The Atlanta Braves farm system is fairly riddled with impressive pitching prospects. Most prospect publications have penciled LHP Cam Caminiti as THE star among that impressive Braves' bunch. In fact, MLB Pipeline selected Caminiti as Atlanta's MiLB pitching prospect of the year. It's true Caminiti looked very promising in 2026, but he is not the minor league pitcher who should have been selected for that award.
Ethan Bagwell, Brett Sears, and Davis Polo stick out as some less heralded pitching prospects that probably were more deserving of consideration for this honor. This isn't a knock on Caminiti, or the year that he had, rather a missed chance to highlight some of the less-established arms within the Braves' system.
The first High-A punch-out for a young Ethan Bagwell. 🤛 pic.twitter.com/Q9VPxFcqD9
— Rome Emperors (@GoEmperors) July 1, 2026
Cam Caminiti is a fine choice for Braves' MiLB pitcher of the year, but Ethan Bagwell and others had a strong case too
Caminiti is the top ranked pitching prospect in the organization, and ranked 39th on MLB Pipeline's Top 100, but his 2026 didn't quite match what other pitchers in the organization did. Caminiti posted a 3.38 ERA in just over 114 innings last season, which is very solid for a 20-year-old who made his way to Double-A.
However, Bagwell posted a 3.17 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 105 Ks in 108 innings. Bagwell is currently listed as the No. 18 prospect in Atlanta's system, but his 2026 season showcased he could be an arm with real rotation potential by the 2028 season.
Additionally, Brett Sears had a very strong case as well. Sears skyrocketed all the way to Triple-A last year, where he posted a 1.73 ERA in 26 innings. Overall, Sears posted a 2.90 ERA in 124 innings in 2026, which rivaled some of the best results of any pitcher not named Chris Sale in the organization. The biggest reason he may not have been selected may be the fact that he was pitching at age 26 for most of last season.
Finally, Polo is the name that came out of nowhere for a lot of people last season. The 21-year-old Polo isn't even listed on the team's Top 30 Prospect list, but that didn't stop him from putting together a phenomenal season. Polo threw 129 innings across four different minor league levels, with a 3.00 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 140 strikeouts. Any of these guys would have been a great choice for MiLB pitcher of the year, but we still understand why Caminiti ended up being the arm that got the nod.
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