The Atlanta Braves are officially riding their longest winning streak since they won 14 consecutive games in June of 2022. Atlanta's current win streak reached double digits after their Tuesday night victory over the Washington Nationals. Of course as the wins have come flooding in, some members of Braves country have begun to worry about Atlanta's 2026 MLB Draft lottery odds.
The hope is for Atlanta to win a higher pick and get the chance to draft an impact player to add to a thin farm system. While this long winning streak has closed the door on the Braves having top three odds for the draft lottery, the overall impact isn't as bad as fans think it is.
Braves still in good position decent odds in 2026 MLB Draft Lottery
The truth about the draft lottery is that no matter the team's odds, there is only a select range of picks teams can rise/fall to. Every team dreams of getting the combination needed for the top overall pick, but only one team will receive that fortune. Given baseball's unpredictable nature when drafting ANYWHERE it's really the hope for additional bonus pool money that drives all of this.
For the Braves they currently have the sixth best odds for the top overall pick in next year's draft thanks to their 75-83 record. Those odds for the top pick have less than 5% difference between the team with the ninth best odds, the San Francisco Giants who sit at 77-80.
The way the lottery is set up, you only see a big jump in odds when you get near the very top. Because the White Sox locked up the best odds awhile ago, and the Pirates and Twins are in a class of bad the Braves were never flirting with, this winning streak hasn't changed much. Unless the Braves went on a double digit losing streak they were never going to finish with a worse winning percentage than Minnesota or Pittsburgh.
Braves country has a few storylines to follow for the upcoming draft, but overreacting to lottery odds is very much putting the cart before the horse. Truthfully, the more important matter for the final four games is escaping this miserable season without anymore injuries. Tanking isn't something that players try to do, and it was never a philosophy the Braves were going to push given their culture. Regardless, this impressive winning streak hasn't doomed the Braves draft lottery odds, and Atlanta's fate was always going to come down to the way the ping pong balls bounce.