Good choices in 2007?

A few weeks ago, I watched a video on YouTube. A player who used to play for the Atlanta Braves was interviewed and he mentioned the 2007 draft class. After watching the video, I went to check on the great baseball reference website to see which players were selected by the Braves in 2007.

 

While checking the Braves’ choices in the 2007 MLB draft, I found something interesting.

 

Firstly, the Braves selected Jason Heyward in the first round of the 2007 draft. He made it into the big leagues in 2010, slashing .277/.393/.456 with 18 home runs and 72 RBI. With good performance in his rookie season, he was selected to the All-Star game. Heyward played for the Braves from 2010 to 2014, hitting .262/.351/.429 with 84 home runs and 292 RBI.

 

In addition, the Braves selected 2 players in the second round. The Braves selected Josh Fields with the 69th overall pick. However, he didn’t sign. One year later, he was selected by the Mariners in the first round of the 2008 draft and he made MLB debut in 2013. Josh Fields didn’t sign with the Braves in 2007. Nonetheless, no one will ignore that the Braves selected Freddie Freeman with 78th overall pick. Freeman made his MLB debut in 2010 and had become one of the most important hitters in the Braves lineup. Freeman played for the Braves from 2010 to 2021, slashing .295/.384/.509 with 271 home runs and 941 RBI. In particular, he batted .341/.462/.640 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI in 2020 and won the 2020 NL MVP award. Moreover, he and the Braves won the 2021 World Series title.

 

Thirdly, the Braves drafted Brandon Hicks in the third round and he made it into the big leagues in 2010. But, he only played 2 seasons for the Braves. Furthermore, in the fourth round, the team chose pitcher Cory Gearrin. Gearrin made his MLB debut in 2011. From 2011 to 2013, he tossed 69.1 innings for the Braves.

 

Finally, the Braves selected Brandon Belt in the 11th round and in the 24th round, Micth Harris was chosen by the team. Furthermore, the Braves selected Craig Kimbrel in the 33rd round of the 2007 draft. Well, these players didn’t sign with the Braves in 2007. But a few years later, they each made it into the leagues. Brandon Belt was selected by the Giants in the 2009 draft and he made his MLB debut in 2011. Moreover, Mitch Harris was selected by the Cardinals in the 2008 draft and made his MLB debut in 2015. And, in the 3rd round of the 2008 draft, again, the Braves chose Craig Kimbrel. He made it into the big leagues in 2010. From 2010 to 2014, he collected 186 saves for the Braves, posting a 1.43 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP.

In total, in the 2007 draft, 8 players who were selected by the Braves made it into the big leagues. Well, some of them didn’t sign with the Braves. But selecting Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman in the 2007 draft is surely a great decision. These 2 players became All-Stars and the most important thing, Freeman helped the Braves win the 2021 World Series title. Interestingly, Craig Kimbrel didn’t sign with the Braves in 2007. Nonetheless, in 2008, the team decided to choose him again and he didn’t let the team down. He collected at least 40 saves in each season from 2011 to 2014.