Postseason 2024 Atlanta Braves Top 50 Prospects

All ages are how old the player will be as of April 1, 2025.

1. A.J. Smith-Shawver, RHP
Age: 22
4.85 ERA | 5.04 FIP | 23 G, 23 GS | 94.2 IP | 3.99 BB/9 | 10.20 K/9 (A+/AAA/MLB)
Acquired: Drafted, 7th Round – 2021
Prior Ranking: 1

Smith-Shawver had an up-and-down season on the game results side of things, but took several encouraging steps forward in his development. He still has the 4-seam fastball that can touch 100 mph with natural arm-side run, but has now paired it with a very improved change-up that looks similar coming out of the hand but dives down and away from left-handed hitters. It’s become a major-league caliber pitch, and a big reason why he held lefties to a .193/.307/.374 batting line in 2024. His other strikeout pitch, the slider, backed up a little this season but is still effective against both lefties and righties. If he can recapture the bite in that pitch that he showed in his breakout 2023 season he’ll likely find himself in the big league rotation regularly before too long. It looked he may get an extended run in the majors during a successful start on May 23 against the Cubs, but he had to come out of the game in the 5th inning with an oblique strain that would end up costing him five weeks of the season.

It was after coming back from the injury that his change-up use really took off, and his OPS against dropped by 150 points in his Gwinnett starts after the injury compared to before.

There is still risk in the profile thanks to sub-par command that manifests in both clutches of walks and home runs. This could land him as a reliever, but even then he would likely be a terrific weapon. Still only 22 years old, he could spend another full season at triple-A and still not be behind the curve as far as development, and its that combination of age, stuff, and experience that lands him number 1 on our prospect list for the second year in a row.

2. Cam Caminiti, LHP
Age: 18
3.00 ERA | 0.91 FIP | 1 G, 1 GS | 3.0 IP | 0.00 BB/9 | 12.00 K/9 (A)
Acquired: Drafted, 1st Round – 2024
Prior Ranking: N/A

Considered by most draft pundits to the be the top prep arm of the 2024 draft, the Braves had to have been delighted when Caminiti landed with them at the 24th overall pick. The 6’2″, 205-pound lefty was a two-way star in high school and moves well on the mound. His four-seam fastball sits comfortably in the mid-90s, touching 98 mph. His best secondary offering is a change-up that he tunnels with the fastball well, and it has natural arm-side fade. His main concerns going into the draft was his lack of spin rate on either his slider or his curveball, but the emergence of the change-up mollified those concerns to some degree. Caminiti has an easy, repeatable delivery with a good bit of deception. That fastball seems to get on hitters very quickly.

The Braves let him dip his toe in the professional waters with one late-season start with Augusta where he struck out 4 batters in 3 innings. His slider looked to have more sweep than bite, but he was able to get two of his strikeouts on the pitch. He seemed to get flustered in the 2nd with a runner on base and the pitching clock running, leading to a wild pitch and a balk that ultimately lead to a run against him on a groundout, but overall it was an impressive 3-inning pro debut. He will likely start the 2025 season in the Augusta rotation as the youngest player in the Carolina League.

3. Drake Baldwin, C
Age: 24 | Bats: L
.276/.370/.423 | 119 wRC+ | 16 HR | 0 SB | 13.1% BB | 17.2% K (AA/AAA)
Acquired: Drafted, 3rd Round – 2022
Prior Ranking: 8

No Braves position player helped themselves more than Baldwin, who is now garnering top-100 prospect in baseball attention from Baseball America and Fangraphs. Baldwin underwent a slight swing change, bringing his hands from up over his head prior to the pitch to slightly down and in front of him and tamping down an a big leg kick, allowing him to get to pitches a little bit faster. After an early adjustment period, Baldwin took off around mid-May. Moving up to triple-A — or rather, moving out of the large Southern League ballparks — brought about a power surge, and he matched the 16 home runs he swatted in his breakout 2023 season. He starts from an open stance that emphasizes contact and he was rewarded with a .407 OBP for Gwinnett. Baldwin has some of the best exit velocities of any Braves hitting prospect, and if he can improve from his ~50% groundball rate he could generate even more doubles and over-the-wall pop.

Defensively Baldwin is a good framer, good blocker, and calls a good game. He has above average arm strength, though he still can work on his footwork and positioning to help his pop times. That said, his solid-to-above average defense, contact-oriented left-handed bat, and leadership intangibles have him on a trajectory to be a major league starting catcher. Baldwin was tapped by the Braves to represent the organization in the Arizona Fall League.

4. Nacho Alvarez Jr., IF
Age: 21 | Bats: R
.271/.377/.381 | 123 wRC+ | 10 HR | 26 SB | 13.4% BB | 16.9% K (AA/AAA/MLB)
Acquired: Drafted, 5th Round – 2022
Prior Ranking: 7

Alvarez and Baldwin have been joined at the hip pretty much since being drafted in 2022, both rising through the organizational ladder at approximately the same rate. Both were promoted to Gwinnett at the same time at mid-season. However, an opportunity to get to the majors manifested in August for Alvarez when Ozzie Albies and Whit Merrifield both suffered injures and he was promoted to play second base. That stint was short and unproductive, showing that the 20 year old wasn’t quite ready for prime time, but it demonstrated how much the organization thinks of him that he was considered at all.

Alvarez is an extreme contact-oriented hitter, hitting to all parts of the field with good exit velocities. After not hitting a single home run in 48 games with double-A Mississippi in the offensively  repressive Southern League, he exploded for three in his first six games with triple-A Gwinnett, eventually settling for a career-high 10 round-trippers for the season. Without any swing adjustments that seems to be a reasonable expectation at the major league level, and perhaps some more if he focuses on pulling the ball more in the air.

Defensively, Alvarez is an excellent fundamental infielder at all three skill spots. He has gotten the most reps at shortstop given the more obvious path to the majors at that position with the Braves, and there’s an open question if he has the requisite range to be a regular. His body type would make him more naturally a third baseman, but he’s obviously blocked at the major league level by Austin Riley and he would almost certainly have to adjust his swing dynamics to hit for more power if relegated to the hot corner. Everything else about his shortstop play — instincts, hands, arm, footwork around the bag — is more than acceptable, but the Braves value defense at the position so much that the range question may be enough for the team to balk at having him start over incumbent veteran Orlando Arcia, even if the bat is deemed ready.

