If you are an Atlanta Braves fan, the 2025 season is going to be one that you are going to try and forget. At 45-60 as of July 29, this is going to be the worst Braves' season since at least 2017 if not a little further back than that and no one involved is enjoying that. While Braves fans are now having to navigate a trade deadline where Atlanta is in the unfamiliar position as sellers, not all the news is bad especially when you think about the 2026 MLB Draft.
The Braves' draft strategy in recent years has been a mixed bag at best. While they have certainly added some real talent to the organization, their track record overall and especially with their recent first round picks leaves a lot to be desired. With Atlanta looking like they will be among the favorites to win the #1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft Lottery, next year is a chance to change that narrative especially given the quality of some of the top prospects in next year's draft class.
The 2026 draft class could play right into exactly what the Braves need right now
The way the MLB draft lottery works is that every non-playoff team is eligible for the random drawing for the top six picks in the draft. The worse your record is, the greater your odds of getting the first overall pick and drafting highly in general. For a Braves organization that needs both top end talent and a lot of quality prospects, getting a high draft pick and the massive draft bonus pool that comes with it is going to be a big deal.
While not a guarantee at all, Atlanta is going to be among the teams with the best odds for the #1 overall pick. Who are the prizes for drafting high in the 2026 MLB Draft? Well, it is still early, but the consensus right now is that UCLA shortstop and reigning Baseball America College Player of the Year Roch Cholowsky is the early favorite to go first overall. Not only is he a plus defender at short, but his bat really came alive last year and he now has a track record of hitting and hitting for power in a tough college conference. Given the Braves' desperate need for a real shortstop, getting a shot to pick Cholowsky who fits the profile of a true first overall talent would be lovely.
There are other really interesting draft prospects currently ranked near the top of the 2026 class including college stars like Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron, Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress, and LSU outfielder Derek Curiel as well as prep studs like shortstop Grady Emerson, shortstop Jacob Lombard, LHP Gio Rojas, and OF/RHP Kevin Roberts Jr. All of these guys could improve their stocks enough to be top pick worth and all have ceilings to dream on.
Now, it is hard to get too excited about next year's draft when it is almost a full year away and that is before player development happens. To get to the point where a high draft pick is in the cards involves a lot more losses in the near-term. However, this is the hand Braves Country has been dealt this season and it is nice to at least have something to look forward to.