Lucas Braun Stats & Scouting Report

IP	64.1
ERA	4.34
WHIP	1.23
BB/9	2.24
SO/9	10.49

Full name Lucas Braun
Born 08/26/2001 in Santa Monica, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Cal State Northridge
Drafted in the 6th round (189th overall) by the Atlanta Braves in 2023 (signed for $347,500).

View Draft Report

Braun started his college career as a reliever at San Diego for two seasons before transferring to Cal State Northridge and becoming a starter. He took a star turn for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots in the Alaska League last summer and carried into his senior season. Braun went 6-5, 4.83 as the Matadors’ top starter and finished third in the Big West Conference with 100 strikeouts, the most by a CSUN starter since current Angels lefthander Kenny Rosenberg in 2016. Braun is a 6-foot, 185-pound righthander with a solid three-pitch arsenal and a notable competitive streak. His fastball ranges from 90-95 mph and is his primary pitch he uses heavily. His mid-80s, vertical slider is an average pitch that flashes higher and his low-80’s changeup is another average offering with late drop under barrels. He is a solid athlete who throws strikes and goes after hitters aggressively. Braun pitches exclusively from the stretch and has some effort to his delivery, leading to projections he’ll eventually move to the bullpen. He has an outside chance to start and projects to be drafted as a senior sign.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 45/Medium.

Track Record: Braun signed for $347,500 as a sixth-rounder in 2023 and impressed with his control and command as he reached High-A in his pro debut. In his first full pro season in 2024, he split time between High-A Rome and Double-A Mississippi. He led all Braves minor leaguers with 143.2 innings and 162 strikeouts while posting a 3.26 ERA and 7.2% walk rate.

Scouting Report: Braun is a 6-foot, 185-pound righthander who creates some deception thanks to a low release height and the angle created by a crossfire landing from the extreme third-base side of the rubber. He fills up the zone with a deep mix, but impresses more for his command and pitchability than any loud, bat-missing traits. Braun averaged 93 mph on a fastball that will touch 95-96. He likes to establish the pitch in the upper third of the zone where his release height can help amplify the pitch’s shape. He gets ahead in counts consistently and threw the pitch for strikes nearly 70% of the time in 2024. Braun also has advanced feel to land both a mid-80s slider and 78-82 mph curveball. His slider flashes average when he hits on it but will need to rely on location down in the zone to be effective. The curveball is a soft roller with two-plane action that could serve as a change of pace or occasional chase pitch below the zone. Braun uses a mid-80s changeup to lefties that is serviceable but unspectacular. His advanced command is the key to his arsenal and could allow him to pitch above the level of his stuff.

The Future: Braun should pitch exclusively in the upper minors in 2025. If he keeps missing bats at a decent clip, he could start to earn big league opportunities.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 60
BA Grade: 45/High

Track Record: Braun signed with the Braves in the sixth round of the 2023 draft for $347,500 after a strong season with Cal State Northridge, where he made a successful transition to a starting role. He then had one of the better pro debuts of any drafted 2023 pitcher, as his 27 innings and 32 strikeouts between Low-A Augusta and High-A Rome were second to only fellow Atlanta farmhand Hurston Waldrep.

Scouting Report: Braun immediately became one of the better command pitchers in the system, as evidenced by his 4.7% walk rate and 25.5% K-BB rate--both marks were second-best among Braves minor leaguers with at least 10 innings. A 6-foot, 185-pound righthander, who throws from a lower release height, Braun has four distinct pitches with an advanced ability to locate them. He throws an average fastball that sits around 92-93 and touches 94-95, but he landed it for strikes nearly 70% of the time and does a nice job establishing it at the top of the zone to help set up a trio of secondaries. Braun throws a low-80s slider and an upper-70s curveball that look like solid-average pitches in a vacuum, but his ability to execute them consistently and land them at the bottom of the zone allowed them to play up in the low minors. Braun also has a low-80s changeup that is mostly used to his arm side against lefthanded hitters.

The Future: Braun has perhaps the deepest pitch mix in Atlanta’s system and might have the command to become a pitcher who is greater than the sum of his parts.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 60