Who Could the Braves Take at No. 9? Updated 2026 MLB Draft Targets
From over-slot swings to under-slot strategy, a look at Atlanta’s options
The Atlanta Braves are off to a strong start in 2026, a far cry from what we experienced last season. At 20-9, the Braves lead the NL East and have the best record in baseball. Prospects like John Gil, Eric Hartman, Owen Carey, and Tate Southisene have given prospect watchers plenty to be excited about.
But in a little under three months, the MLB Draft arrives.
Before the season began, I highlighted a handful of college players I would target with the #9 overall pick. In that piece, I detailed my desire to have a top of the draft that is offense-heavy, especially with this first pick. believe the position player pool is stronger in that range, and I trust Atlanta’s pitching development pipeline enough to continue to beef up our position player depth.
The MLB Draft is unlike those you've seen in the NBA or NFL, for instance, so looking at a team’s entire draft class is more important than pick-for-pick. That said, the Atlanta Braves will have a total of 11 picks at their disposal and a bonus pool of $15,870,800.
To keep things consistent, I will be using the signing costs that OverSlot Baseball has detailed in their impressive mock draft simulator. I have used my discretion with the numbers and players to categorize them into three groups: Over-Slot, Slot Value, and Under-Slot.
So let’s get right to it. These aren’t full scouting reports, but rather an update on my targets at pick No. 9 and some names for Braves Country to start taking a look at. And before you ask, Roch Cholowsky, Grady Emerson, Jackson Flora, and Vahn Lackey are not listed because I do not believe they will be available at 9 in any circumstance.
Overslot
For those who aren’t familiar, over-slotting a player refers to spending more money on a player than the slot value. For pick number 9, the slot value is $6,675,300, so I will be using players that are projected to require much more to sign.
Typically, these are your superstars or players that would normally go higher than they are (remember, this draft is different from any others in that sense).
Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama
Chris Hacopian, SS/3B, Texas A&M
Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Schools
This isn’t my preferred method of attacking the draft, and it hasn’t been Atlanta’s either. Let’s move on.
Slot Value
Next, we will take a look at some options at or near the slot value. Not much analysis needed here - these players are worth the money at pick no. 9.
AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia
Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida
Gio Rojas, LHP, Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Carson Bolemon, LHP, Southside Christian
Underslot
If you aren’t familiar with the under-slot strategy, look no further than Atlanta’s draft class from last year for an example. With just over $9 million in their bonus pool and a slot value near $4 million for pick No. 22, Atlanta had to get creative rather than commit over 40% of the pool to one player.
The selection of prep shortstop Tate Southisene for $2.6 million at pick #22 allowed the Braves to save $1.3 million to spend elsewhere, as Southisene’s projection was somewhere between #39 (MLB Pipeline) and #43 (Baseball America). That allowed Atlanta to sign players like Briggs McKenzie with pick #67 and Conor Essenburg at pick #157 away from college commitments. It is a strategy Atlanta uses a lot, and one in this draft I think I am in favor of most.
Sawyer Strosnider, OF, TCU
These first two players were on my preseason list and have done nothing to remove themselves during the college season.
This season, Strosnider is slashing .281/.429/.575 with a 1.004 OPS and 10 home runs. The athleticism, pop, and defense has stood out through his two seasons at TCU. He has improved both his walk rate (8% to 19%) and strikeout rate (18.7% to 16.9%), but the average is down from last season.
With Strosnider, there is corner platoon bat risk, and more than some would be comfortable with at this pick. That concern is fair, but the ceiling of an All-Star is one I would gladly insert into our farm system today. He is one of the younger sophomore eligible college bats in this draft.
Eric Becker, SS, Virginia
Eric Becker was on my preseason watch list, as a three-year starter at a typical college powerhouse program at a premium position is intriguing.
He has yet to bat under .300 in any of his three years at Virginia or produce an OPS under .950. Becker does not walk much, but has exceptional bat-to-ball skills that absolutely plays and should translate to the majors.
There is a slight concern that while those numbers are impressive, he has declined in production each season. Not a pattern you love to see, but what he has done on the field speaks for itself.
Logan Hughes, OF, Texas Tech
One of college baseball’s best hitters that nobody talks about is Texas Tech’s Logan Hughes. After starting his career at Stetson, where he produced a .913 OPS and 8 homers, he transferred to Texas Tech, where Hughes has shone.
This season, he is slashing .358/.497/.669 with a 1.166 OPS and 11 homers already. Hughes has an impressive 20.4% walk rate to just a 14.7% walk rate. He projects as the rate hit-and-power corner outfielder.
Like another highly regarded college prospect in Drew Burress, Hughes will have to prove that his bat can survive at the next level with a maxed-out 5’11, 190 lb frame. I am not as concerned as others may be in either of those outfield bats, however.
Other names to monitor:
Aiden Robbins, OF, Texas
Kevin Roberts Jr, OF/RHP, Jackson Prep
James Clark, SS, St John Bosco
Tyler Spangler, SS, De La Salle
The Bigger Picture
The Braves don’t approach the draft with a one-size-fits-all strategy, and this year shouldn’t be any different.
With a strong bonus pool and multiple picks to work with, Atlanta has the flexibility to attack this class from a number of angles. That could mean taking a swing on a high-end talent that slides, playing it straight with a polished college bat, or leveraging an under-slot deal to spread money across the class.
That’s what makes pick No. 9 so interesting.
It’s not just about who the Braves take; it’s about what that decision signals about how they plan to build out the rest of the class. And with the depth they have in pitching development, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them lean toward adding impact position players early and often.
The pick is important.
The strategy behind it is what will define the class.