The Atlanta Braves drafted 39 players in 2018. The selections included 22 pitchers (five left-handers, 17 right-handers), four outfielders, four catchers, and nine infielders.

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Four of the picks have Georgia ties. They are:

Jake Higginbotham (Round 11, 322th pick), LHP, Cumming 

• A Buford grad, Higginbotham went 6-1 (3.47 ERA) in 16 starts his junior year at Clemson.

Ray Hernandez (Round 29, 862nd pick), 3B, Atlanta 

• Hernandez holds Alabama State's single-season record for homers (16) and RBIs (62).

Mitch Stallings (Round 30, 892nd pick), LHP, Atlanta 

• Stalling is the 15th pitcher in Duke's history to amass more than 200 strikeouts.

Micky Mangan, (Round 40, 1,192nd pick), C, Cumming 

• Mangan was the Braves' final pick of the draft. The Pinecrest Academy senior hit .322 with a .450 on-base percentage for the Paladins this season. He  is the son of the Braves' longtime field director, Ed Mangan.

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Braves chairman Terry McGuirk — pictured watching batting practice before a July 2023 game — said Wednesday of the team's 2026 player payroll plans: “I think I’ve stated in the past that our goals are to be a top-five salary team. … I think we are capable of doing that." (John Bazemore/AP 2023)

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Public Service Commission candidate Peter Hubbard gets a hug from Brionté McCorkle, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, during an election-night party in Southwest Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.  (Ben Gray for the AJC)

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