5. Hurston Waldrep, RHP
Age: 23
4.40 ERA | 3.04 FIP | 21 G, 21 GS | 100.1 IP | 4.75 BB/9 | 8.97 K/9 (FCL/AA/AAA/MLB)
Acquired: Drafted, 1st Round – 2023
Prior Ranking: 2

As expected before the season given his rapid rise up the Braves organizational ladder after being drafted in 2023, Waldrep made his major league debut in 2024, getting three major league starts before being sidelined with an oblique strain. What was not expected was that he would show little improvement in either the command or shape of his four-seam fastball, leaving his future role in some doubt.

What the four-seamer does have however is velocity, and it typically sits in the mid-90s, touching 99. It is however relatively straight and he has a tendency to either miss with it or leave it over the plate when he’s down in the count, allowing hitters to wait out a mistake. Both of his secondary pitches, while being of high quality, finish outside the zone. If a hitter can work the count against Waldrep he will tend to have good outcomes. Fall behind however and the hitter sets himself up to be struck out by a filthy mid-80s split-finger change-up that dives out of the strikezone. The pitch allows Waldrep to be just as effective against left-handed hitters as right-handed ones. He also has a solid-average high-80s slider that flashes as a plus pitch at times.

The weapons are there for Waldrep. His mid-season oblique issue cost him nearly 2 months of development in mid-season, and his control was worse when he came off the injured list. Waldrep should be one of the more interesting players to watch this spring to see if he made any progress on making the 4-seamer a more competitive pitch given the likely opportunities in the Braves rotation, but there is a strong risk that Waldrep could find himself in a bullpen.

6. JR Ritchie, RHP
Age: 21
2.90 ERA | 4.19 FIP | 12 G, 11 GS | 49.2 IP | 3.08 BB/9 | 10.15 K/9 (A/A+)
Acquired: Drafted, 1st Round – 2022
Prior Ranking: 6

Ritchie came back from May 2023 Tommy John surgery in mid-season and quickly re-established himself as one of the system’s top young pitchers, holding opponents to no more than 3 earned runs in any non-rehab outing. He picked up a late-season promotion to high-A Rome and started the second game of the playoffs for the Emperors.

That said, Ritchie was not 100% back to his pre-surgery form. His 4-seam fastball was on average a couple of miles per hour slower than pre-surgery and lacked the same up-in-the-zone explosiveness he showed in his few appearances before the elbow problems. Likewise his slider wasn’t quite as sharp, and it would occasionally lose form and become more curveball-ish. None of this should have been unexpected in the first year post-TJS  and everything was still plenty good to see positive results in A-ball as a 21-year-old. It helped that he has developed his change-up, once a decidedly third pitch that the Braves wouldn’t let him throw before his surgery, into a true swing-and-miss offering and helping him to dominate left-handed batters to a .183/.277/.293 batting line against.

Ritchie seems likely to return to high-A Rome to start the 2025 season, but a rebound in his stuff a full season after TJS could have him on his way to double-A Columbus before too long. His high pitching IQ will also serve him well.

7. Drue Hackenberg, RHP
Age: 23
3.07 ERA | 3.21 FIP | 25 G, 25 GS | 129.0 IP | 4.33 BB/9 | 10.05 K/9 (A+/AA/AAA)
Acquired: Drafted, 2nd Round – 2023
Prior Ranking: 9

One of the bigger success stories in 2024 for Braves player development was the transformation of the groundball-oriented Hackenberg to a legitimate strikeout pitcher. This allowed Hackenberg two promotions during the season, up to double-A near the end of June and then to triple-A Gwinnett at the end of August.

Hackenberg has the body to be a true workhorse pitcher and a repertoire that allows him to get quick outs. To this end he employs a low-90s two-seam fastball that runs into right-handed hitters and is the primary cause of his superb 53.9% groundball rate, second among all Braves minor leaguer starters behind only Mississippi teammate Luis De Avila. He pairs that with a conventional mid-90s four-seamer that he tunnels well but keeps up in the zone. When he needs a strikeout, Hackenberg typically comes back with a mid-80s 11-5 curveball that showed improved bite. Hackenberg has also added a cutter that he primarily uses against lefties, running it away from them in the low-90s. The biggest difference-maker for Hackenberg was improvement of his change-up, which showed to be a second potential swing-and-miss secondary.

The only thing that is holding Hackenberg back at this point is occasional stretches where he will miss in the zone and allow hits in bunches. His stuff is such that when this happens hitters will seldom leave the yard on him, but its something he will need to improve on to take his game up to the final level. He will likely get a major league spring training invitation and should be considered as a rotation depth option in 2025 along with AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, and Bryce Elder.

8. Owen Murphy, RHP
Age: 21
1.54 ERA | 2.22 FIP | 7 G, 7 GS | 41.0 IP | 2.63 BB/9 | 13.17 K/9 (A+)
Acquired: Drafted, 1st Round – 2022
Prior Ranking: 3

Atlanta plucked Murphy out of high school with the 20th overall pick in 2022, 15 spots ahead of JR Ritchie, and this year Murphy followed Ritchie to the operating room for TJS just as Ritchie was making his comeback. Before that however were seven beautiful starts for high-A Rome that pretty much showcased Murphy in his best form.

Murphy has a four-pitch repertoire that incorporates a low-to-mid ’90s four-seam fastball that he typically throws up in the zone. Despite its average velocity, it’s an above average offering given the amount of action he gets on the pitch, and at least A-ball hitters have a tough time connecting with it. He complements the pitch with a power slider and a power curveball. The slider in particular took a step up this season and was a big reason he was able to hold righties to an eyepopping .101/.159/.121 batting line against him in 2024. The curveball is a little more inconsistent, but when it’s working it can be effective against both righties and lefties. He throws a developing change-up as well and was throwing it with more conviction in his later starts before the injury. If he can further develop that pitch it would give him another weapon against left-handers.

