Today is one of the most important days if not the most important day for the future of the Braves. Today begins the Rule IV amateur draft. Today the Braves get the chance to pick its stars of tomorrow. The future is now.
The Braves’ first pick is the 40th overall pick in the draft. They acquired the pick when the Royals signed Ron Mahay. The Braves would have been picking 18th if they had not signed Tom Glavine. But with the Braves signing Glavine, the 18th pick now belongs to the Mets.
History has not been kind to the 40th pick. Of the 43 players taken with the 40th pick, only 14 have reached the majors. The biggest name would be Huston Street.
The Braves also own 3 more picks in the first one hundred picks: 64th, 70th, and 96th. They will pick 18th in every round except the first.
Expect the Braves to follow their usual draft plan. They will look for high school players with a high ceiling early on and may draft a few college arms or bats in the mid to later rounds. Like always the Braves will emphasize makeup.
My predictions for the Braves’ first four picks:
40: Zeke Spruill
64: Zach Cone
70: Xavier Avery
96: Michael Palazzone
Be sure to follow Braves-Report’s live coverage in the forum. 2008 Live Draft Coverage