3 Things Braves Fans Need to Know About 2020 First-Round Pick Jared Shuster

You can really never have enough pitching, and that explains why the Atlanta Braves decided to select Wake Forest left-hander Jared Shuster with the No. 25 overall pick of the MLB Draft on Wednesday night. Per MLB.com, four of Atlanta's top eight prospects are hurlers, so the club must see a bright future for the former Demon Deacon to further bolster its surplus of riches.

For Braves fans that didn't watch a lot of Wake Forest baseball over the last two-plus seasons, and therefore don't know much about Shuster, let's highlight some must-know facts about the young southpaw.

3. His Fastball Clocks in at 97 MPH

Atlanta Braves pitching coach Rick Kranitz / Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

To be an effective pitcher in today's day and age, you have to have a little sizzle on your fastball. Between his freshman and junior campaigns, Shuster saw his heater go from the low 90s to consistently touching 97 MPH. It still needs work in terms of overall placement and control, but Braves pitching coach Rich Kranitz will surely be drooling at the chance to work with the Wake Forest product.

2. His Changeup is Lethal

Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos / Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

The increase in velocity of Shuster's fastball is only going to make his already-filthy changeup all the more destructive. There's no doubting that he needs to find a consistent breaking ball, but Braves fans need to know that his primary off-speed pitch is among the best in the 2020 Draft class. The former Demon Deacon has only scratched the surface in terms of the potential of his fastball-changeup combo.

1. He's One of the Fastest-Rising Pitching Prospects

CoolToday Park, home of the Atlanta Braves' Spring Training / Mark Cunningham/Getty Images

What made this pick partially surprising is the fact that Shuster was actually shelled in his first two seasons at Wake. During that span, he finished 4-7 with a 6.95 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP in 101 innings. However, he followed the 2019 campaign with an impressive cameo in the Cape Cod league in which he posted a 1.41 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 35 innings of work. Shuster really settled his command as a junior, and his overall improvement and Cape performance saw him rise up draft boards in the last few months.