Recapping the Braves 2010 Draft: Day 3, Part 2

Here is the conclusion of the draft reports for all the Braves selections. While none of these folks are likely to sign, there are some interesting names and interesting stories.

Spencer Jordan (41st round, 1244 overall), RHP - A Junior College pitcher who is committed to South Carolina. He has already expressed his intentions not to sign, but the Braves will be treating him as a summer follow, so if they like what they see they may try and pry him away from his USC commitment.

Benjamin Waldrip (42nd round, 1274 overall), 1B - A tall first baseman from a California JuCo. This kid actually makes his own maple bats, which he uses in games. He will likely return to school, but he could be a kind of Roy Hobbsian find for Atlanta.

Le'Jon Baker (43rd round, 1307 overall), OF - Ranked as the 185th-best prospect in California, and a prep outfielder from Crenshaw High in Los Angeles. He is a Senior, but only 16 years old, and as such he is extremely raw in all facets of the game. Though he has a lot of athletic ability and projection. He would be an interesting project for the Braves, but he's probably better served to go to college and raise his draft stock.

Ryan Morrow (44th round, 1344 overall), C - Another player from Texas, and another catcher, this time a Junior catcher. He has a very promising bat with good power in it, and he also excels behind the plate. He is familiar to the Braves after spending summer vacation with the Mississippi Braves. M-Braves manager Phil Wellman is a native of the area where Morrow attends school around San Antonio.

Joseph Lucas (45th round, 1364 overall), SS - Not much is known about this Minnesota JuCo shortstop. As a shortstop and a pitcher he has a strong arm, but I don't have any info about his bat.

Kendall Logan (46th round, 1394 overall), OF - A Mississippi JuCo outfielder. He was a standout player last year with a burgeoning five-tool skill set, though he is still extremely raw in some facets of the game.

Francois LaFreniere (47th round, 1424 overall), RHP - This native of Quebec, Canada, was drafted last year by the Phillies in the 43rd-round, and the year before by the Giants in the 34th-round.. He played this season at St. Petersburg Junior College, but missed most of the season because of an administrative problem, so not that many scouts got a chance to see him. He's turned down two previous pro contracts, so he's likely to turn this one down too and return to school to raise his draft stock as a Junior.

James Mahler (48th round, 1454 overall), RHP - Does the name sound familiar? It should, because he's the son of Mickey Mahler and the nephew of Rick Mahler, both of whom pitched for the Braves several decades ago. Like those two, James is a big kid, in fact he's even bigger at 6'7". Mahler is an extremely raw product, and doesn't have the velocity you'd expect from a kid that big. He needs some more development time, so he is unlikely to sign.

Ryan Turner (49th round, 1484 overall), RHP - Turner is a JuCo reliever who is committed to a four-year college next year. He's got good and developing stuff, so while he may not sign this year, we should see his name again in the future.

Cody Gabella (50th round, 1514 overall), SS - Our very own Mr. Irrelevant, and just for good measure the Braves take one last high school shortstop. Gabella didn't play much his Senior year after being suspended for violating a state eligibility rule when he played in an exhibition game between the Southeastern Community College baseball team and the Class A Midwest League Burlington Bees, where his father is the manager. The rule says that a high school player cannot compete with a pro or college team, but this was an exhibition game that did not count, so it was an unfortunate ruling that hurts the development of the young Gabella.