Given the timing of his injury there is a chance Murphy could not pitch at all in 2025. If he does make it back late in the year and there’s no setbacks he would be a candidate for the Arizona Fall League to get him some more reps.

9. Carter Holton, LHP
Age: 22
13.50 ERA | 6.58 FIP | 1 G, 1 GS | 2.0 IP | 18.00 BB/9 | 13.50 K/9 (A)
Acquired: Drafted, 2nd Round – 2024
Prior Ranking: N/A

Atlanta plucked the slightly undersized (5′-11″, 191 pounds) lefty from Vanderbilt in the second round of the 2024 draft after a solid year that saw him have to sit out the SEC tournament for an undisclosed injury. After post-draft workouts with the Braves, Holton was able to sneak in one start with Augusta before the end of the minor league season for his professional debut.

As you would expect from a high-level college arm, Holton has an advanced arsenal featuring a running mid-90s four-seamer and a nasty diving slider that is his primary strikeout pitch. He rounds that out with a change-up that tumbles down and into right-handers and a solid-average curveball. Holton likely attracted the attention of the Braves by throwing more strikes in his junior year at Vandy, improving both his walk and strikeout rate. This wasn’t in evidence in his only pro game action to date as he walked 4 batters in 2 innings, but adrenaline is likely the culprit.

Due to his relatively short stature he throws from a high arm slot to maximize leverage with a somewhat violent delivery. What is yet to be seen with Holton his how he will hold up to the rigors of a full professional season, and there is injury risk. Holton could start the season back with Augusta or even get the immediate bump to high-A Rome given his college pedigree.

10. Garrett Baumann, RHP
Age: 20
3.18 ERA | 3.05 FIP | 19 G, 18 GS | 99.0 IP | 2.09 BB/9 | 8.09 K/9 (A/A+)
Acquired: Drafted, 4th Round – 2023
Prior Ranking: 23

Baumann entered the season as somewhat of an enigma, a prep draftee with standout physical attributes (6′-8″, 245 pounds) and clean mechanics but with few public looks at his pitching. After spending most of 2024 in the Augusta rotation, he exits the season as the Braves most exciting 20-and-under pitching prospect not named “Cam Caminiti”.

Baumann’s bread-and-butter pitch is a mid-90s four-seam fastball that has natural arm-side run. He peppers the strikezone with it, but it has enough life on it that A-ball hitters rarely were able to barrel the pitch for damage, and it was equally effective against left- and right-handed batters. For secondary pitches Baumann turns to a slider and change-up. The change-up is slightly ahead as far as being a potential swing-and-miss pitch, but there were many games where either he didn’t need it or didn’t have feel for it. When it’s working he has good deception with it as it mimics the fastball out of the hand but fades away. The slider shows some promise, but it can get too loopy at times, and some batters were able to handle the pitch for damage. Getting better shape to this pitch will be critical for Baumann has he goes to higher levels; like the fastball and change-up he throws the pitch for strikes.

Baumann will likely start the season where he ended 2024, in the high-A Rome rotation. His propensity for throwing strikes will make him popular with Braves evaluators, and if his stuff gets just a touch nastier he could find himself with a lot more attention paid to him.

11. Didier Fuentes, RHP
Age: 19
2.74 ERA | 3.31 FIP | 18 G, 17 GS | 75.2 IP | 2.50 BB/9 | 11.66 K/9 (A)
Acquired: International Free Agent – 2022
Prior Ranking: N/A

Fuentes was aggressively promoted to Augusta in 2023 as a 17-year-old fresh from the DSL and proved conclusively that he wasn’t ready at that point. Things went much better in 2024 and he teamed with Garrett Baumann to provide the Greenjackets with a surprisingly consistent top of the rotation given that both were only 18 years old. A blister issue in the second half robbed him of around 3 starts, but it was really the only blemish on a strong campaign.

Fuentes improved in two major areas from his aborted 2023 stint with Augusta. First, he threw the fastball with much better command, and he’s able to hit both sides of the plate consistently. He throws with a low 3-quarters slot and gets excellent extension for a pitcher who looks to be around 6’1″. That allows the 92-94 mph fastball to play up, and it’s also some added deception when paired with his slider. Fuentes has started to mix in a split-change, a repertoire similar to Jhancarlos Lara (see below), but with less velocity and spin but more command. Further development of that pitch would go a long way to keeping him in rotations as he moves up the org ladder.

Fuentes appears to be a terrific signing from still-chronically under-scouted Colombia, found at the tail end of Atlanta’s international sanction period. His age would make a third Opening Day with Augusta reasonable, but with the Braves being the Braves and considering his 2024 performance, I would expect him in the high-A Rome rotation to start 2025.

12. Lucas Braun, RHP
Age: 23
3.26 ERA | 3.14 FIP | 25 G, 24 GS | 143.2 IP | 2.63 BB/9 | 10.15 K/9 (A+/AA)
Acquired: Drafted, 6th Round – 2023
Prior Ranking: 29

Braun elevated his profile in 2024 by improving the things he was already good at — namely throwing strikes and lots of innings — and also improving his overall stuff. The combination puts him firmly in the potential back-end rotation conversation.

Braun saw his four-seam fastball velocity tick up a bit, sitting regularly in the 93-94 range with some rising action and almost always touching the strike zone. He has two breaking balls, a slider that breaks into lefties and a curveball that has similar movement but breaks a little slower and more consistently hits the bottom of the zone. He also throws a change-up as a fourth pitch used nearly exclusively to left-handed hitters, and that was strong enough to limit lefty batters to a .204/.274/.311 line against him. None of the three secondaries are particularly flashy, but he mixes them well and can throw a strike with any of them at any count. It’s not a classic strikeout mix, but he had his share of big strikeout games, and was especially dominant in an August 25 game against Chattanooga, holding the Lookouts to no hits, three walks, and striking out 10 in 7 innings. Overall he ended the season with a flourish, striking out 35 in his final 21.1 innings over 4 double-A starts.

