The Braves looked at their pick values and decided to completely disregard them. First rounder Tate Southisene got nearly a million and a half below slot value, second rounder Alex Lodise was below as well, third rounder Cody Miller wound up with a seventh round bonus, fourth rounder Briggs McKenzie got the highest bonus of them all, and fifth rounder Conor Essenburg got almost as much as Lodise. In rounds eight, nine, and ten, the Braves handed a paltry $10,000 combined to three senior signs. While the Braves broke a streak of five straight drafts beginning with a pitcher (and eight out of nine) by going position player this year, their highest bonus did still go to a pitcher. After starting with three straight shortstops, it was a pitching-heavy class that included selecting twelve arms in a fourteen pick stretch from rounds six through nineteen. They also scooped up plenty of semi-local talent from around the South including three North Carolinians, two South Carolinians, two Alabamans, a Mississippian, and a North Floridian, albeit no Georgians.
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Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.
1-22: SS Tate Southisene, Basic HS [NV]
Slot value: $3.98 million. Signing bonus: $2.62 million ($1.36 million below slot value).
My rank: #59. MLB Pipeline: #39. Baseball America: #43.
While he didn't earn the highest bonus in the Braves' class, Tate Southisene became the Braves' first round position player since Shea Langeliers and Braden Shewmake in 2019. Southisene signed for a massive haircut, taking roughly the slot value of the #37 pick to sign here at #22 rather than attend Southern California. The younger brother of last year's Cubs' fourth rounder Ty Southisene, Tate is just a bit bigger and more physical than his 5'9" brother. It's a relatively noisy operation at the plate with more pre-pitch movement in the hands than you'd like to see, but he makes up for it with a very accurate barrel that has played up against top competition both on the showcase circuit and against high school pitching in Las Vegas. On top of the hand-eye coordination, Southisene is a disciplined hitter comfortable against high octane stuff, making for a very pro-ready bat. If the Braves can iron out his hitch, he could be an above average or better hitter in time. While he's undersized at 5'11", he rotates and accelerates really well from the right side, creating great hip-shoulder separation to create average power. He'll face questions about whether he can continue to tap that power with wood bats, but the truth is the kid can hit and he can hit a lot. The offensive projection here is that of a 10-20 home run bat that can run high on-base percentages, which would be enough to start in virtually any lineup. He's an above average runner as well that has seen time all over the field and can end up at any number of positions. His above average arm plays up further due to its accuracy, and the Braves look like they'll trot him out as a shortstop to start. He'll need to work to stick there and could end up at third base or in the outfield, where his speed and arm could help him play all three positions at an above average clip. The whole operation reminds me somewhat of Mookie Betts, especially if he can quiet down his hands in the box with pro instruction. Of course I am not projecting him to win multiple MVP's, but it's never a bad thing when your game resembles one of the best in the world.
1-60: SS Alex Lodise, Florida State
Slot value: $1.52 million. Signing bonus: $1.3 million ($225,700 below slot).
My rank: #50. MLB Pipeline: #43. Baseball America: #26.
This is a bit later than many expected Alex Lodise to be drafted, especially given that he signed below slot value, with some of those highest on his talent projecting him in the back of the first round. Instead, Lodise fell to the Braves here near the back of the second round. A native of the Jacksonville area, his cousin Kyle grew up in Brunswick, Georgia and attended Georgia Tech before being drafted in the third round by the White Sox. Alex began his college career at North Florida, where he earned numerous accolades for a huge freshman season and transferred to Florida State after one year. After a good-not-great sophomore season, he exploded for a massive junior season in 2025 slashing .394/.462/.705 with 17 home runs and earned ACC Player of the Year honors alongside being named a consensus First Team All American. Impressively, Lodise did it while kind of just whacking at everything. With a very aggressive approach at the plate, he swung and swung hard at just about anything near the zone and it worked astonishingly well. He did strike out in 20% of his plate appearances, but he ran decent contact rates and hit .431 in conference play against some of the better pitching in the country. He has above average raw power, but tapped all of it in games with a leveraged, uppercut swing that helped him lift the ball to the pull side with consistency. While one would think that kind of approach is unsustainable in pro ball, he hit .431/.492/.836 with 12 home runs in 28 conference games as well as .295/.339/.410 in a smaller Cape Cod League sample, so it hasn't bitten him yet. He projects for 20+ home runs annually in pro ball if he can continue to get to that pull side power, though his on-base percentages could dip significantly depending on how his approach holds up. His glove will certainly help, with a nice combination of speed and arm strength that should play at shortstop so long as he continues to refine his glovework. If not, he'll fit well at second or third base and could be above average at either position, making a utility infielder floor very realistic should his bat falter.
