Atlanta Braves 2024 Top 30 Prospect Rankings: Pitching reigns supreme

25. Isaiah Drake - OF

The Braves took a gamble when they picked Drake in the fifth round of the 2023 draft out of high school, but they could not resist his unique blend of athleticism. Drake can absolutely fly and should hit for some power as his hit tool develops. That said, he struck out WAY too much in his pro debut and is a long-term project at the moment. If things break the Braves way, Drake has All-Star upside, but he is a long way off from that at the moment.

24. Cody Milligan - INF/OF

Milligan doesn't get the respect he deserves due to his lack of size and power, but he makes a ton of contact, can really run, is incredibly versatile as a defender (he even played catcher in college), and drives the ball more than he is given credit for. The most likely outcome is that he ends up as a bench bat that can back up multiple positions, but Milligan could easily become a big leaguer in the near future.

23. Mario Baez - INF

Baez wasn't really on the radar heading into the 2023 season, but he broke out in a big way down in the DSL with an .815 OPS while stealing 21 bases and showing some very tantalizing raw power. The 17 year old's approach at the plate is beyond his years and will serve him well against more advanced pitching, but we will need to see him produce in full season ball before we get too excited and rank him higher.

22. Didier Fuentes - RHP

The Braves were hyper aggressive in 2023 in putting him at low-A Augusta at just 18 years old in 2023. While his first look at full season ball did not go overly well (that may be being generous), Fuentes throws from a very low arm slot that can be very difficult for opposing righties to deal with. His fastball generally sits in the low to mid 90's and his slider can be a swing and miss pitch, but he will need to develop more than that in addition to refining his command to stick as a starter. Very interesting arm here, but one that is going to need some time to develop.

21. Douglas Glod - OF

Glod was one of two significant international signings for the Braves back in 2022 along with Diego Benitez, but his first season in rookie ball was pretty underwhelming as he slashed just .224/.386/.398. Glod's lack of size could prove to be problematic in the long-term, but he is also only 19 years old and has a strong approach at the plate that should pay dividends if he can develop his hit tool more this coming season.

20. David McCabe - 1B/3B

McCabe would have ranked higher here based on his performance in the minor leagues, but the recent announcement that he needed Tommy John surgery hurt him. While McCabe did post an .835 OPS last year with 17 homers as a switch hitter, there are some concerns about him external of his injury and the subsequent loss of development time. He somewhat lacks in bat speed and is definitely not a burner on the basepaths which puts a lot of importance on his ability to identify and time pitches up. Losing a big chunk of playing time due to his TJS at 23 years old was far from ideal, but he hit enough previously to still hold some hope that he could become a bat of note in the Braves' system.

19. Diego Benitez - SS

There is still hope that the $2.5 million that the Braves gave Benitez as an IFA signing in 2022 will work out, but the early returns have left something to be desired. In his first look at rookie ball in 2023, Benitez slashed .261/.332/.392 with a couple homers. Benitez is a hit over power guy at present, but he has some real bat speed and Atlanta thinks he will grow into more power as he gets older and more accustomed to the grind as a pro. Consider us cautiously optimistic that he will round into form in 2024 while acknowledging that he struggles to impact the ball could end up being problematic.

18. Luis De Avila - LHP

This ranking could end up looking quite low given that De Avila is already at Triple-A, but his lack of power stuff and size holds us back from going any higher for now. The Braves snatched up De Avila in the Rule 5 draft back before the 2022 season and moved him back into the rotation. De Avila has rewarded the Braves' faith in him with two straight solid seasons in the minor leagues. He gets a lot of groundball outs and his breaking stuff gets some swing and miss, but we'll need to seem more proof that his low to sometimes mid 90's fastball can get more advanced hitters out before we get too excited.

