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There are very few things more exciting for the prospect sickos than the day of the MLB draft. In the next 48 hours the Atlanta Braves will add potentially 21 new talents to their system, and it all starts with their first round pick. The Braves sit at 22nd overall, and the opinions are actually not all that varied on who they are going to take. All of the recent mock drafts heading into the draft feature Arkansas RHP Gage Wood, and there is a large amount of confidence that the Braves will once again go with a pitcher. That’s a potentially fair deal given how deep the pitching class is expected to be in the 20s this season, however don’t rule out prep arms such as Krus Schoolcraft or one of the many position players with impressive hit tools. The goal of this article is to compile all of the latest rumors heading into tonight’s draft, which starts at 6 PM EST, and hopefully we get a bit more of a variance in projections for the last second mock drafts.
MLB Pipeline
MLB Pipeline got the game started with a very early morning (for the east coast) drop of their final mock draft. Both Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis made their picks separately, and they went in opposite directions. Mayo stayed with his pick from a couple of days ago and projects the Braves to take Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy. Aloy would be a pick I imagine Braves fans find favor in, as an advanced shortstop who could hit for above average power and has a solid chance of sticking at shortstop. Aloy’s hit tool does carry some questions, but he would be by far the highest drafted hitter for the Braves since 2019. Callis has Aloy coming off at 21st. In his stead, Callis has the Braves taking Louisville right handed pitcher Patrick Forbes. Mayo connects Forbes to the Braves as well, and it certainly fits the profile typically associated with Atlanta. Forbes has a power fastball and slider combination that is among the best in the draft class, and carries top tier athleticism, but also has questions about his command and third pitch leading many to project him as a reliever. Both also connect Atlanta to prep arm Kruz Schoolcraft, a common and well-considered connection. Callis continues his connection for Atlanta to pitching with Gage Wood, Tyler Bremner (unlikely to be available that low), Riley Quick, and Zach Root all of which are legitimate candidates for the Braves to pick.
Baseball America
Carlos Collazo has once again done an incredible job on draft coverage for Baseball America, and his final mock draft is available to view over there. It’s another call for Gage Wood, and that’s a pretty natural pick given his likelihood of being there and the consistency with which the Braves are connected to college pitching every single season. There’s also another vote in for Forbes and Schoolcraft here. Wood is a pitcher who has a high velocity fastball with a ton of carry at the top of the zone, but would be riskier college arm.
ESPN
The Athletic
Keith Law posted his final mock draft and went in a different direction, having the Braves select Marek Houston at 22. Houston is a shortstop from Wake Forest who is one of the top hitters in the class, though there is a general belief that he will go well before Atlanta picks. That said Jim Callis had Houston sliding all the way to 27th, and Houston’s lack of power may give some teams pause with taking him high in the draft. Still, Houston is a player scouts believe is going to be a plus defender with a high floor hit tool, and has enough physicality to potentially grow into a tick more power. Law also connects the Braves to Wood, but expressed hesitance to even project Wood as a first round pick given injury concerns.
Fangraphs