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.