<img alt="California v UCLA" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VfdpNJz2hdhefI7uqSN4YRGOaWE=/0x0:4500x3000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73431202/1488453196.0.jpg">
Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images
The Braves are constantly replenishing catcher depth in the system As part of our series previewing the 2024 MLB Draft for Battery Power, we’re going to take a look at the depth of this draft by position and some of the key names to know at each spot. While the Atlanta Braves don’t typically target guys based on positional need, they do tend to favor specific profiles and specific positions.
Why the Braves could draft a catcher early
The Braves typically spend their money on pitching, and this has been well-documented throughout most of Alex Anthopoulos’s tenure with Atlanta. That being said, they haven’t been shy about spending decent amounts of money on premium positions, with catcher being a spot they tend to target quite often through the draft. One of the profiles they look for often with catchers is a combination of college guys with power and the athleticism to develop defensively, and there are two standouts from the top of this class in that regard. The first and top catcher from this draft is Caleb Lomavita out of Cal, though it’s seeming more and more likely he won’t fall to Atlanta at 24. He’s widely seen as the best catcher in this class with great contact skill, elite athleticism for a catcher, and burgeoning raw power. If he were to fall to Atlanta at 24 there is a good chance he could be one of the top targets there as it would seem to be a steal even with the red flags. Then there is Sam Houston State’s Walker Janek, a late-rising left-handed hitting catcher who broke out in a big way this spring. Janek has a fantastic arm and is projected to stick behind the dish, with raw power to the pull side and solid contact skill. Janek should be available to the Braves at 24, though it’s unclear if they would even be in on him. Malcolm Moore is an exceptionally powerful hitter who should also be available at 24th, and fits with the Braves profile of tending towards catchers who are more developmental in their defensive skillset.
Caleb Lomavita smashes one out of the park! @CalBaseball | #Pac12BSB pic.twitter.com/A4zbYiRs6m— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) May 25, 2023
Why the Braves won’t draft a catcher on day one
Organizationally, catcher is one of the main strengths of this system, and they’ve done so without any of those guys being day one guys. Shea Langeliers is an obvious exception to their trend, but the Braves organization has been adept at either making moves to get available catchers or picking up lower bonus guys like Drake Baldwin and William Contreras. While a trade of Drake Baldwin could open up a spot, with Sean Murphy locked up long term, Baldwin showing major league quality, and Travis d’Arnaud still playing at a high level there isn’t much need for the Braves to invest heavily in the catching front. Lomavita is certainly an interesting player given his upside, but he also comes with a particularly risky approach that the Braves would need to invest serious time into improving in order to make him a major league player. Janek and Moore aren’t likely to be best players available at 24, and the Braves have been notably pitcher heavy for a number of years. The catching class drops off fairly quickly after that, and the Braves haven’t dropped day one money on a college hitter since 2019.
My personal #2 Catcher in this year's Draft is Sam Houston State's Walker Janek. On pace for a career year and is currently hitting .392/.477/.730 with 11 doubles, 3 triples, 11 home runs, and 37 RBIs.Prototypical catcher's build at 6' and 190-pounds with present strength and… pic.twitter.com/AoM3ffV7FO— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) April 19, 2024
Day Two/Three targets
Hunter Carns - This is the point at which I think the Braves really start to look at adding a catcher, and they certainly will add at least one if not a couple. Carns himself may not be a fit as he is the best prep catcher in this class and may not be around on day three, but he like the other four I’m going to mention below are all power first profiles that could fit into Atlanta’s plans. Carns is an elite athlete who has the speed to legitimately play center field, but if developed as a catcher the Braves would be banking on his athleticism and arm strength to push him into being a big league catcher.
Anderson French - French is another of a fairly large number of prep catchers who fit in the day two/three talent range that would ultimately have to be signed away from major D-1 commitments. French is committed to Virginia Tech, where his plus physical tools could make him a college star. French has the potential for plus power behind the plate and has one of the best throwing arms in the class, though he is raw on both sides of the ball. French’s swing may be such that he will never hit, and he like Carns would be more of a long-term development project for the Braves.
