2021 MLB Draft

50PoundHead said:
Last century (or so it seems).

I think we are talking about high draft picks and Minor in 2009 and Wood in 2012 are the only two high college pitching picks they took that amounted to much until Wright. First-round picks Hursh and Gilmartin flat-out sucked.

The Braves aren't as high school arm heavy as they were drafting guys like Brett Duvall and Zeke Spruill and all of baseball appears to be moving away from all but the highest tier of high school pitching prospects so the debate has become somewhat moot. Roy Clark liked high school and junior college arms and he was pretty good at identifying guys who had a chance to be successful. Roy Clark isn't here anymore and the baseball draft has changed dramatically in the past half decade, so it is what it is.
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They haven't really spent many high picks on college pitching until very recently.

And they're quite a few failed high school guys that aren't mentioned.
 
Russ2dollas said:
Who is the last college pitcher that was an important player for us...mike minor?

I do not get the college pitcher focus. Even the few pitchers that have worked out for us are hs arms or trades for hs arms or international signs.

Maybe strider changes that.

Shuster they seem afraid to throw more than 3 innings.

Is aa planning on signing all these college guys for 2 million and putting them in our ****ty pen?
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Just for the record... Shuster threw 4 today. Give the dude a break though. These are literally his first ever taste of organized professional baseball. Even if he was a college guy, they are still going to be careful with him.
 
This draft might end up being bad, but at least it isn't draft 20 pitchers in 20 rounds bad. Yikes. Angels are run by idiots.
 
Carp said:
This draft might end up being bad, but at least it isn't draft 20 pitchers in 20 rounds bad. Yikes. Angels are run by idiots.
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In the last few years the minor league team that was in my hometown before moving to Madison, Alabama to become the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Not joking), the Angels were the parent club. I could tell the Angels didn't seem to much care about their minor league system.
 
Southcack77 said:
They haven't really spent many high picks on college pitching until very recently.

And they're quite a few failed high school guys that aren't mentioned.
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Almost everyone is going to fail. That's not a good measure. It's who hits. What percentage of these guys is going to get to 1 WAR in MLB? 2018 Braves draft might not have a single player play in MLB (I think Trey Harris, Woods and Vodnik will, but none are tracking as impact).
 
zbhargrove said:
Just for the record... Shuster threw 4 today. Give the dude a break though. These are literally his first ever taste of organized professional baseball. Even if he was a college guy, they are still going to be careful with him.
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He pitched 4 not 3. Slight hyperbole on my side.
 
Russ2dollas said:
Almost everyone is going to fail. That's not a good measure. It's who hits. What percentage of these guys is going to get to 1 WAR in MLB? 2018 Braves draft might not have a single player play in MLB (I think Trey Harris, Woods and Vodnik will, but none are tracking as impact).
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it's a pretty random way to assemble talent.
 
Fangraphs recap: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2021-draft-odds-ends/

Longenhagen makes a pretty big error by saying Schwellenbach was announced as a shortstop and then gives a scouting report on him at the position. The only problem with that ... he was announced as a pitcher and Dana Brown said he'll be pitching in the minors.

"Ryan Cusick (first round) brings elite velocity and a plus breaking ball out of Wake Forest. He might move really quickly as a reliever, but otherwise needs a lot of seasoning if he’s to start. Two-way Nebraska prospect Spencer Schwellenbach (second) was announced as a shortstop. He’s pretty generic tools-wise, but has great breaking ball recognition. He can make routine plays at short and has good actions around the bag, but struggles to make plays in the hole despite his arm. Third round senior Dylan Dodd began his career at a junior college, then transferred to Southeast Missouri State. His fastball generates a ton of whiffs in the zone. He locates his secondary stuff pretty consistently but they are of mixed quality.

