Atlanta Braves Draft Analysis: Last Minute Predictions

Scouts are getting their final reports in, and fans are searching for the latest buzz as the 2015 MLB draft approaches.

The Atlanta Braves own the 14th selection in the first round of the draft, which takes place June 8-10.

President of baseball operations John Hart will use that pick and the rest of his selections to continue his mission to stockpile the Braves with quality minor league depth.

He will have plenty of chances to do that, as the Braves own five of the first 75 picks and six of the first 86.

The Braves have a chance to enhance an already much-improved farm system from the one they had a year ago with their multitude of early picks.

Here's a look at how the Braves' draft could play out Monday night.

Positional Players

Hart's main goal this offseason was to get young, controllable talent to set up the organization for the long term.

He especially focused his efforts on adding young pitchers.

The Braves acquired Mike Foltynewicz from the Astros, and he's already making his mark in the 2015 rotation.

Other pitchers the Braves acquired included Matt Wisler, Manny Banuelos, Tyrell Jenkins, Max Fried and Ricardo Sanchez.

The Braves did acquire positional players such as Mallex Smith, Rio Ruiz and Jace Peterson, as well.

However, most of the top prospects in the organization are pitchers, which makes me believe the focus will be on positional players in the draft.

The Braves have Smith and Jose Peraza as positional prospects who look to be major contributors in the near future.

After that, it's less certain.

The Braves could definitely stand to add some outfield talent and also look for potential power bats.

Some names to watch in the early rounds include Daz Cameron (OF), Tyler Stephenson (C), Kyle Tucker (OF) and Nick Plummer (OF).

Young, Local Talent

Players from Georgia who have been drafted by the Braves include Jason Heyward, Jeff Francoeur, Brian McCann, Lucas Sims and Adam Wainwright.

Atlanta also drafted each of the above players out of high school.

Will Hart stick with this trend?

We'll find out for sure in a few days, but it seems likely the Braves will take a local product with one of their early selections.

Georgia produces solid baseball talent each year, so it makes sense for the Braves to pick guys they've gotten a chance to see more than others.

Some high school names to watch out of Georgia include Daz Cameron (OF, McDonough), Tyler Stephenson (C, Kennesaw) and Cornelius Randolph (3B, Williamson).

The Pick

I'm going to say the Braves take Tyler Stephenson with the 14th pick on Monday night.

It would make sense, as he's a local kid and would fit in the minors as a top catching prospect.

There is a clear lack of catching talent in the minors after Christian Bethancourt made the jump this season.

Stephenson profiles as a power catcher with plus arm strength behind the plate. His stock has soared over the past few months.

He certainly looks the part at 6'4" and 215 pounds.

He seems like a nice fit for the Braves at 14, but the question is whether or not he will be around when the Braves are on the clock.

Some have seen him going as high as the top 5, while others haven't projected him in the first round.

If he's there when the Braves select at 14, I'd be surprised if they didn't snag the young catcher out of their backyard.