Meet the Braves' 2026 Draft Class: Every Pick, Scouted

From first-round outfielders AJ Gracia and Carter Beck to Atlanta's aggressive prep bets, here's what every member of the Braves' 2026 draft class brings to the organization.

The Braves wrapped up the 2026 MLB Draft by selecting 21 players, including 11 position players and 10 pitchers.

At first glance, it’s simply a list of names. But taken together, the class reveals a clear organizational philosophy.

Here’s a closer look at every selection, what each player brings to the organization, and how each fits Atlanta’s long-term vision.

Player capsules

Day 1

1.9: OF AJ Gracia, Virginia

Gracia’s a legitimate middle-of-the-order offensive prospect, one who both hit for contact and power in his three seasons in the ACC. He has some work that needs to be done: He can be a bit passive in the zone, and he’s going to be challenged from both a speed and arm perspective to stay out of left field, but he’s a potential middle-of-the-order slugger for a decade.

PPI.26: OF Carter Beck, Indiana State

Beck’s the yin in the batter’s box to Gracia’s yang, with an unusually aggressive approach that’s not a detriment thanks to his exceptional bat-to-ball ability (92% zone contact). While Gracia’s development list includes being more aggressive on drivable pitches in the zone, Beck’s considered to have more power to be unlocked if he can be a bit more selective. He’s considered the more likely of the two to stick in center field, thanks to great speed, but the arm’s a question that might push him to left as well.

2.48: RHP Kaiden McCarthy, prep (Vermont)

McCarthy’s one of several Braves draftees to reclassify into the 2026 class, separating him as younger than his cohort. He’s also an exceptional athlete, already having a clean and efficient arm motion that allows him to run his four-seam and two-seam fastballs into the high-90s. He has both a big, 12-to-6 knuckle curve and a sweepier slider in the high-80s, presenting a great base of pitches to mold into a frontline starter. He did have a shoulder impingement that took away part of his spring, so he might spend a lot of time in bridge league, catching up on facing quality (i.e. non-Vermont) competition.

In both Florida and Arizona, teams coordinate an unofficial ‘bridge league’ throughout the summer and into fall, where recently signed players often spend time getting additional instruction through friendly scrimmages before making their official professional debut.

3.84: RHP Jensen Hirschkorn, prep (California)

Hirschkorn might have the highest ceiling of any of Atlanta’s draftees, but was still on the board in the 3rd because his multi-million bonus demand (and commitment to deep-pocketed LSU) had many teams writing him off as undraftable. The Braves are being rewarded for their financial flexibility with a projectable frame (6’7, 205) that sports a very clean and smooth arm action. The multi-sport athlete (basketball) was projected as high as #15 (Baseball America) owing to his mid-90s velocity on his multiple fastballs, exceptional depth on his two-plane slider, and multiple ancillary pitches in a surprisingly polished changeup and a budding cutter.

One of the most common anecdotes for Hirschkorn related to his performance in California’s Area Code Games, where he got swinging strikeouts of all nine batters he faced in a three-inning appearance.

4:112: RHP Cole Dennis, prep (Florida)

Dennis’s a late riser in the class, jumping from a low-90s fastball to 97 mph this spring. Some of that is late development, as he was a two-way player whose 12 homers as a catcher this spring was among the best marks for all Florida preps. He pairs the fastball with both a high-spin downer curveball and a low-spin changeup, an impressive dichotomy in spin capacity that resembles AJ Smith-Shawver. He won’t turn 18 until this fall, joining McCarthy as one of the youngest players in the class.

Day 2

5.144: LHP Will Libbert, Ole Miss

Libbert’s an SEC product, having spent his first two seasons at Missouri before transferring to join the Rebs. His velo jump from the low-to-mid-90s is why he’s jumped to the top of day two, but it’s an interesting fastball/cutter/changeup package. He also has some interesting deception potential, throwing from a higher lefty slot with some crossfire in his finish.

