After selecting eight right-handed pitchers with their first 11 picks Sunday and Monday, the Braves’ approach was more varied in the third day of the MLB draft. With their final 10 selections Tuesday, the Braves took two outfielders, three infielders, a catcher, one more right-handed pitcher and three lefty pitchers.
Braves assistant director of amateur scouting Ronit Shah said Monday that the Braves were looking for the best available players instead of looking for one position. He reaffirmed this Tuesday, saying there wasn’t any particular trait the Braves were looking for.
“We were really just relying on our area scouts, our cross-checkers, our front office, (our) research-and-development team,” Shah said. “We spent hundreds and hundreds of hours all year and just trusting the process and evaluations our guys have, whether it’s analytically or from the guys we have on the ground, evaluating in person. And then, mixing that in with some makeup and characteristics of those players who really want to get after it and just want to compete, play hard, and hopefully get to the major leagues here.”
After going just 2.5 miles away from Truist Park on Monday to find fifth-round choice Isaiah Drake at North Atlanta High School, the Braves searched across the continental U.S. for their Day 3 picks. Selections came from junior colleges, the Horizon League, NCAA Division II and one who played three seasons in the Missouri Valley Conference. Brady Day, a 12th-round selection from Kansas State, is a Hampstead, New Hampshire, native.
The Braves stayed away from high school players Tuesday. Some teams hope they can convince high school prospects to forgo college and sign, but the Braves chose instead to focus on the collegiate ranks.
Shah said this came partially because of draft rules, but largely because the 10 selections are players the Braves expect to get “signed, sealed and delivered here.”
The team started the day with 11th-rounder Jace Grady, an outfielder from Dallas Baptist. Grady batted over .300 in both his junior and senior seasons at DBU, helping the team advance to back to back regionals. He led the team in stolen bases with 25.
In the 14th round, the Braves selected Mitch Farris from Wingate University. While he is seen primarily as a pitcher, he also played first base and right field as a Bulldog. Farris dominated Division II competition on the mound, posting a 1.21 ERA in 89 innings. He pitched at least seven innings in his final eight starts of the season, ending the season with complete-game two-hit shutouts in two of his final three starts.
Shah said the Braves liked what they saw from Farris early this year. He continued his success against tougher opposition in the Cape Cod League this summer, helping convince the Braves to take him.
The Braves’ final pick was Eastern Kentucky catcher Will King. King led Eastern Kentucky with a .346 average, adding 12 home runs and 47 RBIs.
While gems can be found in the late rounds of the MLB draft, players selected face long odds to make the big leagues. Since 2016, only three players selected and signed by the Braves after the 11th round went on to play in the majors: Tucker Davidson, William Woods and Vaughn Grissom. The draft was contracted from 40 to 20 rounds in 2021.
Day 3 draftees
Round 11: No. 339 – Jace Grady, Dallas Baptist, OF
Round 12: No. 369 – Brady Day, Kansas State, 2B
Round 13: No. 399 – Will Verdung, Itawamba JC, 3B
Round 14: No. 429 – Mitch Farris, Wingate, LHP
Round 15: No. 459 – David Rodriguez, San Joaquin Delta College, LHP
Round 16: No. 489 – Isaac Gallegos, New Mexico, RHP
Round 17: No. 519 – Kade Kern, Ohio State, OF
Round 18: No. 549 – Cam Magee, Washington State, SS
Round 19: No. 579 – Riley Frey, Milwaukee, LHP
Round 20: No. 609 – Will King, Eastern Kentucky, C
