PITTSBURGH -- Braves vice president of scouting Dana Brown got his two first-round targets and then added potential high-quality depth to the organization by taking some under-the-radar prospects with high upside, whose expected cost created the flexibility to make quality mid-round selections in this year’s MLB Draft.

Running the Braves’ Draft for the first time since joining the organization in January, Brown used his two first-round selections to take Baylor University catcher Shea Langeliers (ninth overall) and Texas A&M shortstop Braden Shewmake (21st overall). These were the first of nine collegiate players Atlanta took within the first 10 rounds of a Draft that was light on high school pitching talent.

With Langeliers, the Braves addressed an area of need by selecting the best available defensive catcher. They surprised some with the selection of Shewmake, who was projected to go later in the first round or early in the second round. But had Atlanta not taken the athletic and versatile shortstop, the Rays were going to do so with the next selection.

“It’s good to get some position players,” Brown said. “The strength of the Draft is the college position players. A guy like [Shewmake], we’re excited to have. We don’t draft on the system and what we have. But he was the best player on the board when we took him. We’re excited we got this guy.”

While the Braves may not be able to go below slot with the signing bonus given Shewmake, they could realize some savings with an under-slot offer to Oregon State shortstop Beau Philip, who was taken with the 60th overall selection, despite ranking as MLB Pipeline’s 195th-best prospect

The Braves have $11,532,200 to spend on picks made through the first 10 rounds. It will take approximately $8 million to sign both Langeliers and Shewmake. Giving an under-slot value to somebody like Philip would provide some flexibility as Atlanta may need to go over slot to sign some of its other selections, including third-round pick Michael Harris.

Brown seemingly made a wise decision in taking Harris, a suburban Atlanta high school product who recently showed his fandom by wearing a Braves jersey under his graduation gown. The Stockbridge (Ga.) High School outfielder has committed to Texas Tech, but he now has a chance to continue developing within his hometown team’s system.

Langeliers (10), Shewmake (32), Philip (195), eighth-round selection Ricky DeVito (162) and 13th-round selection Tyler Owens (199) were the only players the Braves selected who ranked among MLB Pipeline’s Top 200 prospects. By trusting its model, Atlanta was willing to take a chance on fifth-round selection Stephen Paolini, who was recommended by a veteran scout very familiar with the Connecticut high school circuit.

Multiple under-slot signings of players taken within the first 10 rounds could also prove beneficial as the Braves attempt to secure some of the talent selected in the 11th round and beyond.

A player taken after the 10th round can receive up to a $125,000 signing bonus without it being counted against the bonus pool. So if the Braves wanted to give more to a player taken in the 11th round or beyond, they would need to have some flexibility remaining within their pool allotment.

The bonus pool availability will affect the attempt to sign 11th-round selection Vaughn Grissom, a power-hitting high school prospect committed to Florida International. The Braves may also need to have some additional money available to sign Owens, a right-handed high school pitcher whose fastball has touched 98 mph. He seemingly slipped to the 13th round because of what was considered a strong commitment to the University of Florida.