“Welcome to Braves country” “Ready to watch you ball out” - Atlanta Braves fans give second-round draft pick Cole Phillips a warm welcome to the organization

The Major League Baseball draft started yesterday, and the Atlanta Braves made their splash in the draft. In the second round, the Braves drafted fiery pitcher Cole Phillips with the 57th overall pick.

Cole Phillips was drafted right out of high school. He just turned 19 years old in May. According to multiple sources, his fastball tops out in the mid to high-90s. even reaching up to 101 in a start. He also has a hard slider in the mid-80s, so he is definitely considered a power pitcher.

The only downside is that Phillips did blowout his elbow earlier this spring. Rumors suggest that, if he did not do this, he likely would have gotten drafted in the late first round.

The Braves announced that Phillips had been drafted on Twitter. The post congratulated him and welcomed him to the organization. Phillips then responded, saying that he is excited to start things off in Atlanta.

Atlanta Braves fans were hyped to see the team draft Cole Phillips, as many saw the pick as a steal.

It was nice to see the fans give Phillips such a warm welcome. There have been times when fans have given new draft picks the cold shoulder. That, however, is not the case here.

The future looks bright for the Braves pitching rotation with this pick. However, the Braves are also bright in the present-day. They are currently giving the New York Mets a serious run for their money for the National League East.

What is in store for the Atlanta Braves this season?

New York Mets v Atlanta Braves

Early on this season, the Braves fell to a large deficit to the New York Mets. It appeared that New York was going to run away with the division. However, in late May, Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. finally returned from injury, and the team rapidly turned it around.

Since then, the Braves have been red hot and have been creeping up on the Mets for first in the NL East. Now they are just 2.5 games behind the Mets. They could easily surpass them in the coming weeks.

The return of Ronald Acuna Jr. is the primary reason for the Braves' recent success. He is putting up great numbers this season, batting .265 with 20 stolen bases. His presence in the locker room is what really fired up this Braves squad and made them competitive as of late.

Hopefully, for the Atlanta Braves' sake, they can keep this momentum up after the All-Star break. These next two months are going to be crazy in the National League East.