The Braves Select A.J. Minter 75th Overall

 

The Braves finally decided to draft a college player with their fifth selection of the MLB Draft. Minter is a left-handed pitcher out of Texas A&M who just finished up his Junior year. Minter hails from Whitehouse, Texas, and was previously drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 38th Round back in 2012. Unfortunately, Minter suffered an elbow injury back in March that required Tommy John Surgery. Despite this, Minter had a nice track record in college. Though he struggled as a Freshman, Minter answered with a strong Sophomore season in 2014. He had a 1.85 ERA in 26 relief appearances. He got off to a red-hot start prior to his injury this season, as he not only became a starter for A&M, but their ace. Minter gave up just a single earned run in his four starts. His fastball is his best pitch and sits around 85-90 MPH, and he also has a slider and a changeup. His slider is his better secondary pitch, but not by much. He has nice mechanics and control. It’s unclear whether Minter will come back as a starter or reliever when he makes his recovery, but the Braves got a guy who could have flown up draft boards if healthy this year.

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