Sinnard leads Braves' 'pitcher-heavy' focus on Draft Day 2

July 16th, 2024

The Braves used Day 2 of the 2024 Draft to pick up right where they left off in Day 1: with pitchers, pitchers and more pitchers.

Through 10 rounds, nine of the 10 players Atlanta has selected are pitchers. That includes both of the Braves' picks on Day 1 -- first-rounder Cam Caminiti and second-rounder Carter Holton -- and seven of their eight picks on Day 2.

"That's just how it unfolded," Braves scouting director Ronit Shah said. "Obviously pitcher-heavy. But I think at the end of the day, we're sticking with the process, looking at players we think might have some untapped potential, some untapped upside, and hopefully get the right guys into the system and let player development work their magic from here."

Atlanta's pitcher-heavy Draft run on Monday was headlined by third-round college right-hander Luke Sinnard (ranked the No. 185 Draft prospect by MLB Pipeline), whom the Braves took 99th overall, and sixth-round high school right-hander Ethan Bagwell (ranked No. 231), whom they took 191st overall.

The Braves' one non-pitcher selection of the day was fifth-round high school catcher Nick Montgomery, MLB Pipeline's No. 196 Draft prospect.

Sinnard was one of the tallest pitchers in the Draft, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound right-hander out of Indiana University. The 21-year-old set the Indiana single-season strikeout record with 114 K's in 2023, breaking an 89-year-old record set by Vernon "Whitey" Wilshere in 1934.

"[He's] massive, and very high release -- it's very unique, I think, just how his stuff's gonna play," Shah said. "We're excited to get him on board here soon."

Sinnard is coming off Tommy John surgery, which may be a reason why he fell to Day 2. He injured his elbow during an NCAA Regionals start and missed all of the 2024 season. Sinnard's back on the mound now, though, and he looked strong in the 2024 MLB Draft Combine -- especially his low-to-mid-90s fastball, which has a high spin rate and induces strong rising action.

"Luke was really strong last year at Indiana when he was healthy," Shah said. "And then this year, just getting to watch him throw a bullpen or two, including at the Combine, and then just seeing like, 'OK, hey, this guy's back now. He's healthy.'"

Bagwell is also a big right-hander, standing 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, who turned heads when he flashed a 96-97 mph fastball as a high schooler. The 18-year-old from Collinsville High School in Illinois, who's a Missouri commit, also has a low-80s sweeping slider that gives him a wipeout combo with his heater.

"Just a big, massive horse," Shah said. "We're really excited to see what he does once he's playing baseball full time. He played some football for a good bit of his life, and we're excited to see what he can do now that he's focusing only on baseball."

The Braves have used the first two days of the Draft to target a wide variety of arms. They've drafted five righties and four lefties; two high schoolers and seven college pitchers; pitchers ranging from 5-foot-10 (fourth-rounder Herick Hernandez out of the University of Miami, who Shah described as a "bulldog lefty") to 6-foot-8 (Sinnard).

But actually, their one position player, Montgomery, was one of Atlanta's most intriguing Draft picks of Day 2.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound catcher from Cypress High School in California has a lot of raw power from the right side of the plate. The Braves got to scout Montgomery at the major summer circuit events, where he took at-bats against top high school pitchers from around the country, and they liked what they saw. Montgomery even participated in last year's High School Home Run Derby during MLB All-Star Week at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, where he hit 15 homers.

"We've seen him a ton," Shah said. "He was really good with the bat. He's hit home runs at some of the major events, where there's hundreds of scouts there. What sticks out with him is just the power, and the ease that he gets to it."

If Montgomery sticks behind the plate -- which Shah believes he has a chance to -- maybe one day he'll be catching pitches from Caminiti, Holton, Sinnard and Bagwell in Atlanta.

The Draft concludes with Rounds 11-20 on Tuesday, starting at 2 p.m. ET. The Braves' first pick of Day 3 will be No. 341 overall in the 11th round, and their last pick is No. 611 overall in the 20th round.