Braves MLB Draft Breakdown and more with Gaurav Vedak

00:00:21
Speaker 1: Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Hammer Territory podcast. This is episode two three seven. I'm your host, Brad Rowland, convincin you on a Wednesday evening into Thursday, and we are part of the fould Territory network of podcasts. At Hammer Territory, we cover the Braves all the year round, and today we're taking a little bit of a break from the major league club as things are not going very well, as we probably all know by now. The Braves lost again on Wednesday afternoon, for example, but I spoke to Gora Vedac of PHA Prospects and Battery Power about the MLB Draft and the Braves haul in that draft, as well as the impact on the minor league system, and we discussed all of that on Tuesday and wanted to run that in the feed now on this Wednesday evening, so again we'll have much more major league content. The MLB trading line is about a week away as I'm recording this podcast. There could be emergency shows in the near future. Marcel A Zuna, of course, has been rumblings about him, Russel Iglesias, relievers, et cetera. We'll get into all of that much more later on this week, But for now, a focus on the system, on the draft and a discussion with myself and Gore Of. I am joined now by a genuine prospect expert, gore Of, Welcome back to the podcast. It's a post draft discussion is time I did to be to be fair, I was just talking before we started recording. I felt bad about asking you to do this because I know you're really busy right now. But I didn't ask you to do the pre draft episode, so that was that was a small concession I could have. I could have begged to come on two weeks ago to how you do it?

00:01:46
Speaker 2: Man?

00:01:46
Speaker 3: No, I'm doing great. How are you doing, Brad?

00:01:49
Speaker 1: I'm all right. I mean, it's it's the season of prospect analysis. The draft makes it. The draft being when it is is really interesting to me. In general. It's kind of like in that in Mixwen, We're like, you're almost doing trade deadline stuff as well, but the draft is happening, and then the deadline and then the braves where they are and the standings is different this time around, but people have an appetite. I think. In fact, I can tell you this one hundred percent. We got a lot of people asking for an expert such as yourself, and in fact, you my name multiple times, like Hey, what's Gore coming on and talk about the draft, and like, hey, right now is the.

00:02:22
Speaker 3: Answer to that kind They're able to do it. We're able to do it. Man.

00:02:27
Speaker 1: So it's been a little while now since the draft actually happened, we have some distance. I know you were really in the weeds, and that's I really appreciate your coverage. And by the way, I was listening today to Peach date prospects. People should be listening to your show about the Braves system and all of that. But we'll kind of dive, of course, into some guys, but I want to know what you think about the overall way the Braves approach the draft, and that could be wherever you want to take it. Quality of the guys they got, the way they you know, kind of manipulate in it. And that sounds more negative than I mean it, but like going underslot on some guys to spend later, all of the machinations that happened in the draft, what did you what's kind of your takeaway from what they did over the course of three days.

00:03:04
Speaker 2: You know, I think it was consistency, the Braves have had this kind of philosophy of going under in the first round to be able to open up picks later in the draft itself. The only main difference is they really focus on positional players at the beginning.

00:03:19
Speaker 3: Of the draft.

00:03:20
Speaker 2: Outside of that, you know, there weren't too many too many big flags. They got great value out of that topic with Tates south the scene being able to bring him a two point six and then allowing you to be able to draft a few more players like a Briggs, mackenzie and Connor Essenberg, which I'm sure we're going to go out over here pretty soon. Being able to then accumulate those other kinds of assets and talents. That was a superb job. And you know, in terms of like my overall evaluation, I don't really draft grades are really useless to specifically in baseball. Like basketball different right, I would say, you see that contribution a lot sooner and then you know there's only five people playing. But when it comes to baseball, like you really don't know most of these guys and how they're going to progress over the next five to six years. So in terms of like a draft grade, like I don't I don't care for those, I think they're pretty useless.

00:04:10
Speaker 3: But overall, I am a fan of how the.

00:04:12
Speaker 2: Draft came together for the Brains, And essentially what it comes down to is I think they were able to acquire four potential first round talents in that single draft between rounds one through four. So overall, you want to have those high impact guys, and that's exactly what the Brains were I able to identify in the next cue.

00:04:32
Speaker 1: It totally makes sense. And as someone who's covered enough NBA or even NFL drafts at times, no one likes draft guides when they have to do them. But I one hundred percent agree with you about the it being even sillier in baseball because there's just like there's just no way to do even if you knew, like you obviously scout these guys, people that know a lot more than I do still don't like to do these things. Our friend carls Clauso is like, I don't want to do like you have to sometimes for like content reasons. Your editor says draft grades, you kind of have to just do it or whatever, but it is kind of a silly exercise. So we're not going to do that here today. But well I'm glad you brought that up because it was kind of funny watching I know, you and others talking about that in real time, like, oh, what's the great It's like, I'm not doing this, absolutely not doing this, which is fine. I won't make you do that here. It was on my list to ask you. You brought it up, you know, in kind of leading up to the draft, we were all kind of laughing about how pitching focus they had been the last several seasons. It was probably the number one talking point ahead of the draft, and the Braves were like, you know what, not this time around, we're gonna be much more position player focused. Was that you think it was intentional? Like or was that just like, hey, we don't necessarily I never thought it was intentional to only draft pitching. They just kind of happened to do that. I don't think that was Maybe it was maybe you disagree. I don't know this is I should be asking you. But it felt like it was a clear departure, but also maybe not an intentional one. Does that make sense?

00:05:50
Speaker 3: No, for sure, I think that the biggest thing is the focus.

