DRAFT UPDATE: Braves Have High Odds for 2026 First Overall Pick

Heading into the 2025 MLB Draft this weekend, the Atlanta Braves will have to make the most of the 22nd overall pick to ensure their future is in a better spot. However, this frustrating season could have them positioned for the top pick next year.

According to Tankathon, the Braves have the fourth-best odds for the first-overall pick in the 2026 draft at 10.87%. The Chicago White Sox and The Athletics are tied for the best odds at 23.92%. The Pittsburgh Pirates are third at 14.49%.

Meanwhile, the Colorado Rockies, despite their nightmare season, are ineligible for a pick higher than 10. This is due to "previous lotteries, market size and revenue-sharing rules."

For the fun of it, I simulated the lottery on Tankathon to see where the Braves end up. They moved up one spot to third in this scenario.

There is a scenario where the Braves drop to a lower pick. To provide an example, a second simulation on Tankathon had them drop three spots to seventh.

The last time the Braves had a top-10 draft pick was in 2019 when they selected catcher Shea Langeliers ninth overall. He's the most recent position player the Braves took in the first round of the draft. Langeliers never appeared in a game for the team. He was traded to the A's as part of a package deal to acquire Matt Olson ahead of the 2022 season.

Since then, the highest the Braves have drafted is 20th overall in 2022, when they took Owen Murphy. It's a price to pay for being a successful team for seven playoff appearances in a row, including six division titles and winning a World Series.

MLB has had a draft lottery since 2023 to decide the early picks of the draft. The Pirates won the inaugural draft lottery, and the Cleveland Guardians and Washington Nationals have been the other winners thus far in that order.

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