Even though we’re in the thick of the NFL Draft, it’s getting close to June, which means the Rule 4 Draft for College and High School players is right around the corner. The Braves will pick 20th overall, even though they’re coming off a world championship. I’ll be doing my own Mock Draft closer to time, but MLBPipeline has a target in mind for the Braves already:
Top 5 of @JonathanMayo's mock draft:
1. Orioles: Brooks Lee
2. D-backs: Druw Jones
3. Rangers: Elijah Green
4. Pirates: Termarr Johnson
5. Nats: Jackson HollidayComplete first round: https://t.co/6bgDrxGaxR pic.twitter.com/igWjrTRdli
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 28, 2022
As expected, Jonathan Mayo has the Braves targeting college talent — something Alex Anthopoulos and his scouts have had a ton of success with.
20. Braves: Blade Tidwell, RHP, Tennessee (No. 22)
Shoulder soreness kept him out of action for six weeks and he just re-joined the Volunteers’ weekend rotation last week, so there’s still a bit of a question mark here. But he was pretty lights-out in that start and a few more of those could help prove his health, which means he probably goes earlier than this.
Tidwell is a solid player on one of the best teams in college baseball, and taking a high-upside college player coming off of injury feels like a very Braves-esque move. I’ll do some more scouting closer to time, but Tidwell makes a lot of sense for Atlanta as the draft approaches.
