Braves have a real shot at landing the #1 overall pick in 2026

In my 10 years of typing out articles for this site, I can confidently say this is the first time I have ever talked about the Atlanta Braves’ odds of landing the #1 pick in the MLB Draft.

Following yet another loss on Friday night to the Rangers, making it three in a row, the Braves now have a record of 44-58. That is the sixth-worst record in baseball; however, they actually have the fourth-best odds to win the lottery because the Nationals and Rockies cannot pick inside the top 10 picks.

According to Tankathon, that currently gives the Braves an 11.78% chance of picking first in the 2026 MLB Draft, and those odds could increase significantly if the club cannot stop their current slide. The Braves are currently just 2.0 games better than the A’s in the standings, who are playing better ball of late, and Atlanta is just four games better than Pittsburgh.

If either of those clubs pass the Braves in the standings, that would give Atlanta a 15.70% chance at the top pick, and if both do, the Braves would have a greater than 20% chance of picking #1.

There aren’t many positives surrounding this team. The on-field product is horrendous, and the farm system isn’t much better. However, landing the #1 overall pick would go a long way in fixing the latter.