2020 Draft Review: Atlanta Braves

1-25: LHP Jared Shuster, Wake Forest
3-97: OF Jesse Franklin, Michigan
4-126: RHP Spencer Strider, Clemson
5-156: RHP Bryce Elder, Texas

The Braves gained a compensation pick for losing Josh Donaldson, but gave it right back in addition to losing their second round pick after signing Will Smith and Marcell Ozuna. They took all four of their players from power five conferences this year, grabbing two ACC arms in addition to a Big Ten bat and Big 12 arm. It's a pitching-heavy class as well at three out of four. I think all four picks give reason for optimism and can be exciting in their own right, but overall, I don't love the class as a whole. By far, my favorite pick was fifth rounder Bryce Elder. However, after the draft, the Braves picked up a solid group of undrafted free agents, with Georgia Bulldog Cam Shepherd really rounding out this "draft" class for the team.
Full index of team profiles here.

1-25: LHP Jared Shuster, Wake Forest (my rank: 54)
Jared Shuster has been a man of steady progress. Not much of a prospect at this time in 2019, he was a decent lefty with unimpressive velocity and so-so command that led to a 6.49 ERA at Wake Forest. On the Cape, however, he significantly improved that command, and that enabled him to post a 1.36 ERA and a 36/5 strikeout to walk ratio over 33 innings on the Cape. Coming back to Winston-Salem in 2020, he took another step forward, this time with his velocity, and was off to a great start with a 3.76 ERA and a 43/4 strikeout to walk ratio across 26.1 innings. Nowadays, the Massachusetts native sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and adds a solid slider and a plus changeup from the left side. That changeup is truly his bread and butter, a plus pitch that never seems to reach the plate, fooling even advanced hitters. The Braves' hope is that his next big step forward will be with that slider, which plays closer to average. It can play up at times when he tunnels it off his other pitches, and overall, a lefty that can hit 97 and command it is going to be a hot commodity. He's a little bit older for a college junior, set to turn 22 in July, but the Braves certainly think they're getting a potential impact starting pitcher here. Slot value is $2.74 million and I'd imagine he might not require all of that to sign, but I don't see any obvious over slot candidates lower in the draft except for perhaps Bryce Elder. Pre-draft profile here.

3-97: OF Jesse Franklin, Michigan (my rank: 148)
72 picks later, the Braves came around on the board again and picked up Michigan outfielder Jesse Franklin. A Seattle native who travelled across the country for school, his track record has been a little bit hard to discern. He hit a robust .327/.379/.588 with ten home runs as a freshman, then followed that up with a solid summer on the Cape. However, he dropped to .262/.388/.477 with 13 home runs as a sophomore as pitchers pitched him more carefully and he simultaneously started to tap a little more power. After not playing in 2020 due to a skiing accident, scouts are left wondering who the real Franklin is. It looks like he's about solid-average across the board, showing some power, some pure hitting ability, some speed, and some defense in the outfield. That comes out to a fourth outfield projection in all, looking like maybe 10-15 home runs per season with decent on-base percentages, but at this point he could develop in any number of directions. He's clearly a talented ballplayer with a nice combination of physical tools and feel for the game, so the Braves should be confident they'll be getting some sort of a contributor in some capacity, but they'll have to wait and see a little more than for the typical college hitter. Slot value here is $599,100, which seems perhaps fair for Franklin. Like Shuster, he may take a bit of a discount, but I wouldn't peg him for a big one.

4-126: RHP Spencer Strider, Clemson (unranked)
A semi-hometown pick, Strider grew up in the Knoxville area and attended Clemson. He missed the 2019 season with Tommy John surgery and was off to a solid start in 2020, putting up a 4.50 ERA and a 19/3 strikeout to walk ratio over 12 innings. A smaller guy at six feet tall, his main weapon is a mid 90's fastball that jumps on hitters from a quick right arm. He also adds a slider and a changeup, with the slider usually above average, but he does need more refinement overall on those secondary pitches. Since he's a smaller guy and also comes from a pretty uptempo delivery, there are significant reliever questions, especially given the depth of young pitching in the Braves' system. Command-wise, he's been below average since high school, but he was doing a better job of throwing strikes in the small sample of 2020. With just 63 college innings under his belt, the Braves are banking on the upside and hoping he continue to sharpen his overall game, with that electric fastball being the selling point. Slot value is $451,800, though I don't know what his asking price will be.

