The 2026 season marked the first action Briggs McKenzie saw in professional baseball. The Atlanta Braves prospect even earned his first promotion, moving up from Single-A to High-A after one dominant appearance.
"I would say the call-up to Rome really shocked me," McKenze said in an interview with MLB.com. "I didn't expect to go after one start. I didn't even unpack my bags in Augusta. It was like a couple of days."
Either way, it was an exciting time for him, no matter the whirlwind.
However, his first season was short-lived. On July 2, he was placed on the minor league injured list, and he was out the remainder of the season. Now, he's in Glendale pitching in the Arizona Fall League to make up for lost time.
So far, he hasn't dominated. He's allowed 10 runs, nine earned, across nine innings. He's allowed 10 hits and seven walks to along with those runs. A bright spot is that he has 12 strikeouts.
It's almost as if he hasn't pitched in a few months. The sample size was already small before that too begin with. He's a young pitcher who still has a lot of growth to do. That's a good thing.
As much as it would be great to see him dominate hitter from the jump, a challenge is good for development. His last start was already a great step in the right direction.
On Oct. 17, he pitched four innings of one-run ball and struck out six. He didn't allow a hit and he walked just three batters. McKenzie kept his explaination for the strong night simple.
"I was able to make a small mechanical adjustment and found the zone," he said in a postgame interview with MLB.com.
McKenzie was the Braves' fourth-round pick in the 2025 MLB draft. He came in with a curveball that had a 60 grade, and a 50 grade on his fastball, changeup and overall command. That potential warranted the Braves to give him a $3 million signing bonus.
There's still plenty of time for him to take further steps while out in Arizona. The numbers don't stand out early, but the numbers don't define him during this time. If he takes the steps the team is looking to see, they'll see this time as a success.
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