The Braves' scouting department made two things extremely clear on Day 2 of the 2015 MLB Draft: Experience was valued in the middle rounds and the franchise appears determined to boast the top pitching farm system in baseball.
After stocking up on top arm talent via offseason trades -- Mike Foltynewicz, Matt Wisler, Max Fried, Tyrell Jenkins, Manny Banuelos, the list goes on -- Atlanta focused on pitching with three of its top five picks, including two first-rounders Kolby Allard and Michael Soroka. The team doubled-down on this strategy on Tuesday. However, it moved away from its preference of moldable high-school talent, instead selecting college pitchers with seven of its eight second-day picks. The eighth selection? Yet another prep arm.
If the Braves do not boast one of baseball's top minor-league systems for pitching following this recent spree, it will not be from a lack of effort.
Pick: 3rd round, 89th pick
School: Nogales High School (Calif.)
Breakdown: The lone prep arm Atlanta acquired on Day 2, Guardado followed head of scouting Brian Bridges' promise that the Braves might go off the traditional path in the draft. Though he was not ranked highly on any major pre-draft list, the Braves made the California high schooler a top-100 selection. The Long Beach State commit is yet another 17-year-old added to the system. The 6-foot-2 righty started the '15 campaign late due to an injury suffered in football, but he posted a 1.05 ERA in six appearances. He is expected to fetch a slot bonus of $660,000.
Pick: 4th round, 120th pick
School: Oregon
Breakdown: Here starts the run of college pitchers. The Braves have found decent success of late in the college ranks, notably Georgia's Alex Wood as a 2012 second-rounder. Graham, a junior star for the Ducks, is another undersized arm in the mold of Allard (6-foot, 210 pounds) that transitioned from catching to pitching over his college career. He posted a 2.43 ERA in 65 innings in 2015. With a mid-90s fastball and improving off-speed stuff, scouts project Graham as a late-inning project with plenty of upside.
Pick: 5th round, 150th pick
School: UNC-Greensboro
Breakdown:
Breakdown: The lower-round counterpart to the Soroka selection, Clark adds another large frame (6-foot-5, 230 pounds) to the Braves' system. The junior was named the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year after posting a 4.02 ERA in 15 starts. It's worth noting once again: This is just a ridiculous run of pitching. If the scouting department renovation has paid off, Atlanta's system is going to boast arms galore.
Pick: 6th round, 180th pick
School: Texas Tech
Breakdown: The brother of pitcher Chris Withrow, who the Braves acquired in the Juan Uribe trade, the Big 12 product is another sizable arm that posted a sub-4.00 ERA in major-college competition this season.
Pick: 7th round, 210th pick
School: Houston
Breakdown: Surprise, another pitcher. Weigel boasts one of the top fastballs, in terms of velocity, in the draft, though control issues were evident coming out of the Cougars' pen. He struck out 45 and walked 20 in 50 2/3 innings pitched as a junior.
Pick: 8th round, 240th pick
School: Georgia
Breakdown: Lawlor triggered a run of three straight prospects that played high school in the state of Georgia, a familiar trend for the Braves franchise. The Savannah, Ga., native posted a 3.96 ERA in his Bulldogs career. Though he started at the college level, he projects as a reliever in the pros.
Pick: 9th round, 270th pick
School: Florida
Breakdown: Lewis boasts some of the best numbers, college or high school, on the Braves draft list thus far. A small-school transfer to Florida, Lewis was lights out in the Gators' bullpen, posting a 1.24 ERA in 51 innings pitched.
Pick: 10th round, 300th pick
School: Navy
Breakdown: A four-year pitcher for the Naval Academy, Moore, a Roswell, Ga., native, posted a 2.59 ERA in 87 innings.
