The Braves drafted a lot of high-upside talent in the 2022 Draft, mostly because the lower levels of their minor league systems are paper thin. However, a lot of their prospects are already ranked fairly high in their Top 30, according to Baseball America.
What do you think of our updated Top 100?https://t.co/Cfxvy6CN80
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) August 9, 2022
So, which of the Braves draft picks are off to a hot start in 2022? This will be updated as the season progresses, so stay tuned to keep up with Atlanta’s latest draft class.
RHP Owen Murphy (Pick 20)
Braves Prospect Rank: 6
1 GS, 2.0 IP, 4 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP
So far, Murphy has only made one start, but it was a sharp start to his professional career. The Braves took a lot of high school arms, so they have to find innings for all of these guys in the Florida Coast League before 2022 ends.
RHP JR Ritchie (Pick 35)
Braves Prospect Rank: 7
1 GS, 2.0 IP, 1 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP
Almost identical to his first-round draft classmate, Ritchie hasn’t missed quite as many bats, but he has looked sharp in his debut. He should be getting a lot of work leading up to September.
RHP Cole Phillips (Pick 57)
Braves Prospect Rank: 12
No Appearances Yet
RHP Blake Burkhalter (Pick 76)
Braves Prospect Rank: 28
0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 54.00 ERA, 12.00 WHIP
It was a rough start for Burkhalter, but you can’t draw any real conclusions based off of one-third of an inning. He should bounce back, and he may be the first in this class to reach Atlanta.
C Drake Baldwin (Pick 96)
Braves Prospect Rank: 27
.375/.400/.625/1.025, 2 2B, 3 RBI
So far, Baldwin has looked good at the plate. His bat was his best tool coming out of college, so hopefully he can stick behind the plate in an organization that badly needs help at catcher.
3B David McCabe (Pick 125)
Braves Prospect Rank: 29
.240/.310/.630/.940, 2 2B, 6 RBI, 2 BB
Another guy having a strong start at the plate, the Canadian McCabe is a big, switch-hitting third baseman. Third base is a sore spot in Atlanta’s organization, so hopefully this trend continues. He has already moved up to Augusta.
RHP Seth Keller (Pick 185)
Braves Prospect Rank: NR
Keller is a high-upside arm, but he appeared in one game, walking four batters and allowing four runs without recording an out. No cause for alarm; he’ll get things together.
RHP Adam Maier (Pick 215)
Braves Prospect Rank: 18
No Appearances
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