In case you didn’t know, many Atlanta Braves fans have been eagerly awaiting last night’s news since early last spring that the National League Rookie of the Year Award would be awarded to Drake Baldwin. This isn’t because they only cared about Baldwin getting a prize, but that the prize comes with an additional first-round pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
This is the result of a relatively new rule change in the MLB collective bargaining agreement to encourage teams to promote their talented young players and avoid keeping them in the minor leagues for six weeks to extend their service time. This rule, called the Prospect Promotion Incentive, is given to players who are among the Top 100 and make the Opening Day roster. This incentive was previously awarded to the Mariners for Julio Rodriguez who won AL Rookie of the Year, as well as the Royals for Bobby Witt Jr. as an AL MVP finalist, and was also awarded to the Astros this year for Hunter Brown as a Top 3 finalist for the AL Cy Young Award. Keep in mind that each player can only make one pick for his team, so Baldwin won’t be able to get the Braves another pick by being named MVP in the future.
This pick itself comes after the first round of the draft, and while the draft order isn’t set in stone yet, we can estimate it will be somewhere around picks 26-30, as the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Phillies, and Blue Jays are all set to see their first-round picks drop by 10 slots as a result of crossing the second CBA threshold – though the Mets have a minimal chance of winning the draft lottery and keeping that pick since this rule has no effect has. Top 6 selections.
With a pick in the 26-30 range, the Braves will not only add an additional selection, but will also see their bonus pool increase significantly. In the 2025 Draft, the slot values for the 26th and 30th picks were $3,492,200 and $3,113,300. That’s an increase from 2024 values of $3,332,900 to $2,971,300. So the Braves could add roughly $3.6 million to just under $3.3 million with this pick.
The additional $3.5 million or so that comes with a likely Top 10 pick and its bonus, as well as a high second-round pick, will give the Braves a high bonus pool, and the ability to potentially float a player they like.
With that in mind, here’s a quick look at 10 players who could potentially be available to the Braves with their new first-round pick, with how the draft rankings are set up now.
Caden Bogenpohl, OF, Missouri State
Bogenpohl is a monstrous 6’6, 240 pound slugger, but also a high-end athlete for his size. The power is the calling card, and he has excellent plate discipline, although his contact ability raises some questions. If he can hit enough, he projects as a prototypical right fielder, with athleticism, arm and 30+ homer power with a high on-base percentage.
Trevor Condon, OF, Georgia HS
Condon hails from Woodstock, Georgia and is an 80-degree runner best known for his speed, contact and defense. This type of player has risen in recent drafts as he profiles himself as a top player who plays strong defense in midfield.
Daniel Cuvet, 3B/1B, Miami
Cuvet is a high-powered third baseman in college who was highly regarded in the high school draft but ultimately left college after being drafted late by the Pirates. He’s had two very strong years with Miami, hitting a career-high 42 home runs, although there are still some questions about his contact ability and whether he can stay on third down defensively.
Brady Harris, VAN, Florida HS
Harris was actually an early candidate for the 1.1 selection, but he struggled a bit with his hitting tool this past summer. Besides the hit tool, he has the chance of any tool becoming a plus tool, and in the past he has shown better with his hit tool. His feather will most likely push him up or down from this area, like a man with five tool potential, but for now he is in this range.
Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech
Lackey broke out last spring and had a solid summer with the U.S. National Team to qualify for the first round. He’s a premier catcher who broke out with the bat last year, though the power still goes more to the gaps than over the fence. Still, he’s an excellent defender with above-average athleticism for the position (he stole 18 bases in 21 attempts last year) and blossomed into a hitter good enough to be a regular starter at the position.
Trey Rangel, RHP, Texas HS
Rangel is an older right-handed pitcher for the electric stuff prep class. His fastball maxes out at 98 MPH and he has a devastating slider, giving him two potential plus pitches. His change is still a work in progress, which isn’t a surprise for someone with his stuff, but the leadership will require significant improvement to remain a starter.
Kevin Roberts, OF/RHP, Mississippi HS
Roberts belongs to the feared demographic of Mississippi prep bats, but he is also a two-way player. And we can’t forget the last time the Braves took a two-way guy from Mississippi as a bat when they selected Austin Riley. Roberts is a former prep teammate of Konnor Griffin who potentially has five tools as a bat. The power and speed are the calling cards, though he may need to improve his hitting tool after struggling there at times last summer – an area where he already made progress last spring. Roberts, who will still be 17 years old on draft day, also offers some upside as a pitcher who can hit up to 94 MPH.
Aiden Ruiz, SS, New York HS
Ruiz is a smaller (5’10, 165) switch-hitting shortstop committed to Vanderbilt. He has a very mature approach and a strong defensive attitude, presenting himself as a potential plus defender. His offensive game is more hit than power, but he does a good job of hitting line drives all over the field. He consistently produces against top competition, but it’s worth noting he’s older for his class.
Savion Sims, RHP, Texas HS
Sims is a big arm at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds who has already reached 100 mph with his fastball and still has significant projection on his big frame. His slider is a second pitch that allows him to miss bats, and his changeup is a little ahead of where most power arms are. The biggest objections against him are that he needs to continue to improve his command, which is not unusual for long-limbed prep arms, and the fact that he will already be 19 on draft day.
Kaden Waechter, RHP, Florida HS
Kaden, the son of former big leaguer Doug Waechter, is a projectable young arm up to 96 MPH with a promising slider. His changeup is a third pitch that is still in development, but for which he has already shown some feeling.
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