We are still four months away from the 2026 MLB Draft, but of course that doesn’t stop pundits from releasing the first of what will be many mock drafts.
Baseball America on Monday unveiled their 1.0 version of the draft, predicting each team’s first-round selections. Among the first 30 picks of this year’s draft, Atlanta will possess two of them — selecting at 9th and 26th overall.
In recent drafts, the Braves have gone extremely heavy on arms with their first couple of selections. However, the franchise
bucked that trend in 2025, selecting Nevada high school shortstop Tate Southisene with the team’s first selection and following that up by taking Florida State shortstop Alex Lodise with their second choice.
Obviously it remains to be seen if the Braves will dip back into the pitching well once again in this year’s draft, but one of the sports top media outlets has the team going right back to the positional player pool not once, but with both of their first selections.
9th overall pick — AJ Gracia, OF, University of Virginia
The pundits at Baseball America have the Braves going the collegiate bat route with their first pick in the upcoming draft, selecting University of Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia 9th overall.
A two-year standout player at Duke University, Gracia transferred to Virginia during the offseason and has continued to rake with the Cavaliers. In 120 games played with the Blue Devils, Garcia batted .299 to go along with 29 homers and 112 RBI.
Since joining Virginia, Gracia has continued to develop into one of the premier bats in the collegiate ranks this year. In 16 games so far this season, the 21-year-old is hitting .362 with an OPS of 1.243 in addition to six homers and a dozen RBI to his credit as well.
While the power and contact rates are exactly what you want from a top-10 selection, what really makes Gracia stand out is his discipline at the plate. In 130 NCAA games, he has only struck out 98 times while walking 117 times. It’s that kind of judgement at the plate that has catapulted Garcia into the top-10 discussions.
Defensively, Gracia is almost destined for one of the corner outfield spots as his speed isn’t what you’d typically want from a centerfielder. His arm isn’t the best, so right field may be out of the question, but if can work if you’re in a pinch.
If he continues to hit the way he has early on in the season, there’s a strong chance Garcia isn’t available for the Braves to take him at 9th overall. However, if they’re able to land him, it would be a tremendous pickup of a guy who will undoubtedly move fast in whatever system he finds himself in.
26th overall pick — Rocco Maniscalco, SS, Oxford High School (AL)
With their second pick — 26th overall — the Baseball America writers have the Braves going the high school route by taking one of the youngest players in the upcoming draft in Maniscalco.
Maniscalco popped onto the radar of scouts back in 2024 when his former teammate Carter Johnson — who was eventually taken by Miami as a second round choice — when he was playing as a freshman for Oxford.
Standing at 6-foot-2 as a switch-hitter, there is plenty to like in what Maniscalco brings to the table. His tools are very solid across the board for someone his age and there’s enough there in his frame to project some raw power to come into play as he continues to develop.
According to MaxPreps, Maniscalco has played in seven games so far for Oxford in which he his hitting .500 with a double and an RBI to his credit as well.
A Mississippi State commit, it will likely take a sizable signing bonus to lure him away from the Bulldogs. However, if you’re Atlanta and can land premium bats with a ton of room for development like Maniscalco, breaking the bank should be a no-brainer.
