Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Braves Linked to ‘Cluster’ of High School Prospects in MLB Draft
As the 2024 MLB Draft nears, the Atlanta Braves’ top targets appear to be emerging – and the list includes several highly touted high school arms.
In The Athletic‘s latest mock draft, the Braves selected Alabama commitment and Oxford High School (Ala.) shortstop Carter Johnson at No. 24 overall, but draft insider Keith Law added a plethora of additional names to monitor for Atlanta’s first-round choice.
“I’ve heard them with the cluster of high school pitchers in play anywhere from here to the top of the second round — (Ryan) Sloan, Kash Mayfield, (William) Schmidt, and particularly Braylon Doughty,” Law wrote.
The Braves are “also a possible fit” for another shortstop in Kellon Lindsey, who attended Hardee High School in Wauchula, Fla. and went No. 22 overall to the Baltimore Orioles in Law’s mock. Lindsey is currently committed to the Florida Gators.
Lindsey and Johnson both have plus hit tools, with Lindsey, a former high school quarterback, also boasting elite run times. Johnson boasts a smooth lefty swing but may ultimately have to transition to second or third base as he ages, according to MLB Pipeline.
Sloan, another name mentioned by Law, went No. 23 to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who also have interest in Schmidt. Neither Mayfield nor Doughty found landing spots in the opening frame of Law’s projections.
Schmidt and Sloan, both right-handed pitchers, have big arms, running their fastball up to 99 while sitting in the mid-to-high-90s.
Doughty, a righty, and Mayfield, a lefty, have topped 97, but both have impressive off-speed stuff, with Doughty throwing potential plus sliders and curveballs while Mayfield has an “advanced” changeup, per MLB Pipeline.
As for college prospects, Law said the Braves haven’t been linked to many.
“Atlanta might be Brecht’s floor,” Law wrote. “Beyond Brecht, I haven’t heard them specifically with any college guys.”
Brecht went No. 20 overall to the Blue Jays in Law’s mock draft. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder has immense physical tools and stuff that drew comparisons to Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes.
“When he’s on, Brecht’s fastball and slider are comparable to those of Paul Skenes,” writes MLB Pipeline. “He can sit at 96-99 mph and touch 101 with his heater, which has explosive running action and superior shape to Skenes’ fastball, though Brecht doesn’t locate his nearly as well.
“All that said, his best pitch is a slider that parks at 87-89 mph and peaks at 91 with plenty of horizontal and vertical action.”
Since general manager Alex Anthopoulos’s first draft in 2018, the Braves have selected three high school arms – Carter Stewart (2018), Owen Murphy (2022) and JR Ritchie (2022 supplemental) – and five collegiates, including a trio of arms and a pair of bats.
Which direction will Anthopoulos and the Braves go this summer? The lean appears to be the high school route – but the answer will come Sunday.
ATLANTA (AP) — The teenage brother of a U.S. Air Force airman who was shot and killed in his home by a Florida sheriff’s deputy in May has been killed in a shooting in the Atlanta area, police said.
Andre Fortson, Senior Airman Roger Fortson’s 16-year-old brother, was killed this week in DeKalb County, near Atlanta’s east side, DeKalb County police said in an update on the slaying.
“The Fortson family is battling the loss of yet another young member of their family,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has been representing the family since Roger Fortson was killed.
“This has been an incredibly challenging time for them with the loss of Roger,” Crump said in a statement. “Losing the life of yet another young family member — a mere child — has been an absolute devastation.”
READ MORE: Hundreds pack funeral for Roger Fortson, the Black airman killed in his home by a Florida deputy
Andre Fortson was found shot to death in the breezeway of an apartment complex on Tuesday, police said. Two groups of people had been shooting at each other for unknown reasons, DeKalb County police said.
A 20-year-old man was identified as one of the shooters, and arrested on an aggravated assault charge, police said. He was booked into the DeKalb County Jail. Jail records did not list an attorney who could be reached for comment on his behalf.
