Another mock draft on the slate, this time from ESPN and Kiley McDaniel, and it’s another common connection with the Atlanta Braves projected to select Mississippi State switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje at 24th. Cijntje was rated by McDaniel as the 36th-best prospect in this draft in his most recent rankings, with notably helium from the selection that has McDaniel now saying that he feels 24th is the floor for Cijntje. This fits widely with other mock drafts, who see him going either at or before Atlanta.
In general McDaniel’s projections follow a similar path to a lot of those seen wherein the Braves are connected to a handful of players and it’s just a matter of who actual slides down to 24 to be available for them. This generally follows somewhat with prior drafts (such as grabbing Hurston Waldrep last season) where the Braves seem to target guys they like in the hopes they slide and if none of those are available they’ll go down a bit on the board and spread out money through their later picks, such as the 2022 selection of Owen Murphy.
Personally I think some of these connections – Seaver King, Braylon Doughty, Griff O’Farrell, Ryan Waldschmidt, and Carson Benge are mentioned here – are a bit tenuous and more evaluators trying to divine evaluation patterns from an organization who is likely not releasing any of their actual targets. They certainly fit mind you, but I’ve long ago given up on trying to guess where the Braves heads sit in regards to top draft prospects.
