Below you can find Baseball America’s 2025 MLB Draft report card for the Braves, which features picks for 11 key superlatives such as best pure hitter, best defensive player, best fastball and more.
You can find 2025 Draft Report Cards for every team here and complete draft results here.
Best Pure Hitter: SS Cody Miller (3) stood out for his pure contact skills in college. He’s a career .330 hitter in three seasons with East Tennessee State and boasted a 92% zone-contact rate this spring. He had a strong debut and slashed .327/.381/.449 in 26 games split between Low-A Augusta and High-A Rome.
Best Power Hitter: Florida State SS Alex Lodise (2) was one of the more productive power hitters in college baseball this spring. He homered 17 times this spring, and in his three-year college career (split between FSU and North Florida) he homered 42 times. OF Conor Essenburg (5) has above-average power potential with great bat speed and lots of present strength in his 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame.
Fastest Runner: OF Logan Braunschweig (9) is at least a 70-grade runner who was a consistent stolen base threat in college. He went 72-for-90 (80%) in his four-year career with UAB on the bases. We graded SS Tate Southisene (1) as an above-average defender before the draft, though after signing with the Braves he’s reportedly shown some double-plus run times, as well.
Best Defensive Player: Both Lodise (2) and Southisene (1) have a chance to be above-average defenders at up the middle positions. Lodise has made a number of highlight-reel plays as a shortstop with Florida State and boasts a clear plus arm, while Southisene is athletic enough to play a number of defensive positions including shortstop, second base and center field.
Best Fastball: Arkansas LHP Landon Beidelschies (6) has an above-average fastball that sits regularly in the 90-94 mph range and was up to 98 this spring with solid carry up in the zone.
Best Secondary Pitch: The Braves gave LHP Briggs McKenzie (4) the largest bonus in their draft class. He has a tremendous ability to spin the baseball and has been throwing 3,000+ rpm breaking balls for multiple years now. It’s a 75-79 mph curveball currently, but as he adds more power, the pitch could easily become a power sweeper or harder slider with plus potential. Don’t sleep on his changeup either, which wowed Braves officials after he signed.
Best Pro Debut: East Carolina 2B Dixon Williams (4c) was the most impressive hitter in his pro debut for the Braves. He hit .269/.395/.462 in 28 games with Low-A Augusta with a pair of home runs, three triples and six doubles. On the pitching side, RHP Kade Woods (10) made six appearances with Augusta. He struck out 16 batters in 13.2 innings with a 2.63 ERA thanks to a fastball in the 92-94 mph range and a low-80s breaking ball that missed a good amount of barrels.
Best Athlete: Essenburg (5) was a two-way player in high school who had real upside on both sides of the ball. While the Braves drafted him as an outfielder and are enamored with his power potential, he also is a low-slot lefty on the bump with a fastball that’s been into the mid 90s and a solid slider.
Most Intriguing Background: Southisene (1) comes from an athletic baseball family. His older brother, Ty, was a fourth-round pick by the Cubs in 2024 and his younger brother, Troy, is a member of the 2026 class and committed to Oregon State. Essenburg (5) had one of the most memorable at-bats of the spring when he matched up with lefthanded flamethrower Jack Bauer and took a 99 mph fastball and deposited it over the fence.
Closest To The Majors: Beidelschies (6) could move quickly as a hard-throwing pitcher with experience as a reliever, though the Braves are likely to give him every opportunity to start. Lodise (2) has the physicality that could move quickly and he did play exclusively in High-A in his debut, though his offensive approach might need a bit more seasoning. Both Miller (3) and Braunschweig (9) could also be quicker moving college players.
Best 11+ Round Pick (Or UDFA): Northeastern RHP Aiven Cabral (18) is an above-average control pitcher who has a solid three-pitch mix and could be an intriguing sleeper candidate if the Braves are able to help him unlock a bit more velocity or a secondary with some more swing-and-miss potential.
