For casual fans, the MLB draft is more a curiosity than anything else unless there is some world-changing talent at the top of the draft going to their team. There isn’t as much mainstream fanfare for the MLB draft as say the NFL or NBA drafts because, to be blunt, we will not see most of these players for a few years. Baseball is a very different sport that has an emphasis on development versus throwing athleticism out there and hoping it sticks.
However, for the more avid fans out there, the MLB draft is an exciting time where strategies and plans are mapped and remapped. Picks and slot bonuses are debated and hashed out over and over until the picks start coming (and if we are just being honest, even more of it is happening while the draft is going down).r
Before we get down to it this evening, here is some useful links and info on the draft as well as to coverage we have written on the 2017 draft so far.
2017 Draft Primer - The nuts and bolts of the Braves’ draft position, bonus pools, etc.
Talking Chop’s Top 100 Draft Prospects w/ scouting reports - Our version of the top 100 prospects in the draft from our own Matt Powers
A Guide to Potential Senior Signs - After the first several rounds, many teams will sign college seniors with little negotiating leverage to save money. Matt went deep to identify the most interesting of such players
A Recent History of Atlanta Braves Draft Picks - Before we can look forward, we took a look back at the Braves draft picks from the last three years and how well (or not) they have turned out.
Draft Prospect Player Profile Fits - The Braves’ scouting department and front office have shown some tendencies with what types of players they like. We talked about some players that could be good fits.
A Guide to Regional Draft Prospects - The Braves love them some local players (really players in the Southeast in general). We highlight some of the better ones plus some guys further down the draft board.
Talking Chop MLB Draft Coverage Section - This section on this fine blog has all the above articles in it plus our coverage of all the mock drafts and rumors that have graced the internets over the last few months. It will also include the coverage during the draft and its aftermath.
2017 MLB Draft Slots and Bonus Pools - An outstanding resource from our friends over at Baseball America that includes pick orders, draft pick slot values, and total draft bonus pools.
Baseball America’s Top 500 Draft Prospects - A very helpful list of the top 500 draft prospects according to the Baseball America staff. You will have to get a BA subscription to view the scouting reports, but you should do that anyways because it is awesome (no subscription needed for the list)
MLB Pipeline Draft Coverage Page - Not only will this be one of the easiest places to find the Draft Picker tracker and links to the live stream of the draft, but there are draft prospect rankings and it will have draft rumors/tidbits posted before, during, and after the draft.