3-96: SS Cody Miller, East Tennessee State
Slot value: $796,000. Signing bonus: $297,500 ($498,500 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
With a third straight money saver, the Braves gave Cody Miller early seventh round money to sign here in the third round. He's a plenty interesting talent though that brings more upside than the typical $300K collegiate pick. A three year starter at East Tennessee State, he has always been an on-base machine for the Buccaneers but hit just four home runs over his first two seasons, then exploded for 18 as a junior as he helped lead the school to its first forty win season since 1981. While Miller lacks a carrying tool, he does a lot of things well. His simple right handed swing helps him produce hard contact to all fields, with high barrel accuracy and an adjustable bat path that helps him get to balls all over the zone. Despite chasing at a high clip, he ran just a 12.3% strikeout rate and hit .331. Miller, like Alex Lodise, is aggressive and that could get him into trouble making the jump from the Southern Conference to pro ball, but he has handled better arms well in limited samples, including a .261/.333/.449 run through the Cape Cod League and home runs this season against Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Pitt, and Louisville. Undersized at 5'11" like Tate Southisene, he has done a better job turning on the ball this spring and has shown some sneaky power, likely enough for double digit home run totals at the big league level. The Long Island native is also a plus runner that stole 27 bases in 30 tries this spring, good for a 90% success rate, and he can get move around the infield well. The tools might be a touch stretched at shortstop, but he should be able to handle that role at least in a part time capacity at the big league level and has the ability to fill in at any infield position. It's probably a utility infielder profile here with a chance to hit his way into being a bottom of the lineup every day second baseman. He's young for a college junior, having turned 21 shortly before the draft.
4-127: LHP Briggs McKenzie, Corinth Holders HS [NC]
Slot value: $588,900. Signing bonus: $3 million ($2.41 million above slot value).
My rank: #72. MLB Pipeline: #69. Baseball America: #46.
The Braves' largest bonus went not to first round pick Tate Southisene, not to second rounder Alex Lodise, nor to third rounder Cody Miller, but to fourth rounder Briggs McKenzie, who signed for just over the slot value of the #32 overall pick rather than attend LSU. McKenzie generated massive buzz early this spring when he came out of the gate firing and while he didn't quite build off it, the Braves were sold and invested heavily. A product of Wendell, North Carolina, a small (but growing) town just east of Raleigh, he sits in the low 90's and tops out around 95 with carrying action at best but can also dip into the upper 80's at times. His plus curveball is a real separator with big two-plane tilt and plenty of finish, while his changeup is emerging as an average third offering. McKenzie sticks out most for his projection, with a lanky 6'2" frame that figures to get much, much stronger in time, which should help him hold his peak velocity better and move more consistently into the mid 90's in time. Given his slim stature, that conditioning will be key. McKenzie is an athlete on the mound and repeats his easy delivery well, showing average command for now with the chance to get to above average in time. He does have a tendency to change his arm slot on his offspeed stuff at times and will need to hone that in. There's a really nice combination of youth, projection, athleticism, present stuff (especially in the breaking ball), and even some polish that could lead to a ceiling as a high end left handed starter. He'll need to get much stronger, get more consistent with his secondary stuff, and hold his health and command to do so. Given the massive bonus he received from Atlanta, the Braves are all in.
4C-136: 2B Dixon Williams, East Carolina
Slot value: $539,700. Signing bonus: $497,500 ($42,200 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #197.