The Braves are sticking to their guns and still prioritizing up-the-middle college players early, then scooping up a couple over slot high schoolers later. Fourth round shortstop Cal Conley out of Texas Tech originally attended Miami (but never played there) and transferred to Texas Tech, where he only played the 2020 and ’21 seasons. He slugged .600 during his career there. Conley is a switch-hitter with pull power from both sides of the plate. He looked rough on defense during the college postseason and may not have the hands for the infield. Luke Waddell (fifth) had a decorated college career at Georgia Tech as a short-levered MIF who makes a ton of contact, but with little impact. His teammate at Tech, Justin Henry-Malloy (sixth), had a power-hitting breakout after transferring from Vanderbilt.

The high school group began with two Texans. First was right-hander pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver (seventh), a two-sport star in high school whose frame (6-foot-3, 205), present arm strength (up to 95 last summer), and arm action make for an exciting developmental foundation. Next was center fielder Tyler Collins (eighth), a 70-grade runner with a slash-and-dash approach to contact. Canadian lefty Adam Shoemaker (11th) experienced a huge velo spike and was into the 93-95 range this spring after sitting about 87 during the 2020 summer. His delivery is pretty vilent but Shoemaker also has a ton of room on his frame."
 
zbhargrove said:
My point is he barely has experience in professional ball and they are slowly building him up. This is nothing new. Just seemed like a really weird criticism.
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he's been rumored to have an injury or started the year with an injury. He has had limited innings and appearances. He had a late uptick in velocity to move up draft boards. His ability to stay on the field and turnover a line up is relevant. Especially as a college guy at the high A level.
 
clvclv said:
You mean AA's former Scouting Director and right hand man???
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Wasn't Coppy the right hand man for awhile? Frank Wren?


Sometimes the job is too big for some guys.

Maybe this will work out for them. But I have serious doubts. Not only that, but most of these pitchers were college pitchers, many of which with very limited upside. And they passed up Kumar Rocker to draft Bachman, which wasn't a huge reach, but still.
 
Carp said:
Wasn't Coppy the right hand man for awhile? Frank Wren?


Sometimes the job is too big for some guys.

Maybe this will work out for them. But I have serious doubts. Not only that, but most of these pitchers were college pitchers, many of which with very limited upside. And they passed up Kumar Rocker to draft Bachman, which wasn't a huge reach, but still.
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I don't think Coppolella was Wren's right hand man. He was on the staff and one of the first--maybe the first--guys on Braves' staff that was versed in the emerging analytics movement (which doesn't necessarily mean he was good at it). Roy Clark was still scouting director when Wren took over for Schuerholz and he stuck around for a couple of years before leaving. Tony DeMacio took over the scouting director role after Clark and remained in the position until Coppolella replaced Wren. Coppolella then brought back Roy Clark, but Clark and Brian Bridges were let go in 2019 (I don't know if the international signing scandal had anything to do with that) and Anthopoulos brought in Dana Brown, who worked with Anthopoulos in Toronto.
 
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CJ9 said:
Fangraphs recap: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2021-draft-odds-ends/

Longenhagen makes a pretty big error by saying Schwellenbach was announced as a shortstop and then gives a scouting report on him at the position. The only problem with that ... he was announced as a pitcher and Dana Brown said he'll be pitching in the minors.

"Ryan Cusick (first round) brings elite velocity and a plus breaking ball out of Wake Forest. He might move really quickly as a reliever, but otherwise needs a lot of seasoning if he’s to start. Two-way Nebraska prospect Spencer Schwellenbach (second) was announced as a shortstop. He’s pretty generic tools-wise, but has great breaking ball recognition. He can make routine plays at short and has good actions around the bag, but struggles to make plays in the hole despite his arm. Third round senior Dylan Dodd began his career at a junior college, then transferred to Southeast Missouri State. His fastball generates a ton of whiffs in the zone. He locates his secondary stuff pretty consistently but they are of mixed quality.

The Braves are sticking to their guns and still prioritizing up-the-middle college players early, then scooping up a couple over slot high schoolers later. Fourth round shortstop Cal Conley out of Texas Tech originally attended Miami (but never played there) and transferred to Texas Tech, where he only played the 2020 and ’21 seasons. He slugged .600 during his career there. Conley is a switch-hitter with pull power from both sides of the plate. He looked rough on defense during the college postseason and may not have the hands for the infield. Luke Waddell (fifth) had a decorated college career at Georgia Tech as a short-levered MIF who makes a ton of contact, but with little impact. His teammate at Tech, Justin Henry-Malloy (sixth), had a power-hitting breakout after transferring from Vanderbilt.

