Things aren't going so well for the Atlanta Braves right now, as their division lead has slipped to three games. It isn't something fans hoped to see, but that's where they are right now. Hopefully, things turn around quickly, or the start to this season will have been for nothing.
The good news is that the Braves have a lot of great prospects who are performing extremely well in the minor leagues this year. There is a great pool of talent in the organization, and they could provide a great benefit in the coming years.
Not only that, but they could become very important trade chips should Atlanta need them. One of those top prospects is moving rather quickly through the minors and got back on track after a rocky start to a MiLB level.
Brigg McKenzie just showed he belongs after a rough start to his time in high-A
Briggs McKenzie has advanced through three Minor League levels in the span of two months. The 2025 fourth-round draft pick couldn't be having a better start to his professional career. He's currently ranked as Atlanta's seventh-best prospect and has impressed at every level he's touched so far (Rookie, Low-A, and High-A). His first two High-A starts weren't very good, with five runs allowed, seven walks, and six strikeouts over five innings.
That wasn't what he (or anyone) wanted, but McKenzie bounced back strong in his third start with the Emperors. He struck out eight batters over 4.2 innings with two walks and three hits. The most impressive part of this start was that he struck out six of the final 10 batters he faced. This helped lower his season ERA to 2.08 over 26 innings with 12 walks, 31 strikeouts, and a .189 average against.
According to Clark Fahrenthold, the lefty had a 36.1 percent whiff rate during this start. McKenzie's curveball generated a majority of his swings and misses. That is beginning to look like a plus pitch for the youngster.
McKenzie pairs that with a fastball that sits between 90 mph and 95 mph, and a low-80s changeup. They are decent pitches, but will need more time to develop before they're MLB ready. McKenzie has a very bright future ahead of him, and Braves fans should be very excited to watch his development.
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