Armed with two first-round picks, including the ninth-overall pick, the Atlanta Braves had a lot of money to play with for the 2026 MLB Draft. The Braves made the most of it, bringing in two high-profile college hitters, plus a slew of notable high school pitching prospects into an organization known for producing pitchers.
The picks
| Round | Player | School | Signed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AJ Gracia | Virginia | Y |
| 1 | Carter Beck | Indiana State | Y |
| 2 | Kaiden McCarthy | Vermont Academy | Y |
| 3 | Jensen Hirschkorn | Kingsburg HS | Y |
| 4 | Cole Dennis | Bishop Snyder HS | Y |
| 5 | Wil Libbert | Ole Miss | Y |
| 6 | Tyson Grulkowski | Muskego HS | Y |
| 7 | Jack Brenner | Fond du Lac HS | Y |
| 8 | Jacob Jarrell | Clemson | Y |
| 9 | Parker Brosius | Georgia Tech | Y |
| 10 | Ben Zeigler-Namoa | Hawai’i | Y |
| 11 | Ryne Barker | Casteel HS | Y |
| 12 | Dominic Kiber | Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Y |
| 13 | Cole Dorland | Walnut Grove SS | Y |
| 14 | Brady Hamilton | Wichita State | Y |
| 15 | Caleb Klein | Southeast Missouri St U | Y |
| 16 | Dalton Harper | Niagara County CC | Y |
| 17 | John Damonzonio | Saint Mary’s | Y |
| 18 | Ethan Stade | Bowling Green State | Y |
| 19 | Austin Fawley | Ole Miss | Y |
| 20 | Nile Adcock | Kentucky | Y |
The players
The Braves took two college hitters in the first round. AJ Gracia was the club’s top pick, while Carter Beck was taken with the PPI pick obtained after Drake Baldwin won the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year Award.
Given that the Braves are traditionally a competitive team — and should be one for years to come — it’s not likely that the club will pick in the top-10 anytime soon. But after the 2025 season, that campaign did help the club net AJ Gracia, a potential top-of-the-lineup bat who could slot in very nicely for Atlanta once he’s ready.
Gracia finished with a .354 batting average for UVA in 2026, after two seasons with Duke. The New Jersey native had double-digit home run campaigns in all three seasons in the NCAA and a BB:K ratio above 1.0 in his sophomore & junior seasons. The eye & on-base skills are the premier skills in Gracia’s toolset. But there’s pop as well, making him a potential everyday player at the big-league level.
Beck, meanwhile, was a force for Indiana State in 2025 and 2026. He’s been a consistent contact hitter in his brief pro career to this point, continuing a trend from his college days. The Canadian struck out 103 times over 160 career college games.
The Braves then went on a run of pitchers, taking four high schoolers and one college pitcher, Wil Libbert, from Ole Miss.
Kaiden McCarthy was a high schooler from Vermont, not particularly well known for producing pro talent, to say the least. But McCarthy has the chance to be something special. A tall right-hander who hit the mid-90s as a high schooler, and also has a curveball and slider in the arsenal. Also one of the younger players among high school-eligible players, as he was 17 when selected.
Jensen Hirschkorn is a 6’7” right-hander with a power fastball and slider, the former of which clocked in as a mid-90s offering at high school showcase events. Like McCarthy, a projectable pitcher with high upside. And someone who the Braves went above & beyond to get, as the club paid him the same bonus money ($3,997,500) as Gracia.
Wil Libbert, a left-hander, struck out 51 over 47 innings as a sophomore last season for Ole Miss. High-carry fastball that sat 93-95 MPH with cutting action, coupled with a slider and a sweeper.
Now, the Braves filled out the back half of the first half with college hitters, taking Clemson catcher Jacob Jewell, Hawai’i infielder Ben Zeigler-Namoa, and Georgia Tech outfielder Parker Brosius, the latter of whom went on a tear over the final few weeks of 2026 in his senior season. Those players, who signed for $500 each in signing bonus money, allowed Atlanta to bring in more high school talent.
Atlanta spent over $1MM on Wisconsin high school catcher Jack Brenner. Brenner was an all-tournament player in the 2025 WWBA World Championships last year down in Florida. The Braves had good fortune with another Wisconsin catcher, the aforementioned Drake Baldwin.
Ryne Barker, a high schooler from Arizona, was signed for nearly $700K. Barker was one of the older players in the 2026 high school class, as the infielder will be 20 years old this year.
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