If you are an Atlanta Braves fan and you are not familiar with the name Carter Holton, it is honestly completely understandable. The Braves picked Holton in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt despite him showing signs of fatigue and wear at the end of his last college season. Unfortunately, Holton almost immediately needed Tommy John surgery and fans have only been able to see him take the mound once as a professional.
However, that could change very soon. Holton hasn't taken the mound in a real game since August 2024, but there have been no public indications that he has had any issues during his rehab. Assuming he is on the usually Tommy John recovery track, fans shouldn't have to wait long to see him back on the mound and with his arsenal, Holton could be a dark horse breakout candidate for the Braves in 2026.
Braves' Carter Holton has the arsenal to rebound from injury in 2026
Now, we don't know what his pitches and mechanics will look like coming off of Holton's elbow injury. It is not uncommon for pitchers to make adjustments to their deliveries to guard against future injuries during their rehab and basically every arm that is coming off a long lay-off like Holton has is going to have some rust and will need time to regain their former stuff.
However, the sheer variety of pitches that Holton throws (or at least he did) with regularity may give him an edge even as he gets his feet back under him. Before the injury, Holton had a fastball that generally lived in the mid-90's, but pitch had good ride to it and he could touch the upper 90's every now and again. Holton's curveball and slider were both at least above average and give him a pair of breaking balls hitters had to account for. His changeup was probably the worst of the four pitches, but it was still effective at keeping righty hitters honest.
While there is a good chance that Holton won't have all of his pitches in full working order when he returns, it is likely that he will still be an experienced college arm with at least a couple pitches he can lean on if necessary. Assuming his command is anywhere close to reasonable, that may be enough for him to lay waste to the low minors and work himself back into shape.
If that happens, Braves fans will start knowing his name in a hurry. There is no chance Holton will have some sort of meteoric rise to the majors this year like Spencer Strider as Atlanta tends to be cautious with prospects' innings coming off an injury. That said, Holton has the ingredients of a guy that could find himself in the 2027 conversation in a hurry.