In 2026, the Atlanta Braves decided to spread the money around and sign more players instead of going after any of the top-tier international free agents. Statistically, the Braves' Dominican Summer League team had a rough year, going 16-39 on the year with the 47th-ranked offense (there are 51 teams) and the 41st-ranked rotation. The offense had the fourth-worst team OPS in the whole league.
However, one should not let those numbers fool you. There were five players that showed some true potential and talent that Braves fans should be excited to have stateside to see in action in 2027.
These Braves international signings have already shown reasons to be excited about their arrival
5. Jose Nelo
A 5'11 catcher out of the Dominican Republic, Nelo signed for $50K and raked to a .296 average, .392 on-base percentage, and .428 slugging percentage, adding up to a .820 OPS. Nelo hit 12 doubles and three home runs while walking 25 times to 37 strikeouts in 47 games for a 13% walk rate to only a 19% walk rate. Nelo finished his year with a 108 wRC+ and a .404 wOBA, giving true value to one of the lower signings in the class.
4. Sherrintley Da Costa Gomez
Say that name three times fast. Signed for $250K, Gomez is an outfielder from Willemstad, Curaçao, the home of Andruw Jones and Ozzie Albies. Gomez has a huge frame at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds at only 17 years old, and he showed that size comes with a lot of power as he put up some very impressive exit velocities. Gomez finished his year with a .409 on-base percentage with only a .248 batting average because he walked at an impressive 20% rate, albeit striking out 34% of the time, which are numbers almost identical to the two-year-older Conor Essenburg.
When Gomez hit the ball, he crushed it, hitting five home runs, three triples, and five doubles in only 43 games. He also swiped seven stolen bases all while running a .440 slugging percentage and a .849 OPS. Add him to the long list of prospects with impressive power added to the system recently.
3. Jose Manon
A 6-foot-2 shortstop, Atlanta signed Manon out of the Dominican Republic for the highest bonus in their class at $1.5 million. Manon showed why he was on the Baseball America rankings at No. 26 overall. While only getting to play 30 games, Manon hit .302 with a .400 on-base percentage and a .796 OPS. He stole almost as many bases (19) as he had strikeouts (22), and walked 14 times in those 30 games. Manon showed some solid line drive pop in his bat, hitting seven doubles and a home run while walking at an 11% clip and only striking out an impressive 17% of the time.
Manon played well enough to end the season ranked in Baseball America's Atlanta Braves top 30 at number 28. Manon shows plus speed on the bases and a smooth glove at short and will bring his 107 wRC+ and .404 wOBA stateside to prove he can man the shortstop position, loaded with tons of potential already in place
2. Jorwin Pulido
A 6-foot catcher signed out of Venezuela for only $350K, Pulido impressed in ways nobody could have seen coming. Pulido showed impressive defensive prowess and top-of-the-scale pop times while having the most complete season out of anyone in the class. He hit to an electric .324 average, a .404 on base, a .437 slug and an OPS of .839. A catcher with wheels, Pulido stole 13 bases while only getting caught once. Pulido hit zero home runs hit this season, but he did hit six doubles and a triple to go along with 10 walks to only five strikeouts in 22 games.
Pulido earned himself the very rare mid-season international promotion to the FCL and proceeded to get even better, albeit in only a six-game sample. Pulido hit an insane .389 with a .542 on-base, a .556 slugging, and a crazy 1.098 OPS with three doubles among his seven hits in 18 at-bats while walking three more times to only four strikeouts, and added two more stolen bases to boot. In his 28 total games, Pulido walked at a 12% rate and only struck out at an insane 8% rate.
Pulido has the size to develop more power as he ages, but his other tools have shown plenty of potential to get excited for, going from a relatively unknown signing to rocking his way to Baseball America's No. 30 Braves prospect.
1. Starlyn De La Cruz
The small-statured 5-foot-9 center fielder out of the Dominican Republic showed some of the loudest tools in the Braves' class. De La Cruz was the second-highest Braves signing, ranked on Baseball America's top 50 international list at No. 36, and received the second-highest bonus at $1.2 million, and showed early on he was worth every dime. De La Cruz only got to play in 16 games before suffering a season-ending injury, but those 16 games showed he is on another level. He hit a crazy .360 with a jaw-dropping .500 average, .560 slug, and the highest OPS in the system at 1.060. In 50 at-bats, he hit two doubles, a triple, and two home runs.
De La Cruz's swing shows fast hands and explosive exit velocities, all while being very patient at the plate. He walked the same number of times as he struck out, 14 times for a 21% rate. On the defensive side of the ball, he gets great reads on the ball of the bat, has a plus arm, and flashes plus-plus speed to go with his plus bat speed. De La Cruz showed so much talent, he was already moved stateside to continue his rehab from injury and will already be ready to roll when the 2027 season begins.
One honorable mention worth mentioning here is Edelson Cabral, who was Atlanta's third-highest-paid signing at $600K and finished his 50 games with a .397 on-base percentage with nine extra-base hits and 13 stolen bases, but only had a .236 batting average.
The Braves' farm system has shown an insane amount of progression from the 2025 season into the 2026 year. If these players are any indication of the future, 2027 is going to continue that rising trend and add a lot more true potential stateside for fans to continue to be excited for.
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