00:05:54
Speaker 2: On short stufs. I think that might have been intentional. After talking with Rona Shaw from the brains. He did say the ability for short stops to be able to move around, you know, all around the field is the premium, you know, really premium tool to be able to have. So being able to bring someone like a Tate South to seeing like a Cody Miller who are able to potentially not saying they need to right now, but to potentially have to shift a third or center field. Having that kind of positional versatility adds to their value when upon signing them.

00:06:22
Speaker 3: So I wouldn't say that.

00:06:23
Speaker 2: It was some gross dispart departure from from what's happened in the past. I think what we've seen in the past are their models and then the Braves going with the combination of best player available, and it just happened to be a lot of them tend to be tend to be pictuers just because of the general number right Matt Powers had a top one hundred and twenty right handed pitchers for the draft article before the.

00:06:48
Speaker 4: Drafty the way, Yeah, just the number of pitchers that you have available in each draft, whether it be from the right or left hand side, is going to be sizeable and bigger.

00:06:58
Speaker 3: Than the player position pool. And so we just happen to see that the brain is really at the top of their list just happened.

00:07:05
Speaker 2: To be more of the positional players that were available that that fit their model and then fit the BPA, uh you know filter with that, and you know, yeah, the only thing I had to add on is to really stress that I just happened to think that there was a focus on shortstop because of that a positional versatility.

00:07:23
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's kind of a normy question, but it's one that we even got that I almost answered a millbag on the show, even though acknowledge that we don't cover minorly prospects as well as you do, Like basically like, hey, why would they take three shortstops in a row? And what you said is basically what I was thinking too, Like the best play this is very simplified. Correct me if I'm wrong on this, But the best players at lower levels just tend to play shortstop in center field, and they can get moved off of those spots much more easily than being moved on to those spots. Like basically, you're just drafting the best athletes. Is that is that? Is that a reasonable interpretation of what they're doing here?

00:07:55
Speaker 3: You see that.

00:07:56
Speaker 2: You tend to see the top players in every single draft. They're gonna be your middle in, They're gonna be your straight up the middle. Those are gonna be your best athletes. They're gonna be the ones that have the best arms, the best range, all of that, and so those people tend to be able to shift towards other positions.

00:08:10
Speaker 3: And as you put on you know, height and weight.

00:08:12
Speaker 2: When you talk about Brett players, you don't know how they're gonna grow up. Right, Some of the they come in at seventeen, eighteen years old and before you know it, they's six.

00:08:19
Speaker 3: Seven and they're way two twenty five.

00:08:21
Speaker 2: And suddenly you can't unless your own Neil Cruise, you can't play shortstop, so you really want to.

00:08:27
Speaker 3: It's just the versatility around it.

00:08:29
Speaker 2: Like Tate and Cody Miller, again, they can both play up the middle, whether it be in the infield or the outfield. You bring up someone like Connor Essenberg who's gonna, well, maybe not have that amount of versatility, but you know he's gonna be a big arm in the outfield. Dixon Williams, the comp their fourth round COMPIC, is another one that brings positional versatility.

00:08:49
Speaker 3: Slots in a second where you can also play one of the outfield positions. So it's just it you see.

00:08:55
Speaker 2: More of the premium talent tend to play those those specific positions because they're able to then move around all around the outfield, in the all around the outfield, in the infield, and it just gives you so much more flexibility, and they tend to be your highest you know, it's such a such an incredibly like what's the best way to say this, like a premium position that you want to have the best athletes there. So it just it just makes sense based on those kinds of factors that you just overall Tennessee shortstops and center well that maybe not center fielder, but short stops, especially early in the draft, because of they tend to be the best athletes and they they they're able to move around the diamond and things like that.

00:09:35
Speaker 1: Yeah. I probably opened uh Facebook or something at some point during the draft and had to close it really fast about some of the funny positional takes. You know, it is like certain X team, why are they drafting this player? They have this plot at the major league level. It's like, well, that's not how the baseball draft works. You're just you're taking the best players available. And by the way I mean this, I guess there's probably less of that this time because the Brace don't really have a short stop. I can imagine if the Braves still had a great shortstop, people will be like, what is go on? Why are they drafting shortstops? But you just laid out why they would be doing that. They're just kind of draft after the best player is available. And as we're recording this after earlier with this happened, the Brave is actually formally announced on Tuesday that they've signed all twenty one picks. So the assumption is most of the time, we're you're gonna try to sign all your guys, but the brains have already done that pretty quickly. Is there a takeaway to that? We'll get into kind of the players after this, but kind of just buttoning it up in what a week and a half, that's fun to see. I'm sure it allows like there's no no drama, no like Carter short situations where you're waiting on guys and not being able to sign them, you know what I mean. It's just it's kind of done with now and they know what think it's kind to move forward.

00:10:36
Speaker 3: It makes it a lot easier.

00:10:38
Speaker 2: And on top of that, players are able to then go into camp sooner they're they're able to get but behind these coaches get started in their professional careers. It's just an absolute no lose situation. Everybody wins when they sign early. And then on top of that, you can then even thinking about like the overall execution of the Brave strategy. Since they were able to sign everyone, it clearly worked out. And we haven't seen the slot values for all of them, but I have to imagine they came within that five percent and they you know, use their max slot, so you know, it's just it shows that they had a plan, they stuck to it, they executed it, and then on top of that, everyone wants to be in the organization and start their professional careers.

00:11:22
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00:15:01
Speaker 1: So on the plan you brought up, a lot of that goes with going underslot on the first three picks, I believe all three of those guys are underslot, and that's Tate South is seeing Alex Lodize and Cody Miller, who are again who are all short stops at we still listed as short stops, and then they kind of go they go way overslot with Briggs Mackenzie, who I think made as much or was it more? I don't have it in front of me. Was it more than South Asine got or as much or something close?

