wrote about him<\/a> being a target for the Braves back in December when the lottery determined they would have the ninth pick. Gracia is a player with a strong track record of hitting for both average and power, and he is a guy who will have a chance to be a middle of the order type of bat.<\/p>\n1.Carter Beck, OF, Indiana State<\/p>\n
Over\/under slot? Underslot<\/p>\n
Beck might be an underslot first round pick, but he\u2019s got an interesting mix of tools, production, metrics, and room for growth with a professional player development team behind him. With what he has shown so far in terms of the feel for contact and athleticism, he is a player who could grow into being a top third of the lineup type of bat.<\/p>\n
2.Kaiden McCarthy, RHP, Vermont Academy HS (VT)<\/p>\n
Over\/under slot? Overslot<\/p>\n
McCarthy might be a little undersized and come from a smaller cold weather state, but his stuff is very loud. He is going to take time, but there are some optimistic that he has a chance at four plus pitches. Even if he doesn\u2019t reach that lofty ceiling, the plus fastball and advanced change with two average breaking balls is still a talented arm to add to the system.<\/p>\n
3.Jensen Hirschkorn, RHP, Kingsburg HS (CA)<\/p>\n
Over\/under slot? Significantly overslot<\/p>\n
I had Hirschkorn as a first round talent in this class. I\u2019m expecting he gets paid like one too, and he may have the biggest bonus of anyone outside of Gracia. He\u2019s a projectable and athletic 6\u20197 arm who has already surprisingly above average command with a fastball that should grade out as better than plus as he matures. A second swing and miss pitch in his slider, and a feel for the change are also assets. Once he fills in his body and focuses on pitching full time – he was a multi-sport athlete in high school, the ceiling could be very high.<\/p>\n
4.Cole Dennis, RHP, Bishop Snyder HS (FL)<\/p>\n
Over\/under slot? Overslot<\/p>\n
Dennis is an up arrow prospect this spring as he is a two-way star that converted to pitching from catching. The command and changeup are going to take some work, which is to be expected when considering the background. However he has two pitches which he can get swings and misses with in the fastball and slider.<\/p>\n
5.Wil Libbert, LHP, Mississippi<\/p>\n
Libbert has a promising four pitch mix, though he has had inconsistent command which kept him out of the Rebels rotation this spring. If he can improve the command then he has the makings of a potential middle of the rotation starter thanks to having four average or better pitches led by the fastball and cutter. Even if he can\u2019t improve the command he has a chance to be a quality lefty reliever for the Braves.<\/p>\n
6.Tyson Grulkowski, RHP, Muskego HS (WI)<\/p>\n
Over\/under slot? Overslot<\/p>\n
Grulkowski is another interesting prep arm from a cold weather state. The combination of the fastball and breaking ball are what got him drafted, though he will need to improve his off speed pitch in order to remain a starter. I\u2019m a big fan of his high spin, slurvy breaking ball and think there is potential to see the fastball tick up at least a half grade. What the Braves player development team does with his third pitch will really help determine his ceiling.<\/p>\n
7.Jack Brenner, C, Fond du Lac HS (WI)<\/p>\n
Over\/under slot? Overslot<\/p>\n
Brenner has an advanced hit tool and plenty of athleticism and versatility. He\u2019s being picked for the bat, but he could have a unique skill set if he is able to stick behind the plate. Should catching not work out for him, there is enough bat and athleticism in there for him to be a fit at another position.<\/p>\n
8.Jacob Jarrell, C, Clemson<\/p>\n
Over\/under slot? Very underslot, senior sign<\/p>\n
Jarrell is going to be a cheaper senior sign, but he\u2019s a bat with real power who happens to play catcher. I\u2019m less than sure he will be able to stick behind the plate longterm, but the 18 homers he hit this year weren\u2019t an accident. When you\u2019re talking about a senior sign, getting a carrying trait is a win.<\/p>\n
9.Parker Brosius, OF, Georgia Tech<\/p>\n
Over\/under slot? Very underslot, senior sign<\/p>\n
Brosius is going to be a cheaper senior sign, but is maybe the most interesting senior sign the Braves have ever selected. He slashed .329\/.504\/.859 with 13 homers in part time duty this year – just 125 plate appearances. Even more important than the stats is the fact he\u2019s a speedy athlete. He played in the corner outfield at Tech, but might get a look in center in the pros – as Drew Burress blocked him from getting much time there in college. He has also posted excellent contact metrics, which helps his average power play up. Brosius is a bit of a late bloomer with two partial seasons of solid and great production, but he is the type of prospect who could have a better pro career than he did in college.<\/p>\n
10.Ben Zeigler-Namoa, 1B, Hawaii<\/p>\n
Over\/under slot? Very underslot, senior sign<\/p>\n
Zeigler-Namoa is a cheap senior sign with a solid feel for hitting and some defensive versatility. The power is definitely below average, meaning he will need to have the hit tool carry him. He has a mixed track record with the wood bats, both looking good in the Cape in 2024 and struggling in a smaller sample size in the MLB Draft League last summer.<\/p>\n
