MLB Draft 2014: Baseball America projects Ti’quan Forbes to Atlanta Braves in final mock

The 2014 MLB Draft is on the horizon, and on Thursday morning, we brought you an in-depth look at the possibilities for the Atlanta Braves. With that in mind, Baseball America has released their final mock draft in advance of Thursday’s first round, and John Manuel projects Atlanta to select Mississippi prep shortstop Ti’Quan Forbes.

ESPN’s Insider player card of Forbes had this to say about his profile:

"Hitters from Mississippi have a stigma attached to them in the eyes of scouts, as far more have failed than succeeded over the past few years. Forbes has a chance to break that trend. He has very strong wrists that contribute to plus bat speed, and he transfers his weight well. When he makes contact, he hits the ball with authority to all parts of the field. He does have a tendency to drop his hands, however, and there’s some glide in his swing as well.Defensively, Forbes has soft hands and can make plays to his left and right with good — but not elite — athleticism. Any loss of foot speed could force him to move over to third base. The bat doesn’t play as well on the hot corner, but there’s above average offensive potential from Forbes bat and a chance to be at least average defensively."

Rumors are flying everywhere about what type of player the Braves would be interested in with their first selection, and scouts are evenly split on the upside of Forbes. Baseball America lists him as their 46th overall prospect in this year’s class, while ESPN’s Keith Law pegs Forbes as the 41st overall player with a recent mock draft sending him to the Oakland A’s with the 25th pick.

Regardless of where the Braves choose to go, there will certainly be some intrigue on the future of the player, and Forbes would give some additional long-term hope to the middle infield in the system.