The 2026 MLB Draft is just days away, and the speculation as to who the Atlanta Braves will pick with the No. 9 overall pick is heating up. Given how the talent tiers break down in this year's class, the Braves could take any of around two dozen guys with the pick based on talent alone, and it wouldn't really be out of place. One would think that list would be getting narrowed down right now, but that may not actually be the case.
Recent mock drafts have seen a number of changes at the top of the draft. Many are shifting towards Grady Emerson being picked first overall over Roch Cholowsky, but the actual pick order just keeps shifting from the top all the way down. Baseball America's latest MLB mock draft is just another example. While BA's Carlos Collazo has connected Atlanta to high school lefty Gio Rojas again, the details are a bit more complicated than that.
Here's our penultimate mock draft, V 6.0.
— Carlos Collazo (@CarlosACollazo) July 8, 2026
Similar names up top. And it sounds like teams are still dealing with pretty large groups of players down the board.
Starting to hear more legit connections further down. We're also in silly season for noise:https://t.co/9oTvzQnTdo
Baseball America's latest mock draft is showing just how uncertain the Braves' pick at 9 truly is
Collazo is as plugged in as anyone when it comes to the MLB Draft, and even he admits that things could get weird when the Braves pick. His logic in choosing Rojas, a talented high school lefty that might be amenable to an under-slot deal, makes a lot of sense on paper for Atlanta, given their history. Multiple other mocks from experts have made the same connection, so this isn't a reach as an idea.
However, Collazo also notes that any number of college bats could make sense for the Braves at 9 according to what he has heard through the grapevine, with Derek Curiel, Chris Hacopian, AJ Gracia, and Ace Reese being potential options. He also noted that Atlanta could potentially be the landing spot for high school shortstop phenom Jacob Lombard if he falls, and that toolsy Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron might be intriguing as well.
What this tells us is that no one really knows what the Braves' plans are right now, because they don't have a firm plan yet. With so much uncertainty ahead of them, especially when it comes to where Drew Burress and Ryder Helfrick will get picked, it will serve the Braves well to prepare for a number of contingencies. That isn't great for those that just want to know who Atlanta is taking, but it's the best way for the team to actually operate.
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