The Atlanta Braves just pulled off a move that feels less like a draft gamble and more like a heist. While most teams were busy trying to save money in the top 10, the Braves used the ninth overall pick to get a solid outfield prospect in AJ Gracia at a discount. Then they took that saved cash and handed it to a 6-foot-7 right-hander who probably should have gone in the first round.
That pitcher is Jensen Hirschkorn. And he didn’t fall to pick No. 84 because of something he did wrong. He fell because of something he didn’t do enough of — at least not in the spring.
Why Hirschkorn slipped to the third round
Coming into the spring, Hirschkorn was considered a late first-round talent. Top-50 on most boards, maybe higher. But according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, his velocity dipped early in the season, and that scared off teams who wanted a more polished “now” arm. scouting reports started slotting him in the comp-to-early-second-round range. But here’s the thing — his bonus demands didn’t drop with his draft stock. He became what teams call a “tough sign.”
That’s where the Braves stepped in. They had the slot money from Gracia’s underslot deal and they weren’t afraid to use it. Mark Bowman at MLB.com reported that Hirschkorn’s $3,997,500 signing bonus is the largest ever given to a player picked after the second round in MLB Draft history. That’s not a typo. He got nearly four million dollars to turn down a commitment to LSU.
What the Braves see in Hirschkorn
If you’re looking for a comp within the organization, think Cam Caminiti. Caminiti is now Atlanta’s No. 1 prospect. McDaniel noted that the Braves are likely to tweak Hirschkorn’s breaking ball shapes the same way they did with Caminiti. And the raw material is there for something special.
MLB.com’s draft writeup mentioned Hirschkorn’s fastball sits 95-96 with almost no effort. He’s got a tight low-80s slider that misses bats, and a changeup in the mid-80s that he hasn’t thrown much but already shows feel against lefties. Scouts have whispered about triple-digit velocity as he fills out that 6-foot-7 frame.
“There’s not a whole lot he can’t do,” Braves VP of amateur scouting Ronit Shah told MLB.com. “He’s athletic. He’s a big-time basketball guy. We’re really excited to see what he can do. He throws a ton of strikes. We saw him in the summer at a big-time event, the Area Code Games. He struck out nine guys in three innings. It’s hard to do better than that.”
A calculated risk that could pay off huge
Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo wrote that Hirschkorn’s slider has spin rates in the 2200-2400 rpm range with 10-to-4 shape and biting action. That’s plus stuff right now. The changeup is already a weapon against lefties and viable against righties. He’s toyed with a cutter but it’s not a key pitch yet. The point is — he’s got a three-pitch mix that could develop into frontline starter material.
Hirschkorn is currently ranked No. 56 on MLB.com’s list of top draft prospects. That ranking probably goes up once he gets into a professional development program that’s turned guys like Caminiti into top-100 prospects in less than a year.
The Braves are in first place in the NL East. They’re trying to win now and they’re also stacking the farm system at the same time. That’s not supposed to be easy. But with one aggressive signing bonus and a whole lot of faith in Hirschkorn’s upside, they might have restocked in a way most teams only dream about.
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