The Atlanta Braves have a lot of big events coming up in their own backyard.
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game takes place at Truist Park on Jul. 15. The Braves might have their worst showing at the event in years, as only Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Ronald Acuña Jr. seem like feasible candidates to make the team.
But first, it's the MLB Draft on Jul. 13, and the Braves have the 22nd overall pick. There are sure to be tons of Braves fans in attendance at The Battery, and whichever player they select will get a memorable round of applause.
So who will the Braves select? One baseball writer came out with a prediction on Friday.
CBS Sports' Mike Axisa penned a mock draft in which he projected University of Oregon outfielder Mason Neville, a 6-foot-3 slugger who mashed 26 home runs in 57 games this season, with their first-round pick.
"Neville is a tremendous athlete with huge power and swing-and-miss concerns, though he did a much better job making contact this spring," Axisa wrote.
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"It's been a while since he was a minor leaguer, but Austin Riley had similar swing-and-miss concerns as a prospect, and Atlanta helped him close those holes in his game. Neville is somewhat similar as a hitter, albeit as a lefty."
Professional baseball is a different beast, but Neville's 1.152 OPS and 42 extra-base hits certainly bode well for his ability to eventually make the transition to the big leagues.
And the Braves could use a lefty-hitting outfielder in the near future, because Michael Harris II and Jurickson Profar have both flopped this season for very different reasons.
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