The Atlanta Braves wasted no time answering a need during Sunday night’s first two rounds of the MLB Draft. With the 22nd overall selection, the Braves picked Tate Southisene, a shortstop out of Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada. With the 60th overall selection in the second round, Atlanta picked Florida State University shortstop Alex Lodise.
Southisene committed to play college baseball at the University of Southern California, but will more than likely sign a contract with the Braves.
Lodise, 21, is a native of Jacksonville, Florida, and played at the University of North Florida before transferring to Florida State. It was a stellar night for the Lodose family as Lodise’s cousin Kyle, who played shortstop at Georgia Tech, was drafted by the Chicago White Sox with the 76th overall pick in the second round.
The Braves (42-53 at the All-Star break) have not gotten any offensive firepower from the shortstop position this year. Despite the lack of offense, current starter Nick Allen (.238 batting average, 63 strikeouts in 248 at-bats, only 15 RBI in 86 games) has given the team’s pitching staff excellent defensive play up the middle.
In the third round, with the 96th pick, the Braves selected another shortstop, Cody Miller. Miller played around the infield at East Tennessee State University, including at shortstop.
The 2025 Major League Baseball Draft, which allows all of the 30 clubs to draft amateur players from high school and college ranks, took place at the Coca-Cola Roxy in The Battery on Sunday night. The Washington Nationals, currently in last place in the National League East, four and a half games behind the Atlanta Braves, had the first overall selection this year and selected Eli Willits, a shortstop from Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Fort Cobb, Oklahoma.
High School shortstops were all the rage during this year’s draft, as 12 were selected in the first 25 picks, including Ethan Holliday (Stillwater High School, Oklahoma), who was selected by the Colorado Rockies with the fourth overall pick. Holliday’s father, Matt, who played five of his 14-year MLB career in Colorado, was drafted by the Rockies in the seventh round of the 1998 draft.
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