It’s that finish that could have Braun vying for a triple-A assignment to start the season, though the he may be relegated back to double-A due to the number of high-level arms the Braves have amassed. Nevertheless, Atlanta loves pitchers that throws strikes, and with a major league spring training invitation a near certainty, Braun is the kind of pitcher that Braves manager Brian Snitker and pitching coach Rick Kranitz tends to take a liking too.

13. Jhancarlos Lara, RHP
Age: 22
3.92 ERA | 4.16 FIP | 20 G, 19 GS | 82.2 IP | 6.53 BB/9 | 10.23 K/9 (A+/AA)
Acquired: International Free Agent – 2021
Prior Ranking: 20

After some impressive outings out of the bullpen as a fence-jumper in spring training games, Lara suffered an oblique strain that kept him from making his 2024 season debut with high-A Rome until May 5. A general lack of control plus a conservative pitch limit meant that he didn’t often pitch deep into games, and it took him some time to regularly flash the stuff that made him the talk of the organization late in the 2023 season and into the spring. He did get a mid-season promotion to double-A where he exhibited both a propensity to allow baserunners in bunches and the ability to wiggle his way off the hook.

The first things that jumps out when you watch Lara is velocity. He’s got an easy mid-90s 4-seam fastball with great arm speed, and can touch 100 mph when he as the notion to do so. He needs the velo because the fastball is astonishingly lifeless otherwise, and it gets hit harder than you’d expect for a heater like that. If Lara’s command improves to where he can regularly attack the top of the zone with the pitch rather than grooving it in the heart of the plate, then he could really go to town with one of the nastier sliders in the Braves system. It is a hard breaker with both vertical and horizonal movement, but he needs to get ahead in the count in order to make it work. He has a split-change that he sometimes uses as a get-me-over pitch, but he does a poor job of disguising it. Lara is well put together, listed at 6’3″ and 190 pounds but probably up to around 205. He’s got a starter’s frame, but a reliever’s repertoire for now.

Lara will likely head back to double-A to start the season looking to either refine his fastball command or get more life on it.

14. Cade Kuehler, RHP
Age: 22
3.74 ERA | 4.28 FIP | 12 G, 12 GS | 53.0 IP | 4.08 BB/9 | 8.15 K/9 (A/A+)
Acquired: Drafted, 2nd Round – 2023
Prior Ranking: 5

After two very exciting starts at the end of the 2023 season, Kuehler came into 2024 as essentially the Augusta staff ace as a college arm in a rotation of predominantly teenagers. He set a good example early, going through his first two starts and looking crisp, striking out 11 in 10 innings and not allowing an earned run. By the time of his third start however, Kuehler’s fastball velocity began to drop, bottoming out into the 88-90 range rather than his usual 92-94. After his twelfth start of the season, immediately after a promotion to high-A Rome, Kuehler’s season came to an end when his UCL tore and he underwent TJS in July.

When healthy, Kuehler has a good rising fastball in that mid-90s range, topping out around 96. His main strikeout pitch is a very nasty slider that is a terrific weapon against left-handers with strong cutting action. He also throws a fairly standard curveball and split-change, the latter of which was a point of development in 2024. It was effective in low-A, but then most change-ups are effective at that level if they can be thrown near the strikezone. Kuehler is maxed out physically at 6’1″ and 205 pounds with a quick, short-arm action.

Kuehler will miss most if not all of the 2025 season recovering from the surgery. Relatively young for a player drafted as a college junior, Kuehler should be able to resume his place in the pipeline if his rehab goes well, but even healthy there is a strong chance his frame and pitch mix would be more of a reliever profile.

15. Jose Perdomo, SS
Age: 18 | Bats: R
.250/.318/.250 | 66 wRC+ | 0 HR | 2 SB | 9.1% BB | 18.2% K (DSL)
Acquired: International Amateur Free Agent – 2024
Prior Ranking: N/A

Commanding the largest bonus in the 2024 international class and the largest bonus ever given to a Venezuelan, expectations were high for Perdomo coming into the 2024 season, especially when complex league rosters were announced in May and Perdomo was listed among the FCL Braves rather than the DSL Braves. It turned out to be a bit of a head fake however as Perdomo was just in North Port to rehab a hamstring injury suffered during spring training. When Perdomo was finally cleared for play, he returned to the Dominican Republic where he only appeared in 8 games before he was shut down again.

Reports on Perdomo when healthy has him as a potentially special combination of hit and power given elite hand-eye coordination. Defensively he seems likely to grow out of shortstop and move to third at some point, but for now he is a capable if raw defender with a strong arm. Perdomo is a plus runner, but will not likely be a big basestealer after he finishes filling out his frame.

With 2024 essentially a lost season, Perdomo will likely start in Florida in 2025 looking to re-establish the prospect buzz surrounding him last spring. Given his age he certainly should be given a mulligan on the season, but the Braves could really use a big hit from one of the international position players they have accumulated over the last three signing periods, with Perdomo likely commanding the most hope and scrutiny.

16. Daysbel Hernández, RHP
Age: 28
2.47 ERA | 2.84 FIP | 50 G, 0 GS | 62.0 IP | 5.23 BB/9 | 11.76 K/9 (AAA/MLB)
Acquired: International Free Agent – 2017
Prior Ranking: 19

After eight seasons in the organization including a missed 2022 season recovering from a torn UCL, Hernández looks to finally be set to become a part of the major league bullpen. Hernández handled his major league chances in 2024 with minimal fuss and acquitted himself well in the playoffs as well, striking out 3 in 2.1 scoreless innings against San Diego.

Hernández throws two pitches, highlighted by an upper-90s fastball that rides up and in to tie up right-handers. His bread-and-butter pitch now however is the slider that comes in between 88-89 mph, cutting away from right-handers. If you think this would make him tough against right-handers, you would be correct to the tune of a .198/.346/.252 batting line against him in 2024. Furthermore, you may think that the .346 OBP against him may be a little high. Once again you would be correct, congratulations. The main knock on Hernández is his propensity to give up walks, and when he does it usually comes in bunches. It happened less often in 2024 however, giving hope that now two years removed from his UCL repair that he’s found enough command to limit blow-up innings.