Dixon Williams gives the Braves a second straight pick out of eastern North Carolina. The Greenville native and DH Conley High School alum stayed home to attend East Carolina, where he played sparingly as a freshman but has been a force in the lineup over the last two seasons. The hometown hero will forever be remembered for his home run against now-Reds starter Chase Burns that propelled ECU to Super Regionals, and now he'll take his talents to Atlanta. He's a very balanced hitter that stands out for an advanced approach at the plate, helping him run a 16.8% walk rate and a .451 on-base percentage for the Pirates this year. The pure bat to ball is a tick behind, but he swings at the right pitches and looks poised to handle pro pitching relatively smoothly. While the raw power is fringy, Williams elevates the ball effectively to his pull side to produce average power in games, giving him a shot to produce 10-15 home runs annually in the big leagues, perhaps a tick more in his best years, with good on-base percentages at his ceiling. Though he's an above average runner that stole 22 bases in 25 tries (88% success rate) this year, he's not quite springy or explosive enough for shortstop and fits better at second or third base. He profiles as a bat-first utility infielder who could potentially handle shortstop in a pinch, or perhaps a left handed platoon bat.
5-157: OF Conor Essenburg, Lincoln-Way West HS [IL]
Slot value: $438,600. Signing bonus: $1.2 million ($758,900 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #221. Baseball America: #183.
This is a really fun one. Conor Essenburg has long impressed scouts with his two-way exploits, but with plenty of rawness on both sides of his game and a firm commitment to Kentucky, it seemed like we'd be talking about him more during the 2028 draft cycle. However, the Braves are sold on the upside and handed him roughly the slot value of the #70 overall pick to give up pitching and come swing the bat full time in their system. Essenburg has a bit of a noisy setup at the plate with a leg kick, hip turn, and a dip in his back side to get on plane and launch the ball in the air, but he does a good job of consistently getting to that position to do damage. It's above average power for now that could get to plus in time as he fills out his 6'2" frame, and he already has that penchant for driving the ball in the air. Hitters with those mechanics typically struggle with velocity up, and Essenburg certainly has his swing and miss questions, but he did homer off a 99 MPH fastball up and away against unsigned first round prospect and now Mississippi State Bulldog Jack Bauer back in April. The Chicago-area product is an aggressive hitter who will need to clean up his approach, as well as potentially his mechanics, in pro ball, but the Braves believe in the athlete and are confident that he'll hit. At peak, there is 20-25 home run upside with potentially solid batting averages. Essenburg probably fits in right field going forward, where his plus arm will be an asset. He also attracted considerable attention on the mound, where he was up to 94 with his fastball from the left side and good feel for spin. I'm personally a believer in former two-way prospects finding success in one or the other as they have showcased their athleticism and adaptability in the past in a way others haven't.
6-187: LHP Landon Beidelschies, Arkansas
Slot value: $338,900. Signing bonus: $297,500.
My rank: #146. MLB Pipeline: #208. Baseball America: #72.
In the sixth round, the Braves found an arm that has shown significant promise in the past and who many did not think would be available this late earlier in the season. Landon Beidelschies began his career at Ohio State, where he turned into one of their most reliable starting pitchers before transferring to Arkansas for his junior year. He started off strong with his new club with impressive starts against Washington State and Charlotte, pushing himself into top two rounds consideration, but struggled to a 6.56 ERA in SEC play and saw his role reduced on a loaded Arkansas pitching staff. It's still a really interesting product. The fastball sits low 90's but can touch as high as 98 in short stints, while his plus gyro slider dives under bats late to help him pile up strikeouts. His changeup has flashed but will need further refinement in pro ball. The 6'3", 230 pound lefty has a thick build and looks more strong than explosive on the mound, with a shorter arm action and somewhat stiff delivery. Still, he has pounded the strike zone in college and ran a career-best 7.6% walk rate and 65.4% strike rate in 2025 despite facing tougher competition in the SEC, pointing to at least average command going forward. Beidelschies' stuff played better in short stints and wasn't quite as crisp in longer starts in 2025, so if the Braves want him to remain a starter, they'll need to help him hold his stuff better multiple times through the lineup as well as bring that changeup along. If not, the Ohio native could sit mid 90's and pitch off his nasty slider in the bullpen.
