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For the second year in a row, the Atlanta Braves have selected a Wake Forest pitcher in the first round of the MLB Draft. Atlanta selected right-hander Ryan Cusick with the 24th pick in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft. 6-foot-6, 235-pound power arm Cusick who struck out 206 batters in 158 career innings in three seasons for Wake Forest.
“Cusick is a big right handed pitcher with a strong arm and a very good curve ball. His [fastball] the speed reached 101, “said Braves recruiting director Dana Brown, when asked about the pick.” He made a few adjustments to the action of his arms to get into the zone a little more. He did a few. walks in the past and we feel like he’s going in the right direction. So we were thrilled to bring him here. Anytime you can have a guy like that at 24 in the country that can hit 101. You know, it’s exciting, a big physical competitor with really good makeup.
Cusick made 12 starts in 2021 while posting a 4.24 ERA in 70 innings. He struck out a total of 108 batters averaging just under 14K per nine.
“When I saw him I knew he was a first-round talent in any draft,” Brown said. “It’s just a matter of where he’s going to go. How will you align them? Where does he stack up with some of the other guys you get excited about in the first round? “
Cusick has displayed great temporal speed with his fastball and has a good curveball to go with it. His change is still a work in progress according to Brown. The Braves see him as a starter but also as a guy who could reach the majors as a reliever and then move on to a starter later.
“Change is the third step and it’s a work in progress,” said Brown. “We think that with a little professional education he will be fine.”
Brown said they mostly focus on varsity guns, but their scorecard starts to disappear as they get closer to their choice. This is one of the hazards of picking at the end of the first round. Still, he was happy with the result.
“I think the strength of the first round was probably the college pitch this year and we were very lucky to have that type of talent in the back of the first.”
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