17. Garrett Baumann - RHP

The Braves have not been afraid to hand out overslot bonuses in the draft to high school arms they like in recent years and Garrett Baumann was a recipient of such a bonus as a fourth round pick in the 2023 draft. The 6'8 righty has a ton of projection and he has already touched the mid to upper 90's with his fastball that also pairs well with his changeup which is surprisingly advanced for a prep arm. Baumann will need to develop a solid breaking ball and improve his command going forward, but there is a lot to like so far.

16. Adam Maier - RHP

Adam Maier has yet to throw a pitch as a pro since being drafted in 2022 due to his recovery from elbow surgery prior to being drafted, so ranking him this high is a risky proposition. However, when he is right, his slider is absolutely nasty, he spins the crap out of his mid-90's fastball, and he sells his changeup well. Time will tell if he will continue to throw strikes and be able to spin the ball like he did before his surgery, but his upside is high enough that we are willing to go out on a limb and rank him this high.

15. Dylan Dodd - LHP

Dylan Dodd came out guns a-blazing in spring traing last year and earned a spot in the Braves' rotation in the wake of injuries to Kyle Wright and Max Fried. Unfortunately, his time in the big leagues did not go all that well as he struggled with a 7.60 ERA in 34.1 innings with the Braves. That said, we still like the diverse options from the left side he possesses and think that some of his issues in 2023 were arm soreness related from pushing himself too hard that spring. We could be wrong, though, and a move to the bullpen isn't out of the question.

14. Cade Kuehler - RHP

Kuehler had a lot of teams excited before the 2023 draft thanks to his fastball getting rave reviews from analytics teams and his first look at pro ball well very well albeit in a very small sample. In addition to his fastball which sits in the mid-90's and can go a tick higher, his slider is another plus pitch in his arsenal. The only reason he is this low is that his size and wonky mechanics make us feel as though he will have to end up in the bullpen. If he can stick as a starter, this ranking will look quite low.

13. Jhancarlos Lara - RHP

Lara just throws gas, plain and simple. His fastball right not sits in the mid to upper 90's and triple digits are definitely on the way as he develops. Lara also has a hard slider that is basically impossible for righties to hit. The issue with Lara is that he really only has two pitches to speak of which means he carries a lot of risk of becoming a reliever down the line. If he adds a third quality pitch (preferably a changeup), this is one of the top starting pitching prospects in the Braves' system. However, we are pricing in his reliever risk for now.

12. Sabin Ceballos - 3B

Ceballos rewarded the Braves' faith in picking him in the third round of the 2023 draft by putting up a .300/.440/.375 line in his first 14 games at a pro. Ceballos does have a little pop, but he is more a hit over power guy at the plate. The question at the moment is whether or not he will stick at third base or will need to move to first base or left field down the line. If either position move happens, that is going to put a lot of pressure on his bat to perform, but he has the talent to make it work.

11. Drue Hackenburg - RHP

Hackenburg was the most surprising pick the Braves made in 2023 as most did not expect him to get picked in the second round. He has two above average pitches in his fastball and slider and there are some metrics that REALLY like his stuff, but right now he profiles as a pitcher that gets a lot of groundball outs and doesn't really prioritize getting swing and miss. Multiple observers have compared him to Bryce Elder with a better fastball. If that is Hackenburg's ultimate ceiling, he will be a very solid pickup unless opposing hitters are able to make hard contact off of him.

10. Seth Keller - RHP

This one is admittedly a reach as Keller dealt with an arm injury in 2023 that limited him to just 46 innings in 2023. However, this dude has a fastball that sits in the low to mid 90's and a really strong split change that misses a lot of bats. Given how good he looked early in the season, we are betting that his subsequent issues were injury related and he will turn into a dude once he is healthy again. If not, he still has a chance at being a very solid bullpen arm.

9. Drake Baldwin - C

If you are looking for the catcher that the Braves could pair with Sean Murphy once Travis d'Arnaud's playing days are done, Baldwin is your guy. After an okay first season after being drafted in 2022, Baldwin jumped onto folks' radars with his ability to impact the ball and make more contact that many thought he would. The Braves really like the improvements he has made behind the plate and laud his work with his pitchers. He probably isn't quite good enough to be a primary catcher, but being a backup that sees significant playing time is very much in the cards.

