Big right-hander Povse goes to Braves in third round
Though Max Povse's collegiate statistics might not be inspiring, his 6-foot-7, 210-pound frame certainly caught the attention of the Braves, who believed it was worth taking a chance on the high reward the big right-hander might bring.
The Braves have always been recognized as an organization that stockpiles arms through the early portion of the First-Year Player Draft. Their tendency to stay away from big-bodied hurlers was not apparent on Friday, when they took Povse in the third round and 6-foot-7 right-hander Chad Sobotka with their fourth-round selection.
"When you have someone in the top rounds, they better have a good arm," Braves director of scouting Tony DeMacio said. "Then, you worry about the rest of it later."
In other words, the Braves were not concerned about the fact that Povse posted a 4.99 ERA and allowed 96 hits in the 79 1/3 innings he completed over 15 starts for the University of North Carolina-Greensboro this season. Heeding the advice of scout Billy Best, they were more interested in the fact that he possess a live fastball that has sat at 93-94 mph and rarely moved on a straight plane.
DeMacio was impressed with what he saw as Povse scattered nine hits and allowed just one run over six innings against Georgia Tech on Feb. 22.
"He's 20 years old," DeMacio said. "He's 6-foot-7 and he's finding his way around out there. He's going to be just fine."
Povse, who was selected by the Dodgers in the 42nd round of the 2011 Draft, has shown improvements with his slider over the past year and a scout who recently saw him was impressed with the feel he had for his changeup.
"We like his arm. Player development can develop him now," DeMacio said.
The Braves seem confident that Povse will forgo his senior season at UNCG. If he does, he would likely get a signing bonus in the neighborhood of the $514,200 slotted for the 102nd overall selection in the Draft.
The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 1 p.m. ET.