Hernández should go into spring training ready to take one of the open right-handed bullpen spots, though as a reliever with precious options he may end up having to spend some time in AAA Gwinnett when Atlanta wants to run out a 6th starter.

17. Blake Burkhalter, RHP
Age: 24
3.00 ERA | 2.81 FIP | 16 G, 16 GS | 72.0 IP | 2.25 BB/9 | 8.63 K/9 (A+/FCL)
Acquired: Drafted, 2nd Round – 2022
Prior Ranking: 26

Burkhalter returned to game action in late May after missing all of the 2023 season following tearing his UCL in spring training. Burkhalter pitched for high-A Rome all season, gradually ramping up his pitch count as a starter, maxing out at 90 pitches on August 9 with a corresponding improvement in performance as the year progressed. By the end of the season, and after the promotions of Drue Hackenberg and Lucas Braun to double-A, Burkhalter was the de facto top starter for the team.

Burkhalter appears to have shaved off some of the violent action in his in his delivery, and his fastball was typically in the 92-94 mph range rather than the mid-to-upper 90s before the injury. This seems to be a conscious choice rather than a result of the injury, and Burkhalter could run the fastball up to 98, usually in the final inning when he knew he was approaching his pitch limit. Burkhalter also uses a slider that sometimes looks more like a cutter against right-handers. He also mixes in a change-up that he will need to develop more if the plan is to keep him in a rotation. Left-handed batters tended to square Burkhalter up decently and a dependable change-up would go a ways to mitigate that going forward.

I suspect Burkhalter will get a major league spring training invitation, and like Lucas Braun I suspect the major league coaches will take a liking to his ability to throw strikes. If the Braves decide to convert him to a reliever, a role that he exceled in with Auburn, he could be arrowing to a potential 2025 major league debut. If the Braves elect to keep him starting he will more likely spend most of the year in double-A and look for a 40-man roster spot in 2026.

18. Luke Sinnard, RHP
Age: 22
Acquired: Drafted, 3rd Round – 2024
Prior Ranking: N/A

19. Nick Montgomery, C
Age: 19 | Bats: R
Acquired: Drafted, 5th Round – 2024
Prior Ranking: N/A

20. Herick Hernandez, LHP
Age: 21
2.70 ERA | -0.03 FIP | 2 G, 2 GS | 6.2 IP | 0.00 BB/9 | 16.20 K/9 (A/A+)
Acquired: Acquired: Drafted, 4th Round – 2024
Prior Ranking: N/A

If I were to lay money on one of these prospects being ranked too low a year from now, it would probably be one of these last three: Sinnard, Montgomery, or this choice, lefty Herick Hernandez.

Hernandez’s numbers coming out of the University of Miami were very poor, but the Braves clearly saw something there despite the pedestrian fastball and very hittable curveball. When Hernandez emerged from North Port to make his pro debut with Augusta, Hernandez was using his high arm slot to much better effect, getting better rising action on his low-90s fastball and pairing that with the curveball transformed into a truly devastating gyro slider. He struck out 7 of the 11 batters he faced in his one outing with the Greenjackets without allowing a baserunner, arguably the best pitching debut from anyone in the 2024 draft. His scoreless streak wouldn’t last the first inning of his next start, this time for high-A Rome, but he still struck out 5 after settling in for 3 innings. His next pro walk will be his first, a far cry from his 11% walk rate in 2024 for Miami.

Hernandez’s stature (5’10”, 210 pounds) and pitch mix would seem to point to a high likelihood of eventually working out of the bullpen and his pro look is obviously a small sample in comparison to a middling season in college, hence the 20th ranking here, but this is also very much a guy to watch.

21. Junior Garcia, OF
Age: 19 | Bats: L
.251/.375/.320 | 107 wRC+ | 3 HR | 15 SB | 14.2% BB | 30.2% K (FCL/A)
Acquired: International Amateur Free Agent – 2023
Prior Ranking: N/A

Garcia didn’t sign until later in the 2023 signing period, but has made up ground to become the most projectionable of the Braves young Latin American position players outside of shortstop Jose Perdomo. That said, he received a 40-game look in low-A Augusta and was clearly overmatched most of that time, though he was having better plate appearances as the season was wrapping up.

Garcia has a classic lefty slugger’s swing and pretty good bat control for his age. What he doesn’t have is size and strength as his 4 career pro home runs can attest, though his frame looks like he could easily put on more muscle mass. Garcia also has solid strike zone judgement. His strikeouts spiked when he was promoted to low-A, but that should stabilize with experience. Defensively Garcia should be able to man either corner outfield spot well and he shows a solid average to above-average arm. Look for Garcia to return to Augusta in 2025 and likely stick for the season.

22. Luis Guanipa, OF
Age: 19 | Bats: R
.219/.286/.291 | 68 wRC+ | 2 HR | 10 SB | 8.3% BB | 20.7% K (DSL)
Acquired: International Amateur Free Agent – 2023
Prior Ranking: 13

Commanding the biggest bonus of the 2023 Braves international draft, Guanipa has been slowed by injuries in both of his pro seasons. A hamstring injury kept Guanipa off the field until June this year, but he showed across the board improvement at North Port in his 20 games with the FCL Braves, earning a mid-July promotion to low-A Augusta (along with Junior Garcia and shortstop John Gil). That move exposed deficiencies in his game, and unlike Garcia there was not as much observed improvement as the season concluded.

Guanipa has reportedly modeled his swing off his fellow Venezuelan Ronald Acuña Jr., and when he steps in the box and takes his stance you can easily see the resemblance. As the pitch comes in however the illusion falls apart as he has a relatively flat, grooved swing. He doesn’t recognize pitches well at this point and he’s often in between pitches. He did not try to steal bases very much in 2024, likely in deference to his hamstring issues, but when at full health he should be an easy 20+ stolen base threat. He also plays a good centerfield, showing a feel for the position belied by his age.