5-156: RHP Bryce Elder, Texas (my rank: 99)
Elder is easily my favorite pick in the draft for the Braves. He's your classic old school Texas workhorse, coming at you with a durable 6'2" frame and plenty of pitching savvy. His sinker typically hovers around 90, though in the shortened season he was above 90 more than he was below it and touched as high as 95. The sinker is extremely difficult to lift, bringing a little bit of running action in addition to its sink, and the slight uptick in velocity is a very welcome sight. His best secondary pitch is his slider, a plus pitch with sharp bite down in the zone that plays really well off his sinker and is his go to pitch for missing bats. There are also a curveball and a changeup present, with both looking solid average, but the sinker and slider are his main weapons. He's probably more above average than plus when it comes to command, but he attacks the zone and mixes his pitches really well, which causes everything to play up. It's a back-end starter profile most likely, but I think he has a shot to be a mid-rotation guy if the velocity can creep up just a little further. Either way, he's a very safe bet and I love the value in the fifth round. Slot value is $336,600, and it seems likely that whatever money the Braves save in the first three rounds will be directed here. Pre-draft profile here.

Undrafted: SS Cam Shepherd, Georgia (unranked)
This is one of the biggest undrafted free agent signings you'll see in 2020. A true hometown kid, Shepherd was a standout at Peachtree Ridge High School in Duluth and garnered top five rounds consideration in 2016, but he was set on heading to Athens and didn't sign. Four years later, he's been much more solid than spectacular for the Dawgs, hitting .307/.354/.452 as a freshman before settling in with a more average bat the rest of his college career. He was off to a solid start in 2020, hitting .264/.368/.486 with four home runs in 17 games, a bit above where he was from 2018-2019. Shepherd is a fringy hitter whose patient approach is his best offensive trait, though his hit tool is fringe-average and his power is below average. He does have a nice quick swing from the right side that should enable his overall bat to play up in pro ball. Defensively, he's more consistent than exciting at shortstop, but it's more than enough to stick there and really adds to his value. That comes together to a solid utility infielder projection, but for a $20,000 undrafted senior sign and a hometown guy at that, it's absolutely a big get for the Braves.

Other Undrafted
1B Bryson Horne, Columbus State: 6 HR, .425/.510/.725, 0 SB, 8/13 K/BB in 21 games
RHP Carter Linton, Tusculum (TN): 1-1, 1.35 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 20/7 K/BB in 13.1 IP
IF Landon Stephens, Miami (OH): 3 HR, .311/.391/.574, 5 SB, 13/8 K/BB in 15 games
OF Ethan Workinger, San Diego City CC: 0 HR, .387/.444/.600, 2 SB, 11/9 K/BB in 19 games

The Braves pick up two more semi-hometown players in the undrafted free agent market, grabbing Bryson Horne (Blountstown, FL) and Carter Linton (Kingsport, TN) out of Division II schools. Horne transferred from Georgia Highlands College to Columbus State and raked, putting up video game numbers in 2020 that could help him slug his way to a bench role down the line. Linton, meanwhile, has played at a few schools around East Tennessee and is an undersized right hander with a relief projection. Stephens is the lone Division I signee (aside from Shepherd), coming off a four year career at Miami of Ohio in which he got better and better throughout. He's a utility infield profile that does a little bit of everything. Lastly, Ethan Workinger is a little more interesting, as he got off to a really hot start at San Diego City College and was only a freshman, giving him significantly more time to develop.