When the Atlanta Braves signed Luis Guanipa as their top international free agent back in 2023 for $2.5 million, the organization was in real need of a win in the international market. Since their international penalties ended, the Braves have really struggled to find impact IFA talent and the hope was that Guanipa would be change that narrative. What has happened since then has been a decidedly mixed bag.
While the expectations were high for Guanipa, the production his first two seasons in the minor leagues did not match them with 2024 being particularly rough as he only managed a .577 OPS. Injuries certainly played a role with his struggles, but that is actually part of the larger problem here.
In 2025, Guanipa looked markedly improved. He bumped his OPS up to .670 at low-A Augusta and his numbers were particularly good later in the season. The problem is that Guanipa missed substantial time due to injuries again and now there are real concerns as to whether or not his body will hold up as a pro.
Luis Guanipa's injury issues should be cause for concern for the Braves
As time has gone on, it has become pretty clear that if Guanipa is going to succeed, he is going to have to excel as a contact hitter with speed as his power has not developed like the Braves had hoped. That means Guanipa is going to have to not only improve his hit tool which has been a bit sketchy, but also be able to sustain his quick twitch physical gifts to get the most out of the contact he makes.
Unfortunately, missing a bunch of games is robbing Guanipa of extremely valuable reps at the plate and makes one wonder if he can last a full season playing the way he does. In 2024, Guanipa was limited to just 52 games and this past season, he only played in 35 games total after missing most of April and all of May before getting placed on the IL in the middle of August as well to end his season.
The good news is that Guanipa is still just 19 years old and has a lot of times to figure things out and work through whatever physical issues he is dealing with. He may never be the player that Atlanta was hoping he would eventually turn into, but the talent is real with Guanipa and no one should write him off just yet.