The Atlanta Braves went overslot in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft to take an interesting, but still fairly raw, high school right-handed pitcher in AJ Smith-Shawver. Smith-Shawver (or AJSS) came into the draft with a high ceiling, but also a more limited resume than most top prep arms due to his time spent playing football. One plus: his fastball has serious potential.
Preseason Report Card
AJSS ranked 24th in our preseason Top 30 Braves prospects list. The upside intrigued, but he was considered raw coming into the draft and struggled in a limited 8 1/3-inning, four-appearance sample in the FCL after signing in 2021.