Braves First-Round Selections Have Potential to Completely Make Up for Carter Stewart Mess

The Atlanta Braves might have just made up for the absolute mess that Carter Stewart caused for them.

With the ninth pick they received for not signing Stewart, the Braves selected Baylor catcher Shea Langeliers. They also selected Braden Shewmake with the 21st pick, a shortstop out of Texas A&M.

Would the Braves have loved to have all of these prospects? Of course, but having Langeliers and Shewmake alone is a huge win for them. Atlanta lacks top catching talent in the minors, so this pick made absolute sense. Langeliers is an elite catching talent, with many scouts grading him as a better defender than fellow top catching prospect Adley Rutschman.

Shea may not have the same hit tool as Rutschman, but he shouldn't be slept on. In 2019, he hit .315 with 10 homers and 42 runs batted in. Overall, Langeliers' tools and leadership skills make him the perfect catcher for a young Braves rotation that will eventually consist of Kyle Wright, Ian Anderson, Max Fried and Mike Soroka.

Shewmake was an interesting selection for the Braves, as he's bigger than the average middle infielder at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds. He's not an incredibly impressive hitter at the college level, as he hit .309 with six homers and 47 runs batted in. There's definitely some room for Shewmake to grow into his frame, so the power could eventually come in the future.

Worst-case scenario, Shewmake projects to be a pure contact hitter with a great eye from the left side of the plate. He's got a nice amount of upside to him, and has the chance to make an impact at the big league level, although it's not clear as to how much of a game changer he'll be.

Stewart not signing with the Braves and then going to Japan was a pretty messy exchange, but right now, it seems as though the Braves have rebounded nicely. Having the ninth-overall compensation pick was huge for Atlanta this year, as one could argue that they didn't necessarily need Stewart, but they most certainly need a kid like Shea.

All-in-all, Atlanta is having a pretty solid draft right now, selecting two college bats that could become impact players in the majors within the next few seasons. Perhaps the Braves should send a thank you note to Carter in Japan.