Guanipa will only turn 19 years old a few days from this publication so he has plenty of time to develop. Hopefully we will see a fully healthy Guanipa manning centerfield all season in Augusta, transforming all those potential plus tools into actual plus skills.

23. Jeremy Reyes, RHP
Age: 19
1.96 ERA | 4.02 FIP | 9 G, 8 GS | 36.2 IP | 6.14 BB/9 | 7.85 K/9 (FCL/A)
Acquired: International Free Agent – 2023
Prior Ranking: N/A

The third in a string of 2023 international signings in this section of the list, Reyes flashed an exciting pitch mix in the complex leagues and in low-A Augusta before being shelved with a shoulder injury that ended his season in an abbreviated start on July 2. The injury did not require surgery and its likely Reyes will return to Augusta to start the 2025 season.

After an 8.1 inning pro debut in the DSL in 2023, Reyes saw action in North Port to start 2024 and quickly established himself the most promising of the stable of arms at the complex, striking out 23 in 21.2 innings and pitching to a 1.25 ERA in 5 outings. Reyes was promoted to low-A Augusta and threw three somewhat uneven starts before succumbing to the shoulder ailment. Reyes showed three solid pitches: a mid-90s four-seamer, a 1-to-7 biting slider, and an occasional straight change-up. Reyes’s control was spotty, especially once he arrived in Augusta, enough to make one wonder if he was pitching with shoulder pain in more than his final start.

Reyes is listed at 6’1″ and 170 pounds, but he looks about an inch taller already from his debut height. It’s easy to imagine the young Venezuelan filling out his frame more and adding to the fastball, and he could be part of a very young and very dynamic Augusta rotation to start the season.

24. Domingo Gonzalez, RHP
Age: 25
2.91 ERA | 4.22 FIP | 45 G, 1 GS | 52.2 IP | 3.76 BB/9 | 14.18 K/9 (FCL/A+/AAA/MLB)
Acquired: Rule 5 Draft, 2022
Prior Ranking: N/A

Acquired in the minor league portion of the 2022 Rule 5 draft from the Pittsburgh organization, Gonzalez was a valuable bullpen arm for double-A Mississippi in 2023. Re-signing with Atlanta as a minor league free agent before the 2024 season, Gonzalez returned to Mississippi and demonstrated improved command and received a mid-season promotion to triple-A Gwinnett. He established himself as a late inning option and the organization has added him to the Atlanta 40-man roster this offseason to keep him out of free agency again.

Gonzalez relies primarily on a 4-seam fastball that he’s able to hit the corners with and up and down in the zone. His primary secondary is a sharp slider that tumbles out of the zone in the left-hander’s batter’s box when he spins it right. Gonzalez can get strikeouts with either pitch. Gonzalez saw improvement in his command in 2024, but he occasionally can battle his release point, causing his slider to becoming more of a non-competitive cutter and his fastball to miss in the dirt. After spending most of the season as a 1-inning, late-inning reliever the Stipers started using Gonzalez in multi-inning roles in September, perhaps getting him prepared for the middle-inning role he’d likely be asked to take on in a potential major league call-up.

Now that he’s on the 40-man roster look for Gonzalez to get major league looks in 2025 as an up-and-down man with precious, precious options.

25. David McCabe, DH
Age: 25 | Bats: S
.137/.284/.214 | 133 wRC+ | 2 HR | 2 SB | 17.0% BB | 29.8% K (AA)
Acquired: Drafted, 4th Round – 2022
Prior Ranking: 10

McCabe’s fortunes took a dramatic turn for the worse when he tore his UCL in an off-season workout shortly before the start of spring training. After a good season in A-ball followed up by a strong run in the Arizona Fall League, McCabe was expected to anchor the double-A Mississippi line-up in 2024 and hold down third base. Instead he missed all but 35 games, joining the team on July 30 and playing exclusively at designated hitter while his elbow healed. He returned to the Arizona Fall League and got in some games at first base late in the run.

McCabe entered the season as one of the few true power threats in the organization. When he returned to action he looked understandably rusty and he never really got into a groove. He looked more comfortable in his limited action in the AFL, but all-in-all it was essentially a lost year. McCabe has more power from the left-hand side of the plate, but has two good batting eyes and will draw plenty of walks.

McCabe will come into 2025 looking to re-establish himself, likely back at double-A. He was never a defensive star at third base, with his arm being his best defensive tool. If his UCL surgery has robbed him of that he will likely have to play first base and/or DH exclusively, putting more pressure on him to re-discover his power stroke.

26. John Gil, SS
Age: 18 | Bats: R
.250/.358/.330 | 102 wRC+ | 3 HR | 40 SB | 12.7% BB | 19.2% K (FCL/A)
Acquired: International Free Agent – 2023
Prior Ranking: N/A

Gil has impressed in the complex leagues with his athleticism, defensive versatility, speed, and batting eye. Promoted to low-A Augusta along with teammates Junior Garcia and Luis Guanipa, Gil struggled at the plate in his first exposure to full-season ball but showed enough flashes that he will likely retain the shortstop spot to start 2025.

Gil has a strong right-handed swing that can generate line-drive power. It is possible that could turn into over-the-fence power as he develops both at the plate and physically. In Augusta more advanced pitchers were able to get Gil to put the ball on the ground more often. Gil does have plus speed so sometimes those grounders could become hits, but he’s at his best rifling the ball over the infielder’s heads. Gil has a good arm for both shortstop and third, but he looks most comfortable at shortstop.

27. Landon Harper, RHP
Age: 26
2.43 ERA | 3.79 FIP | 32 G, 6 GS | 77.2 IP | 1.62 BB/9 | 7.42 K/9 (AA/A+)
Acquired: Acquired: Drafted, 14th Round – 2022
Prior Ranking: N/A

Harper thrived after a May promotion to double-A Mississippi, somewhat of a homecoming for the Meridian native. After performing well in middle relief, the Braves stretched him in three starts to end the season and he responded by giving up only 7 hits and 2 runs in 14 innings. He was tabbed by the Braves to continue working in the Arizona Fall League where he acquitted himself well in 6 relief outings.