6.173: RHP Tyson Grulkowski, prep (Wisconsin)

Grulkowski’s a big-bodied (6’5, 225), low slot spin savant - per Baseball America, he can run his breaking ball up to 2900 RPM and has a changeup and a mid-90s fastball to pair with it. It’s hard not to hear this and think a ‘Chris Sale’-esque profile - a low-slot starter with elite spin characteristics - and I think that’s likely the direction they’ll go with Grulkowski.

7.202: C Jack Brenner, prep (Wisconsin)

The Braves either love cold-weather guys or really trust their Northern area scout. Brenner’s an Oklahoma recruit that’s more tools than polish right now, sporting a strong arm but plenty of development ahead. His offense is the strength at the moment, with a compact, line-drive-oriented swing.

8.232: C Jacob Jarrell, Clemson

Atlanta’s first clear senior sign, Jarrell’s likely to stick behind the plate and has some pop in his bat, but also has swing-and-miss concerns that may prevent him from putting it all together.

9.262: OF Parker Brosius, Georgia Tech

Another senior sign, Brosius broke out in his final year of college, raising his batting average by nearly 100 points and nearly doubling his OPS. He’s shown the ability to both steal bags efficiently (14-for-15 his junior year) and hit for some power (13 homers his senior season), though not at the same time.

10.292: 1B Ben Zeigler-Namoa, Hawaii

A fifth-year senior who will likely get the league-provided minimum of $2500 to sign, Zeigler-Namoa’s a former Juco Bandit that spent time at both first and corner outfield during his Hawaii tenure and was seen as defensively sound at first base. He’ll be organizational depth for the Braves.

11.322: 3B Ryne Barker, prep (Arizona)

Here’s the first prep for Atlanta with questionable signability (which is why they took him in the 11th - any player from this point on that doesn’t sign does not result in a loss of draft pool dollars). He has 70-grade speed, is committed to Texas Tech, and is seen as raw, with questions about both his defensive home and power potential. But the athleticism’s undeniable and he’s flashed every tool a team could want.

12.352: C Dominic Kibler, Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Another senior sign, Kibler’s a Kent State transfer who stepped up against power conference opponents: He hit a homer, doubled, and walked three times against LSU to open the season, homered with three walks against Duke, and even tagged my Auburn Tigers with an RBI single in regionals. He played both outfield and catcher in college, being named to the Horizon All-League First Team at the “flex” position.

13.382: RHP Cole Dorland, prep (British Columbia, Canada)

Sensing a theme here with the cold-weather players? They’re all a little bit underscouted and underdeveloped - turns out baseball is a little harder to scout and teach when half the season is played under snow. He’s an Alabama commit, but is still six months from turning 18 and so flashed on Atlanta’s models. His father was a D1 athlete in Louisiana, and those genes have translated - he’s up to 96 on his fastball with both a good breaking ball and surprising feel for an offspeed pitch, given that he’s a prep and all.

14.412: RHP Brody Hamilton, Wichita State (which is not a state, for the record).

He was the #8 player in Oklahoma coming out of high school, but the promise never fully materialized into production for the Shockers. He finished his college career with a 5.56 ERA across 204 innings, although his 2025 summer on the Cape with a 1.48 ERA likely got him on Atlanta’s radar.

15.442: OF Caleb Klein, SE Missouri State (“SE Missouri” is also not a state)

Another former Juco Bandit, Klein had more walks than strikeouts while serving as the starting centerfielder and leadoff hitter for the Redhawks. He stole 14 bases and hit eight home, putting up a .316/.437/.491 line in his lone season with SE Missouri.

Fun fact: Of SEMO’s last ten MLB draft picks, six were taken by Atlanta, including Dtylan Dodd in 2021.

16.472: C Dalton Harper, JuCo

Harper is a Georgia Southern transfer, one who won national player of the year honors en route to leading Niagara to a NJCAA Division III championship. He’s committed to transfer to Penn State if he and the Braves can’t come to terms.

