The Atlanta Braves' farm system has seen a resurgence this season. Thanks to some surprisingly strong performances from guys like Eric Hartman, as well as last year's draft class doing well, the Braves have prospect depth that they haven't had in years. Names like Hartman, Tate Southisene, and John Gil have gotten most of the headlines so far this season, but a pair of lesser-known hitting prospects are making names for themselves right now.
The Braves drafted Owen Carey in the 15th round of the 2024 draft and added Conor Essenburg in the fifth round of last year's draft. Both players appeared to have a lot of promise last year, but most experts were cautious given their status as high school bats that weren't drafted particularly highly. Given the track record of prep hitters in recent years, that caution is hard to argue with.
However, after both Essenburg and Carey had pretty strong first halves to the 2026 season, they have taken things up a notch lately. In fact, they are quickly becoming two of the Braves' more intriguing trade chips ahead of the deadline.
Three homers today. Three consecutive games with at least one homer. 🚀🚀🚀
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 29, 2026
19-year-old @Braves prospect Conor Essenburg hits a milestone for Single-A @GreenJackets: pic.twitter.com/JVr8Sdpvzu
Conor Essenburg and Owen Carey are quickly becoming two Braves prospects to watch ahead of the trade deadline
Both Essenburg and Carey dealt with injuries early in the season, but bounced back reasonably well. In the 38 games Essenburg played for Augusta in the first half after returning from the IL, he posted a respectable .264/.399/.465 line with six homers. In the 27 games for Rome between Carey's return and the end of the first half, he put up a .255/.321/.461 line with five homers. Neither was exactly overpowering, but the production was solid overall.
However, the second half has seen both players show what they are capable of. Since the start of the second half on July 17, Carey has slashed .342/.432/.658 with two homers and, surprisingly, three triples on this ledger. Essenburg has been even more insane in his 10 games since the second half started, as he is currently the proud owner of a .389/.511/1.000 line with seven homers, including his three-homer outburst on Tuesday.
The timing of Carey and Essenburg's breakouts couldn't be much better for the Braves. Atlanta knowing that these two young hitters are figuring things out makes being aggressive at the trade deadline easier to swallow. Both prospects are likely to be in high demand in trade talks, but even if the Braves want to keep them, their sheer presence makes trading other bats in the system easier to withstand.
Stay tuned, Braves fans, because things are really starting to get interesting both in the minor leagues and in the trade rumor mill.