The Atlanta Braves's prospect have had a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League this year so far. We have seen Briggs McKenzie rebound from some rust to get comparisons to a young Chris Sale. Not to be outdone, Tate Southisene has emerged as one of the AFL's better position player prospects. However, McKenzie and Southisene are not the only Braves prospects that are turning heads in Arizona right now.
Braves outfield prospect Owen Carey had a strange 2026 season. Carey got off to a slow start before landing on the IL after needing a procedure to clean out an infection in his heel. However, upon his return to high-A Rome, Carey went on a tear over the following two months or so that earned him a promotion to Double-A, where he struggled over the season's final 35 games.
Given the missed time, Carey is an ideal candidate for the AFL, but few thought he would be as productive as he has been, given his relative inexperience and uneven production in 2026.
“I just like to always go. I think that's one of my things I try to work on."
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 30, 2026
From the ice to the diamond, #Braves OF prospect Owen Carey is learning that less is more during his Arizona Fall League tenure: https://t.co/7OV5T4dSSp pic.twitter.com/ak1eFf4q7p
Braves prospect Owen Carey is rounding into form down in the Arizona Fall League
In a profile by MiLB's Sam Dykstra, Carey said he hoped to work on his overly aggressive approach at the plate in Arizona this fall. Through his first few games in the AFL, we saw more of the same aggressiveness out of Carey, as he was coming to the plate hacking at the first pitch far more than he should have been.
However, after getting acclimated, something has clearly changed for the better. Thanks to a renewed focus on patience, Carey has rebounded to bring his overall line through 11 games in the AFL to .314/.455/.429, including a pair of triples and more than twice as many walks (7) as strikeouts (3). It is still early, but Carey is pretty quickly becoming a position prospect that Braves fans need to keep a close eye on.
That isn't to say Carey is particularly close to making his big-league debut. After all, he is still just 20 years old with 35 mediocre games at Double-A under his belt. However, Carey is showing that he might be further along in his development than we first thought, especially if he can close out his time in the Arizona Fall League strong.
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