Braves: Most Exciting Prospects to Watch in Spring Training

Braves Pitching Prospects to Watch For in Spring Training

Tucker Davidson 

I was one of the ones screaming all year in 2020 for the Braves to give Tucker Davidson a chance. They finally did at the end of the season and things didn’t work out how I was hoping.

Against the Red Sox, he gave up 7 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits and 4 walks over 1.2 innings with 2 strikeouts.

Clearly, the nerves were there for the 24-year-old lefty in his big league debut. He’ll have to learn to manage those nerves if he’s ever going to reach his potential as a middle-of-the-rotation starter.

Now that he has that big league debut out of the way, I can’t wait to see how he responds in Spring Training to prove he deserves another shot at some point in 2021.

He’s a very analytic guy as you know if you follow him on Twitter, and I’m very confident he’s going to figure it out and be a very solid Major League pitcher one day.

Jasseel De La Cruz

De La Cruz shot up the prospect boards in 2019 blazing through Single-A and High-A before settling at Double-A where he posted a 3.83 ERA in 87 innings as a 22-year-old.

I, personally, haven’t seen much of him so I’m really hoping to get a look at the righty this Spring as the stuff sounds electric.

He’s on down the depth chart for starters, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a shot in the bullpen later in 2021 if needed.

Kyle Muller

Last Spring Training was not pretty for the big lefty as Muller gave up 5 hits in just 1 inning over two outings with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts.

But he’s certainly fun to watch and one to keep an eye on if he can ever learn to command his pitches.

With a fastball in the upper 90s and a plus curveball, he certainly has the makings to be a dominant pitcher — either as a starter or as a reliever.

We’ll see what strides Muller has made with his command this Spring and whether or not he’s ready for a chance with the Braves.

Freddy Tarnok

Freddy is someone the Braves spent a lot of money on when they took him in the third round of the 2017 Draft. But they’re still waiting on him to show what they thought he could be.

He reached High-A in 2019 but posted just a 4.87 ERA in 98 innings with 82 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.44.

Tarnok did improve his walk-rate at the end of 2019 and has received high praise from the Braves staff since then. We’ll see what kind of strides he has made this Spring.

Braves Hitters to Watch in Spring Training

Drew Waters

Most eyes will likely be on Waters is a polarizing prospect among Braves fans — some hate him, some love him.

I’ve been more on the side that I think he’s a bust, and certainly what we saw from him in Spring Training last year wasn’t pretty.

But there’s a reason people keep putting him at the top of their prospect list, and it’s because of the potential.

Hopefully he made some big strides at the alternate camp and was able to cut down on his swing to avoid so many strikeouts. As down as I’ve been on him, I’m really excited to see him in camp.

Michael Harris 

This is the prospect I’m most excited to see as I think he might be the best prospect in the Braves system (once Cristian Pache and Ian Anderson graduate).

The soon-to-be 20-year-old out of Stockbridge, Ga. turned a lot of heads in his first season of pro ball.

A very raw player with plenty of athleticism, he has the chance to turn into a top 100 prospect by the end of the year.

Trey Harris 

A college bat out of Missouri, Harris has done nothing but hit since the Braves drafted him in the 32nd round of the 2018 draft.

He reached Double-A in 2019 where he hit .281 in 41 games.

Harris just also seems like a really cool guy if you follow him on Twitter (@JustCallMe_Duce), and somebody that’s easy to root for.

Many still aren’t sure if he’ll be an everyday corner outfielder or just a really solid fourth outfielder. But either way, he seems destined for the big leagues pretty soon.

Shea Langeliers

The ninth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Langeliers looks like the catcher of the future for the Braves. Many services rank him as a top 100 prospect in all of baseball — and that’s mostly just because of his elite defensive skills.

But the Braves also say he’s come along quickly with the bat. I’m interested to see how much that bat has developed and if he could be ready to take on the starting job in Atlanta as soon as 2022.

William Contreras

I’m really interested to see what Contreras does this Spring. At this point, the Braves haven’t signed a back-up catcher for the 2021 season, which means it could be a battle between Contreras and Alex Jackson.

I really loved what I saw in the limited sample size from Contreras last year, and wouldn’t be mad at all if ends up being the team’s back-up.

Braden Shewmake

Another prospect that a lot of people are much higher on than me. And it’s not that I don’t like Shewmake, I just don’t see him as an everyday guy.

I think he certainly has the potential to be a great utility guy who could start 80-100 games a year as a utility player.

His bat is mature enough that he could make a push to be in the big leagues this year. And with the lack of depth on the Braves bench, he has a good shot at having an impact there if he can impress the coaching staff this Spring.

Bryce Ball

Maybe everyone’s favorite prospect to gush over is 6-foot-6 Bryce Ball. He became the darling of 2020 Spring Training with his huge size and power.

The problem now is that the first base is (most likely, assuming an extension soon) locked up for years to come, and the DH is likely locked up as well for the next three years after 2021 with Marcell Ozuna.

I’m not sure what the Braves plans are with him, but I do know it’s fun to watch him in the batter’s box.

Those are the prospects I’ll be keeping an eye on this Spring. Please let me know who you’re excited to see the most in the comments below.