Atlanta Braves 2019 Draft Review
The Braves had Dana Brown run his first draft in 2019, and with obviously a small sample size for competition, it's difficult to know how well this draft went - at least so far.
It's safe to say, however, that the pick of Shea Langeliers at number nine in the first round seems like a great one. Langeliers made a huge impression on the coaches in spring training.
Langeliers looks like Atlanta's catcher of the future. There is no doubt as a college catcher, he's more advanced than a high school catcher, and therefore should not take as long to develop.
In fact, before the pandemic killed the minor league season, it was expected that Langeliers could at the least finish the season in Double-A and make a case to be ready in Atlanta sometime in 2021. Who knows now what his timetable will be with his development interrupted.
Langeliers hit .255 with two home runs, 34 RBI and had a .310 on base percentage in Rome last season. If he were to hit that in the big leagues, with his defense, the Braves would likely be happy.
The Braves took Braden Shewmake with the 21st overall pick, their original pick. The Langeliers pick was for Atlanta not signing the 2018 first round pick, Carter Stewart.
Shewmake is a lanky shortstop from Texas A&M. He hit .300 with a .371 OBP between Rome and Mississippi last season, with three home runs and 40 RBI.
Atlanta's second round pick was Oregon State shortstop Beau Philip. He hit just .193 in Danville last season. Philip is not even listed as one of Atlanta's top 30 prospects by MLB.com.
Michael Harris was a kid out of Stockbridge High School, just south of Atlanta, that most people considered a pitcher. The Braves liked his bat, however, and took him in the third round.
Harris hit .277 between the GCL Braves and Rome, with a .344 OBP, two home runs and 27 RBI. He's listed as Atlanta's 14th best prospect by MLB.com.
The fourth-round pick was Texas A&M right-handed pitcher Kasey Kalich, a reliever who had 12 saves for the Aggies in the spring. He then pitched for the GCL Braves and Rome and had an ERA of 1.25 in 14 relief appearances.
Stephen Paolini is a left-handed hitting outfielder from St. Joseph's High School in Trumbull, CT. He hit .192 in 35 games for the GCL Braves.
Eleventh-round pick Vaughn Grissom is one to keep an eye on. Grissom signed for overslot of $347,500 and made the Braves look smart when he did well when he hit .288 in the GCL with three home runs and 23 RBI.
The Braves were able to keep Tyler Owens from going to the University of Florida by giving the 14th rounder $547,500 to sign. Owens had a 4.28 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 27.1 innings between the GCL Braves and Danville.
Bryce Ball might have been a steal in the 24th round out of Dallas Baptist University in Dallas, TX. Ball hit .329 with 17 home runs and 52 RBI in 231 at bats between Danville and Rome last summer.
Ball was invited to big league spring training, where he hit a long solo home run in Sarasota against the Orioles to show his home run power. Could Ball be a designated hitter, since it's coming to the National League?
We'll see more how good or bad this draft is when the minor leagues return. The early results were mixed, but small sample size makes it difficult to define and grade Atlanta's 2019 draft.
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