00:15:25
Speaker 3: Yeah? At a three million, and Tay was that two point six.

00:15:29
Speaker 1: So that's just for a normy outside or even myself. Honestly, it's like it is kind of strange that the fourth round pick would get more than the first round pick. And I'll just throw that out there as a it was, but to your point, it was a plan, it was a strategy. I saw some people and I don't think they were doing this bad faith, maybe kind of downplaying Southazine because they were clear it was clearly going to be an underslot pick. And it's like, well, is this guy actually a first round pick? I saw I'm sure you saw a lot of that too, was like, this guy actually a first round talent? Are they? Are they just being cheap? They're not being cheap, I know that for a fact. But starting with self, see, like what do you make of him as a prospect, being that he's the guy that, for better or worse, will be attached as the first round pick, which means it's a different level of attention for people like me. So when they open up, that's my reference, Oh, first round pick, more pressure, more attention. What do you make of him?

00:16:14
Speaker 3: So what he really has going for him? And we actually.

00:16:17
Speaker 2: Discussed this on the podcast yesterday, is Tate has for a prep shortstop. You tend to think, you know, there's going to be a lot of variants. Who knows how like what success is for him. Is he gonna come in and strike out a time? Well he needed you know, will he needed more help with his approach and things like that. But with Tate, he's actually extremely polished for his age. He's got a good hit tool, he's got a good approach, He's able.

00:16:40
Speaker 3: To recognize breaking pitches.

00:16:42
Speaker 2: What it really stands out about him specifically is the fact that as a prep player, and this actually means a lot, as a prep player, he has a relatively high floor.

00:16:51
Speaker 3: And when you.

00:16:52
Speaker 2: Talk about prep players, you tend to think, you know, anything as possible. They can go in and they can they can be major League All Stars, or you know, they.

00:17:00
Speaker 3: Come in and they never get above able.

00:17:03
Speaker 2: And that's just the variance that comes with eighteen year olds trying to play, you know, trying to play this really really difficult game. So with Tate is actually it's really interesting because he does have that high end potential. While he won't be like a Carlos Carrea with thirty thirty five plus home run potential, he's someone that has a good hit tool. He should be able to get on base, he should be able to have do decently, you know, stealing bases, and I do see some projection in his power. I can see him coming in you know, eighteen to twenty during his peak, and then overall also provide really fantastic defense up the middle, and so you end up getting a really really well rounded, really well rounded individual that you know doesn't have as much boom or bust potential for a first round pick, and more specifically for a first round prep pick.

00:17:50
Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean everything that I read and see, I like. I won't tell you that I have the background to analyze State's game, but it seems like a guy that would be a very appealing And again, not to emphasize this too much, I know it's kind of a silly thing if you follow this closely, but yes, he was maybe mocked a little bit lower than this, Like does that matter, I mean at all? Just to answer, I don't. I don't. It doesn't. My read is that the answer is no. But I want to know what you will will say. What I think doesn't matter that he was mocked lower than this is already disapointed.

00:18:20
Speaker 2: I think I think you can play those kinds of games in your mind and say, oh, maybe they could have drafted someone else and then maybe they can slide them at sign him at that same slot value and then the rest of the draft works out fine, Like yeah, that's that's totally possible. But clearly the Braves had Tape on there on top of their list between not only from their scouting department, but also from their advanced models that they used for projection, and they felt like he was again had the combination of the highest potential and the lowest and the lowest bust rate. And you know, I tend to agree with that.

00:18:55
Speaker 1: It makes total sense. And it is one of those not to compare everything to baseball to Maskemare for ball, but it's one of those things where you were like, you know, five years from now, people will pull up the draft order and if the guy goes the spot behind him, that's better. You know, this happens all the time. It's like, why didn't they draft this guy? Well, it's that's why I'm leading with the fact that it is an entire plan and it's it's everything has to come together. It doesn't mean it's gonna work. You can still miss teams. Everybody misses, like your baseball. The mis rate is so high in the baseball draft for obvious reasons, but I feel like that it's worth emphasizing, even though I know it's fruitless. People are to ignore this as no matter what in five years and go back and wo whichever guy pops behind them will be the one they talk about. But it's not a it's not it's not cutting dry. You're not You're not just drafting the best player with no other considerations in the way that you would in other drafts, where it's firm, firmly slotted in for what the guys make know. That's I mean, we're being repetitive, but I want to make sure that gets the point across. It's like, he's obviously guy they like. They wouldn't have taken me even with this plan. They would have they clearly had a first round level greade on the guy, or they wouldn't make it. Does that make sense?

00:19:54
Speaker 2: I mean, I still have they Alex Briggs and Connor Hesenberg with first round grade. So you know, with Briggs and Connor it's more projection Tait. You saw that his tools are higher at the current level. That's why he, without a doubt, is a first round talent. But then when you talk about Connor and Briggs. I you know, within three years when they come out out of college, you're talking about two players that might be top five overall and so like, it.

00:20:21
Speaker 3: Seems like a lot of money.

00:20:22
Speaker 2: But clearly the Briggs believe in their projection and believe in what they saw from them, and they think that they can bring them in, get them with their player development, which has been fantastic over the past year and a half.

00:20:33
Speaker 3: Now I'm not just talking pictures.

00:20:34
Speaker 2: I'm talking positional, positional players as well, and get get their started, get their careers started sooner.

00:20:40
Speaker 3: And you know, I tend to agree, and I think they did.

00:20:42
Speaker 2: I think they did a really interesting job of identifying really six players that I think have high end potential and can make contributions on the major league level if they continue to develop.