12-367: RHP Jay Woolfolk, Virginia
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #253.
Jay Woolfolk has been known to Virginia evaluators for a long time. A star athlete at Benedictine College Prep, a catholic military high school outside of Richmond, Woolfolk got a lot done. He played on the basketball team, his least impressive sport. As a sophomore in 2019, he was named the Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year in baseball while leading the Cadets to a state championship. That fall, he won another state championship as the quarterback of the football team, then in 2021 he took home second state championship in baseball just before graduation. Heading to Charlottesville, he played both baseball and football and made it into nine games as a quarterback, though his future would be in baseball. He was named a freshman All American in 2022 in his first of two excellent seasons in the Cavaliers' bullpen, but had a rocky transition to starting in 2024 and went undrafted. Back starting in 2025, he dropped his ERA from 5.92 to 4.73, increased his strikeout rate from 23.1% to 26.9%, and slashed his walk rate from 13.8% to 8.6%. Woolfolk sits in the low 90's and touches 96 at peak, coming in with riding action from a high slot. He drops in a hard slider and a solid changeup, all coming from an uncomfortable cross body delivery that hides the ball well. The 6' righty was filling up the strike zone much better in 2025 and now has the look of a polished arm who has "been there before." He remains an excellent athlete and could be given the chance to start in the Braves organization, or they could let him get back to what he did best as a stone cold reliever early in his UVA career. Regardless, Woolfolk has become synonymous with UVA baseball over the past four years and exits with nearly 100 appearances and nearly 200 innings under his belt. As a bonus, he was teammates with Braves eighth rounder and fellow Richmond-area product Carter Lovasz on his high school travel team.
14-427: RHP Mathieu Curtis, Virginia Tech
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
Mathieu Curtis brings the Braves a fun arm they can work with. A native of Fort Mill, South Carolina, where he attended Fort Mill High School just outside of Charlotte, he began his career at USC Upstate and held his own as a starting pitcher. Virginia Tech liked his arm talent and brought him in as a transfer, where he posted career-best 5.35 ERA and 26.9% strikeout rate in the bullpen. He's a low slot arm with a low 90's fastball that reaches the mid 90's at peak, staying off barrels with hard running life. His slider dives across the plate with two-plane action, and he does show a tertiary changeup. The 6'5" righty creates a tough look for hitters with his size and low three quarters arm slot, which will fit right into the bullpen in the Braves organization. His control is ahead of his command, so he can pound the strike zone but often lacks the ability to command to the various quadrants. Curtis is young for a college junior, not turning 21 until more than a month after the draft.
15-457: OF Dallas Macias, Oregon State
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: #175. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
Dallas Macias technically finds himself on my draft, board, but that #175 ranking should be read as #175 out of 175 rather than as an endorsement that he is the 175th best prospect in the class. Macias didn't play much as a freshman in 2023, but hit his way into a starting role and was one of Oregon State's most reliable bats in 2024. Looking forward to an even bigger 2025, he instead never got off the ground and hit just .159/.305/.243 and fell out of his starting role less than halfway through the season. Still, there is a lot of talent here and the Braves aren't drafting a .159 hitter for nothing. Despite the poor numbers, he controlled the strike zone very well and walked (15.8%) more than he struck out (15.0%) and suffered from poor batted ball luck. Previously showing average raw power with eight home runs in 2024, he didn't square it up as often in 2025 and finished with just five total extra base hits, including only a pair of home runs. Macias has a fluid left handed swing and had previously tapped that power by elevating effectively to the pull side. The Braves believe the hitter he was in 2024 is still in there and will point to his always excellent plate discipline, which led to an excellent .375 on-base percentage and just a 6.9% strikeout rate in 19 games in the Cape Cod League last year, and say that he's a legitimate all-around bat. Additionally, he is a strong defender in the outfield who can handle center field and profiles as above average in an outfield corner. This is a fourth outfield reclamation project.
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