Braves select Nick Montgomery with 5th round pick in 2024 MLB Draft

With their 5th round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, the Atlanta Braves selected Nick Montgomery, a catcher from Cypress HS (CA).

Montgomery represents the first batter selected by the Braves in the 2024 MLB draft, a catcher known for his bat, particularly his power. He may have questions about his future, but he is selected for his bat.

Biography

Date of birth: 11/7/2005
Height: 1.93 m
Weight: 210
Batts/Throws: R/R

Rankings

Baseball America: 222
MLB Pipeline: 196
ESPN: N/A

Introducing Nick Montgomery

Nick Montgomery is a big 6-foot-4, 200-pound catcher out of Cypress High School who is committed to Arizona State. The first thing scouts notice about Montgomery is his big raw power, which should be considered an asset. While he has some feel for hitting, he’ll need to make some changes to his swing mechanics to really maximize what he can do. The defense is still developing, which is normal for prep catchers, but he has enough speed to be an option in the corner outfield and enough power to be an option at first base as well.

First reaction

This is an upside pick where the team is betting on a big guy with big hitting power. The catch may or may not come, but he has the bat so that won’t matter in the long run. Montgomery is arguably the best catcher prospect in the system behind Drake Baldwin right out of the gate and has special potential if he can bring this offense behind the plate.