Braves' Shortstop of the Future May Be Making Himself Known

Alex Lodise is having a huge year in the minors, catapulting himself into the spotlight. Could he be taking the field for the Braves as soon as 2027?

Lodise has really come into his own this season in the Braves' system | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Alex Lodise is officially making a name for himself in the Atlanta Braves' farm system, and in 2026, he's doing it with his bat.

After signing as a second-round pick out of Florida State, Lodise played just 25 games for the Rome Emperors in his pro debut, hitting a modest .252 with one home run. But things have taken off for him this season.

Across three levels, Lodise is hitting a combined .274 with 26 home runs and 81 RBIs in 126 games — and it's his last 32 games at High-A Rome and Double-A Columbus that have really caught people's attention. Over that stretch, he's hitting .325 with five homers, eight doubles and 22 RBIs.

Just as encouraging as the results has been the improvement in his approach. Strikeouts had been the biggest question mark for Lodise; he struck out 38.5% of the time in 2025 while walking just 4.6% of the time. Those numbers still aren't where some evaluators would like to see them, but the trend is moving in the right direction. He's cut his strikeout rate to 22.9% this year while nearly doubling his walk rate to 8.9% — a real sign of growth for a player still figuring out professional pitching.

None of this is coming out of nowhere. Lodise arrived in the organization with a crowded trophy case: he slashed .394/.462/.705 as a junior at Florida State in 2025, was named ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and took home the Dick Howser Award — college baseball's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy — after finishing as a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award as well.

He's also stolen 16 bases this season and continues to profile as a shortstop long-term, with the athleticism and arm to make throws from different angles, though he does have experience at third base from the prep level. Between the power, the quickness and his ability to hit the ball to all fields, I believe Alex Lodise could be a future 20 home run-20 stolen base-20 double guy at the pro level.

His current MLB ETA is listed as 2028, but the way he's been hitting lately has plenty of people wondering whether he could be Atlanta's shortstop of the future as soon as next season. If Lodise keeps hitting like this, those people may be right.

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