00:20:54
Speaker 3: The way they are.

00:20:55
Speaker 1: It makes sense. And I want to We'll come back to Ludis and Miller, but I want to ask about bris McKenzie because he did get the three million dollars or so, but his high school pitcher I don't North Carolina clearly a weird quirk of the baseball draft is that he had a first round group. A lot of people it's like Kenny, can you sign him? Do you have the money to spend? He's the guy that kind of splurged on and I think it was like two million over slot. It's a lot of money over the slot value, all those things. But what's the projection on him? Obviously an eighteen year old, I think picture it's gonna be a while before we see him at a higher level. But clearly guy that they wanted a lot where they wouldn't have done what they did.

00:21:27
Speaker 2: I mean people always ask me, does this player does this pitching prospect at top of the rotation impact? And with Briggs McKenzie, he absolutely does right now as is as an eighteen year old, He's got three plus pitches between his between his fastball and his current ball and his change up. Really, his current ball is the one that stands the top. It's got over a three thousand rpm. He can already command all three.

00:21:50
Speaker 3: Pitches as well.

00:21:52
Speaker 2: The biggest thing that a lot of people have really knocked on Briggs is the fact that he hasn't held his velocity throughout throughout an entire start.

00:22:00
Speaker 3: Honestly, I don't care. That's something that.

00:22:03
Speaker 2: Strength and conditioning is going to get you there. As long as you're a professional athlete, and that's what he is. You know, by all accounts, there's no issues with his medicals, so you can tag in that that you can once you factor in you know, the Braves player development and what they do, like typically for pitchers, for starting pitchers, you'll see them try and teach him a slider just to have some other kind of breaking pitch that he's able to get a few different planes going on the when he's facing someone. But you know, with him right now as is, he's got three pitches that he can throw for strikes. I see a lot like cam Kimminiddi last year when he went first overall, someone that is able to throw four pitches for strikes at eighteen. It's just you see a lot of projection with him, and I can see him, you know, working with that fastball, getting that fastball up to a more consistent ninety five and ninety six topping you know, really topping around ninety seven. That plus three plus two other breaking pitches, but potentially another slider. You're looking at a really good four pitch mix from a lefty that can throw ninety seven and throw them all for strike. So you know, everything hits the ninety nine percentile, you're talking about a top of the rotation player.

00:23:13
Speaker 3: If not, you're still talking about a major league caliber player.

00:23:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, and that's always interesting to kind of it's really hard projective, of course, but you want the ceiling and also be like, Okay, what happens if he doesn't hit the ceiling? Like is there a secondary outcome that's still a positive one where he could be a contributing major league or sounds like the answered to that is yes on paper with him, and.

00:23:33
Speaker 3: It certainly seems that way.

00:23:34
Speaker 1: Yeah, honestly far away again, high school pitcher. The other high schooler you already mentioned in Connor Essenberg high school outfielder, the other guy that went over on I think he got like a like one point two million in the fifth round you've already mentioned you have him as a first round grade. That might sound surprising people that saw a fifth round pick attached to him, But same similar thing as far as like you're you're paying him more than he's supposed to get in that spot, you get him signed, et cetera. But Esenberg, it's kind of the pitch with him as a again, like eighteen year old hond Filder.

00:24:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, so one reason why he was so expensive is you had to buy him out that commitment from Kentucky. He was gonna be a two way player at Kentucky, and a lot of teams liked his arm enough to potentially draft him as a pitcher.

00:24:15
Speaker 1: I ask that question I read that. I was like, WHOA, Okay, maybe maybe he'll pitch at some point. I don't know.

00:24:21
Speaker 3: The Brave is announced that he's going to be an outfielder.

00:24:23
Speaker 2: So by all accounts, I imagine they're just gonna stick him with the bat and have play the outfield because that potential with the bat is enormous, and you're talking about a middle of the order type of type of bat with pristine power.

00:24:36
Speaker 6: Uh.

00:24:36
Speaker 2: The the really the only flag on him right now, because he's got a decent approach. Again, for someone that's eighteen, it's gonna you're you're gonna hit that first wave where you start seeing some curveballs that are a little better than you did in high school and you start seeing sliders. You're like, oh, like oh crap, Like okay, this is a little more difficult. But he's not one that whiffs a tongue he's not chasing out of the strike zone a lot.

00:24:58
Speaker 3: The hit tool will still got some work to do. I think it right now, it's got a value of like forty five, So you.

00:25:03
Speaker 2: Want to see if you can get it closer to a fifty with that same approach, because if you're able to, and you're talking about someone that can hit I don't know, like two seventy to two eighty, you're talking about an OBP that's going to be over three seventy, and you're talking about a slugging percentage that most likely is going to be over five hundred because he's got monster power. And then on top of that, while he's not extremely fast, he is an athlete, so he can do more than okay in the in the field itself. And then he's got a rocket for an arm. He's throwing darts. He's looking like Ronald Acuna with the ball in his hand and right. So there is a lot to like about Connor Ssenberg. And just when we were recording yesterday, between me, Garrett and Matt, he was the one that we identified he might be our most exciting prep pick that we believe the Braves would take it.

00:25:51
Speaker 3: In the past, like eight to ten years.

00:25:53
Speaker 1: Wow, I mean that's and that's a long time. And also I mean we just went through it. But mcken's is a prep pick. Sounds is a prep pick as well. So three of three of these guys that we're talking about in their top five or six picks this year were high school guys. So for you guys to say that collectively, is is that an upside? Is that because of the upside? Is the way is it? Playing style, is all those things?

