While the Atlanta Braves have built an organization that is a gold standard across baseball when you look at the total package, they are far from perfect. They get signings and trades wrong sometimes just like every team does, but one area that they have lagged behind in is the international market.
The Braves certainly have some success stories from international free agency (some guy named Ronald Acuña Jr. comes to mind), but it has been a while since they have hit on their big signings. Ambioris Tavarez, Luis Guanipa, and Jose Perdomo have all been (at best) slow to develop at the start of their careers despite being guys signed with seven figure bonuses.
That narrative could change in a big way if last year's top international Braves signee, Diego Tornes, breaks out the way that some think he could.
Diego Tornes breaking out in 2026 would finally signal that the Braves are on the right track in the international market
Tornes was already highly thought of and showed some nice flashes last season, but his numbers don't immediately jump off the page at first glance. In 32 games in the DSL in 2025, Tornes put up a decent, but not amazing .797 OPS and didn't hit a single home run. However, Baseball America recently noted that scouts appear to be in love with Tornes and think he was one of the best prospects in the league despite being one of the youngest players in the league as well.
In terms of tools, Tornes is not lacking. A switch-hitter, Tornes has the kind of projectable frame that teams love to see in young guys and there are some that think he will end up having at least plus raw power. He has a chance to stick as a center field thanks to his quickness and that speed also helps him on the bases to be a legitimate, if not overwhelming, stolen base threat. In short, he has the ingredients to be a special player, though anything can happen when guys are this young.
If the Braves can get Tornes to take that next step and become one of their best five prospects or so this offseason, their international scouting efforts will look a lot better. Unfortunately, Atlanta again has had other really talented players flame out or struggle in recent years and if Tornes joins them, the Braves may have a deeper problem than we realized.