When the Atlanta Braves picked Isaiah Drake in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, it certainly raised some eyebrows, especially when it required a $750,000 over slot bonus to get him to forgo his commitment to Georgia Tech. Everyone agreed that Drake was immensely talented and his elite speed was tantalizing, but he was young for his draft class, and most thought that he needed seasoning in college before they would consider him for a future in professional baseball.
The Braves clearly disagreed with that latter assessment, but they appeared to have made a poor bet through the end of the 2024 season. Drake was certainly a menace on the bases when he actually reached base, but the strikeouts piled up, and many wondered if he would even be able to reach the upper levels of the minors at all.
However, Drake did bounce back in 2025, and based on the reports from camp on him so far, it looks like he may finally be tapping into his full potential this season.
Isaiah Drake may have fallen off the Braves prospect radar, but that could change in a hurry
At first glance, Drake's profile doesn't seem all that exciting. Without seeing him play live, one could think that he is just another speedy hitter with little power who will need to hit and walk a lot to be an impact player. As a professional, he has only a total of eight homers and 35 extra-base hits combined across two-plus seasons.
In this case, the numbers don't tell the whole story. Drake has had to make several adjustments to his swing and approach in order to reduce the strikeouts, which he successfully did last season. However, make no mistake, Drake is not lacking in raw strength, and many scouts believe that he has some real power in him once he gets comfortable. Drake's elite speed will still be his best tool in all likelihood, but there is hope that he can be an impact hitter aside from that as well.
It is easy to forget that Drake was taken right out of high school at a very young age and that he is still just 20 years old. Some prospects just take time to figure things out, and that is particularly true of high school bats that are young for their draft class, like Drake was. From the sounds of things, Drake is on the right track now, and that could be very fun to watch as he ascends the minor league ladder in 2026.