11.Ryne Barker, 3B, Casteel HS (AZ)<\/p>\n
Over\/under slot? Overslot<\/p>\n
Barker is a toolsy prep infielder with elite speed and a developing feel for contact. He\u2019s very much on the older side for a prep, but he\u2019s shown more than enough tools to project as the type of player a development team can\u2019t wait to get their hands on. I don\u2019t believe power will be a huge part of his game, but his contact, athleticism, and versatility should give him a floor to work with.<\/p>\n
12.Dominic Kibler, C, Wilsonsin-Milwaukee<\/p>\n
Kibler transferred to Milwaukee from Kent State for this year and saw his power increase. He only had limited reps at catcher heading into 2026, spending more time in the outfield than behind the plate – but he would bring good speed for the position. His power is more average to above, but he doesn\u2019t swing and miss often.<\/p>\n
13.Cole Dorland, RHP, Walnut Grove HS (Canada)<\/p>\n
Over\/under slot? Overslot<\/p>\n
Dorland was one of the top prep players in Canada this year and had been an Alabama commit. He\u2019s a bit undersized, but has some projection and a solid three-pitch mix to work with. Dorland is a guy who is going to take some time, but he has gains to be made as a cold weather pitching prospect.<\/p>\n
14.Brady Hamilton, RHP, Wichita State<\/p>\n
Hamilton broke out in the Cape last summer as he was at times in the mid-90\u2019s with a quality slider and a change that has the potential to be a decent third pitch. He didn\u2019t live up to that this spring, as his stuff and command weren\u2019t quite at the same level. Still this is a guy who looked the part of a big league prospect, and the Braves are hoping the player development staff can get him back to being the guy we saw last summer.<\/p>\n
15.Caleb Klein, OF, Southeast Missouri State<\/p>\n
Klein joined SEMO from the JUCO ranks this year and had a big year with the bat. His contact skills led to him slashing .316\/.417\/.491 with 8 homers among his 21 extra base hits and more walks (31) than strikeouts (30) along with 14 steals. I don\u2019t believe the power grades the way it played this year, but it does play up due to the strong hit tool.<\/p>\n
16.Dalton Harper, C, Niagara County CC (NY)<\/p>\n
Over\/under slot? Slightly overslot<\/p>\n
Harper started out at Georgia Southern, transferred to a New York JUCO where he caught one of last year\u2019s helium draft prospects in Matt Barr, and was committed to Penn State. He\u2019s not the toolsiest prospect, but he is a grinder who is going to get the most out of the tools he has. He hit .438\/.544\/.673 with 13 doubles, 7 triples, 3 homers, 25 walks, and only 10 strikeouts in his 194 plate appearances.<\/p>\n
17.John Damozonio, RHP, Saint Mary\u2019s<\/p>\n
Damozonio saw his command take a step forward to have a breakout season in a starting role this spring. He brings one of the best sliders in the entire draft and the rest of his pitch arsenal clearly popped in the Braves model. He is going to need to refine his arsenal with the player development team, but he has the potential to be a steal at this point in the draft. If he is able to add additional velocity then his profile gets even more intriguing.<\/p>\n
18.Ethan Stade, LHP, Bowling Green<\/p>\n
The lefty posted a 14.5 K\/9 this spring and followed that up by being lights out at the MLB Draft League this summer. At the MLBDL he has a 1.23 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 28 K to 7 walks over his 14.2 innings – a 17.2 K\/9. He might not stand out for his velocity, but the metrics on his pitches explain why he\u2019s able to rack up the whiffs. This is a strong flier to get into the Braves player development.<\/p>\n
19.Austin Fawley, C, Mississippi<\/p>\n
Fawley transferred from Kentucky to Mississippi and has hit 21 and 13 homers in the two years in the Rebels lineup. He has also improved his defense and throwing to the point where he has become an asset there. He does strike out – a lot, 156 over the last two years, but getting into a professional system could help to cut down on those strikeouts a bit. Still it\u2019s a nice flier on a guy with big power.<\/p>\n
20.Nile Adcock, RHP, Kentucky<\/p>\n
A former JUCO transfer who broke out a bit this year in relief for the Wildcats. He\u2019s more low 90\u2019s, but the slider is a potentially plus pitch for him. He projects as a sinker\/slider reliever who has also flashed a solid curve, but he has a career 12.4 K\/9 in his two years for UK.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 MLB Draft is in the books and the Atlanta Braves have 21 new prospects to add…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":757241,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[324321,1289,99],"class_list":["post-761093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-atlanta-braves-prospects","tag-mlb-draft","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=761093"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761093\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/757241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=761093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=761093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=761093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}