The high school group began with two Texans. First was right-hander pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver (seventh), a two-sport star in high school whose frame (6-foot-3, 205), present arm strength (up to 95 last summer), and arm action make for an exciting developmental foundation. Next was center fielder Tyler Collins (eighth), a 70-grade runner with a slash-and-dash approach to contact. Canadian lefty Adam Shoemaker (11th) experienced a huge velo spike and was into the 93-95 range this spring after sitting about 87 during the 2020 summer. His delivery is pretty vilent but Shoemaker also has a ton of room on his frame."
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Interesting approach to the draft and it seems to be following what a lot of the industry is doing. College-heavy early and then a few more high school guys in Rounds 5 through 10 where a team may have to go over slot, but the downside risk and bonus pool loss is less. 16 of 20 Braves' picks were college players. I'll have to go back and check (and the draft has been abbreviated), but that's the heaviest college-to-high school ratio I think I've seen from the Braves.
 
50PoundHead said:
I don't think Coppolella was Wren's right hand man. He was on the staff and one of the first--maybe the first--guys on Braves' staff that was versed in the emerging analytics movement. Roy Clark was still scouting director when Wren took over for Schuerholz and he stuck around for a couple of years before leaving. Tony DeMacio took over the scouting director role after Clark and remained in the position until Coppolella replaced Wren. Coppolella then brought back Roy Clark, but Clark and Brian Bridges were let go in 2019 (I don't know if the international signing scandal had anything to do with that) and Anthopoulos brought in Dana Brown, who worked with Anthopoulos in Toronto.
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Coppy was the kid who could set the clock on grandma’s VCR, so the grandparents thought he was a genius.

In a land of dinosaurs, the guy who can sharpen a stick is the local genius. That’s all Coppy was in the archaic Braves FO.

The guy was a complete buffoon.
 
Russ2dollas said:
he's been rumored to have an injury or started the year with an injury. He has had limited innings and appearances. He had a late uptick in velocity to move up draft boards. His ability to stay on the field and turnover a line up is relevant. Especially as a college guy at the high A level.
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I think I will wait a bit longer than 6 professional starts to get worried... he's 22... I don't think that's an absurd age for A+ ball
 
50PoundHead said:
I don't think Coppolella was Wren's right hand man. He was on the staff and one of the first--maybe the first--guys on Braves' staff that was versed in the emerging analytics movement (which doesn't necessarily mean he was good at it). Roy Clark was still scouting director when Wren took over for Schuerholz and he stuck around for a couple of years before leaving. Tony DeMacio took over the scouting director role after Clark and remained in the position until Coppolella replaced Wren. Coppolella then brought back Roy Clark, but Clark and Brian Bridges were let go in 2019 (I don't know if the international signing scandal had anything to do with that) and Anthopoulos brought in Dana Brown, who worked with Anthopoulos in Toronto.
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I meant both guys were right hand men to previous Brave GMs at different points. Wren to JS for 8 years and Coppy to Hart (though Coppy was also in the organization since 2006).
 
zbhargrove said:
I think I will wait a bit longer than 6 professional starts to get worried... he's 22... I don't think that's an absurd age for A+ ball
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I think he's about a year and a half younger than the average A+ pitcher, and his numbers are quite good. 36 strikeouts and 8 walks in 28 innings and a .85 WHIP. If anything I feel better about Shuster than I did when they drafted him, not worse. It is going to be important to build up his strength for the long haul, and that might mean moving him somewhat slowly but that isn't an issue.
 
FG Edited the Braves Blurb to add:

Two-way Nebraska prospect Spencer Schwellenbach (second) has a relief look on the mound. The delivery comp here is JB Bukauskas, and like Bukauskas, Schwellenbach will show you mid-90s with a plus slider.
 
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