Best draft picks in Atlanta Braves history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Atlanta Braves history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#24. Charlie Morton (tie)
- Draft: 95th overall pick in 2002
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 364
- Career stats: 133 wins, 4 earned run average, 1.30 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 16.8

#24. Wayne Garrett (tie)
- Draft: 104th overall pick in 1965
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,092
- Career stats: 61 home runs, .239 batting average, .691 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 16.8

#23. Mike Minor
- Draft: 7th overall pick in 2009
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 295
- Career stats: 83 wins, 4.25 earned run average, 1.25 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 18.4

#22. Austin Riley
- Draft: 41st overall pick in 2015
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 654
- Career stats: 137 home runs, .272 batting average, .837 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.1

#21. Glenn Hubbard
- Draft: 473rd overall pick in 1975
- Position: Second baseman
- Games played: 1,354
- Career stats: 70 home runs, .244 batting average, .677 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.2

#20. Zane Smith
- Draft: 63rd overall pick in 1982
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 362
- Career stats: 100 wins, 3.74 earned run average, 1.34 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 20.2

#19. Jermaine Dye
- Draft: 488th overall pick in 1993
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,763
- Career stats: 325 home runs, .274 batting average, .826 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 20.3

#18. Bob Horner
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 1978
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,020
- Career stats: 218 home runs, .277 batting average, .839 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.9

#17. Craig Kimbrel
- Draft: 96th overall pick in 2008
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 804
- Career stats: 53 wins, 2.42 earned run average, 0.99 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 23.7

#16. Ryan Klesko
- Draft: 116th overall pick in 1989
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 1,736
- Career stats: 278 home runs, .279 batting average, .870 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 26.7

#15. Yunel Escobar
- Draft: 75th overall pick in 2005
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,434
- Career stats: 90 home runs, .282 batting average, .736 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 26.8

#14. Jason Schmidt
- Draft: 205th overall pick in 1991
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 323
- Career stats: 130 wins, 3.96 earned run average, 1.32 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 29.5

#13. Kevin Millwood
- Draft: 320th overall pick in 1993
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 451
- Career stats: 169 wins, 4.11 earned run average, 1.33 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 29.8

#12. Brian McCann
- Draft: 64th overall pick in 2002
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,755
- Career stats: 282 home runs, .262 batting average, .789 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 32.0

#11. Ron Gant
- Draft: 100th overall pick in 1983
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,832
- Career stats: 321 home runs, .256 batting average, .803 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 34.1

#10. Dusty Baker
- Draft: 504th overall pick in 1967
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,039
- Career stats: 242 home runs, .278 batting average, .779 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 37.0

#9. Andrelton Simmons
- Draft: 70th overall pick in 2010
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,225
- Career stats: 70 home runs, .263 batting average, .678 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 37.1

#8. David Justice
- Draft: 94th overall pick in 1985
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,610
- Career stats: 305 home runs, .279 batting average, .878 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 40.6

#7. Jason Heyward
- Draft: 14th overall pick in 2007
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,721
- Career stats: 176 home runs, .258 batting average, .749 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 41.2

#6. Adam Wainwright
- Draft: 29th overall pick in 2000
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 478
- Career stats: 200 wins, 3.53 earned run average, 1.24 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 45.2

#5. Dale Murphy
- Draft: 5th overall pick in 1974
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 2,180
- Career stats: 398 home runs, .265 batting average, .815 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 46.5

#4. Brett Butler
- Draft: 573rd overall pick in 1979
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,213
- Career stats: 54 home runs, .290 batting average, .753 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 49.7

#3. Freddie Freeman
- Draft: 78th overall pick in 2007
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,947
- Career stats: 328 home runs, .301 batting average, .902 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 58.2

#2. Tom Glavine
- Draft: 47th overall pick in 1984
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 688
- Career stats: 305 wins, 3.54 earned run average, 1.31 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 80.7

#1. Chipper Jones
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 1990
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,499
- Career stats: 468 home runs, .303 batting average, .930 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 85.3

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.