The Braves selected Texas A&M shortstop Braden Shewmake with the No. 21 overall pick in the MLB draft. It was their second selection of Monday night, following Baylor catcher Shea Langeliers at No. 9 overall.
“I got a call from my adviser, it was about the 19th pick, he said the Braves were coming on hard and there was a chance I could get picked there, then I got a call from the general manager (Alex Anthopoulos) and he said we want to do this and you’re our guy,” Shewmake said.
“That meant a lot to me. It’s a great organization. If I could pick anywhere to play, this was definitely one of the top places I’d pick. Great organization, great fan base. I couldn’t be more excited to be a Brave.”
Shewmake, a left-handed bat, is regarded as a contact hitter with a high floor. The Braves liked his versatility and project him as having a high-in-the-order ability.
He hit .323 (248-for-768) with 40 doubles, 10 triples, 22 home runs, 161 RBI and 32 stolen bases while only missing one game in his college career. Shewmake is the highest drafted shortstop by the Braves since Chipper Jones (No. 1, 1990).
“Braden is an athletic shortstop, and even though he’s a college guy, I think he has high upside with that loose, wiry frame he has,” Braves vice president of scouting Dana Brown said. “We think he’s going to put on some strength. We think he’s going to get to some power. He’s really good at the position and an average-to-plus defender. And what a lot of people don’t know is this guy can actually run. Definitely an above-average runner. It’s a nice package of upside, athleticism and power coming down the road for this young man.”
Shewmake hit .315/.373/.481 with six homers, 14 doubles and four triples in 63 games this season. He knocked in 47 runs and stole nine bases.
Brown saw him in-person five times and came away impressed with Shewmake’s offense. He additionally sees him as an average to above-average defender.
“He can drive the ball to the opposite field, he can pull the ball, he’s got a little power,” Brown said. “He can play the small game because he can run. And he’s a big man, he’s 6-foot-3 and a half, 6-4. That upside is very intriguing. The fact he’s a shortstop makes him even more intriguing.”
Shewmake could also fit into a utility role, able to play across the infield. That was a large part of his appeal, according to Brown.
“We call it a downside, but I think it’s valuable also: This guy could be a utility guy,” Brown said. “On the USA team in the summer, he could play third base, second base, first base if you need him because he’s so big. So that gives the manager some value because he’s so versatile. This young man is a pretty good package because he’s so versatile. I think we’re going to be very excited about him.”
Shewmake feels developing in the SEC, along with that versatility (he added outfield to his array of positions), will help accelerate his path to the majors.
Like Langeliers, Shewmake hails from the Dallas suburbs. He has a history with the Braves’ first pick and planned to call him later Monday night.
“I love that kid,” Shewmake said. “Shea and I have not necessarily grown up playing with each other, but one of my best friends played high school ball with him and they were also really close friends. I watched him play some while he was at Keller and played against him in some summers. This last summer I played with him at Team USA, and I think I hung out with him every single day. I love Shea and I can’t wait to get started with him.”
The Braves own one more pick, No. 60, on Monday night.
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