2014 Draft

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With all 14 Qualifying Offers rejected, the draft order is set - Braves will get picks 29 and 40 when Mac signs elsewhere (Texas evidently putting the full-court press on today). Could very well put us in position to draft two high-upside bats for once.

BA's early rankings have Braxton Davidson at # 29. He's a left handed hitting 1B/OF with pop and a good feel for hitting. Young for his class. Goes to the same high school (T. C. Roberson) that produced Cameron Maybin (Asheville, NC - about 30 miles from me).

BA's got Michael Chavis from Marietta at # 42. A right handed hitting 3B described as having "all-around skills with plus bat speed, contact ability, and above average raw power to go with above average wheels and arm".

Would be nice to have two kids with their kind of upside moving through the system together like Freeman and Heyward did IMO.
 
Braxton Davidson is one who caught my eye from that list.

If he slides Mac Marshall would dovetail nicely with the Braves tendency to use their first pick on pitching and local players.
 
Like the two above, unless half of those sign with teams in the top 10.

The picks will be around 20-23 and 30-33 or so.

I havent looked at much draft stuff.

A hitter or two would be nice instead of the standard pitcher.
 
As much as I'd like to take a position player with our first pick, which will be somewhere in the 20-22 range, most all of the high upside picks in that slot range are pitchers.

Here are BA's 19-23 prospects:

19. Sean Newcomb, lhp, Hartford: Breakout Cape Cod League performer has a durable 6-foot-5, 240-pound frame, and he flashes a four-pitch mix with mid-90s heat.

20. Kyle Freeland, lhp, Evansville: Projectable Colorado prep product flashes excellent velocity from the left side, up to 93-95 mph.

21. Michael Cederoth, rhp, San Diego State: Physical 6-foot-6, 210-pounder rivals Aztecs great Stephen Strasburg in velocity with 94-98 mph fastball.

22. Cobi Johnson, rhp, Mitchell HS, Holiday, Fla.: Son of Blue Jays pitching instructor Dane offers athleticism, projection and command of a fastball that touches 93 mph and a potentially plus curveball.

23. Brandon Finnegan, lhp, Texas Christian: Smallish lefty holds upper-90s velocity deep into games and developed a plus slider during his time with Team USA.
 
There is a good crop of talent from Georgia this year. I really like Dylan Cease and Michael Gettys from Georgia high schools. Would love either one of them, would probably take Gettys if both were there to take. Rankings vary but I think they will be gone before we pick but I thought there was no chance Heyward would fall to use too.

If I was a betting man I would bet the Braves take Aaron Nola who fits the Minor/Gilmartin mold.
 
cajunrevenge said:
There is a good crop of talent from Georgia this year. I really like Dylan Cease and Michael Gettys from Georgia high schools. Would love either one of them, would probably take Gettys if both were there to take. Rankings vary but I think they will be gone before we pick but I thought there was no chance Heyward would fall to use too.

If I was a betting man I would bet the Braves take Aaron Nola who fits the Minor/Gilmartin mold.
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Dylan Cease most likely will still be on the board at our 2nd pick which will be in the low 30 range if the Braves want him, though I'd rather see us pick someone like Max Pentecost, Braxton Davidson or Derek Hilll with that pick. I doubt Aaron Nola will still be available for our 1st pick.
 
There are other rankings by respectable sources that are not Baseball America. And Rankings 8 months ahead of time should not be taken as a fact. The Rankings will change a lot before the actual draft. I looked up a rankings for the 2013 draft done by BA in May and half the top 30 were still available by pick 30.
 
Lots of time between now & then, but the draft effort doesn't have to focus only on Georgia-born players or worry about whether or not that they grew up as Braves fans. (Bill placed way to much emphasis on these factors.) That's incidental, and less important than if the player is "best available" or addresses an organizational need.
 
Going with "best available" was more what I was getting at. I really hope we choose whoever is best left on the board, regardless of whether they are a pitcher or position prospect, and regardless of where they are from. With a pick in the early 20's and another in the early 30's, we should be able to draft two high-ceiling guys. I just don't want us to draft one of those high floor, low ceiling, save money guys ie Gilmartin.
 
The Braves scouts tend to have rankings that are a bit different from what BA puts out. The result is that our first two or three picks are often lower on BA's draft board. I believe Sims, Hursh, Caratini were all taken higher than their BA rankings. I'm fine with that given our track record and the fact that BA's board is mainly based upon what other teams tell them and there is a fair amount of sandbagging going on.

BA's current list does have a lot of local flavor, whether you are looking just at Georgia products or are willing to include neighboring states.

13. Michael Gettys, of/rhp, Gainesville (Ga.) HS: Plus speed and power and one of best arms in the class, but he struggled to hit this summer.