8. Darius Vines - RHP

Vines would be a stud pitching prospect if he threw his fastball a bit harder, but he has still made a name for himself thanks to his strong breaking and offspeed stuff. Vines had a strong MLB debut in 2023 where he posted a 3.98 ERA in five appearances in the big leagues while dominating the competition in Triple-A. He may not have the sexiest stuff, but don't be surprised if he gets another chance at starting the big leagues especially if he can continue to make progress with keeping the ball in the park.

7. Luis Guanipa - OF

In terms of pure upside, Guanipa has the most potential out of any of the Braves' position prospects outside of maybe Jose Perdomo and we still don't know much about him yet. It took $2.5 million for the Braves to be able to sign Guanipa due to his all-around offensive skillset. He has yet to grow into the power that most expect he will, but he is already proven to be a difference maker on the basepaths and his makeup is off the charts. It will interesting to see how aggressive the Braves are with him over the next couple of years.

6. JR Ritchie - RHP

If Ritchie didn't have to have Tommy John surgery last year, he would have been a top 3 prospect on this list in all likelihood. All four of his pitches grade out as above average or better and he fills the strike zone when he is on. His injury clouds his outlook a bit, but there are no real red flags with his delivery and assuming his recovery goes well, he should be able to pick up where he left off and climb the minor league ranks in short order.

5. Ignacio "Nacho" Alvarez - SS/3B

Nacho Alvarez has been a breath of fresh air ever since he was drafted. His bat-to-ball skills are elite and he has a really good eye at the plate. He is also a very strong defender that can play anywhere in the dirt, although his best position probably is at third. One frustrating thing about him is that despite the fact that he does have some power to his pull side, he very often settles for poking the ball the other way. If he can drive the ball more in 2024, he is going to start getting some more national exposure as a prospect.

4. Spencer Schwellenbach - RHP

After recovering from Tommy John surgery right after the Braves drafted him in the second round of the 2021 draft, the shortstop/reliever turned starter quietly had a fantastic season in the minor leagues with a 2.49 ERA in 16 starts. His stuff plays better when he pitches out of the stretch and there is a chance that he ends up back in the bullpen, but right now he has three above average or better pitches and could move through the system quickly now that he is further removed from his surgery.

3. Owen Murphy - RHP

Owen Murphy was the Braves' first pick in the 2022 draft thanks to a fastball that plays really well at the top of the zone despite not being thrown overly hard and a diverse mix of pitches that were advanced for a prep arm. Murphy repeats his delivery pretty well and, importantly, can land all of his pitches for strikes when he needs to, He may need some seasoning to develop his secondary pitches some more, but Atlanta has to be feeling pretty good about picking him right now.

2. AJ Smith-Shawver - RHP

AJ Smith-Shawver was a somewhat unheralded overslot pick in the 2021 draft who was more known as a guy that played with Bobby Witt Jr. However, Smith-Shawver made a name for himself very quickly with his upper 90's fastball and ability to miss bats. He blasted his way through the minor leagues and made his big league debut in 2023. That may have been a tad too quick to have him make his debut, but he has front of the rotation upside if he can command his stuff on a consistent basis.

1. Hurston Waldrep - RHP

Finally, we come to #1 on the list in Hurston Waldrep who fell in the Braves' lap in the first round of the 2023 draft. Waldrep possesses a mid-to-upper 90's fastball and a splitter that was among the best pitches in his draft class and arguably the best pitch if you pull Paul Skenes out of the discussion. Waldrep managed to make it all the way to Triple-A in his pro debut and is already knocking at the door. His command still could use some work and he needs to simplify his delivery to make it more repeatable, but Atlanta got an absolute stud in Waldrep.

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