Today Baseball America released their fourth, and newest mock draft, for the 2025 MLB Draft. The mock has the first 40 picks of the draft, including the Atlanta Braves selection at #22 overall.
Former Battery Power staffer Carlos Collazo used the #22 pick to mock North Carolina prep SS/RHP Josh Hammond to the Braves, saying:
“It’s hard to not tie Gage Wood to the Braves given the sorts of pitchers they have drafted in recent years. Josh Hammond also fits their tendency to go for athletic two-way players and beyond just making that connection, there’s thought in the industry that the Braves are one of the higher teams on the powerful North Carolina shortstop. This pick would only accentuate the Austin Riley comparisons.”
For reference Arkansas pitcher Gage Wood came off the board one pick ahead of the Braves, so he was not available despite being mentioned – though it is a possibility that he is there on draft night.
Hammond is an interesting player. Similar to Austin Riley a lot of teams actually prefer him as a pitcher, but in this case is being drafted as a bat. That is because Hammond himself prefers to play every day, and he is a legit first round talent as a bat. There are some questions about his defensive home as despite him being listed at shortstop, there are some who think the 6’1, 210-pounder will eventually move to third base where he can be an above average defender with potentially a double-plus arm.
The real draw for Hammond comes with the bat however. He’s got plus power and can use it to all fields, and the hit tool has made some progress in the past year. It’s not hard to envision where he is an average hitter with plus power, capable of hitting 25 homers a season.
Since shortstop is such a deep class and a big need for the Braves, it is important to note that Marek Houston, Wehiwa Aloy, and Steele Hall were long gone by the Braves pick, and Kayson Cunningham was selected at #20. Among the shortstops the Braves passed on Georgia prep Daniel Pierce ended up going with the next selection, while Alex Lodise and Dean Curley went in the next 10 picks after the Braves.
Among other names that have been linked to the Braves Kruz Schoolcraft, Riley Quick, and Luke Stevenson were all still on the board at #22. One other player that fits the Braves well, Tyler Bremner, was taken quite a bit before the Braves were up.
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