouting Ronit Shah indicated that they believe Hackenberg will get better results playing in front of professional defenses. The sinker sits in the 92-94 range and the slider has shown some ability to miss bats, and he struck out more than a batter per inning in 2023. He also has a rudimentary change-up.
For those who enjoy athletic bloodlines, Hackenberg brother Chad is a quarterback who was drafted by the Jets in 2016. His other brother Adam is currently a catching prospect in the White Sox system playing for the double-A Birmingham Barons.
Andy’s Thoughts: The Braves zigged from a high-ceiling big stuff pitcher with the first pick to a safe, high floor pick with the next. With Hackenberg the Braves seem like they are trying to find success with another Bryce Elder-type potential workhorse pitcher that they hope can get to play up, maybe by getting the slider to become more of a strikeout pitch. This is also almost certainly an underslot pick, somewhat reminiscent of the Beau Philip selection in 2019 that allowed the Braves to slide more of their pool further down the draft. Hackenberg seems like the type that could debut in Augusta before the end of the season.
Cade Kuehler, RHP
Age: 21
School: Campbell University
Hometown: Waxhaw, North Carolina
The Braves went 3-for-3 in selecting college pitchers, this another high-ceiling pick with big questions about his mechanics. Kuehler’s four-seam fastball is rated as one of the best in the draft, sitting in the mid-90s and showing as high as 98 with excellent spin. Kuehler pairs it with a slider that he shows good feel for and can vary shape and depth as he wishes. A change-up and curveball complete the repertoire. Command is an issue for Kuehler, as is a violent delivery that has some observers concerned if he will be able to handle a pro starter’s workload.
Deception is a also an interesting weapon in Kuehler’s arsenal as he employs a high overhand windup and a big leg kick. It will be interesting if the Braves try to sand some of that down to make a smoother overall delivery.
Andy’s Thoughts: Kuehler was projected by most pundits to go well before the 70th pick that the Braves snagged him with, so it may be that the Braves will have to go overslot to sign him. As a draft-eligible sophomore, Kuehler has some negotiating leverage, but it’s unlikely the Braves would take someone here without at least having a really good idea what it would take to sign him.
The profile here — big fastball, crazy slider, violent delivery, mustache — makes the Spencer Strider comps probably unavoidable, and as with Strider I believe the Braves will keep Kuehler in the shed at Northport for awhile before letting him run the track.
Leave a Reply