Despite some early spring training injuries to key arms, the Atlanta Braves have otherwise had a very productive camp. The team has been playing well, and some key players that the Braves really needed to get off to a strong start, such as Michael Harris II, Austin Riley, Grant Holmes, Chris Sale, and Matt Olson, have done just that.
However, it isn't only the usual suspects that have had strong spring trainings thus far. With Opening Day a little over a week away, it is worth taking a look at the less-expected top performers down at Braves camp.
Here are the Braves' top performers down at spring training that fans didn't see coming
There is going to be a small but vocal minority out there that takes issue with one name or another being classified as "unexpected" while claiming they always believed in them. Fine. Congratulations. The goal isn't to find guys who had been universally ignored, but instead to identify overlooked players who have greatly exceeded expectations. Make of that what you will.
Kyle Farmer
If you were to ask the average Braves fan who leads Atlanta in terms of hits this spring, odds are that you wouldn't get Kyle Farmer as an answer from many. However, that is exactly the case as Farmer's 14 hits across 35 at-bats have led to a .400/.417/.514 line from him in spring training. No, the Braves didn't stumble into their own Ted Williams, but Farmer's performance this spring has put him firmly in the running for a utility role in Atlanta for 2026.
Mike Yastrzemski
When the Braves signed Mike Yastrzemski, most fans gave the move a collective shrug. Despite his baseball lineage, Yastrzemski's hit tool has been very questionable since the end of the 2020 season. At 35 years old, most thought Yastrzemski was headed for, at best, a future as an above-average platoon player. Now that Yastrzemski has posted a staggering 1.507 OPS in 12 games this spring, fans are definitely dreaming a lot bigger of Yaz. That said, they probably shouldn't expect him to keep this pace up, as that would be objectively insane.
Jose Azocar
Jose Azocar came into camp as a guy who could serve as a bench outfielder and potentially as an emergency backup for Michael Harris II in center field and little else. While he hasn't gotten the attention others have gotten in camp thanks to his career-long lack of power, Azocar is hitting .314 this spring. Given his speed, Azocar has definitely increased his odds of playing a supporting outfield role and/or being a pinch runner in 2026 than he had when camp opened.
Didier Fuentes
We won't linger long here, as Didier Fuentes has quickly become the talk of Braves spring training. Fuentes' brutal MLB debut last season led at least one Braves beat reporter to repeatedly make him the butt of jokes for weeks afterwards. Fuentes has clearly changed that narrative, and after one of the most dominant spring trainings we have seen from a Braves pitcher, the existing arguments to keep him off the Opening Day roster are getting flimsier and flimsier.
Hayden Harris
The Braves' top four strikeout leaders in spring training are currently Fuentes (17), Grant Holmes (16), Reynaldo Lopez (14), and JR Ritchie (14), which isn't all that surprising, given that all four are starters getting substantial innings in camp. However, that reliever Hayden Harris is tied for fifth with 12 punch-outs with just five innings pitched is pretty wild. Harris' Opening Day roster chances hinge on the presence of minor league options elsewhere in the bullpen, but the odds are good that Harris will play a real role as a reliever in the big leagues (or at least he will get the chance to, anyway) at some point in 2026.