00:26:13
Speaker 2: It's it's absolute monster upside. He's a he was He's a bat if everything works out, He's a bat that you build a franchise that you build a lineup around because he can hit for average and he can hit for huge power. He's going to be a massive run producer. Again, we're talking about projections. Anything can happen, but you know, when you're when you're drafting, you want to think about best case scenario. And with the way the Braves have done and with the changes that they've made really recently over the past couple of years, and in their overall hitting styles, like you're seeing a much more aggressive not aggressive, but a much more like a bigger focus on overall approach and pitch recognition, because you're seeing a lot of the Braves positional players like in Isaiah's like an Owen Kret, Eric Hartman, uh, even David McCabe, some of the older ones ethan working, working jer like, these guys have all taken huge step forwards in their approach. They're not swinging, they're not chasing nearly as much outside the zone, they're putting the ball in play. Yeah, some of these balls are going straight into the ground, and that's I mean, that's something that you work on. But overall, you're you're seeing the Braves really try and shift the way that they fundamentally kind of go about hitting. And we're seeing some of those results happen in the minors as of right now. And so for players like Alex Lodi's and Connor Wesenberg, where you have slightly more aggressive, slightly worse it tools, it's like the perfect system for them to come into at this exact moment. And I really think those two are are kind of picks that the Braves really really wanted to make for that exact reason. It's exactly what they're trying to do, uh throughout the organization. And you know, if those guys do make those changes, and they are they are able to adapt.

00:27:59
Speaker 3: You're talking about complete game changes in your lineup.

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00:29:04
Speaker 1: I wanted to go back to Lodi's. So actually maybe on a group of guys together, you could separate them if you want to. But Lodi's Cody Miller and also Dixon Williams, who you mentioned briefly before, all middle infielders, all for your college guys, different players of course, Lodis was the second round pick, Miller and the third, and then Williams and as the fourth round cop pick you know different Obviously profile is not than the high upside college on high side prep guys, but a clear investment again in three up the middle guys veterans by prosper standards, like how do you differentiate these guys, what's the appeal for all three of them? How did they kind of stack up alongside the big spin on the prep guys.

00:29:42
Speaker 3: And so they have like a bunch of different skill sets.

00:29:45
Speaker 2: With with Alex Lodi's, you're seeing someone that chases the ball a little more.

00:29:48
Speaker 3: But has a great swing for power.

00:29:50
Speaker 2: And he's able to really drive that ball into the gap extremely well. I can see him hitting eighteen to twenty five home runs this season. He's going to be a little more aggressive.

00:29:59
Speaker 3: You might strike out all.

00:29:59
Speaker 2: The little more, but he's going to play a really solid shortstop.

00:30:03
Speaker 3: He's got a good arm there.

00:30:04
Speaker 2: I see absolutely no reason why he needs to move off that position. And when you're able to add someone that's at least league average on the glove side and then is able to hit at shortstop, able to hit you know, potentially twenty five homers get on base at a three forty three fifty clip, that's an above average shortstop and someone that a lot of teams are trying to go after. When it comes to Dixon Williams, that's someone with a little bit of a higher floor, a little more polished, but the tools aren't as loud.

00:30:30
Speaker 3: So even with him, that someone.

00:30:32
Speaker 2: At worst case is going to be you know, a potential Quada player that's able to provide tons of value in your organization.

00:30:40
Speaker 3: Still if he hits, if everything goes.

00:30:43
Speaker 2: Well for him, you know, you're maybe you're seeing a utility infielder that's able to get on base and that has tons of value as well, and that's going to be another major league quality player in the comp round. And then when it comes to Cody Miller, he's like the one of the biggest wild cards because when you look at what he's done and you think about, like the competition he went to East Tennessee State, he didn't have. I think he's had like five to six games against power power four teams, which he actually absolutely thrived.

00:31:11
Speaker 3: I think he had like four of the six home runs against Power four.

00:31:15
Speaker 2: But there's you don't know how he's going to do against increased, increased competition throughout a season. But from what we see and what we can project, you're talking about someone that's got like a fifty to fifty five hit tools, so that's going to be average to above average just being able to make contact. He's got good power at fifty to fifty five, so again someone that might be able to hit twenty to twenty five home runs. And then he's got seventy speeds so he's stealing thirty plus bags. And then on top of that, he's got a sixty arms. So he's someone that has a ton of really really intriguing tools. And the fact that you know he went to East Tennessee State, I would imagine is the reason why he went in the third because you look at his numbers, you look at what his overall approach, you look at a swing, he's someone that chased I think the number was eight percent, Like he's not he's not going to go outside the strike.

00:32:08
Speaker 3: So he knows what he can do and he's he had a.

00:32:11
Speaker 2: Modest uptick and power going into his his junior year. So he's someone that's for me, he's like one of the biggest wildcards. He could be a potential like like Essenberg, like a lineup changing kind of player, because he's got that unique skill set. I think we uh, the best comparison to his upside would be someone like a trade turner. If he stays that that'side yeah, because you're talking about the power, you're talking about the plus, the double plus speed, the great arm, being able to stay it short, Like that's a really really high upside.

00:32:47
Speaker 3: We just need to see him.

00:32:48
Speaker 2: Against slightly better competition because again East Tennessee State, and then on top of that, I think, yeah, he's like five eleven one, so he's a bit on the smaller side, but he's got that good approach, he's got that good swing, and he's someone I'm gonna really monitor because if that hit tool is what we think it could be, he's easily top ten, you know in your organization.

00:33:09
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I was actually gonna ask that kind of normaly question about where these guys slot in. I'm sure you've thought about it a little bit. I'm not say you finalized all of your updated rankings mid season, but give me kind of even like the range of where some of these top five six guys in this class but slot in the system. Because I'm sure people are already asking you that question. They've already asked me, and I have no idea. So this is why, this is why I'm asking you no totally.

