BaseballAmerica.com: Draft: Draft Database

Atlanta Braves

Players signed indicated in Bold

Round	Overall	Player	Position	School	State	Bonus
1	28	Sean Gilmartin	LHP	Florida State	Fla.	$1,134,000
Gilmartin isn't flashy, but his total package should take him off the board in the first 50 picks as one of the draft's safest selections. A two-way talent out of a California high school, he attended a camp at Florida State and wound up being one of the Seminoles' rare cross-country recruits. He has pitched on Fridays for three seasons and helped lead Florida State to the College World Series last season, though he struggled putting hitters away in the second half of the season and last summer with USA Baseball's college national team. Gilmartin has improved significantly in the last year and become a scouts' darling with his combination of good size (6-foot-2, 192 pounds), clean arm action and solid athleticism. He has pushed his fastball into the average velocity range at 88-91 mph, his changeup remains a plus pitch and his slider has improved to average. Gilmartin knows how to use his stuff, particularly his changeup, how to set up hitters and how to keep them off-balance. His 10-1, 1.35 season includes four double-digit strikeout efforts. Scouts compare Gilmartin favorably to Vanderbilt southpaw Mike Minor, who went seventh overall to the Braves in 2009 and reached the majors a season later.
2	85	Nick Ahmed	SS	Connecticut	Conn.	$417,600
With the spotlight on UConn teammates George Springer and Matt Barnes this spring, Ahmed made the most of his opportunities. The more scouts saw of him, the more they liked him, especially his old-school approach to the game. Ahmed got bigger and stronger before this season, adding muscle to his 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame. He's a good athlete, a plus runner and has a plus arm. There's nothing fluid about his actions at shortstop, but he has average range and makes every play. There are questions about how his bat will play at the next level, and he struggled with Bourne in the Cape Cod League last summer, but he has improved his bat control and the way his hands work to the ball. Ahmed also showed a 91-94 mph fastball in the Big East Conference tournament as a reliever last year. He suffered a collapsed lung in a collision at first base in late April, but the injury isn't a long-term concern. If anything, scouts were impressed with his fiery energy in that midweek game against Quinnipiac.
3	115	Kyle Kubitza	3B	Texas State	Texas	$261,000
His brother Austin was a seventh-round pick by the Pirates last year, and Kyle Kubitza should go in the same range this June. (Austin decided to attend Rice, where he has been the Owls' best pitcher as a freshman, and projects a possible first-rounder in 2013.) As a 6-foot-4, 190-pound lefthanded hitter with strength and athleticism, Kyle profiles well at third base. He offers power and patience at the plate, but scouts would like to see him maintain a consistent set-up rather than tinkering with his hitting mechanics. Likewise, they'd like to see more reliable defense at third base, where he made 22 errors in 55 regular-season games. He has the hands, arm and agility to play the hot corner if he can maintain his concentration.
4	146	J.R. Graham	RHP	Santa Clara	Calif.	$174,600
Graham has always been a fighter. He was born three months premature and weighed 2 pounds, and as an infant he stopped breathing in his father's arms before reviving. The Athletics took him in the 46th round in 2008 out of Livermore (Calif.) High, but he headed to Santa Clara as a two-way player. He has turned his focus to pitching now and is getting second-round buzz, thanks to a fastball that sits in the mid- to upper 90s. Graham isn't physically imposing, standing 6 feet and 175 pounds. He is blessed with a lot of fast-twitch muscle and gives a lot of credit for his arm strength to his father, who helped develop his workout program. The program utilizes plyometrics and medicine balls to improve core strength and explosiveness. Despite his big arm strength, Graham draws skepticism from some scouts. He's a bulldog on the mound, but he doesn't get a lot of angle on his fastball and his slider has been inconsistent. He'll also need to work on his changeup.
5	176	Nick DeSantiago	C	Blinn (Texas) JC	Texas	$125,000
Nick DeSantiago's pretty line-drive swing from the left side of the plate and his arm strength give him intriguing potential as a catcher. The 6-foot, 200-pounder has a lot of work to do to remain behind the plate, as he has a slow release and iffy receiving skills.
