Didier Fuentes was 20 years and three days old when he took the mound for his first major league start, making him the fifth-youngest starter in Atlanta Braves franchise history, and the second youngest behind Mike McQueen (19 years, 336 days) since the team moved to Atlanta. He was also the least likely to reach the majors when the 2025 season started.
Pitching in the majors at 20 isn’t easy, but Didier Fuentes’ stuff signals he’ll be back
The Braves' seventh best prospect (MLB Pipeline), Didier Fuentes, got his first taste of minor league ball with Low-A Augusta in 2023, and it didn’t go well. He struck out 27 in 26 IP, but he also gave up six homers, six doubles, and a triple while pitching to a 7.72 ERA. He stayed with Augusta in 2024gopt better results, striking out 98 in 75 innings, walking 21, and pitching to a 3.33 ERA.
He made three starts with Rome in 2025, moved to Columbus to make three more, then jumped to AAA Gwinnett, where he threw 22.1 innings over five starts before receiving the call to Atlanta. His stay with the Braves was short, and he gave up a lot of runs, and while it was obvious he wasn’t ready, he continued to strike batters out.
What to Expect
Last year, Chase wrote that the Braves had badly handled the Fuentes call-up, but it was more about who was rested and what he offered. The Braves called Fuentes up because of his strikeout stuff that centers around a 96mph, four-seam fastball that Baseball Savant puts in the 78th percentile, from a 29° arm angle that’s lower average. He gets excellent extension, and the heater has nice ride at the top of the zone.
Fuentes is listed at 6’0 and 170 pounds, but I’ve seen other sites that list him an inch shorter; maybe he grew after they measured him. His secondaries include a sweeping slider with above-average vertical drop and glove-side run, and a true curve, with similar drop and run but a sharper break and an occasional spilt. Reports I’ve seen suggest his height and arm slot combo and his arsenal fit better as a reliever.
That’s a Wrap
The Braves kept Fuentes in the rotation after he returned to Gwinnett, and that’s where he’ll start the season. It’s likely Fuentes will spend most of the season at Gwinnett refining his pitches because he’s still very much learning what it’s like to face older, more experienced batters.