00:33:31
Speaker 2: And we actually talked about this yesterday and how I think we're gonna be revealing like our top thirty lists come then next week. But you know, just just taking a quick glance, I have Alex Lodi's in my top ten right now because his current value is so high compared to the rest. I have Tate South the scene, I believe top ten as well. Lodi's is probably top eight, Tate's going to be top ten. That doesn't mean, again, the ranking doesn't mean that I think.

00:33:57
Speaker 3: One's better than the other.

00:33:58
Speaker 2: I think South higher potential, but Alex Lodi's right now is better than any other pick that the Braves are drafted.

00:34:04
Speaker 1: Well, Eddie is four years old. He's four years old.

00:34:06
Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly, exactly, Remember.

00:34:07
Speaker 1: That everybody South Saint's a high school kid. Lodis is a four year college player. It's different timelines.

00:34:12
Speaker 2: Absolutely, Absolutely, Briggs Mackenzie having going to have in my top fifteen, Cody Miller I believe is going to be top twenty for me, Connor Essenberg will definitely be top twenty five, and then Dixon Williams is probably gonna hover right around thirty. So, I mean, you're what we were talking what six, six, top thirty in the top in the first five rounds, Like that's a that's a really solid draft.

00:34:33
Speaker 3: And of course a lot of it has to do with the state of the of the farm system as.

00:34:36
Speaker 2: Is and it being so pitcher heavy, and you know, the new wave of course, the next new wave of town is going to be those position players. But yeah, I think I think I have the Braves at six top thirty from this draft.

00:34:51
Speaker 1: And they did go pitching heavy down the board. You know, the guys we want to talk about probably a ton like individual I think, like I want to say, it was like maybe twelve o their last fifteen picks or pitchers something like that in the draft and the twenty round draft.

00:35:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I think they had three three outfielders after after round after round six they had three outfielder and everyone else was a pitcher.

00:35:14
Speaker 3: I think that.

00:35:14
Speaker 1: Yeah. And also I was this is a very normal thing to say. I was surprised that they didn't draft a single player from the state of Georgia. They just always seem to do that, and they didn't this time. Like I kind of choked with Carlos, like, oh, there's no Georgia guys in this list? What's going on here? Not that they have to do that, It's just one of those things. Is there anybody else that you know down on the board, even the undraft? I know, I know Matt has been talking about on some undrafted guys that they've been able to sign. Anybody else that you are excited about that we've not discussed so far that was, you know, outside of the top five six rounds.

00:35:41
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think there's a couple that really stand out.

00:35:43
Speaker 2: First one being their sixth round pick Landon oh Man Beatles.

00:35:49
Speaker 3: I believe. Sorry fans if I if I got that wrong. I see enormous relief potential with them.

00:35:56
Speaker 2: I don't really see that third pitch with with this change up, it's not quite But if.

00:36:00
Speaker 3: He goes into a more straight reliever role.

00:36:02
Speaker 2: I think he's a really really fast rising arm In that same vein that's j Woolfolk from UVA. He's got a dynamite fastball slider combination. There was some talk about him potentially going back to college, so being able to eventually sign him is actually significant news and really good for the Braves. When you look at Logan Forsyth in the thirteenth round, he has absolutely no idea where the ball is going.

00:36:27
Speaker 3: However, if you look.

00:36:28
Speaker 2: At his overall arsenal, that's a Day one talent, and so he's someone that you're watching really really closely to see canny can the Braves make something out of him because the arm talent is enormous. He's a first round draft pick if you're just going straight from arm talent. The only unfortunate thing is like doesn't really know where it's going. And then another player would be their eighth round pick, Carter Lovaz, who comes in with a unique arm angle and has a really good three pitch mix, and someone that's someone like you can projection out of him.

00:37:01
Speaker 3: He's a fourth year senior. He's signed for seventy five hundred.

00:37:04
Speaker 2: So the fact that you're able to get him for that cheap and someone that I could see potentially becoming a major league player, that's that's outstanding. And then if we look at the undrafted side of things, they've made a few signings that have been really, really.

00:37:20
Speaker 3: Really intriguing. Yeah, via cra Carrero, the Puerto Rican shortstop.

00:37:25
Speaker 2: The whole things that we've heard about with Puerto Rican shortstops is toolsy, but hit tools out there. That's exactly what he's got. He's gonna be a plus defender at short. He looks like he can hit for power, but right now we don't know if he's gonna hit. But again, that's someone that you you sign every day, right that that's someone that has more than enough intrigue as a player.

00:37:46
Speaker 3: Caden Merritt, who was really I did not expect him.

00:37:51
Speaker 2: He's someone that was committed to Coastal Carolina that were just in the College World Series and he decides to sign with the Braves, he's someone that again has a ton, has a ton of projection. The hit tool right now is a giant question mark. But he's if he's able to hit, then you're talking about a potential five tool player. So, uh, there's a and then oh yeah, they just signed Jalen from Georgia Tech. The uh he led the Tech pitching staff in ERA. I think I think I got that stat right. He led the Tech pitching staff in ERA this year. He's someone that is a top one fifty talent from the very beginning, but he has had so many horrible injuries that it's just ruined his collegiate career. So he's someone that's got a giant question mark next to his name if he stays healthy and if he is throwing strikes like we think he can.

00:38:42
Speaker 3: Like that's a again, that.

00:38:44
Speaker 2: Is a fantastic first round talent that the Breakers are able to sign as an undrafted free agent.

