Now that the low minors seasons are officially complete for the Atlanta Braves organization, this is a good time to see just how the 2025 MLB Draft picks and undrafted free agents fared in their professional
debuts. This is meant more as a look at where some of these players succeeded, and where some of them struggled while making the adjustment to pro competition. It is worth noting that this isn’t a judgement on any of these players, as all of them had fairly small sample sizes at best due to the timing of when they actually got on the field.
Please note that not all of the Braves draftees appeared in games this season, a group which is led by Briggs McKenzie and Conor Essenburg and even college guys like Zach Royse. That is not an indictment on any player not making their pro debuts, as time with the coaches is sometimes important for these kids before they get turned loose in pro ball or for others it is because of the workload they had before being drafted.
These stats are just the A-ball stats, as none of these players debuted before the FCL season came to an end, and bridge league stats are not available- though would include some of those who are being counted as not having made their debuts.
Tate Southisene – The Braves first round pick got started in the bridge league and had some success there, before being promoted to Augusta for 15 games to close out the season. Southisene played nine games at short, with four at second, and another pair as the designated hitter. He slashed .219/.242/.297 with four extra base hits in 66 plate appearances, also going three for three in stolen base attempts. While he did have some good games, and even closed the season out with a hit in seven of his final eight games, he had just one walk to 27 strikeouts.
It’s way too early to make any assumptions on a 15-game sample, as not only was he making the jump from high school to full season ball, but he did it while being two and a half years younger than his competition on average. These struggles and the test he faced will give him something to work on this winter, hopefully allowing him to be even better prepared to head back to Augusta to open 2026 and have more success.
Alex Lodise – The Braves second round pick out of Florida State jumped right to Rome to start his pro career, not a surprise after spending the past two years in the ACC. Overall he played 25 games and slashed .252/.294/.398 with a homer among his 12 extra base hits, and stealing two bases in three attempts. Similar to Southisene the plate discipline was questionable in his short look, as he walked just five times against 42 strikeouts in 109 plate appearances. Defensively he got 20 games at short, with three at second base, and two more as the DH.
Lodise is another player who will have something to work on this winter, though he also closed strong with a .922 OPS over his final four games – including three extra base hits and his one homer. Lodise is a player a year younger than the competition he faced, so there is going to be time for him to open up 2026 back in Rome, with a chance to earn his way to Double-A fairly quickly. The big thing for him though will be improving that plate discipline in order to keep moving up the ladder.
Cody Miller – A bit of a surprise third round pick from East Tennessee State, Cody Miller began in Augusta and slashed .372/.417/.488 with a homer and two doubles plus four steals before earning a quick promotion to Rome after 10 games. He showed his contact ability with Augusta, and also had three walks to 10 strikeouts in 48 plate appearances. In 16 games with Rome he hit .297/.357/.422 with a homer included in his five extra base hits, and six more steals. He showed his contact ability here too, but had 22 strikeouts to five walks in 70 plate appearances.
Overall he hit .327/.381/.449 with five doubles, a triple, two homers, and 10 steals with eight walks and 32 strikeouts in 118 plate appearances. Defensively he played 14 games at short, eight at third, three at second, and one as the DH. Some of those starts elsewhere due to the fact that Rome was trying to play both him and Lodise together.
Miller certainly lived up to the pre-draft scouting report as a speedy contact oriented guy who has some power, and adjusted well to pro ball. It is likely he starts 2026 back in Rome, though he should get a chance to earn a promotion to Columbus fairly quickly.
Dixon Williams – The Braves fourth rounder, and compensation pick for losing Max Fried in free agency, Dixon Williams spent all 28 games with Augusta. He had a very successful run there, hitting .269/.395/.462 with six doubles, three triples, two homers, and going six for six in steal attempts. In his 114 plate appearances he drew 16 walks to 35 strikeouts, while playing every game in the field at second base.
Williams had little trouble with the Carolina League, continuing his successful year after posting a 1.012 OPS for East Carolina this spring. He likely has a chance to earn a spot with Rome to open the 2026 season, and if he can build on this year could potentially reach Columbus next summer.
Landon Beidelschies – After pitching 61.2 innings for Arkansas this year, the Braves waited until late-August to send Landon Beidelschies to Augusta for a pair of outings. He gave up four runs on six hits and no walks over three innings in the first one, then three runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks over three and a third innings in the other one. Overall that came out to six runs (four earned) over six and a third, with 11 hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts. He also allowed a homer in each of the games he pitched.
There really isn’t a ton you can take from these two starts late in the year, and he has been successful in the SEC and Big Ten. Beidelschies future as a starter or reliever isn’t set in stone, but as a lefty who has racked up the strikeouts everywhere he’s been, he should be a guy to watch next year when he likely opens the season with Rome.
Carter Lovasz – Eighth round pick Carter Lovasz didn’t exactly have the best stats over his four outings, posting a 9.00 ERA and 2.29 WHIP over seven innings. However that doesn’t tell the whole story. In his first and last outings of the year he threw two scoreless innings apiece, with four strikeouts in each. In his two middle outings he got hit hard and allowed four runs in two innings and then three runs in one inning.
Lovasz showed some flashes of being a useful reliever, but also some flashes of being the guy who had a 6.80 ERA at William & Mary this spring. An offseason and training camp to work with the Braves coaches should help him, and he is likely ticketed to return to Augusta to open next season.
Logan Braunschweig – A senior sign out of UAB who hit at least .309 in each of his last three seasons, Logan Braunschweig represented a contact and speed bat with limited power potential. The Braves sent this older player directly to Rome and gave him 26 games in the outfield. Overall he had a strong showing, hitting .294/.406/.353 with three doubles, a triple, and four steals with 14 walks to 18 strikeouts over 101 plate appearances.