6	206	Mark Lamm	RHP	Vanderbilt	Tenn.	$60,000
Lamm is a Tommy John surgery alumnus and fifth-year senior with a 6-foot-4, 215 pound frame. Lamm works at 90-93 mph at his best in relief outings and incorporates a hard slider at 83-85 and a good changeup.
7	236	Cody Martin	RHP	Gonzaga	Wash.	$45,000
Righthander Cody Martin was a 20th-round pick by the Twins last year as a junior, but he returned to school and significantly raised his stock. He moved to the bullpen this year and showed a 90-94 mph fastball and a mid-80s slider, compiling a 0.86 ERA in 25 appearances. Martin has a durable, 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame and mixes in a quality curveball and changeup, so he may get a chance to start again as a pro
8	266	Tommy La Stella	2B	Coastal Carolina	S.C.	$105,000
A fourth-year junior who sat out a year after transferring from St. John's, second baseman Tommy La Stella had a strong offensive season and swings the bat with authority from the left side. He's not athletic or strong enough to stay in the infield as a pro and is a bat-only player who figures to play left field, as he did in the Cape Cod League last summer.
9	296	Chase Larsson	OF	Cameron (Okla.)	Okla.	$100,000
Cameron outfielder Chase Larsson led NCAA Division II in homers (29), RBIs (84), total bases (190) and slugging (1.000). He's a 6-foot-4, 220-pound lefthanded hitter whose bat will have to carry him in pro ball.
10	326	Logan Robbins	SS	Western Kentucky	Ky.	$100,000
Logan Robbins has two legitimate pro tools, as his speed rates a 65 and his arm grades as a 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale. The 6-foot, 190-pounder is a quick-twitch athlete who has good actions and covers a lot of ground at shortstop. He has bat speed too, but he swings from his heels and has an uphill righthanded stroke. A team that falls in love with his tools and thinks it can overhaul his swing could pop him in the first 10 rounds.
11	356	Seth Moranda	SS	Buchanan HS, Clovis, Calif.	Calif.	$210,000
Moranda, who was committed to Fresno State, was up and down offensively in high school. His bat needs to develop, but he shows good athleticism at shortstop and a strong arm, touching 90 mph as a pitcher.
12	386	Matt Chaffee	LHP	Arizona	Ariz.	$100,000
Lefthander Matt Chaffee worked hard to overcome a torn labrum and has been impressive late in the year as the Wildcats' closer. His fastball sits in the 90-92 mph range and has a three-pitch mix with a curveball he can throw for strikes and a changeup. There's no denying Chaffee's stuff, so it's just a matter of how much teams worry about his medical history.
13	416	Tony Mueller	OF	Winona State (Minn.)	Minn.
14	446	Navery Moore	RHP	Vanderbilt	Tenn.	$400,000
Moore has come back from Tommy John surgery back in high school to become a factor in Vanderbilt's deep bullpen. He made just three appearances as a freshman and 10 as a sophomore, totaling fewer than 18 innings, but has served as Vandy's closer most of this season and had a team-high nine saves. He didn't give up an extra-base hit until the mid-May series against Florida, when he gave up two home runs and a double. While he's not intimidating on the mound at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Moore has closer stuff, starting with his fastball. It can be a swing-and-miss pitch in the strike zone, with velocity in the 92-96 mph range, and has solid life. Moore's breaking ball is more of a sweepy slider than a downer breaker, and he has a hard time repeating his release point. Some scouts believe his long arm action will preclude his breaking ball from ever being a swing-and-miss pitch, which could limit him to a set-up role. He also earns high grades for his makeup.
15	476	John Cornely	RHP	Wofford	S.C.
16	506	Adam Holland	RHP	St. Joseph's	Pa.
17	536	Gus Schlosser	RHP	Florida Southern	Fla.
18	566	Greg Ross	RHP	Frostburg State (Md.)	Md.
19	596	Troy Snitker	C	North Georgia College & State	Ga.
