The 2011 MLB Draft starts on Monday night, and the NL East figures to be pretty well represented. The Phillies are the only division team that will not be picking in the first round, as they will give their 33rd overall pick to the Texas rangers as compensation for signing Cliff Lee in the offseason. The rest of the division will have a chance to shine on Monday. Let's go through the division, and see who ESPN's Keith Law has each team picking (insider only).
The Washington nationals are the only team in the NL East with two first round picks. They have their own pick at sixth overall, and will also pick 23rd overall as compensation for Adam Dunn signing in Chicago in the offseason. As of right now, it looks like they are going to take high school outfielder Bubba Starling with that first, first round pick.
The next NL East selection belongs to the New York Mets. They will pick 13th in the first round. Law suggests that they might go with a college arm, so that they could get him through the minor leagues a little bit faster.
The Marlins have the very next pick, and Law has them taking an outfielder. The Marlins have some strong starting pitching, so it is no surprise that they may look for some help in the field early in this draft.
Your Atlanta Braves will pick 28th overall, and Law has them selecting Jose Fernandez, a high school pitcher. Law suggests that the Braves will look for the best high school talent who will sign for an average amount of money.
We'll be covering the Draft, particularly how it relates to the Braves. In this stream.