Atlanta Braves 1st Round Mock Draft: Exploring Potential Picks

The Atlanta Braves, after a strong 2023 season, are expected to make their first-round selection in the 2024 MLB Draft with the 24th overall pick. As the team looks to strengthen its farm system and secure talent for the future, several promising prospects could be a great fit for the Braves’ organizational needs.

Exploring potential fits for the Atlanta Braves in the 1st round of the 2024 MLB Draft

The Atlanta Braves have used the MLB Draft to build a pipeline of pitchers in recent years. They are the only team in baseball to allocate more than 60 percent of their available bonus pool to pitchers in the last six MLB drafts.

Interestingly enough, a few experts believe the Braves are going the other direction with the 24th pick in the 2024 MLB Draft next month. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN and Baseball America both have Kentucky outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt selected by the Braves at 24th overall.

“Waldschmidt is another late riser in the SEC, with some of the best underlying TrackMan data in the country, with hitters listed in the top 10,” McDaniel said. “He is seen as more suited to numbers-oriented clubs, and there are plenty of them in the second half of the first round. Benge, Cijntje, Sanford and Doughty are all heavily linked to Atlanta.

Baseball American gave more details on the TrackMan numbers McDaniel referenced:

“Waldschmidt, the darling of the class when it comes to data, is a polarizing but debated player in the first round. He’s a powerfully built and muscular left fielder who slashed .357/.487/.654 with 13 homers, 16 doubles, a 15.7% strikeout rate and a 14% walk rate. Waldschmidt is one of six DI hitters to meet the following batted ball data thresholds this season:

Aside from Waldschmidt, Kiley McDaniel named Oklahoma State centerfielder Carson Benge, Mississippi State ambidextrous pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, prep shortstop Wyatt Sanford and prep right-hander Braylon Doughty as potential candidates for the Braves in the first round.

Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com mocked University of California Braves catcher Caleb Lomavita at 24th overall in his mock draft last week.

“His chase rate scares some teams, but he has power and some speed as a backstop who can catch and throw. A bit of an enigmatic, it’s difficult to find a home for him, but he received the most votes for best receiver in the class in the executive poll.

Lomavita, a nominee for the 2024 Golden Spikes Award watch list and a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award, has hit 15 home runs and driven in 52 RBIs this season for the Golden Bears. His strikeout percentage dropped from 2023 to 18.9%, which is still manageable. He was named to the All-Pac 12 first team following the 2023 season.

In Jim Callis’ latest mockery on Thursday, he switched things up and mocked Jurrangelo Cijntje to the Braves, a name that has been associated with Atlanta several times recently.

It’s worth noting that Callis also listed Waldschmidt as a college bat for the Braves if they had indeed gone hitter-versus-pitcher in the first round.

“After Brecht and Cijntje, there is a significant decline in the next group of college pitchers. The Braves could also go with the right college hitter (Benge, Waldschmidt) if he reaches them, or they could tap into the second tier of prep shortstops (Gillen, Lindsey, Wyatt Sanford, Carter Johnson and Tyson Lewis) who will start playing. soon if they haven’t already.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report has the Braves drafting right-hander William Schmidt.

“The Braves do a great job developing pitching talent and are one of the few teams that might be willing to pay Schmidt, who is likely to receive a significant bonus as, arguably, the best high school pitcher in the class of 2024.”