20	626	Carlos Rodriguez	LHP	Iolani HS, Honolulu	Hawaii
Rodriguez has a good pitcher's frame at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds. He scraped 91 mph with his fastball last fall, and settled back into the 86-87 mph range this spring. He mixes in a firm changeup and slurvy breaking ball, but his frame and effortless delivery indicate there could be more to come. He is expected to end up at Oregon State.
21	656	Jarrett Miller	RHP	UNC Greensboro	N.C.
Jarrett Miller pitches at 90-92 mph and can touch the mid-90s, and he mixes in a curveball and slider. He struggles with his control at times.
22	686	Clint Wright	RHP	Columbia State (Tenn.) CC	Tenn.
Slugging Cody Stubbs heads up a thin junior-college crop that's also buoyed by righthander Clint Wright, a jumbo-sized 6-foot-7, 240-pounder who is a third-year sophomore. Committed to Austin Peay, Wright had average fastball velocity to go with a slider and changeup. He shows better velocity in shorter stints.
23	716	Sam Munson	OF	Tennessee Weslyan	Tenn.
24	746	Brian Stamps	OF	Oregon State	Ore.
25	776	Will Skinner	OF	Middle Tennessee State	Tenn.
26	806	Kirk Walker	SS	Oklahoma City	Okla.
27	836	Charlie Robertson	RHP	Fresno State	Calif.
28	866	Matt Talley	LHP	The Citadel	S.C.
29	896	Chad Comer	C	Texas-Arlington	Texas
30	926	Jon Youngblood	OF	Lafayette HS, Lexington, Ky.	Ky.
31	956	Jackson Laumann	1B	Boone County HS, Florence, Ky.	Ky.	$150,000
The state's top prep position prospect is Jackson Laumann, whose father Doug is the White Sox scouting director. A 6-foot-3, 215-pound first baseman, he stands out most for his righthanded power potential. He has committed to Cincinnati.
32	986	Matt Kimbrel	RHP	Shelton State (Ala.) CC	Ala.
33	1016	Nick Popescu	3B	Texas Tech	Texas
34	1046	Chris Bullard	OF	Western Kentucky	Ky.
35	1076	Mike Hashem	LHP	Fisher (Mass.)	Mass.
36	1106	Gardner Adams	RHP	Asbury (Ky.)	Ky.
37	1136	Ryne Harper	RHP	Austin Peay State	Tenn.
38	1166	Nate Williams	RHP	Valley Center (Kan.) HS	Kan.
39	1196	Daniel Arellano	OF	Centennial HS, Corona, Calif.	Calif.
40	1226	Jacoby Almaraz	3B	San Jacinto (Texas) JC	Texas
41	1256	Keelin Rasch	C	Harrisburg (Ill.) HS	Ill.
42	1286	Cody Livesay	OF	Anna-Jonesboro HS, Jonesboro, Ill.	Ill.
43	1316	Jake Lueneberg	1B	Kishwaukee (Ill.) JC	Ill.
44	1346	Sutton Whiting	2B	Ballard HS, Louisville	Ky.
45	1376	Sako Chapjian	3B	Glendale (Calif.) JC	Calif.
46	1406	John Means	LHP	Gardner-Edgerton HS, Gardner, Kan.	Kan.
47	1436	Dane Gronewald	LHP	Jefferson (Mo.) CC	Mo.
Some scouts think lefthander Dane Gronewald is the best prospect at Jefferson. A 6-foot-6, 225-pound freshman, he throws strikes to both sides of the plate with an 86-88 mph sinker that tops out at 91. His curveball and changeup are works in progress but show potential. He has a loose arm to go with his projectable frame.
48	1466	Erwin Real	3B	Boulder Creek HS, Anthem, Ariz.	Ariz.
49	1496	Cody Cox	RHP	Thomas Nelson (Va.) CC	Va.
50	1525	Kevin McKague	RHP	Army	N.Y.
McKague looked like a possible top-five-rounds selection at the team's scout day and early this spring, as he pumped mid-90s heat and flashed a sharp slider, but a back injury limited him to three appearances. He might get a medical redshirt and come back for a fifth season.

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