Hall, Brannen receive major league calls
The first day of the MLB draft treated a pair of prospects with Middle Georgia ties well.
Former Houston County pitcher D.L. Hall, a part of the Bears’ 2016 GHSA Class 5A championship team, became a first-round selection when was taken by Baltimore with the 21st overall pick.
Westfield product Cole Brannen, meanwhile, also got a first-day call when he was taken in the second round by Boston with the 63rd pick.
“I love the Red Sox,” Brannen said. “I’m very blessed. I can’t wait.”
For Brannen, whose family gathered for the proceedings at his family’s car dealership Monday night in Perry, the pick was a life-changing event.
A Georgia Southern signee, Brannen, who was picked five spots ahead of his MLB.com pre-draft ranking, quickly made a decision about his future when the draft call came.
“I’m absolutely playing for the Red Sox,” said Brannen, who was picked in a position that is allotted a maximum $993,900 signing bonus. “They said they were really glad they got me and they are glad to have me as a ballplayer. I’m very excited.”
Hall, who has signed with Florida State, is eligible for up to $2.9 million in a signing bonus should he decide to turn pro. He transferred to Valdosta prior to his senior year of high school.
“Hall is a polished, young LHP, with a good fastball, curve, change-up & good control,” Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich said in a quote published by the team on Twitter. “We project seeing him in our starting rotation in the near future.”
Earlier Monday, the Atlanta Braves tapped Vanderbilt right-handed pitcher Kyle Wright with the fifth overall pick.
Wright, a product of New Market, Alabama, was undrafted coming out of high school, but he developed his game quite a bit at Vanderbilt. He began his collegiate career as a freshman, became a starter as a sophomore, and he was picked as a second-team All-American by Baseball America this season as a junior.
“As Wright has gotten bigger and stronger in college — he has grown an inch and added 40 pounds — his velocity has improved from 87-90 mph in high school to 91-94, with a high of 97,” Wright’s MLB.com profile states. “His best secondary pitch is a hard curveball that he employs against left-handers, and he mixes in a harder slider/cutter against righties. Wright is also developing a solid changeup.”
The No. 5 slot carries with it a value of $5.7 million. Wright was the second collegiate player taken, behind Louisville first baseman Brendan McKay, who went to Tampa Bay with the No. 4 pick.
In the second round, the Braves picked Drew Waters, an in-state high school outfielder from Etowah.
This story was originally published June 12, 2017 at 11:59 PM with the headline "Hall, Brannen receive major league calls."