00:38:50
Speaker 1: Yeah, I was reading. I think it was from Matt that he was what was it was a two way guy too, like down to George, Southern, like athletic and interesting player that people. I mean, I know we have some Tech I'm sure we have some Tech fans that will be will know him already, but that'll be interesting a name before I get you out of here, and I promise I will. I want to ask you about anything that's interesting to you about the minor league system beyond the draft guys, because we joked about this before we started recording. But like gonna be more eyeballs on you, guys, which is good on the on the system during the August, especially August and September, if the Braves are actually out of it and they appear to be on their way to being out of it at that point in time. For example, I saw today Owen Murphy pitching the game for the first time in a long time, and that's that's a god people, that's the name people know, a big a big time prospect that's been hurt for a year plus. Tommy John like came back today. I don't know if you watched it. I want to put you on the spot, but I saw that he pitched today. That's that's that's a story. So like, what should people be looking for that are not doubt in all the time on the mino system, Like, guys, by the way, there's opportunity in the midjor leagues down the stretch, probably especially pitching Lise like there would be innings to throw.

00:39:53
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean really, if you focus on the pitching side of things, which is where the Braves have insane depth. If you go to Triple A A, you're you're looking at five top thirty prospects in your in the starting uh.

00:40:06
Speaker 3: In the starting staff. Right, you have Blake.

00:40:08
Speaker 2: Burg Halter, who could potentially I think he's at Yeah, he's at a career high ending, so you could see him shifting towards the bullpen to kind of conserve that arm. He's one of major League Baseball player. You got Dylan Dodd as well on Buena, and he's someone that's going to be in Atlanta.

00:40:23
Speaker 3: Didi or Fuints has had that stint. We want him to stay down there for the rest of the season.

00:40:27
Speaker 2: So maybe not someone that you want to see in the majors this year, but another arm that has ridiculous upside.

00:40:33
Speaker 3: Das Bell Hernandez will be back up in Atlanta.

00:40:36
Speaker 2: Domingo Gonzalez has an opportunity to be up in Atlanta because now he's locating that cider.

00:40:40
Speaker 3: Hayden Harris out at Georgia Southern. He's another intriguing arm. He's doing so well.

00:40:45
Speaker 2: He's locating that fastball so well at the high at the top of the zone, and his fastball is flat and so you know, he's got that unique vaa.

00:40:52
Speaker 3: So the hitters just have no idea what's going on.

00:40:56
Speaker 2: Jean Carlos Laara with his one hundred and three mile an hour fastball, He's someone that I think is going to be in Atlanta this year because he's really adjusting to being a reliever. He's really honed in his his his walk rate, it's gone down significantly, and now you're talking about a double plus two pitch mix between his fastball and slider.

00:41:15
Speaker 3: JR.

00:41:15
Speaker 2: Ritchie is another player I think, between him and Blake Burke Alter are going to be two pitches that are going to find their way to Atlanta either this year or next. And then Hurston Waldrop's another one. And then another one, very very unique.

00:41:28
Speaker 3: Player that the Braves add and then really fast tracked him is Brett Sears.

00:41:32
Speaker 2: And the reason why is like you look at some of his advanced advanced metrics and he's got like seven seven foot extension, which is insane, and because of it, he throws four really nice pitches, he throws them all for strikes.

00:41:49
Speaker 3: So, like pitching, why is there's so much to.

00:41:51
Speaker 2: Enjoy if if you just start at the very top at at Gwinnette and then for for your more casual players, I want to see some of the positional talent, like focus on the Augusta Green Jackets, because you have a lot of really intriguing players there. And while you look at the numbers and you're going to see like a six hundred and six twenty six to fifty ops, that doesn't mean that they're having bad seasons.

00:42:13
Speaker 3: What you're seeing right.

00:42:15
Speaker 2: Now is a giant shift in how the Braves are trying to coach their their hitters itself, and that's really focusing on their approaches, being able to take walks, being able to cut down that chase rate. And like I said earlier, you're seeing that with Ambioris Tavars, you're seeing it with David McKay, like players that have been in the organization where they're hit tools, maybe not McKay, but where their hit tools were question marks, and you're seeing them start to shore up those question marks. And so while the numbers might not look goudy like these, you're seeing really concrete improvements throughout and that's what's really getting me excited, especially for next year because a lot of the high end positional talent is going to be in Augusta or Rome. You're seeing Colby Jones, who has again like a six fifteen ops, but fifty stolen bases to thirteen cost ceilings.

00:43:04
Speaker 3: He's still five last year, right, like you're seeing.

00:43:08
Speaker 2: It's just a it's a refreshing new take on not new, but it's just refreshing to really see the Braves focus on the strengths of these players, making sure those shine while also really focusing on, Okay, here's what we think is the most important thing, and they're doing a great job of executing that. And I've tweeted this a few times. I've talked about this, but the staff that they have down in a Gusta, between Ruben go Tai Gara Wilkinson, Elvin Nina, like those are some of the.

00:43:35
Speaker 3: Best best coaches I have seen in a long time.

00:43:38
Speaker 2: And the strength of hopefully what's going to become a strength, which is gonna be the positional players, Like I don't see that risk in the organization anymore, and that that should hopefully make everyone a lot more excited about the system than me.

