If the Atlanta Braves want to sustain a contending team, they are simply going to have to get better about adding and developing offensive talent. There is no denying that homegrown success stories have happened like Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley, and pre-2025 Michael Harris II, the Braves have had several notable international bat signings flop or are trending in that direction along with the propensity to avoid drafting hitters highly until this past year. The best path forward organizationally is a question for a different day, but it does appear as though Atlanta may have stumbled across a hitter that could help them.
With the World Series starting in just a few days, there is a lot of reflecting on the 2025 season happen while everyone waits for the offseason madness to begin. Braves beat writer Mark Bowman included a look at Braves prospects that could burst onto the scene in those reflections and one name, infielder John Gil, stands out as particularly interesting.
John Gil is quietly positioning himself to be a Braves prospect to watch
There were certainly other, more established names mentioned in Bowman's piece as well. Pitching prospect Luke Sinnard got some love and, unsurprisingly, JR Ritchie's future got it's very own section as well. However, Gil's name is not one that comes up in a lot of discussions of Atlanta's farm system, though that could be changing soon.
In Gil, you have a pretty classic speed/OBP profile. He can hit the ball hard, but generally prioritizes contact and working deep counts as Gil is not afraid to draw a walk and let his speed do work on the bases. Gil's offensive numbers in 2025 weren't overwhelmingly good with a .252/.348/.366 line and he struggled after his most recent promotion, but it is important to note that this kid is just 19 years old and the Braves still thought enough of him to promote him twice last year all the way to Double-A.
Given his profile and relative lack of power, Gil could find a path to contributing regularly in the big leagues a bit more difficult as that profile is very hard to make work. However, the results have been really good so far and Atlanta clearly sees something they like. If he can just continue to take steps forward despite being up against more advanced pitching, Gil could indeed find himself in the mix for a big league call-up sooner rather than later.