As the month has now turned over to June, it is right in the middle of all of the pre-MLB Draft hype and the Braves should be in the thick of those rumors and speculation. With college playoff baseball going on, this is going to be teams’ last chance to see a lot of draft prospects on the field before the draft and with that is going to come a lot of information leaking out.
Over the last few weeks, it has become apparent that the Braves continue to be interested in drafting college arms in the first round. Not only is this based on their track record the last few years, but it matches up with the names we are hearing. One name that has come up in mock drafts with the Braves is Gonzaga’s Gabriel Hughes who stands out as a college pitcher with present stuff, some projection, and, most importantly this year, has been able to stay healthy. However, our friends over at Baseball America have a new name to add to the mix.
Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo has Hughes going a couple of picks before the Braves in his mock and instead as the Braves selecting LHP Cooper Hjerpe out of Oregon State. Hjerpe doesn’t have stuff that is overtly exciting with a fastball in the low 90’s and breaking ball that he throws from a low slot and that he manipulates well. However, he has a strong track record of performance in a tough college conference, he commands his pitches well, and he throws from the left side. That plus his deceptive and funky delivery makes him an enticing option for this draft as a pitching option especially with so many other college guys getting hurt.
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