How and when Braves’ new college arms will fit in the Majors

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat e-newsletter. To learn the total e-newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it often in your inbox.

“That is going to be my residence in a number of years, hopefully,” Waldrep stated. “So, you recognize, simply having the ability to take all this in. It is a purpose of mine, a lifelong purpose, to be right here and to play at this degree. So to get right here, it is fairly superior.”

A “few years” is the anticipated timeline. However given the quick tracks All-Stars Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder navigated, would we actually be shocked if the wait is only a season or two for any of the three collegiate pitchers the Braves took throughout the first two rounds?

Waldrep, who was taken within the first spherical with the twenty fourth total choose, appears to be essentially the most superior of three early collegiate alternatives. He helped Florida end one win shy of a Faculty World Sequence title with the assistance of a splitter he refined final summer time. Braves assistant director of scouting Ronit Shah opined it was one of the best secondary pitch out there on this yr’s Draft.

“Catching [the splitter] was a nightmare,” Kuehler stated. “It was actually, actually good final summer time, and it’s solely gotten higher.”

Kuehler joins the Braves’ group after spending the previous few years enjoying for Campbell College, which has not too long ago produced Angels shortstop Zach Neto and Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins. The 6-foot, 215-pound hurler has been described as a pitcher with good fastball metrics.

So, it appeared solely pure to ask if he reminded the Braves of Strider, who additionally couldn’t credit score nice top for the fastball that impressed the Braves earlier than they took him within the fourth spherical of the 2020 MLB Draft.

When Shah responded, “He’s Cade Kuehler,” I’ll admit I assumed he stated “He’s Kay Jewelers.” This led me to momentarily marvel if this was some form of reference to jewel worth. Then I remembered, I simply don’t hear nicely anymore.

Anyhow, again to those three pitchers. Trying on the stats, it’s clear Waldrep and Kuehler had been essentially the most profitable of the faculty pitchers the Braves took throughout Day 1 of the Draft. However when the signing bonuses had been revealed, it was clear they favored second-round choose Drue Hackenberg far more than most.

After posting a 3.30 ERA over 92 2/3 innings for Virginia Tech in 2022, Hackenberg produced a 5.80 ERA over 85 1/3 innings for the Hokies in ’23. His strikeout charge rose from 8.4 per 9 innings to 10.4, however his stroll charge went from 1.8 per 9 to 2.7. The Braves imagine enjoying residence video games on synthetic turf may need negatively impacted the 21-year-old right-hander, who pitched for Staff USA final summer time.

However Hackenberg ended up getting a $1,997,500 bonus, which was a lot greater than the $1,369,300 assigned to the slot wherein he was taken (59th total). Kuehler signed for $1,047,500, which was his slot worth. Waldrep signed for $2,997,500, which was below the $3,270,500 worth assigned to his slot (twenty fourth total).

Yeah, Hackenberg was coming off a sophomore-eligible season at Virginia Tech, that means he had the choice to play faculty ball once more subsequent yr and nonetheless enter the Draft with some leverage. However this funding reveals the Braves see upside with this hurler, who performed with Kuehler and Waldrep on Staff USA final summer time.

Right here’s a roundup of the Minor League associates:

Triple-A Gwinnett
No. 5 prospect Braden Shewmake entered Sunday with a 1.005 OPS over his previous 21 video games. Vaughn Grissom had an .846 OPS throughout that very same span.

Double-A Mississippi
Victor Vodnikthe Braves’ No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has held opponents scoreless in 18 of his previous 19 appearances. Vodnik has produced a 38.9 p.c strikeout charge whereas limiting opponents to a .428 OPS throughout the 26 1/3 innings accomplished inside this stretch.

Excessive-A Rome
Darius Vinesthe Braves’ No. 7 prospect per MLB Pipeline, may quickly change into a candidate for Atlanta’s rotation. Vines has made a pair of begins for the Rookie Stage staff and one for Rome since lacking most of this season with proper shoulder irritation. He threw 64 pitches and allowed only one earned run over 4 1/3 innings for Rome on Friday.

Single-A Augusta
Owen Murphythe Braves’ No. 2 prospect and first-round choose within the 2022 MLB Draft, has produced a 41.9 p.c strikeout charge, limiting opponents to a .187 batting common and posting a 2.87 ERA whereas finishing a season-high 5 innings in every of his previous three begins.