Luke Heyman - Heyman would bring an immediate boost of power to a system that largely lacks it, but it would also come with a concerning history of swing-and-miss. Heyman hit 16 home runs for Florida this season in 66 games, but also struck out 24.3% of the time, a meager improvement over the 24.5% strikeout rate from 2023. He is a draft-eligible sophomore the Braves would have to sign away from two more years of eligibility, but his arm strength and power stand out in a risky profile. The Braves generally haven’t been afraid to take on risk even with older pitchers and hitters.
Coen Niclai - It would be a long trek from Anchorage for Niclai, but the rare Alaskan draft prospect comes with an intriguing set of skills. Niclai is a multi-sport athlete (check) with raw power (check) and the ability to stick behind the plate (check), a pretty Braves-esque profile all around. Niclai has impressed whenever he has gotten the chance to play against better competition, and even though he comes with a number of raw traits he brings power, athleticism, and arm strength to whatever team drafts him. Niclai did well in a short stint in the MLB Draft League with a .924 OPS.
Coen Niclai ('24, AK) showed off some easy power in his round. Not at ball under 93 EV in his round and overall 100+ several times. #GoDucks commit #PGNational pic.twitter.com/lRzcdEoXMR— PG Showcases (@PGShowcases) July 14, 2023
Grant Knipp - Knipp is an interesting player, as he has a year of eligibility left and it may be wise for him to transfer (he has entered the portal) and utilize that year. Knipp hit 18 home runs in 29 games for Campbell this season and was one of the standout players in the early parts of the college season, but injuries robbed him of most of his season and he was unable to attempt to answer some of the questions surrounding his contact ability. Knipp did well at the draft combine and posts huge exit velocities, though there is a big question of whether he sticks behind the plate. Knipp has been up to 98 on the mound, so there are some who believe he could fit in as a pitcher at the professional level.
<img alt="California v UCLA" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VfdpNJz2hdhefI7uqSN4YRGOaWE=/0x0:4500x3000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73431202/1488453196.0.jpg">
Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images
The Braves are constantly replenishing catcher depth in the system As part of our series previewing the 2024 MLB Draft for Battery Power, we’re going to take a look at the depth of this draft by position and some of the key names to know at each spot. While the Atlanta Braves don’t typically target guys based on positional need, they do tend to favor specific profiles and specific positions.
Why the Braves could draft a catcher early
The Braves typically spend their money on pitching, and this has been well-documented throughout most of Alex Anthopoulos’s tenure with Atlanta. That being said, they haven’t been shy about spending decent amounts of money on premium positions, with catcher being a spot they tend to target quite often through the draft. One of the profiles they look for often with catchers is a combination of college guys with power and the athleticism to develop defensively, and there are two standouts from the top of this class in that regard. The first and top catcher from this draft is Caleb Lomavita out of Cal, though it’s seeming more and more likely he won’t fall to Atlanta at 24. He’s widely seen as the best catcher in this class with great contact skill, elite athleticism for a catcher, and burgeoning raw power. If he were to fall to Atlanta at 24 there is a good chance he could be one of the top targets there as it would seem to be a steal even with the red flags. Then there is Sam Houston State’s Walker Janek, a late-rising left-handed hitting catcher who broke out in a big way this spring. Janek has a fantastic arm and is projected to stick behind the dish, with raw power to the pull side and solid contact skill. Janek should be available to the Braves at 24, though it’s unclear if they would even be in on him. Malcolm Moore is an exceptionally powerful hitter who should also be available at 24th, and fits with the Braves profile of tending towards catchers who are more developmental in their defensive skillset.
