By Rich Chrampanis
The 2026 Major League Baseball Draft began Saturday afternoon and concluded early Sunday evening, with a total of 613 picks. But Ranney’s AJ Gracia didn’t have to wait too long to hear his name called by commissioner Rob Manfred.
Gracia was the ninth pick in the first round by the Atlanta Braves, the second-highest Shore Conference selection since Middletown South’s Jeff Kunkel went third overall to the Texas Rangers.
“I didn’t know what was gonna happen until about 30 seconds before the pick happened. Like, I had no idea. I pretty much found out at the same time as everyone else,” Gracia said. “It’s just that anxiety that comes with it. You’re just kind of waiting and you have really no control over it. But again, it’s a fun process. Getting to go through it was really fun.”
Unlike the NFL or NBA, the MLB doesn’t bring first-round picks on stage to shake the commissioner’s hand. Instead, Gracia experienced the moment the way most of this year’s top picks did – at home in Monroe with the people closest to him.
He wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“I definitely think the last couple of years there’s definitely been a shift; everyone just wants to be home with their friends and family,” Gracia said.
“That’s pretty much exactly what I wanted, and being able to do it at home with people obviously that are close to me was really cool. So I wouldn’t change it any other way.”
Gracia certainly had plenty of MLB teams watching his every move during his junior season at the University of Virginia. He formed a relationship with the Braves organization, including securing an interview during the MLB Draft combine in Arizona.
“My relationship with the Braves goes back. We met in the fall with the area scout, and then at the combine we did meetings,” he said. “My advisor, my agent’s always in contact with them, I guess since the combine, which was the end of June. So there’s constant communication. Obviously, there’s a lot of strategy that goes on — you can’t always show your hand.”
But, he said, “It’s been great.”
Long before he was a first-round pick, Gracia was a two-way standout at Ranney, known as much for his arm as his bat. When he arrived on campus as a freshman at Duke University, Gracia nearly became a pitcher before he found his way at the plate and lived up to his lofty expectations.
“I actually went into college still two-way, and in my freshman fall I had a horrible fall at the plate. And I actually had a really great fall on the mound,” Gracia said. “Going into my first exit meeting that fall, they wanted me to be a bullpen arm – start some midweeks and come out of the pen on the weekends. That was gonna be my role on the team, more so than a hitter.”
Those early struggles were a valuable lesson for the realities of playing baseball at the highest level.
“I had hit .080 in my freshman fall. I kind of had to be reflective and look at myself after that and made some big changes,” he said. “I went into college the same way I swung in high school, kind of a spread-out stance, crouched down. And then you look at me now, it’s pretty much the opposite – kind of narrowed, almost standing straight up. For whatever reason, that switch I made right after my freshman fall just kind of clicked.”
He believes that early adversity will serve him well as he begins his pro career.
“At the end of the day, it’s baseball. You’re always gonna struggle,” Gracia said. “I feel like most of the guys going in the first round of the draft are the best player on their high school team, one of the best players on their college team, and don’t really have to face that much struggle. So getting to face that in college was cool, because going into pro ball, I’ve kind of already done it.”
Gracia spent two seasons at Duke before following coach Chris Pollard to Virginia for his final collegiate year, a move that paid off in a big way.
“I obviously loved my two years at Duke and had planned to finish my career there, and then obviously made the switch over to Virginia unexpectedly,” he said. “It was amazing this year to play for Virginia baseball and that brand. The fan base was really cool, and it was an experience I probably wouldn’t have gotten if I stayed at Duke. I wouldn’t change a thing, honestly, and I have a lot of gratitude for Coach Pollard and that entire coaching staff, because they were obviously a big part of my development.”
Gracia slashed .354/.489/.632 in 2026, leading Virginia in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and runs scored, with 14 home runs, 48 RBIs and 15 doubles. Over three college seasons at Duke and Virginia combined, Gracia had a .317 career average, 43 home runs and 160 RBIs.
His high school numbers were epic as well, with a .497 career batting average, with 29 home runs, 121 runs scored and 74 stolen bases, resulting in a .628 on-base percentage and a 1.052 slugging percentage. The numbers paled in comparison to his ultimate legacy as a Ranney Panther: winning two signature championships on the diamond for the school.
“Either our state championship my junior year or winning the Monmouth County Tournament my senior year – both of those were firsts for the school, which was really cool to be a part of,” he said when asked about his favorite Ranney moment. “Those are games I’ll never forget. I wish I could go back and relive that stuff.”
With the celebration behind him, Gracia is going to get an up-close look at his ultimate goal when he meets the media in Atlanta at Truist Park. From there, it’s off to the Braves’ minor league complex, where he will look to climb the ladder to the big leagues. The signing bonus slot is over $6.6 million dollars.
“Thursday I’ll be flying out to Atlanta, and then I’ll sign on Friday, and then Saturday I’m getting shipped down to Florida to the complex and kind of figure it out from there,” he said.
Gracia becomes the second straight first-round pick out of the Shore Conference, following Wall’s Andrew Fischer, who went 20th overall to the Milwaukee Brewers a year ago. Christian Brothers Academy’s Chris Levonas, currently pitching at Wake Forest, could be a first-round pick in the 2027 MLB Draft. The reputation of New Jersey baseball continues to grow.
“I love New Jersey, grew up here, lived here my whole life, would love to come back here and settle down when I’m done playing,” Gracia said. “I think, honestly, New Jersey baseball doesn’t get the love it deserves. I think there’s a lot of talent here. I think just because it’s a smaller state, people don’t really expect much. But being able to represent the state, represent the Shore Conference, is really cool. I’d challenge New Jersey baseball and Shore Conference baseball against anywhere else around the country, to be honest.”
The article originally appeared in the July 16 – 22, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
