The Atlanta Braves are no strangers to left-handed aces.
Tom Glavine. Max Fried. Chris Sale. Some of the best southpaws of the last 30 years have taken the mound in a Braves uniform, and Sale finally paid that trope off with a Cy Young Award in 2024.
Meanwhile, as the 2025 Braves flounder, building up the prospect pool suddenly looks like a key objective. And though the Braves have some exciting pitchers coming up through the system, they’ve got a notable shortage of lefties.
To rectify that issue, one baseball writer sees the Braves selecting a southpaw with their first-round selection in July’s Major League Baseball Draft.
On Tuesday, Gabe Lacques of USA Today predicted that with the 22nd overall pick, the Braves would select left-handed pitcher Kruz Schoolcraft, a 6-foot-8 fireballer from Sunset (Ore.) HS.
“A lefty with Schoolcraft’s big arm should slot much higher, but the current industry lean toward collegiate talent in the top of the first round drops him in Atlanta’s lap. At 6-8 and with a 97-mph fastball, Schoolcraft has a significant floor that the Braves can work with,” Lacques wrote.
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Schoolcraft was Oregon’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2023-24, tossing 71 2/3 innings with a ridiculous 0.39 ERA and 146 strikeouts. That season included four shutouts and a no-hitter.
MLB Pipeline currently has another 18-year-old lefty in Cam Caminiti as the Braves’ number-one prospect. But in their Top 30 rankings, the next nine Braves pitchers all throw right-handed.
Adding Schoolcraft to the mix could create a formidable young rotation for the Braves about five years down the road, as he and Caminiti could join forces with AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, and/or Drue Hackenberg.
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