17.502: RHP John Damozonio, Saint Mary’s

Another senior sign, Damozonio moved into the rotation for his final year and put up a gaudy 2.59 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 83.1 innings. He throws all three fastballs, with the cutter being his out pitch, as well as a slider and changeup.

18.532: LHP Ethan Stade, Bowling Green State (Say it with me: not a state)

A senior sign that has the frame (6’4, 220) to get it done. He struggled in college, with a career 5.00 ERA, but absolutely tore it up in the MLB Draft League this summer to the tune of a 1.23 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 14.2 innings.

19.562: C Austin Fawley, Ole Miss

The fifth catcher of the class for Atlanta, Fawley’s a Kyle Schwarber-like offensive profile: low average, but can draw a walk and hit bombs all day. He had a .243/.366/.568 line for the Rebs with 36 homers and 98 RBI in his three collegiate seasons, the first being at Kentucky. He was one of the team’s most reliable power hitters, coming in third in slug while allowing only one passed ball for the season.

20.592: RHP Nile Adcock, Kentucky.

Per Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione, he’s got three pitches he can throw for strikes and Mingione wasn’t afraid to deploy him against either lefties or righties. He finished his Kentucky career with 74 strikeouts in 53.2 innings, along with only five home runs allowed. His 12.5 K/9 is the fourth-best rate in UK history.

Fun fact: Nile is the second cousin of Augusta broadcaster (and friend of Braves Today) Noah Adcock-Howeth.

What was Atlanta trying to do here?

While every draft class is different, this one felt remarkably consistent from start to finish.

The Braves weren’t chasing immediate organizational needs. They weren’t trying to fill a hole at shortstop or find the next fifth starter. Instead, they drafted the same way they’ve operated for years: identify players with loud tools, create as much financial flexibility as possible early in the draft, and trust one of baseball’s better player development systems to unlock the rest.

A few themes emerged almost immediately.

The first was athleticism. Whether it was AJ Gracia and Carter Beck in the first round or later selections like Ryne Barker, Atlanta repeatedly targeted players with physical traits that simply can’t be taught. Bat speed. Running ability. Arm strength. Projection. Those are the types of bets this front office has become increasingly comfortable making.

The second was youth. Several of Atlanta’s prep selections either reclassified into this draft class or are among the youngest players available. That’s a calculated gamble. Younger players often require more patience, but they also offer more developmental runway. The Braves clearly believe their system is equipped to maximize that extra time.

Pitching was another obvious priority. Ten of Atlanta’s 21 selections were pitchers, and several of the most intriguing arms, including Kaiden McCarthy, Jensen Hirschkorn, Cole Dennis, Tyson Grulkowski, and Cole Dorland, fit the same general profile: projectable frames, loud stuff, and plenty of room to improve. None are finished products, but that’s exactly the point.

Even the geographic footprint was interesting. Atlanta repeatedly dipped into cold-weather states and provinces like Wisconsin, Vermont, and British Columbia, where players often receive fewer high-level reps than prospects from traditional baseball hotbeds. That doesn’t necessarily make them better prospects, but it can create inefficiencies for organizations willing to bet on projection over polish.

Finally, there’s the bonus pool strategy. The Braves’ willingness to save money with their two first-round selections wasn’t about being conservative—it was about creating opportunities later in the draft. Those savings allowed Atlanta to take legitimate swings on prep players who likely wouldn’t have been available otherwise because of their signing demands.

Whether this class ultimately produces stars won’t be known for years. But taken together, these 21 selections paint a clear picture of what Atlanta values: athleticism, projection, player development, and the confidence to trust its own evaluations over conventional wisdom.

So, what now?

Atlanta has until July 27th at 5:00 PM to sign their picks. I expect most of them to sign, with the toughest (and most expensive) being Hirschkorn in the 3rd. LSU guys are always the toughest to get to break their commitment, mainly because the Tigers will shell out the cash to get their kids to campus.