ON THE RADAR
Some players Braves are pondering as they prepare to make the third selection in the first round of the MLB draft June 9:
College prospects
OF Kyle Lewis
School: Mercer
B/T: R/R
Ht.: 6-4
Wt.: 210
Comment: The former Shiloh High School slugger draws quick comparisons to another outsized Atlanta prospect, but Lewis has a higher power potential than ex-Henry County High star Jason Heyward. Expanded his profile last summer when he played in the wood-bat Cape Cod League, hitting .415 with seven home runs against top-flight talent.
OF Corey Ray
School: Louisville
B/T: L/L
Ht.: 5-11
Wt.: 185
Comment: An interesting combo of speed and power, Ray had 27 homers and 69 steals in 167 career games at Louisville, with a stellar .548 slugging percentage. Hits anywhere between first and fourth in the order and can play all three outfield positions. Will be the first Chicago native to go in the first round since Jeff Jackson (Philadelphia) in 1989.
3B Nick Senzel
School: Tennessee
B/T: R/R
Ht.: 6-1
Wt.: 205
Comment: Solid offensive player with outstanding plate discipline. He led the SEC in doubles (25) runs (57) and was second in RBIs (59) while walking 40 times with just 21 strikeouts in 210 at-bats. Though he split time as a DH and second baseman for two seasons, which led to questions about his glove, he made just made the SEC all-defense team once he settled at third.
High school prospects
LHP Jason Groome
School: Barnegat (N.J.) High School
B/T: L/L
Ht.: 6-6
Wt.: 250
Comment: The most polished high school pitcher in the country, Groome pairs a mid-90s mph fastball with a curve in the 70s and sometimes, that combination isn't fair. He threw a seven-inning no-hitter against Central Regional High this season, striking out 19 of 21 batters faced. Has some of the same traits as Clayton Kershaw.
OF Mickey Moniak
School: La Costa Canyon (Calif.) High School
B/T: L/R
Ht.: 6-2
Wt.: 190
Comment: The San Diegan projects as a center fielder-leadoff hitter who may add some power as his body matures (he gained 16 over the offseason). Has baseball genes. Father played at San Diego State and grandfather pitched in the Red Sox organization. Stock has risen greatly this spring. A candidate for the Phillies' No. 1 pick.
RHP Riley Pint
School: St. Thomas Aquinas (Kan.) High School
B/T: R/R
Ht.: 6-4
Wt.: 195
Comment: Scouts are wary of high schoolers who blow up the radar gun: too much stress too soon on a young arm. But Pint might be different. As a two-sport athlete (with basketball), he may has less arm mileage. His fastball hits 94-98 mph, though he has touched 102. Change-up? 88 mph. That's a Tom Glavine fastball.
They could indulge their old fetish and go for more arms. Last June, they used 24 of their 31 draft picks on pitchers.
They could go local. Brian McCann. Jeff Francoeur. Jason Heyward. Adam Wainright. They worked out.
Maybe, they’re about to get crafty, turning their bushel of picks into a post-draft deal for something or someone bigger.
Or perhaps, they’ll try all the above.
The three-day MLB draft begins Thursday, presenting the Braves with their most intriguing few days in decades. Not only do they hold the No. 3 pick, the club’s highest draft position in a quarter-century, but they also hold four other picks in the top 80.
Bankrolled by over $13 million in bonus pool money, they have the financial flexibility to negotiate deals with any reluctant draftee. And with a reinvigorated minor league system, the club can draft for specific needs rather than in bulk (like, say, taking 24 pitchers).
“How do you win a war?” general manager John Coppolella asked. “Arms and money. Try to add arms and try to free up money.”
Largely because Philadelphia and Cincinnati, which hold the Nos. 1 and 2 picks, have not tipped their hands, mock drafts have the Braves picking anywhere from college slugger (Mercer — and Shiloh High School — outfielder Kyle Lewis) to high school pitcher (6-foot-6 New Jerseyian Jason Groome) to high school outfielder (Californian Mickey Moniak) to college infielder (Tennessee’s Nick Senzel).
That this draft is not considered to be top-heavy through the first round also makes speculation difficult. Listen to Braves director of scouting Brian Bridges try to define his department’s focus.
“I spent a lot of time with (former Braves scouting director) Paul Snyder, and you can never have enough pitching,” he said. “The first time you think you have enough pitching, you end up on the wrong side of the street. As far as a position player, you’d love to have them. There are a few out there, and we’re definitely looking at all of our options and leaving them open.
“There has been so much uncertainty at the top of the draft, that gives us the ability to go in a number of different ways. But we would also like to pursue a hitter if it sets up that way.”
While the turbulence continues unabated at Turner Field, the Braves’ player-development department looks upon a far different landscape than a year ago. In 2015, Baseball America’s top 100 prospects included one Brave: the since-departed infielder Jose Peraza. The 2016 list includes seven Braves. No team has more.
Yet among those seven minor leaguers, there are no corner infielders and just one corner outfielder: the suspended left fielder Hector Olivera. His future with the franchise is unclear, which further underscores the organization’s lack of power prospects. Third baseman Austin Riley, who clubbed 12 homers last season in his first year in the system, had just three in his first 48 games at Single-A Rome, to go with 66 strikeouts. Power prospect Braxton Davidson, 20, was hitting .217 through 46 games, with two homers, at Single-A Carolina.
Lewis, the two-time Southern Conference player of the year, hit .411 with 17 homers (11th nationally) this year, but the SoCon’s level of competition raised a question among scouts. Louisville outfielder Corey Ray, who could go to the Phillies as the first pick, has speed, some pop (27 career homers through Thursday) but reminds no one of Bryce Harper.
That’s a profile of this draft. Take 2005. The first 11 picks included Justin Upton, Alex Gordon, Jeff Clement, Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Ricky Romero, Troy Tulowitzki, Cameron Maybin and Andrew McCutchen. There may not be one player of that ilk in the 2016 field.
“It doesn’t appear like there is,” Coppolella said. “You look at the 2000 draft, it was a terrible draft. You had Adrian Gonzalez at No. 1, Chase Utley at 15 and not a whole lot else.”
But this could play into the Braves’ favor, for some scouts see the real value this year as the depth of talent. It maybe a good year to hold five of the first 80 picks.
“The strength of this draft, depending on the scout that you talk to, is Nos. 25 to 50,” said John Manuel, editor of Baseball America. “Some people say it’s 25 to 75, some pick 40 to 100. But that’s considered the strength of the draft, the depth. It’s not a great year to pick first. It’s lighter on guys who fit the profile of a No. 1 overall pick, but it is deep in high school pitching, high school bats.
“These are things that play into the Braves’ favor. It makes it more difficult to predict what the Braves will do. Last year, they were unpredictable. (Pitcher) Mike Sorotka and Austin Riley were not consensus top-50 picks, and they have already showed signs of working out.”
