The Atlanta Braves passed up on another feel-good hometown story Monday at pick No. 60 in this year’s MLB Draft by not taking Georgia’s Aaron Schunk.
Instead, the Braves selected Beau Philip out of Oregon State, keeping Schunk’s name on the board for a brief period of time.
Two picks later, the Colorado Rockies grabbed Schunk at No. 62 overall in the second round of the draft.
Though nothing is official, it’s very likely the highly-talented Bulldog utility player will forgo his senior season in Athens to pursue the pros with Colorado.
However, it would have been really neat to see the Atlanta native and John Olerud Award finalist become another hometown hero alongside Dansby Swanson.
So, what exactly did the Braves pass up on? A talented third-basemen who led the Bulldogs with a .339 team batting average and ranked second in the SEC in slugging percentage at .604 while also recording 12 saves as a closer.
Though Atlanta did not pick him up, Schunk will still get a chance to play in the major leagues someday for the Rockies.
We wish him the best in his professional career and making it to the big leagues. Go get ’em, Schunky Monkey.
