It feels like the 2025 season has just gotten started and that is technically true, but the Atlanta Braves have a really important draft class coming up in 2025. They have an extra pick after losing Max Fried and their prospect pipeline is looking pretty shallow at the moment even if you are a believer in guys like Drake Baldwin and AJ Smith-Shawver.
In recent years, the Braves have focused their early picks almost exclusively on arms from both high school as well as the college ranks. This makes sense as pitching development is an organization strength and one cannot have too many arms, but the lack of offensive talent coming in beginning to be a bit of a problem.
According to Baseball America's most recent 2025 mock draft, that could be changing this year as the BA staff have the Braves taking talented prep shortstop Joseph Parker out of Mississippi when it is their turn to pick in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft.
BA mock draft has Braves taking shortstop Joseph Parker in what would be a welcome, if risky change of pace
One really important thing to note here is that this mock draft is coming very early in the draft process. A lot of the cold weather draft eligible players are only just now getting going and player evaluations are going to change a lot in the coming weeks and months. There are only some loose associations between players and teams right now, so don't take these early mocks as gospel.
That said, Parker has a lot going on as a prospect. He has a well-rounded skillset at the plate where he has a chance to hit for average and power from the left side. Sticking at shortstop might be wishful thinking as he isn't a quick twitch guy in the field, but Parker's offensive profile would work at third or second assuming he continues to develop.
Whether it is Parker or another bat, the Braves could really use some more offensive talent in the minor leagues right now. Atlanta has done pretty well to target higher end hitting prospects in international free agency, the results have been mixed at best all of these guys are still a ways off from contributing in the big leagues. They need position player help sooner than that.
The draft should give them that opportunity and there are signs the Braves could very well shift towards prioritizing offense early in the draft. Prep bats are particularly risky as a draft demographic, though, and there is no guarantee whatsoever that Atlanta will succeed even if they make the actual picks.