Braves start Day 3 by taking prep righty Grosser

The Braves began the third and final day of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft by selecting high school pitcher Alec Grosser with their 11th-round pick.

Grosser was an unknown less than one year ago, but he's spent the past few months as one of the most sought-after prep arms in the country.

The right-hander from T.C. Williams High School (Va.) had a big performance in Virginia's Commonwealth Games last year, showing off a fastball that touches 94 mph. It was there that he caught the eye of Braves area scout Gene Kerns, who also discovered Brandon Beachy at a Virginia Valley Summer League game. Grosser has a whippy arm action that produces good sink on his fastball, while his offspeed pitches need a little work.

That's to be expected of the 6-foot-2, 186-pounder, who also quarterbacked his high school football team and is far from a finished product.

The George Mason signee led his high school to the regional playoffs for the first time since 2009 with a six-inning, one-hit performance in mid-May in which he struck out 10 batters.