15. Mac Marshall, lhp, Parkview HS, LiLburn, Ga.: Athletic lefthander with a low-90s fastball that touches 94 mph, a plus changeup and emerging curveball.

24. Grant Holmes, rhp, Conway (S.C.) HS: Powerfully built but undersized, the 6-foot Holmes has a fastball that reaches 96 mph with power and depth to his curveball

28. Max Pentecost, c, Kennesaw State: Athletic for the position if he can stick there, and coming off a boffo summer when he won Cape Cod League MVP.

31. Sean Reid-Foley, rhp, Sandalwood HS, Jacksonville: Athletic righthander with a fastball up to 95 mph, above-average slider and average changeup with good control.

32. Luke Weaver, rhp, Florida State: He draws Tim Hudson comparisons for the body and live arm that pumps fastballs up to 96 mph.

35. Dylan Cease, rhp, Milton (Ga.) HS: Athletic pitcher who produces easy velocity, with a fastball up to 97 mph; inconsistent breaking ball and command are knocks.

42. Michael Chavis, 3b, Sprayberry HS, Marietta, Ga.: Five-foot-11 gamer offers all-around skills with plus bat speed, contact ability and above-average raw power to go with above-average wheels and arm.

48. Joey Pankake, ss/3b/rhp, South Carolina: Powerfully built infielder controls the strike zone and has plus raw power to fit the profile at third base.
 
My guess is that two of our first four picks will be local kids.

I also expect us to tilt more toward HS players. We went heavily college in 2010 and 2011, which has replenished our depth at the upper levels of the minors. Then we gradually have been increasing the number of HS players in 2012 and 2013. I expect an even larger number of HS players taken and signed in 2014. Some data on the number of high school players we drafted and signed in the 2010-2013 drafts: 2, 3, 5, 6.

I also expect our early picks to be a mix of pitchers and position players. It is worth keeping in mind that once you get past the third round, the chances of a particular pick making it to the majors drops below 50%. The four picks we have in the first three rounds are the players that start out with the presumption of making it to the majors. My guess is we'll go with two pitchers, one power bat from a corner infield or outfield position and one pick from a premium defensive position with those four picks. And I wouldn't be surprised if they were all HS players. This is a very strong draft for high schoolers, which also dovetails with where we are headed in terms of looking for higher upside players.

My early guesses on our first two picks are Grant Holmes and Michael Chavis. But a lot will change between now and draft day.
 
nsacpi said:
My guess is that two of our first four picks will be local kids.

I also expect us to tilt more toward HS players. We went heavily college in 2010 and 2011, which has replenished our depth at the upper levels of the minors. Then we gradually have been increasing the number of HS players in 2012 and 2013. I expect an even larger number of HS players taken and signed in 2014. Some data on the number of high school players we drafted and signed in the 2010-2013 drafts: 2, 3, 5, 6.

I also expect our early picks to be a mix of pitchers and position players. It is worth keeping in mind that once you get past the third round, the chances of a particular pick making it to the majors drops below 50%. The four picks we have in the first three rounds are the players that start out with the presumption of making it to the majors. My guess is we'll go with two pitchers, one power bat from a corner infield or outfield position and one pick from a premium defensive position with those four picks. And I wouldn't be surprised if they were all HS players. This is a very strong draft for high schoolers, which also dovetails with where we are headed in terms of looking for higher upside players.

My early guesses on our first two picks are Grant Holmes and Michael Chavis. But a lot will change between now and draft day.
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Just reading about him, Michael Gettys seems to be a guy that has a very wide range of where people rank him right now, and he seems to be the type of high school kid the Braves tend to go after....i.e....he's very toolsy but lacks polish, and that lack of polish could lead to some low minors struggles much like Matt Lipka, Justin Black, and Connor Lien at this point.
 
This is perfect game's public write up on Michael Gettys:

Michael Gettys is a 2014 OF/RHP with a 6-2 205 lb. frame from Gainesville, GA who attends Gainesville HS. Large tightly wound athletic build, very good present strength. 6.43 runner, charges hard in the outfield, good footwork, exceptional raw arm strength, highest level defensive tools. Right handed hitter, very quick hands, surprisingly short quick twitch swing, some uppercut and gets the ball into the air, ball explodes off the barrel when squared, big over the fence power potential, has some swing/miss in his approach on off speed. Dominated games with his speed home to first and on the bases, very aggressive and plays with a big motor. Also pitched, reliever approach, powers to the plate, has velocity up to 94 mph, some feel for a change up, tries to overpower hitters, much better position prospect despite velocity ceiling. Impossible not to compare to a larger Clint Frazier for tools, mechanics and approach to the game. Elite level prospect. Good student, verbal commitment to Georgia. Selected for the Perfect Game All-American Classic.

PG Grade 10.0
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