Braves Mock Draft: Kiley McDaniel projects OF Ryan Waldschmidt to Atlanta

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel has released his first mock draft of the season, and at No. 24, the Atlanta Braves take a college bat to Kentucky’s Ryan Waldschmidt. Waldschmidt is an interesting guy — he’s unranked by MLB Pipeline and No. 228 by Baseball America — but Kiley sees him as a guy whose underlying data and tools allow him to climb draft boards. There’s certainly steam for the Braves when it comes to making picks based on their internal models, and if Waldschmidt was the guy, he would bring immediate power and some plate discipline to the team. This is where I’m not sure the Braves would like this profile. Waldschmidt has athleticism, but it appears he will likely be limited to left field as a pro and the Braves generally don’t spend on players who play non-premium positions. To me, I just don’t see this really fitting their typical strategy, although with his speed it seems like 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 already seen Benge pop up in Braves-related mock drafts, and I think the profile there would be a better fit for Atlanta if those connections are true. Cijntje would be an interesting pick just for the sake of having an ambidextrous pitcher, although I doubt that connection would be made with the idea of ​​him going in the first round. Doughty interests me because while I’ve become a little reluctant to spend a lot of money on a prep arm, he would certainly fit Atlanta’s profile as a guy with high-level athleticism, low release, and a mix of breaking balls that all have major league potential. . Sanford is an interesting guy considering his hit tool, and the Braves have been connected to plenty of prep shortstops over the past few years. He’s a great defender and athlete, although the Braves may not be keen on spending a first-round pick on a guy who doesn’t project much power.