Harper primarily relies on a 4-seam, low-90s fastball and a hard slider. His command took a step up in 2024, and he can deliver both pitches to both sides of the plate and up and down and usually hit his spots. He has a deceptive short-arm delivery that helps both pitches play up, and the fastball has some natural arm-side cut. He has thrown a change-up in the past, but I did not see any in 2024. Harper can get in trouble when that fastball cuts back over the heart of the plate and he can occasionally hang the slider, but he doesn’t hurt himself with walks. If the Braves want to take a longer look at Harper as a starting pitcher he will likely start back in double-A Columbus, but if they commit to him as a relief pitcher he could find himself in Gwinnett come early April.

28. Jacob Shafer, RHP
Age: 22
1.35 ERA | 2.23 FIP | 5 G, 5 GS | 20.0 IP | 3.15 BB/9 | 10.8 K/9 (A)
Acquired: Acquired: Drafted, 17th Round – 2024
Prior Ranking: N/A

Shafer made a very strong first impression in his five appearances with low-A Augusta after being a late-round senior sign out of UNC-Wilmington. Shafer’s 24 strikeouts tied teammate Owen Hackman for the most by any 2024 draftee last season.

Shafer showcased an impressive hard slider that generated most of that hit-and-miss, but he set it up with two different fastballs — a two-seamer that dives down and a four-seamer that rises. Both fastballs come in at around the same velocity, typically in the low-90s but he can sometimes find another gear into the mid-90s. He throws all three pitches out of the same arm slot and same motion and his 6’8″, 240-pound body is intimidating on the bump.

Shafer may need another off-speed pitch to be successful in a rotation as he progressives, but for now his current mix should allow him success. Look for Shafer to start the season in high-A Rome.

29. Ambioris Tavarez, SS
Age: 21 | Bats: R
.199/.298/.320 | 82 wRC+ | 3 HR | 11 SB | 10.6% BB | 38.5% K (A)
Acquired: International Amateur Free Agent – 2021
Prior Ranking: 17

The first big-bonus international amateur signing after the Braves shed the sanctions put on them in the wake of the Coppolella scandal, Tavarez’s first season at the high-A level exposed more of the offensive issues that manifested the prior year in low-A Augusta. A broken hand suffered on a hit-by-pitch caused him to miss three months of the season did his development no favors either.

Strikeouts are the main bugaboo for Tavarez, though he’s not necessarily a free-swinger. Instead he seems to get caught in between too many pitches — late on the fastball, ahead of off-speed — and that puts him behind in the count nearly every at-bat. He clearly wants to use an all-fields approach to spray the ball around and use his plus speed for doubles and stolen bases, but right now his pitch recognition and ability to adjust at the plate aren’t developed enough to allow him to do so consistently. Tavarez is a gifted fielder at shortstop however, with good range and an excellent arm. His reactions are sometimes a little slow, and it appears that he sometimes loses focus.

Without another shortstop prospect pushing up from Augusta, it seems likely Tavarez will return to Rome. He just turned 21 in November so there’s still time for a breakthrough. He did seem to be putting together better plate appearances in the weeks leading up to his broken hand, and improving at the plate to the point of being even an average hitter would propel him back up the prospect lists given his baserunning and defensive pluses.

30. Carlos Rodriguez, OF
Age: 24 | Bats: L
.284/.368/.374 | 118 wRC+ | 4 HR | 17 SB | 11.8% BB | 10.4% K (AA/AAA)
Acquired: Minor League Free Agent — 2024
Prior Ranking: N/A

The Braves signed Rodriguez this off-season to a major league (if non-guaranteed) contract, giving the former Milwaukee prospect a 40-man roster spot to differentiate themselves from what was reportedly a spirited free agent pursuit of the left-handed outfielder.

Rodriguez is a hit-over-power batter, and his 4 home runs in 2024 split between double-A Biloxi and triple-A Nashville were a career high. Rodriguez looks to slash pitches opposite field and use his above average speed on the bases. While he strikes out slightly more that one would hope given his offensive profile, he also draws plenty of walks to help pump up his on-base average. He runs well despite tearing his ACL in 2022, and he’s a solid defender in centerfield.

Rodriguez will likely compete with the likes of Eli White and Luke Williams for a spot on the Atlanta bench this spring, but the most likely outcome is that he will start the season in the Gwinnett outfield and provide depth in case of injury.

31. Owen Hackman, RHP (23): a 9th-round senior sign, Hackman impressed in 5 appearances (3 starts) with Augusta at the end of the season. Reportedly has 4 pitches but mostly concentrated on the low-90s fastball with nice rising action, a solid-average slider, and a bit of a change-up. Should start the season in Rome and could be valuable as a starter or reliever.

32. Rolddy Muñoz, RHP (24): Muñoz has potentially late-inning stuff, especially his slider which is one of the best in the organization. The organization will likely need to see more consistent command however before he’s given a look in Atlanta, though the Braves gave him a big nod of encouragement by adding him to the 40-man roster this offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

33. Hayden Harris, LHP (26): Harris has One Simple Trick to Get Hitters Out: throw a weird, low-90s fastball with lots of movement and deception. That was more than good enough in double-A, but his command faltered at triple-A and right-handed hitters started squaring him him regularly. Harris has gone from almost 100% fastballs to starting to mix in a splitter and a slider but neither pitch is average right now. His work in the Arizona Fall League didn’t do much to alleviate concerns that he may have hit his level, but it will come back down to fastball command for him if he can take one final step from undrafted college amateur to major leaguer.

34. Adam Maier, RHP (23): the 2022 7th-rounder made his pro debut in 2024 after missing all of the previous season rehabbing from an internal brace procedure and dealing with an oblique strain. He was hit fairly consistently thanks to a pedestrian fastball, but he has perhaps the best curveball in the organization. He got some experience in the Arizona Fall League and he will be interesting to watch in Rome this season to see if he can make a step up.

