The Atlanta Braves' farm system isn’t the home of as many top prospects as it was when their run of seven postseasons began, but the club continues to locate hidden gems in the draft.
I’m using BA’s scouting grades throughout, so here’s a quick primer. The BA Grade measures a prospect's value and attempts to gauge the player's realistic ceiling. It’s similar to scouting grades in that 40 and 75-80 is where the franchise players live.
- Grade
- 75-80 Franchise Player – Ace
- 65-70 Perennial All-Star #1- #2 Starter
- 60 Occasional All-Star #3 starter Game’s best reliever
- 55 First-Division Regular #3-#4 starter, Elite Closer
- 50 Solid-Average Regular, #4 starter, Elite Set-up man
- 45 Semi-Regular/Platoon, #5 starter, Middle reliever
- 40 Reserve (Bench), Fill-in Starter. low-leverage reliever
Risk is what the name implies. How risky is it, based on what's known now, to project the future based on what the player’s done so far?
- LOW: Likely to reach realistic ceiling, certain big league career barring injury.
- MEDIUM: Some work left to refine their tools, but a polished player.
- HIGH: Most top draft picks in their first seasons, players with plenty of projection left, players with a significant flaw left to correct or players whose injury history is worrisome.
- VERY HIGH: Recent draft picks with a limited track record of success or injury issues.
- EXTREME: Many teenagers in Rookie ball, players with injury histories or players who struggle with a key skill (especially control for pitchers or strikeout rate for hitters).
Click Here to read Fangraphs’ explanations of the 20-80 scouting scale.
Two Top-100 prospects (at least) headline the 2025 Braves prospect list
The Braves system is pitching-heavy, but BA and BP agree that the Braves' number one prospect and one of baseball's best prospects is actually a catcher.
Drake Baldwin – Hit: 50 Power: 55 Run: 30 FLD: 50 Arm 50 Grade: 50 Risk: Medium
Baseball Prospectus ranked Baldwin 37th in their list of MLB’s top 101 prospects. Last August, Ben Spanier wrote that Baldwin had a claim for the best hitter in the Braves system. In November, Timothy Jackson backed that evaluation up.
"(Baldwin) hits the ever-loving hell out the ball…(he’s) contact oriented and sprays the ball around a fair amount…(not) picky when it comes to what pitches to attack but he can do damage on just about anything. A guy who moves the barrel around like that but also impacts the ball can be a difference maker."Timothy Jackson
Baseball America has Baldwin at number 77 in their top 100, but shares the same views on his bat.
He's a well-rounded hitter who hits the ball hard, understands the strike zone, and improved his contact skills…particularly against secondaries...
BA believes his 13% BB%, 20-homer potential, strong arm, and ability to handle a pitching staff make him a future first-division regular. They ranked Baldwin baseball’s number six catching prospect, named him the power-hitting prospect, and the hitter with the best strike-zone recognition.
My take: If he has a good spring, Baldwin could break camp instead as part of the Braves catching platoon.
BA and BP agree that the Braves' number two prospect is a pitcher, but disagree on the pitcher. Since BP put their pick on their top 101 list, I’ll let him go first.
Hurston Waldrep – FB: 50 SL: 55 SPLT: 60 CTL: 40 Grade: 45 Risk Medium
BP hasn’t officially listed its list of top Braves prospects, but as they made Hurston Waldrep number 93 in their top 101, it’s safe to assume he’s number two on their list.
The Braves selected Waldrep with their first pick (24th overall) in the 2023 Rule 4 draft. He zipped through the system in 2024 – including two starts with Atlanta – and ended the season in AAA. Reading their scouting report, it’s easy to feel how high BP's evaluators are on Waldrep’s stuff.
"(Waldrep’s) impressive arsenal—a 97-mph heater, a split change that can miss plenty of bats and a solid slider—rocketed Waldrep(through the system) so rapid (he never recorded more than 12 innings at any level between Low-A and Triple-A) that it seemed possible (he) could’ve snuck his way onto Atlanta’s postseason roster. He might have done so, if he could improve the command."Baseball America
BA made Waldrep number 5 on their top 100 because he doesn’t throw enough strikes, they feel his fastball lacks the shape and movement needed to miss bats, and his 40-grade control indicates a real need to pound the zone a lot more (walk less than his career 11%) to make his secondaries, particularly his plus splitter, a true weapon.
A J Smith Shawver - FB: 60 CB: 45 SL: 55 CH: 50 STL: 45 Overall Grade: 50 Risk: Medium
Smith-Shawver is one of the hidden gems Steve Adams was talking about. A seventh-round selection in 2021, he made his Major League debut two years later at 20.
Baseball America made him number two on their list of Braves’ prospects because he’s flashed a fastball that’s touched 100, a change with a high WHIFF rate, and an excellent slider. Once their top prospect, AJSS’ fastball and slider weren’t as good last year, and he still struggles with control. They believe his stuff is good enough for a mid-rotation starter, but there’s some thought he may end up a late-inning reliever.
Baseball America's List of the Top-30 Braves Prospects
Here’s the top 30 as BA sees them as of December 11.
1. Drake Baldwin C | 11. Didier Fuentes RHP | 21. Luis Guanipa OF |
That’s A Wrap
The Braves' farm system is 28th in BA’s latest list of team talent, climbing out of last place to make room for the Astros, who’ve drained their prospect pool, and the Angels, who are …well…the angels.
In last week’s MLBTR subscriber chat, Steve Adams pointed out that forfeiting picks to sign free agents, trading for MLB-ready players, and drafting at the back of the first round drains a system. He also said that considering all of that, he thinks the Braves have done well.
Having only two or three prospects in or close to the top 100 in the game isn’t perfect, but it isn’t the end of the world. Baldwin, Waldrep, AJSS, and Hackenberg will help the team, and others will emerge because that’s what happens in baseball.