In less than 24 hours, the Atlanta Braves will be on the clock with the ninth overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. For prospect enjoyers and Braves diehards alike, it is one of the more fun events of the year, as it is the time when the organization has a real chance to set themselves up for the future. However, guessing what the Braves or pretty much anyone else is going to do in the draft itself is proving to be extremely difficult.
The current issue is that there is no consensus order when it comes to this draft class. There are six-ish guys who are the top tier, but the order they are actually picked could go in a number of directions, and it isn't crazy to think that Jackson Flora or someone else could fall out of that group on draft day. After that, you have a group of at least 20 draft prospects that are realistically in play as full slot or under slot picks.
That is a lot to account for with a team like the Braves that has a large draft bonus pool and multiple picks in the first round. However, we do have some clues, as well as some recent mock drafts, as to what the Braves have up their sleeve.
These players could be in play for the Braves early in the 2026 MLB Draft
Trying to predict anything past the first round of any draft is a fool's errand. With how bonus pools get manipulated, and information gets out, so much can change very quickly in the draft. Hell, even guessing who will be available after the first half of the first round this year is basically impossible.
There have been some names who have been repeatedly connected to the Braves. Given how experts have talked about them and their potential connection to Atlanta, you can bet that Georgia Tech OF Drew Burress and Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick are firmly on the Braves' radar at 9. The Braves would love to add a college bat with that pick, but it doesn't seem like either one of them is overly likely to even be on the board when the Braves pick.
This is where things could get weird. Most mock drafts lately have the Braves pivoting to high school LHP Gio Rojas as an under-slot play. That does make some sense given this front office's track record, but a lot of these mock drafts feels like they are guessing Atlanta's pick because it feels like something they would do as opposed to a firm connection.
If the chatter is true and the Braves DO want a college bat with their first pick, but still want to save some money, they do have some options. Chris Hacopian and Tyler Bell are popular picks, but both have medical issues that could be problematic. However, Mississippi State 3B Ace Reese, Virginia OF AJ Gracia, or possible LSU OF Derek Curiel would make sense, although it seems questionable that Curiel would accept an under-slot deal.
As for the No. 26 pick that the Braves got courtesy of Drake Baldwin's ROY win, that is even harder to pin down. However, in this world we have created for ourselves where they pick a bat with their first pick, it just seems very likely that they go with an arm at 26. Ole Miss has a pair of arms in Taylor Rabe and Cade Townsend that make general sense in this range, and the Braves were connected to Townsend earlier this spring before he fell off a bit. Tennessee RHP Tegan Kuhns could also be interesting as well. If Atlanta wants to go the prep route, they could try to scoop up injured high school flamethrower Brody Bumila or even Cole Prosek, who might be the best pure prep hitter in the draft class.
It is pretty clear that there are a lot of ways this draft could go with the Braves in 2026. Even with those educated guesses above, anything is possible given how wide open this draft class is. We will just have to strap in and wait to see what happens now.
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