00:43:55
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, it does. It's it's also an opportunity. I'm talking to myself too, Like you know, if you don't I feel like watching the major league club in August September as much, maybe not every night because they might be out of it, take an take a night and watch them minor league baseball. Like you know, there's there's some guys that you want to look dream on and look at and it could be fun to do. And I will certainly do more of that than I normally would down the stretch. That's just the reality situation. Like I have, There's only so many hours of the day. I have other things to do, so I don't watch enough minor leage stuff. I'm gonna watch them more minor league baseball in the last till the season's over, basically from this point forward, I'm gonna want to do that. And you already mentioned a bunch of guys you'll see in the majors. You know you already said, just because I remembered it, Dylan Dodd was good in the majors this year in the bullpen, Like Dylan's was kind of like a long afterthought as a as a starter, but like he was good in the bullpen this year, like it has like an era in the threees, and like, look the part did he hear by the way, he's been a topic because he was obviously not ready yet, but like that's a guy that everybody should be still very excited about people. It's it happens a lot. I know this happened. I know we talked about with with Smith Shaver when I when we had you on in April, I think it was about like, hey, don't don't just ignore this guy because he was not great in the majors at one point. Like Dittier is really young and has a great great arm. Is the reason why people like yourself and others were talking about how how he's like maybe the best approp in the system pitching wise. That doesn't go away because he was bad in the majors for like five starts.

00:45:10
Speaker 2: Like it's I mean when it comes to diddy Er, he was born like two weeks after I graduated from high school, so.

00:45:16
Speaker 1: Like, yeah, even he's basically a child.

00:45:20
Speaker 2: I think about giving up on a player of that caliber, like and then, and the most important thing I can really I can really press on anyone that wants to get into monor league baseball.

00:45:28
Speaker 3: Is like, don't look at overall results.

00:45:30
Speaker 2: Look at look at approach. See how they're doing. Are they swinging inside the zone? Are they are they staying? Are they not chasing? Like?

00:45:36
Speaker 3: These are significant things that they're working.

00:45:38
Speaker 2: On an everyday basis, And while the numbers might not be there, it isn't it's important to see the development and that's exactly what we've seen this year.

00:45:47
Speaker 1: Yep, I look forward to it. That's great advice to meet others who like, hey, yes, I do check the box scores sometimes I read also, this is a unsanctioned plugged by you. But the monor league coverage of battery power is if you don't have time to watch cause like, and that's been the case for years and years and years now. I used to work there. I don't work there anymore. No one's paying me there. It's great catch up reading, like, you will learn a lot of things about guys if you don't have time to watch them. There's is it still daily or most days you have a minor league recap? It's been it's a lot of words every day every day.

00:46:18
Speaker 3: But Tuesday.

00:46:19
Speaker 1: Yeah, so six days a week you'll have minor league content on Battery Power you can read catch up on. So that was not you didn't ask me to do that. I just it's true, Like that's I've learned. I mean to the except that I actually know things. I've learned a lot about prospects for years and years from I used to help edit those at one point. Now just reading them from the outside, it's it's valuable content. So hopefully people can get excited about the draft. I think look, as a admitted casual observer of this stuff, I was impressed by the draft takeaways. Like even people that have don't cover the Braves, like people that are national folks, like talking to Carlos or reading Carls J. J. Cooper, all these guys were like, Hey, the Braves did really well. And it's like, if you don't want to believe the guys who covered the rest all the time, number one, you should believe people like GOREV. But like, hey, there's buzz about this draft class. That's fun in the militaries. And then by the way, next year it seems like they're going to have a pretty high draft pick, which could be even more fun. You get more attention on people like you if they have a high draft pick. Next year, you started out more sponsors draft. That's what I hear. So is it we won't have to go blong on this, but is it actually really like supposed to be.

00:47:20
Speaker 2: Totally position talent next year should be astronomical. It should be a really in draguing draft. On top of that, if Drake gets the gets the Rookie of the Year, that's another first round pick, ye extra pick.

00:47:33
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a if you are just inclined to follow the Major League, as I totally get it, Drake Balwin winning Workie of the Year would be big for everybody and not just Drake Baldwin. It it'd be fun to watch just from that standpoint. You always want a guy to do well and win awards and stuff like that. But it would help the team because you get you get an extra pick. That's one of the fun things about this weird CBA that we always talk about. There's so many quirks, like I know a lot about the basketball CBA, and then every time I'm like, is that actually true? And I asked him, like, yeah, that's a you're thinking about. Yeah, they have Baseball is weird. I love it, but it's weird.

00:48:03
Speaker 6: It just is.

00:48:05
Speaker 1: Well, thank you, goreg for being here. I appreciate it. We've already pluged some of your stuff. If please feel free what's going on in your world, working folks find you and anything else you're doing, and follow along as they absolutely should be.

00:48:15
Speaker 3: No, I appreciate that.

00:48:16
Speaker 2: You can find me on Twitter at gv dec and then really make sure if you're interested in more about the Braves.

00:48:22
Speaker 3: Draft. Latest episode of Peach State Prospects.

00:48:25
Speaker 2: Is out on the stream on iTunes and Spotify, and then we're looking to really get that going for the second half of the season.

00:48:32
Speaker 1: People should be doing that. I am a subscriber and a listeners. It's fun to listen to and I'm always like looking up names. I'll pause stuff like who is this guy to do a little search, And I'm a nerd like that because I don't know everybody, but I'm learning. Hey, it's a good time to dive in and I will always admit what I don't know. So Gore, thanks for doing this. Man. Well, I'm sure I'll beg you to have you back at some point, preferably not the same time that you're also asked by Grant and other people to do the same exact conversation. I'm sure hopefully it was a little bit different we did on this show. We love Grant by the way, Grant McCauley, great, We love Grant, but you were also on there. Listen to that, Listen to appreciate prospects. We're all across the board. Follow you on Twitter. We appreciate it. Ask for everybody else, please subscribe to her Territory anywhere you find your podcast as well, and we'll see you all next time.