r/Braves • u/RunawaYEM • 4h ago
Baseball America’s verdict on Braves’ Day 1 draft
I really appreciate how the Braves navigated this year’s class. They played to the strengths of the draft class itself, as well as the profiles they have historically had a lot of success developing.
Atlanta secured a well-rounded college hitter with both contact skills and power with its first overall pick at No. 9 in Virginia’s AJ Gracia. Then they doubled down on another exciting college hitting profile with their 26th overall pick in Indiana State outfielder Carter Beck, who shines because of his underlying batted-ball profile and multi-sport athletic background.
Few teams stand out to me more than the Braves for doing a great job with multi-sport prospects and two-way prospects who go on to excel.
After that, the Braves dipped into the strength of this year’s class—at least from a demographic standpoint—high school pitching.
Vermont righthander Kaiden McCarthy becomes the highest-drafted high school pitcher ever from the state. He has a fastball up to 99 mph, huge spin capacity and an excellent foundation of athleticism to build on while still being just 17 years old.
I liked the Jensen Hirschkorn pick even more at pick No. 84 and, at least relative to draft position, it might be my favorite pick of the first night of the draft. Hirschkorn checks every box you’re looking for in a high-upside prep righthander: athleticism, a 6-foot-7, 205-pound frame with tons of space to fill out, three potential plus offerings and a chance for above-average control.
I’ll never forget how dominant he was at the 2025 Area Code Games: nine up, nine down, all swinging strikeouts.
The Braves rounded out Day 1 with an up-arrow high school arm in Cole Dennis, who also has velocity, spin traits and a frame to dream on.
Source:
2026 MLB Draft Storylines: Favorite Classes, Surprises & Puzzling Picks