Alex Anthopoulos has done lots of great things during his Atlanta Braves tenure, but the organization's recent first-round picks under his watch haven't done much. They're hoping this year's first-round pick, Tate Southisene, will be different, but Braves fans don't seem to be too thrilled with the selection.
Southisene broke a six-year streak in which the Braves took nothing but starting pitchers in the first round, which sounds good ... but ironically enough, Braves fans wanted to see the team take another pitcher, Gage Wood, with the selection. Wood excelled on the College World Series stage, and figures to be a contributor at the MLB level by sometime next season at the latest. Now, Braves fans have to watch him in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform. Southisene might be great, and he does play shortstop, a position of need, but given that he's coming out of high school, he's a ways away from debuting in the majors.
The Braves look like MLB Draft losers, and these three teams do too.
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3) Pittsburgh Pirates
This might be an unpopular pick, and I do believe Seth Hernandez has the potential to be really good, but there are a couple of issues with the team making him its first-round pick at No. 6 overall. First and foremost, he's a starting pitcher. If there's one strength this Pittsburgh Pirates organization has, it's starting pitching. I'm all for taking the best player available, but the need for offense is so glaring. Second, Hernandez is coming out of high school, meaning he's at least a couple of years away from debuting in the Majors, and that's if he's a faster riser through the system than most prep arms.
The Pirates need offense, and quickly. Aiva Arquette, out of Oregon State, was right there and went off the board the following pick to the Miami Marlins. If the Pirates were set on taking a pitcher, Jamie Arnold should be ready far sooner, coming out of Florida State.
The Pirates only have Paul Skenes through the 2029 campaign. In order to win with him on their roster, the Pirates had to add talent now. Sure, a rotation consisting of Skenes, Jared Jones, Hernandez, Bubba Chandler and Hunter Barco sounds nice, but how sure are we that it'll ever come to fruition? If it does, how sure are we that the Pirates will have enough hitting for it to matter?
The Pirates needed near-immediate impact and a boost to their offense. Hernandez can be great, but he provides neither of these things. Plus, with the risk high school pitchers carry, it's no sure thing that Hernandez, even with Pittsburgh's outstanding pitching development, will be the pitcher they're hoping he'll be.
2) Detroit Tigers
I really don't want to doubt Scott Harris, who has crushed the MLB Draft in recent years, but it's hard to be too thrilled with this draft class. The Detroit Tigers' first-round pick was Jordan Yost, a speedy shortstop who can really defend and puts the ball into play but has little to no power. It's possible he'll develop some power as he gains some strength, but even then, it's hard to envision him doing much damage at the dish. What kind of ceiling does he have if his bat doesn't have many extra-base hits in it?
It feels as if this Tigers class depends on whether 11th-round pick River Hamilton will sign. Perhaps the Tigers will buy him out of his LSU commitment, and if they do, then the class looks a lot better, but that's no sure thing.
Again, Harris deserves the benefit of the doubt with how his recent drafts have gone, but this year's class doesn't look great on paper.
1) Los Angeles Angels
When the Washington Nationals shocked the world with the Eli Willits pick, it felt as if the Los Angeles Angels could've won the draft. Instead, by taking Tyler Bremner with the No. 2 overall pick, it feels like they lost the draft.
Bremner has a great story and is a worthy first-round selection, but No. 2 overall? Really? The Angels were never going to take Ethan Holliday or Seth Hernandez, given their recent history of prioritizing fast-moving college players, but what about Kade Anderson, a pitcher often compared to Max Fried (who happened to also sign below slot)? What about Liam Doyle, a fireballing strikeout arm? Bremner might get to the Majors faster, but it feels as if his ceiling is substantially lower than several others the Angels could've taken.
The Angels continue to search for quick fixes and wonder why they haven't made the playoffs in over a decade. When you luck into the No. 2 overall pick, you make a play for upside and try to get Mike Trout's MVP successor. Instead, the Angels took a guy who feels like a decent starter at best. It feels like it won't be long before we bash the Angels for taking Bremner when they did.