The Kentucky left fielder has 13 home runs this season
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel has posted his first mock draft of the season, and at 24th he has the Atlanta Braves taking a college bat in Kentucky’s Ryan Waldschmidt. Waldschmidt is an interesting guy — he comes in unranked by MLB Pipeline and at #228 by Baseball America — but Kiley sees him as a guy whose underlying data and toolset has him rising up draft boards. Certainly there is some steam for the Braves when it comes to making picks based on their internal models, and should Waldschmidt be the guy he would bring immediate power and some plate discipline to the team. Here is where I’m not so sure the Braves would like this profile. Waldschmidt has athleticism, check mark, but it seems he is likely limited to left field as a professional and the Braves typically don’t spend on players that play non-premium positions. For me I just don’t see this as much of a fit to their typical strategy, though with his speed it does seem he would be an above average left fielder.
McDaniel also connects four other players to the Braves – Carson Benge, Jurrangelo Cijntje, Wyatt Sanford, and Braylon Doughty. We’ve seen Benge pop up before in mock drafts connected to the Braves, and I think the profile there would fit better with Atlanta if those connections are true. Cijntje would be an interesting pick just for the fun of having an ambidextrous pitcher around, though I doubt this connection is being made with the idea of him going first round. Doughty does interest me, as although I’ve grown a bit averse to spending big on prep arms he would certainly fit Atlanta’s profile as a guy with high level athleticism, a low release, and a mix of breaking balls that all have major league potential. Sanford is an interesting guy given his hit tool, and the Braves have been connected to quite a few prep shortstops over the past few years. He’s a great defender and athlete, though the Braves may not be excited about spending a first round pick on a guy who doesn’t project to much power.