Braves draft high school shortstop with 22nd overall pick in '25 Draft

ATLANTA -- Tate Southisene didn’t begin playing the shortstop position before this year and his swing isn’t necessarily one you would use as a training tool. But his athleticism, power potential and bloodlines led the Braves to take him with their first pick (22nd overall) in the MLB Draft on Sunday night.

“Tate is an unbelievable athlete with twitch and looseness and explosiveness to the swing that really stood out to us,” Braves scouting director Ronit Shah said. “Little bit unorthodox how he does it. But we love the freedom that he plays with, especially in the batter's box.”

Southisene is a 5-foot-11, 180-pound shortstop who batted .495 with nine homers, 50 runs and 16 stolen bases (in 16 attempts) for Basic High School, which is located in suburban Las Vegas. His older brother, Ty, signed an over-slot $1 million deal after being taken by the Cubs in the fourth round last year.

“[Being drafted] has always been a thought in my head, but the experience in the moment was really quick,” Southisene said. “I mean, it was like a snap of your fingers, and I was just drafted. It hasn't hit me yet, but I'm just excited for the opportunity.”

Southisene said somewhere around the 17th overall pick, his agent informed him that the Braves would likely take him. He wasn’t widely regarded as a first-round pick and MLB ranked at No. 39. But Shah was impressed with the 18-year-old’s unique skill set.

“He has the tools to play just about anywhere on the field, because he's got an above-average arm,” Shah said. “He's a plus runner. And again, he has just the athleticism and the looseness and the twitch that you need to play -- whether it's shortstop, second or center. But we're definitely going to send him out to play shortstop.”

Southisene played center field, while Ty handled the shortstop position throughout their years as childhood and teenage teammates. But once big brother joined the Cubs last summer, Tate moved to short and created confidence he can at least begin his professional career at that position. His athleticism will allow the Braves to move him to another position if necessary.

“I want to stay in the dirt as long as I can,” Southisene said. “I know hitting is the thing that's going to get me to the big leagues. So, I just want to be in the lineup. I want to play every single day, whether that means playing shortstop, in center field or wherever. But knowing that I'm starting off at shortstop is good for me.”

Southisene is the first position player the Braves have taken with their first selection since they took catcher Shea Langeliers with the ninth overall pick. Langeliers was part of the package the Braves sent to the Athletics to acquire All-Star first baseman Matt Olson before the 2022 season.

The Braves' farm system lacks a strong collection of position players. But Shah said the Braves didn’t enter the selection process planning to prioritize taking a bat with the first pick.

“I think with [Southisene], it was just taking a guy that we're really excited about top to bottom in the organization,” Shah said.

Southisene’s oldest brother Tee will be a sophomore pitcher at USC and Ty is currently with the Cubs' Single-A team in Myrtle Beach. The youngest brother, Troy, will soon begin his senior year at Basic High School. If the trend continues, he’ll experience the thrill of being drafted next year.

So, who is the best member of this talented sibling set?

“Of course, I would say it’s me, but I truly believe it’s me,” the Braves' latest first-round selection said.

Here are the Braves' other picks from Day 1:

Alex Lodise, SS

• Bats/throws: R/R
• School: Florida State University
• Calling card: Lodise was bestowed with the Dick Howser Award, which is annually given to college baseball’s best player. The 2025 ACC Defensive Player of the Year finished his junior season with a team- and ACC-best 95 hits, 170 total bases (ranked 11th in Division 1), a .394 batting average (23rd nationally), a .705 slugging percentage and 17 home runs.
• Quote: “He’s making highlight plays. He's making the routine play look easy. He's also making the spectacular play look easy. We're really excited about him.” -- Shah

Cody Miller, SS

• Bats/throws: R/R
• School: East Tennessee St.
• Calling card: Miller hit just two homers during both his freshman and sophomore years. But he showed much greater power potential as he hit 20 homers and had a lower strikeout rate this past year. He homered against both Louisville and Wright State in NCAA Regional games in May. His plus speed creates confidence he could play any outfield spot if necessary.
• Quote: “We continued to scout him [in the Cape Cod League this summer] with the wood bat in his hand and we continued to see the power. He’s a top-of-the-scale runner that can play short.” -- Shah