Braunschweig lived up to the pre-draft scouting reports. He hit for average, got on base, used his speed, but also didn’t hit a home run. Despite his speed he played just 11 innings in center, with the rest of his games all coming in left – though that is mostly due to the presence of Isaiah Drake. Braunschweig could start next year back in Rome, or even get the push to Columbus to open the year. With limited power his ceiling is probably going to be very limited, but he could still be a useful big leaguer in a reserve role thanks to his contact ability and speed.
Kade Woods – The Braves spent just $2.5k on tenth rounder Kade Woods out of LSU. Woods had showed some flashes at Alabama back in 2023, but injuries limited him to just 1.2 innings at LSU in 2024 and 1 inning this year. He used the MLB Draft League to help boost his stock, and actually got 13.2 innings with Augusta after signing – the most he’s thrown in a year since that 2023 season.
Woods pitched to a 2.63 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 16 strikeouts to five walks in those 13.2 innings. His stuff looked much better than what you expect from a $2.5k senior signee, though despite a starter pitch mix he may be destined for a relief role thanks to his health history. He is likely to open next year in Augusta or Rome, thanks to his lack of innings the past two years, but he could move fast with his stuff.
Logan Forsythe – In the 13th round the Braves took Logan Forsythe from Louisiana Tech. A former Mississippi State transfer, he posted a career 6.57 ERA and 1.62 WHIP thanks to a 6.9 BB/9. Forsythe got sent to Augusta and made five appearances, including one start for a total of nine innings. Forsythe pitched to a 6.00 ERA and 1.78 WHIP with nine strikeouts to seven walks.
Forsythe has huge raw stuff, which he did showcase in his time in Augusta. However he also has serious command issues, which were also on display there. He is going to need to make huge strides with his command, but his raw stuff is excellent and he is going to be an intriguing guy to follow in the Braves system. He is likely to open the 2026 season in Augusta, barring significant command improvements over the winter.
Dallas Macias – This was a tough year for Dallas Macias. After posting a .901 OPS last year with Oregon State, he had just a .548 mark this year and lost his starting job because of it. He was actually set to transfer prior to the Braves drafting him. After signing he was sent to Augusta, but got in just 11 games before an injury cost him the remainder of the season.
Macias time in Augusta went similarly to his time in Corvallis this year, as he hit just .031/.184/.215 in 38 plate appearances, going one for 32 with a single. Macias is a guy who was worth a late draft pick, as he looked interesting as a prospect a year ago, but he is going to need a reset this winter to get things back on track for him.
Hayden Friese – The last of the Braves draftees to see playing time this summer was 20th round pick Hayden Friese from Western Carolina. Friese saw 24 games with Augusta and hit .239/.396/.239 with 18 walks to 24 strikeouts in 91 plate appearances. Although Friese didn’t manage any extra base hits during his time at Augusta, there is some power potential in there for the Braves to unlock with him.
Friese played 17 games at first base with six more in left field and a couple of games as the designated hitter. He is going to need time with the coaching staff this winter, and is likely set to return to Augusta to open the 2026 season.
UDFA
Cooper McMurray – One of the bigger name undrafted free agents the Braves added was Auburn’s Cooper McMurray. McMurray hit 14 homers in each of his three years at Auburn, and had an OPS of better than 1.019 in each of those seasons. That got him sent to Rome for 21 games, and he was definitely trying to adjust to the higher level of competition there.
McMurray hit just .132/.263/.235 with a double and two homers, drawing eight walks to 29 strikeouts over his 80 plate appearances. McMurray is likely going back to Rome next year, and after an offseason to work on what he saw this summer, plus training camp the hope is that he could start to put up some power numbers similar to what he did at Auburn.
Tanner Smith – Catcher Tanner Smith spent his first three seasons at Oregon State, playing a large role in each, before transferring to Miami for this season and putting up a career high .801 OPS in a career high 209 plate appearances. He went undrafted and signed with the Braves, and got to spend eight games between Augusta and Rome, starting with three games in Rome and then his last five with Augusta.
In those eight games he went five for 29 with two doubles, two homers, and five walks to 12 strikeouts. Overall his stat lines were fairly similar, though he did a better job of getting on base in Rome and showed more power in Augusta – thanks to a two homer game. He is likely ticketed for one of these stops to open the 2026 season and offers some upside as a catcher with some ability to hit.
Drew Christo – Drew Christo was actually a big time prospect out of high school in the 2021 class, who turned down high round money to stay home and play for Nebraska. His college career didn’t quite live up to his high school expectations, but he was a four-year contributor for the school he dreamed of playing for.
Christo put med school on hold to sign with the Braves, and got to make five appearances with Augusta to close out the season. He pitched a total of 8.2 innings, posting a 3.12 ERA and 1.62 WHIP with 15 strikeouts to six walks. Christo showed both an ability to miss bats and some command issues that will need to be ironed out this winter before he heads back to either Augusta or Rome next spring.
Jaylen Paden – Jaylen Paden was once a highly touted pitching prospect himself before running into some injuries. He transferred from Georgia Southern to Georgia Tech this spring, and put together a strong year for the Yellow Jackets, making five starts and 10 relief appearances.
Once he signed he got sent to Augusta, making four appearances for a total of six innings. Paden posted a 3.00 ERA and 1.67 WHIP with six strikeouts to two walks. He did prove to be more hittable than you’d like, and his ERA only factors in two earned runs, and not the three unearned runs he gave up. A winter with the coaching staff could help put him in a better place for next spring when he heads back to Augusta or Rome to open the season.
