Pitching a priority for Braves on Day 2 of MLB draft

The Braves continued to load up on pitching in the 2024 MLB draft, using seven of their eight picks Monday on pitchers.

After selecting pitchers Cam Caminiti and Carter Holton in the first and second round on Sunday, the franchise has used nine of its 10 picks on pitchers during the first two days of the draft. Rounds 11-20 will be held Tuesday - the final of the three-day draft - beginning at 2 p.m.

Here’s the list of the players selected by the Braves on Monday:

Round 3, Pick 99: Luke Sinnard, P, Indiana University

Round 4, Pick 129: Herick Hernandez, P, University of Miami

Round 5, Pick 161: Nicholas “Nick” Montgomery Jr., C, Cypress HS (CA)

Round 6, Pick 191: Ethan Bagwell, P, Collinsville HS (IL)

Round 7, Pick 221: Brett Sears, P, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Round 8, Pick 251: Logan Samuels, P, University of Montevallo

Round 9, Pick 281: Owen Hackman, P, Loyola Marymount University

Round 10, Pick 311: Jacob Kroger, P, Maryville University

Sinnard, a 6-foot-8, 250-pounder, missed the entire 2024 collegiate season after Tommy John surgery, but the Braves look forward to having him as a part of the organization very soon.

“He’s massive, very high relief and very unique. I’m really excited to get him on board here soon,” Ronit Shah, Atlanta’s director of amateur scouting, said of Sinnard.

Sears, selected in the seventh round, was the Big Ten pitcher of the year this past season after posting a 9-1 record with a 2.16 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 104 innings for the Huskers.

“He’s just really competitive and fills up the strike zone. He can throw strikes blindfolded it seems, and batters get a lot of weak contact on his pitches,” Shah said of Sears.

The lone non-pitcher selected in the first two days was Nicholas Montgomery Jr., a catcher out of Cypress High School in California. He was previously committed to Arizona State before being selected in the fifth round Monday.

“I think what really sticks out with him is just his back, his power and his plate discipline. We’ve seen him a ton going from the summer and into the spring obviously playing in Southern California. He’s hit homeruns at some of the major events where there’s hundreds of scouts there and I think what sticks out with him is just the power and the ease that he gets to it,” Shah said of Montgomery.

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