The killing comes about three months after Roger Fortson, 23, was killed May 3 by Okaloosa County sheriff’s Deputy Eddie Duran at Fortson’s apartment in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The airman had answered the door while holding a handgun pointed toward the floor and was killed within seconds, body camera video shows.
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden fired Duran, saying the deputy’s life was never in danger and that he should not have fired his weapon.
READ MORE: Sheriff deputy’s killing of Black airman in Florida renews debate on police killings and race
A sheriff’s office internal affairs investigation found that Fortson “did not make any hostile, attacking movements, and therefore, the former deputy’s use of deadly force was not objectively reasonable.”
The Fortson family is from DeKalb County, where Andre Fortson was killed. At a tearful news conference a couple of weeks after the Florida killing, Andre Fortson stood on the stage with his mother and sisters. They wore red shirts with the words “WE ALL WE GOT” on the front and a picture of Roger Fortson in his military uniform on the back.
Roger Fortson was stationed at the Air Force’s Hurlburt Field in the Florida Panhandle. At his funeral outside Atlanta, hundreds of Air Force members in dress blues filed past his coffin, draped with an American flag.
Former World Series MVP Jorge Soler returns to Atlanta for the first time since rejoining the Braves when they begin a four-game series against the new-look Miami Marlins on Thursday.
Soler is still remembered for hitting a ball out of Houston’s Minute Maid Park in 2021 when he helped the Braves win the World Series. He was re-acquired by Atlanta in a trade deadline deal and was in the lineup Wednesday when the Braves beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-2 in the rubber match of their three-game series.
The Marlins, who beat Tampa Bay 6-2 on Wednesday to split a two-game series, made eight trades with seven teams before the deadline. Among their acquisitions are eight players who are ranked among the top 20 prospects in the organization, as ranked by MLB Pipeline.
The Braves are 5-1 against the Marlins, although the teams have not matched up since April.
A pair of right-handers will starting on Friday: Atlanta’s Charlie Morton (5-6, 4.16 ERA) and Miami’s Max Meyer (2-0, 3.00).
Morton failed to win a game in July and is coming off a loss to the New York Mets on Friday. He was knocked out after 2 2/3 innings, charged with seven runs (five earned) on six hits, one walk and two strikeouts. He surrendered three home runs.
Morton has made 25 career starts against Miami, going 13-6 with a 4.14 ERA. He beat the Marlins on April 14, even though he allowed six runs in 5 2/3 innings.
Meyer will make his fifth start of the season. He did not receive a decision on Saturday when he gave up three runs over four innings against Tampa Bay. Meyer beat the Braves on April 13, giving up only one run in six innings with seven strikeouts. Soler was batting .240 with 12 homers for the Giants when he and right-handed reliever Luke Jackson — another fan favorite in a previous stint in Atlanta — were dealt to the Braves at the deadline. Jackson (4-2, 5.40) adds bullpen depth.
“Those two guys fit in great here once, and I think they’ll do it again,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “I think they’re really excited about coming back.”
Soler was also obtained by the Braves at the trade deadline in 2021 and batted .269 with 14 homers in 55 games. In his second tour, he will play right field and is expected to add some punch to an Atlanta lineup that is without the powerful bats of Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies.
“This lineup has a chance to be really good,” Snitker said. “(Soler) will lengthen the lineup and make it a rough first inning for a lot of pitchers, too.”
A flurry of deadline deals has rendered the Marlins almost unrecognizable from the team that earned a wild-card berth last year. Miami moved 2023 National League batting champion Luis Arraez in May, and traded notables Jazz Chisholm Jr., Josh Bell, Bryan De La Cruz, Tanner Scott and Trevor Rogers at the deadline. It means more playing time for the likes of infielder Jonah Bride, who hit his first home run with the Marlins on Wednesday. It was the second of his career.
“I like home runs, whether it’s the first or 100th,” Miami manager Skip Schumaker said. “He’s going to get an opportunity now. He’ll get a lot more at-bats and almost everyday playing time. He’s been consistently good.”
–Field Level Media
Atlanta, GA
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