35. Ethan Bagwell, RHP (19): Bagwell will likely join Cam Caminiti and Jeremy Reyes as teenage starting pitchers in Augusta to start the 2025 season. An overslot 6th-round selection, Bagwell is a big bodied 6’4″, 230 pounds with a fastball that reportedly has touched 97. He also throws a slider and change-up. A project pitcher, the Braves will hope he follows in the footsteps of fellow big-bodied overslot prep draftee Garrett Baumann in his time with Augusta.

36. Dylan Dodd, LHP (26): In 2023 Dodd was chosen as a surprise member of the Atlanta rotation out of spring training after a great showing in the Grapefruit League and injuries to others. Unfortunately it’s been tough sledding for Dodd since then. Last year he battled uncharacteristic command issues and injuries (and it seemed like the two were related), and he ended up bumped out of a starting role and made only one late season appearance with the big league club. Dodd’s stuff has always been major league fringy, but he countered that with exceptional command, so a permanent loss in that area caps his usefulness. His 40-man roster spot is certainly in jeopardy without showing improvement this spring.

37. Luke Waddell, IF (26): the popular Georgia Tech alum spent all season with a triple-A, mostly playing second base in deference to Nacho Alvarez Jr.’s development, but Waddell is still a potential major league utility infielder. His near-total lack of raw power means he needs some batted-ball luck to be successful and that luck has not manifested regularly in his time as a Gwinnett Striper, but his defensive versatility and steady play will keep him drawing triple-A paychecks.

38. Luis De Avila, LHP (23): returned to double-A for 2024 after a strong 2023 at the same level, De Avila got off to a slow start and battled the injury bug a bit. De Avila is a groundball pitcher that needs to mix in his secondaries to be successful, but he saw his strikeout rate take a dip last year. A healthy De Avila, commanding his sinking fastball and change-up well, is a potential major league long/middle reliever, but he will need to show that consistently in 2025.

39. Allan Winans, RHP (29): Winans was a great story after coming to the organization as a minor league Rule 5 draftee and making it the majors, then throwing 7 shutout innings in a start against his former team, the New York Mets. The road has been very bumpy since then however, and Winans only made two emergency starts for Atlanta in 2024. In Gwinnett Winans struck out fewer batters and gave up a few more home runs and was bumped from the rotation by more upside arms. Like Dylan Dodd, Winans will go into spring looking to re-establish himself, otherwise his 40-man roster spot too will be up for grabs.

40. Mario Baez, IF (18): small but athletic, Baez caught the attention of prospect watchers with a strong season in the DSL in 2023. Baez came over to the States and didn’t make the same impact in the FCL. He also was shunted to second base in deference to teammate John Gil, whom he then watched get promoted up to low-A Augusta. Baez may join him there to start 2025, but while Baez reportedly hits the ball hard, he hits far too many into the ground or straight up in the air.

41. Davis Polo, RHP (20): the Braves continue to turn up interesting arms in the international amateur market and Polo is one of them. Polo worked as a starter and reliever as a 19-year-old for Augusta, throwing a 91-93 mph 4-seam fastball, slider, and change-up. Polo is control-over-command right now and batters made plenty of contact against him, which typically isn’t a recipe for success in low-A. That said, the slider has swing-and-miss potential and his fastball could pick up some velocity as he looks to still have some room to fill out his frame.

42. Isaiah Drake, OF (19): was held to only 74 games in 2024 with an assortment of minor injuries and could never find a groove at the plate, held to a .163/.259/.252 batting line for Augusta. Drake is hyper-athletic and possibly the fastest player in the organization, but his hitting skills are far behind at this point and he will have to fight for plate appearances in what has become a suddenly crowded Augusta outfield.

43. Drew Compton, 1B (23): a non-drafted amateur free agent signing in 2023 out of Georgia Tech, Compton had statically the most productive season by any Braves minor league position player in 2024, hitting .289/.394/.414 combined in low- and high-A. The Braves tabbed him for a bench role in the Arizona Fall League. A third baseman in college, Compton is an acceptable if uninspiring defensive first baseman. Compton will likely be challenged with a double-A promotion.

44. Juan Sanchez, RHP (21): getting the call-up to Augusta after two full seasons in the complex leagues, Sanchez showed off a fastball that can hit 100 mph and a pretty solid slider, but lapses of control limited him.

45. Elison Joseph, RHP (24): Sanchez can perhaps look to Joseph for inspiration as the late-blooming Dominican turned heads with a sparkling 2.04 ERA in 39 appearances across high-A and double-A. Joseph can also touch 100 mph and his slider took a step up as he was able to throw it closer to the strikezone more often to generate more swing-and-miss, but his high walk rate limits his ceiling.

46. Ethan Workinger, OF (23): a non-drafted amateur free agent from the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Workinger is a solid all-round player without a carrying tool. Ideally would be part-time player, but will likely get starting duties in double-A in 2025.

47. Diego Benitez, IF (20): the top Braves international signing in 2022, Benitez now owns a .198/.308/.296 career pro batting line in 624 plate appearances. The Opening Day shortstop for Augusta in 2024, Benitez was sent back down to North Port after committing 18 errors in 32 games. Back in the FCL, Benitez worked exclusively at third base. Everywhere he went, his bat was slow and grooved.

48. Mitch Farris, LHP (24): was a valuable swingman at three different levels and amassed 131 strikeouts (third highest in the Braves minor leagues) thanks to confounding A-ball hitters with a sophisticated change-up/curveball combination that few hitters of that level have any idea how to combat. The question is can a pitcher that only throws the fastball 87-90 mph survive at higher levels even with two plus secondaries.

49. Douglas Glod, OF (20): a large-bonus signing out of Venezuela in 2022, Glod hasn’t been able to escape the complex leagues yet, and even regressed some in 2024. He’s maxed out physically and is stretched in center field, so he will need to stop striking out and hitting so many ground balls if he wants to be a major part of the outfield conversation in Augusta.

50. Jesse Franklin V, OF (26): Franklin once formed a formidable middle of the order in Rome along with Michael Harris II, but injuries have completely sapped his forward momentum. A torn UCL in 2022 cost him almost all of that season and half of the next and severe shoulder tendinitis erased his 2024 season. When healthy he is one of the few true power threats in the organization, but it is a huge question mark on what kind of player he is at this point.