Caleb Lomavita smashes one out of the park! @CalBaseball | #Pac12BSB pic.twitter.com/A4zbYiRs6m— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) May 25, 2023
Why the Braves won’t draft a catcher on day one
Organizationally, catcher is one of the main strengths of this system, and they’ve done so without any of those guys being day one guys. Shea Langeliers is an obvious exception to their trend, but the Braves organization has been adept at either making moves to get available catchers or picking up lower bonus guys like Drake Baldwin and William Contreras. While a trade of Drake Baldwin could open up a spot, with Sean Murphy locked up long term, Baldwin showing major league quality, and Travis d’Arnaud still playing at a high level there isn’t much need for the Braves to invest heavily in the catching front. Lomavita is certainly an interesting player given his upside, but he also comes with a particularly risky approach that the Braves would need to invest serious time into improving in order to make him a major league player. Janek and Moore aren’t likely to be best players available at 24, and the Braves have been notably pitcher heavy for a number of years. The catching class drops off fairly quickly after that, and the Braves haven’t dropped day one money on a college hitter since 2019.
My personal #2 Catcher in this year's Draft is Sam Houston State's Walker Janek. On pace for a career year and is currently hitting .392/.477/.730 with 11 doubles, 3 triples, 11 home runs, and 37 RBIs.Prototypical catcher's build at 6' and 190-pounds with present strength and… pic.twitter.com/AoM3ffV7FO— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) April 19, 2024
Day Two/Three targets
Hunter Carns - This is the point at which I think the Braves really start to look at adding a catcher, and they certainly will add at least one if not a couple. Carns himself may not be a fit as he is the best prep catcher in this class and may not be around on day three, but he like the other four I’m going to mention below are all power first profiles that could fit into Atlanta’s plans. Carns is an elite athlete who has the speed to legitimately play center field, but if developed as a catcher the Braves would be banking on his athleticism and arm strength to push him into being a big league catcher.
Anderson French - French is another of a fairly large number of prep catchers who fit in the day two/three talent range that would ultimately have to be signed away from major D-1 commitments. French is committed to Virginia Tech, where his plus physical tools could make him a college star. French has the potential for plus power behind the plate and has one of the best throwing arms in the class, though he is raw on both sides of the ball. French’s swing may be such that he will never hit, and he like Carns would be more of a long-term development project for the Braves.
Luke Heyman - Heyman would bring an immediate boost of power to a system that largely lacks it, but it would also come with a concerning history of swing-and-miss. Heyman hit 16 home runs for Florida this season in 66 games, but also struck out 24.3% of the time, a meager improvement over the 24.5% strikeout rate from 2023. He is a draft-eligible sophomore the Braves would have to sign away from two more years of eligibility, but his arm strength and power stand out in a risky profile. The Braves generally haven’t been afraid to take on risk even with older pitchers and hitters.
Coen Niclai - It would be a long trek from Anchorage for Niclai, but the rare Alaskan draft prospect comes with an intriguing set of skills. Niclai is a multi-sport athlete (check) with raw power (check) and the ability to stick behind the plate (check), a pretty Braves-esque profile all around. Niclai has impressed whenever he has gotten the chance to play against better competition, and even though he comes with a number of raw traits he brings power, athleticism, and arm strength to whatever team drafts him. Niclai did well in a short stint in the MLB Draft League with a .924 OPS.
Coen Niclai ('24, AK) showed off some easy power in his round. Not at ball under 93 EV in his round and overall 100+ several times. #GoDucks commit #PGNational pic.twitter.com/lRzcdEoXMR— PG Showcases (@PGShowcases) July 14, 2023
Grant Knipp - Knipp is an interesting player, as he has a year of eligibility left and it may be wise for him to transfer (he has entered the portal) and utilize that year. Knipp hit 18 home runs in 29 games for Campbell this season and was one of the standout players in the early parts of the college season, but injuries robbed him of most of his season and he was unable to attempt to answer some of the questions surrounding his contact ability. Knipp did well at the draft combine and posts huge exit velocities, though there is a big question of whether he sticks behind the plate. Knipp has been up to 98 on the mound, so there are some who believe he could fit in as a pitcher at the professional level.
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