Braves 2026 Draft picks

Day 1 of the 2026 Draft included the Braves' picks from Rounds 1-4, including AJ Gracia at No. 9 overall. Day 2 begins Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET through the conclusion of the Draft, spanning Rounds 5-20. Stream it live on MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+ and the MLB App.

ATLANTA -- The Braves took two collegiate outfielders in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft. That’s one more than they had taken with all of their first-round picks combined over the previous 61 years since this selection process had been staged.

“[College outfielders] wasn’t an area we were narrowing down, but these two guys for hitters, we were really excited to get,” Braves vice president of amateur scouting Ronit Shah said.

2026 MLB DRAFT PRESENTED BY NIPPON EXPRESS

Day 2: Sunday, July 12 (Rounds 5-20)
• 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)

Coverage

The Braves opened this year’s Draft by using their two first-round picks on University of Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia (ninth overall) and Indiana State outfielder Carter Beck (26th overall). Mike Kelly (2nd overall in 1991) had previously been the only collegiate outfielder selected by the Braves in the Draft, which began in 1965.

Beck wasn’t projected as a first-round pick -- and not necessarily a second- or third-rounder, either. But because he will sign for less than the $3.58 million value attached to the 26th pick, the Braves can use the money saved to sign the two highly regarded high school pitchers, Kaiden McCarthy (No. 48) and Jensen Hirschkorn (No. 84), they took with their third and fourth picks, respectively on Saturday.

This marks the second straight year the Braves have prioritized position players with their earliest selections. A position player accounted for each of their top three picks and five of their top six picks last year. Before that, their most recent selections of position players in the first round were Shea Langeliers (2019), Braden Shewmake (2019) and Austin Riley (2015).

All-Star Drake Baldwin, who won the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year, and Michael Harris, the 2022 NL Rookie of the Year, headline the list of stars who have recently been drafted and developed by the Braves. Atlanta gained the No. 26 pick because Baldwin began the 2025 season in the Majors and was named ROY.

Here is a look at each of the Braves’ final four picks from Day 1 of this year’s Draft:

Carter Beck, OF

Round 1, Pick 26
Bats/throws: L/R
School: Indiana State
Calling Card: Beck likely won’t replace Larry Bird as Indiana State’s greatest product. He was this year’s No. 193 Draft Prospect, per MLB Pipeline. This selection indicates he’ll accept an underslot signing bonus, allowing the Braves to go overslot with one of their other picks, possibly one of the five they had on Saturday. The Canadian outfielder was named this year’s Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. His contact rates and exit velocities drew notice and he improved his stock during the recent MLB Combine. The Braves have gotten great value out of Eric Hartman, a 20th-round selection in 2024 who is now their No. 2 prospect. Like Hartman, Beck is a product of Canada’s growing talent pool.

Quote: “I was expecting to go today, but I'll be honest, I wasn't thinking it would happen here (with the 26th overall pick). It was super cool to get that opportunity. I joked around with a few people and said, ‘Oh, we’ve probably got 20, 30 more minutes of waiting to do.’ Then all of a sudden, I got a phone call and there it was. I'm still a little over the moon.” -- Beck

Kaiden McCarthy, RHP

Round 2, Pick 48
Bats/throws: R/R
School: Vermont Academy (VT)
Calling Card: McCarthy, who ranks as MLB Pipeline’s No. 61 Draft prospect, has an incredibly gifted arm that has garnered more notice since he reclassified to graduate from high school this year. The Braves will likely have to go overslot to get McCarthy to break his commitment to the University of Tennessee. The right-hander, who will turn 18 in August, has a fastball that sits around 96 mph and has touched 99. No other Vermont product has been selected this early in the MLB Draft. In fact, just one other player from Vermont had ever previously been selected in the first five rounds of the Draft, which started in 1961.

Quote: ”Our area scout, Tucker Meredith, has been scouting him even before he reclassified. He had huge grades on him. He just thought he was such a big talent for the 2027 draft class. Then we get a phone call late in the winter, and we find out he's reclassifying in this draft class. That was really exciting because it's a big time talent.” -- Shah

Jensen Hirschkorn, RHP

Round 3, Pick 84
Bats/throws: L/R
School: Kingsburg High School (CA)

Calling Card: This 6-foot-7 hurler has garnered a lot of interest over the past year. His fastball sits in the 90s and his slider has shown some potential. Further development of a changeup will help the 18-year-old pitcher who ranked as this year’s No. 56 Draft Prospect. The Braves will likely have to go overslot to sign Hirschkorn, who has committed to LSU.
Quote: “There's not a whole lot he can’t do. He's athletic. He’s a big time basketball guy. We're really excited to see what he can do. He throws a ton of strikes. We saw him in the summer at a big time event, the Area Code Games. He struck out nine guys in three innings. It’s hard to do better than that." -- Shah

Cole Dennis, RHP

Round 4, Pick 112
Bats/throws: R/R
School: Bishop Snyder High School (FL)
Calling Card: This 17-year-old garnered more attention as he placed a greater focus on pitching last summer. His 6-foot-4 frame has helped him regularly generate mid 90s fastballs. He is committed to Jacksonville University (FL).