The Athletic’s Keith Law released his Top 100 prospects list Monday morning, and Braves top prospect Cam Caminiti checked in extraordinarily high at No. 35.
“Atlanta’s 2024 first-round pick is now their best prospect, as Caminiti, the cousin of the late NL MVP Ken Caminiti, continued to show premium stuff in his pro debut while throwing strikes and limiting hard contact in Low A. Caminiti sits 92-95 already from a low three-quarters slot with a plus changeup that hitters whiffed on half the time they swung at it. His breaking ball is now more of a sweeper, missing some bats in the zone but not generating a lot of chase; it grades out as a 55 or 60 on paper, and I’ve had scouts come in anywhere from average to plus, but right now it plays more as average with hitters. The low slot helps the sweeper play up against lefties, and he comes slightly across his body due to where he lands on the mound, which helps everything look better against lefties. On the season, he allowed just a .184/.283/.207 line to left-handed batters, with just two doubles and no other extra-base hits, while righties hit .251/.328/.371. He’s an excellent athlete who was a two-way player in high school, and getting him a little more online to the plate would improve his results against righties while also letting that athleticism show more in the delivery and the command. He’s also passed the biggest test for high school pitchers, surviving the first year in pro ball without injury, and if that continues he’ll be one of the top lefties in the minors by next spring.”
Caminiti made 13 starts for the Low-A Augusta GreenJackets in 2025 and was essentially unhittable, posting a 2.08 ERA while striking out 12 batters per nine innings. At just 18 years old, it was an incredibly impressive showing and one that has him universally ranked inside the top 100 prospects. Still, No. 35 is the highest placement I’ve seen for him from any outlet to this point.
He’ll likely open the 2026 season at High-A Rome, and if the success continues, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him tested with a late-season promotion to Double-A Columbus. He’s still extremely young, so an MLB debut is probably at least a couple of years away. That said, the Braves have a track record of pushing elite arms through the system faster than most organizations, so nothing can be completely ruled out. If Caminiti continues mowing through hitters the way he did last year, it’s not out of the question that he enters the conversation as a potential option in 2027.
I was a bit surprised Law’s Top 100 didn’t include any other Braves. Most outlets have JR Ritchie ranked comfortably inside the top 100, who could even be competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster this spring after such an impressive 2025 campaign.
Ritchie is really the only player who could be considered a snub, but another name to keep an eye on this season is shortstop John Gil. He wasn’t a highly touted international prospect when he signed out of the Dominican Republic a few years ago, but he’s a very toolsy athlete who swiped 61 bags last season and began to show improved power toward the end of the year. The Braves are hoping 2026 is the season he truly breaks out and establishes himself as the shortstop of the future.
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Photo: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
